Post by John on May 2, 2006 13:37:26 GMT -4
Weekend Buzz: Meet the new Red Machine
By Scott Miller
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Here's the Weekend Buzz, while you were raising a glass to toast at the Boss Man's wedding ...
1. Cincinnati Red Hots: As far as honeymoon periods go, new Cincinnati general manager Wayne Krivsky is finding this sure beats 10 days in Hawaii.
The game's hottest team as April turns into May, the new Red Machine is surprisingly balanced, surprisingly efficient and, thanks to perfectly placed pieces such as Bronson Arroyo, Brandon Phillips, David Ross and Scott Hatteberg, not prepared to drop the "surprising" tag anytime soon.
The past three Fridays, the Reds have tamed aces Roy Oswalt (Houston), Ben Sheets (Milwaukee) and Chris Carpenter (St. Louis, the 2005 NL Cy Young winner). Also in that span -- though not on a Friday -- they roughed up Florida's Dontrelle Willis.
"I was hoping we could stay under the radar," Krivsky was saying the other night over the telephone after the Reds moved into first place in the NL Central. "But I think our cover's blown."
Past Reds teams were one-dimensional bangers that employed the same philosophy as your rec league softball team: Outscore the other guys. The difference so far this season: Their lineup is much more balanced and the Reds are finally getting some pitching. Not that all of their pitching woes are solved, but Arroyo (4-0) has been a huge acquisition and opening-day starter Aaron Harang (4-1) has roared to life in winning four consecutive decisions.
Cincinnati has been able to rest its bullpen when Arroyo pitches -- he's worked into the seventh inning or deeper in four of five starts -- silencing critics who chafed when Krivsky grabbed him from Boston for slugger Wily Mo Pena. Besides, critics, take note: Until Pena hit his third home run Sunday, he and Arroyo were tied with two apiece.
Leadoff man Ryan Freel and No. 2 hitter Felipe Lopez already have a combined 17 steals (Lopez has nine, Freel eight). But perhaps the best example of the New Reds is the smart work of Phillips, who is taking consistently good at-bats, hitting to all fields and navigating the bases as if in possession of a personal GPS device.
In Saturday's win over Houston, he swiped third with Freel at the plate, then alertly scored on a wild pitch that didn't even bounce all the way to the backstop.
The night before, Phillips stole second base, snatched third on a routine ground ball to shortstop -- "A lot of guys wouldn't have even tried that," Krivsky says -- and was in position to score on a squibber to second baseman Craig Biggio. There wasn't even a play at the plate.
And last week in Milwaukee, Phillips scored from second base on an infield hit, never even hesitating while rounding third.
Then there's Ross, who according to Krivsky "doesn't get enough pub. He's done a hell of a job as Arroyo's catcher. I'm very pleased. He's handling the pitching staff, calling games, receiving the ball very well."
The youngest player on the team, 23-year-old Edwin Encarnacion, leads the team with 24 RBI -- in no small part because he is working counts much better than he did last year. After fanning 60 times against only 20 walks in 69 games 2005, he's struck out 13 times and walked 12 in 21 games in '06. Just as encouraging, under the tutelage of Bucky Dent, the Reds already have seen improvements in both Encarnacion's footwork and glovework at third base.
Where the difference between the old Reds and the new Reds is most notable, though, is upstairs, where new owner Bob Castellini has made it clear he is as interested in winning as he is in the bottom line. Following the Marge Schott and Carl Lindner eras, it was no small thing for the Reds to designate infielder Tony Womack for assignment last week -- and risk eating roughly $900,000 of his contract.
"I think the players have a lot of faith in ownership now," Krivsky acknowledges. "I think they know Bob Castellini is in this to win."
2. Hush Puppies Player of the Week: Cleveland finally did something Saturday that no other club had been able to do for seven consecutive games: Keep Texas slugger Kevin Mench in the park. Shelved with "turf toe" earlier this month, trainers told Mench, among other things, that his shoes were too small. Seems the big lug had worn size 12 shoes in the past when he needed size 12 1/2.
Now, every single one of his seven home runs and 22 RBI have come in the nine games since his toe has healed and he's begun lacing up bigger spikes. Which makes you wonder: If what he's doing is so impressive now, just how monstrous could this guy's numbers be had he worn the proper shoes from the start on opening day? Mother always stressed the importance of good shoes.
3. He's not Batman, he's a joker: Tampa Bay's Delmon Young may be one of the best prospects in all of baseball, but at 20, he's got a whole lot of growing up to do. If you haven't seen the clip of him throwing a bat that struck an umpire in a Triple-A International League game last Wednesday, you're spending entirely too much time napping.
Young was suspended indefinitely, which hopefully translates into "for most of the rest of the season." More worrisome is that Young seems to have festering anger issues: At Double-A Montgomery last May, he bumped an umpire and was suspended for three games. And earlier this season, after he was hit by a pitch, he tossed a bat in the air so high and far that it landed near the pitcher. As Green Day sings, wake him up when -- and don't remove him from the suspended list -- September ends.
4. The new Bonds: It's more clear with each passing inning that Albert Pujols has supplanted Barry Bonds as the best and most dangerous hitter in the game. But forget about his major-league record 14 homers in April and major-league leading 31 RBI. Most impressive is his run of stroking the game-winning RBI in five of St. Louis' past eight victories. "He's in another league right now," Cincinnati's Krivsky says.
5. Boooooooo!: Sorry, just warming up for Johnny Damon's return to Fenway Park on Monday. Conveniently, Boston concessionaires don't even have to mark down those WWJD T-shirts. Now they just tell folks it stands for "What Would Judas Do?"
6. Tigers maul Twins: Outscored 'em 33-1 over the weekend, causing long-suffering Detroit baseball fans to hesitantly put away their Denny McLain and Jack Morris posters and begin learning how to spell "Verlander." The Tigers' rotation now ranks first in AL with 3.35 ERA and second only to Houston's rotation (3.22) in the majors.
7. Jose off his rocker: Jose Mesa received a well-deserved four-game suspension Friday. Mesa, angry when Omar Vizquel criticized him in a book for his Game 7 failures in the 1997 World Series, told Philadelphia reporters in the spring of 2003, "If I face him 10 more times, I'll hit him 10 times. Every time, I want to kill him." Adding even more vivid color, Mesa added, "If he charges me, I'll kill him." Since then, Mesa has drilled Vizquel with a pitch three consecutive times. Doesn't this guy ever take notes from Law and Order and learn to cover his tracks?
8. Texas Toast: While Mench smokes, Rangers closer Francisco Cordero burns. Texas manager Buck Showalter removed Cordero from the closer's role over the weekend after Cordero blew his fifth save opportunity this month -- a major-league record for April.
Cordero's 97 mph heater is still there, but his location isn't. He's blown four saves since April 19, prompting Showalter to hand the ball to Akinori Otsuka, who successfully converted his first save opportunity in Cleveland on Saturday.
How poorly is Cordero doing? Oakland's Dan Johnson was 1-for-37 before schooling him twice in two nights last week. Johnson smashed a game-tying double against Cordero last Tuesday and then followed that up with a game-tying homer against Cordero on Wednesday.
9. Where have you gone, Doug Mirabelli?: Damon's return isn't the only attraction Monday night in Fenway. If you're in a gawking-at-a-highway-accident sort of mood, keep your eyes locked on Boston knuckleballer Tim Wakefield and Red Sox catcher Josh Bard. Looking like a guy trying to catch a wet bar of soap while tracking Wakefield's knuckler, Bard committed four passed balls Wednesday in Cleveland and already has 10 so far this season.
That puts him on a pace for ... don't worry, we did the math: 77. The major-league record is 35, suffered by Texas catcher Geno Petralli in 1987 while catching the knuckleballs of Charlie Hough.
10. This wasn't on the ALCS itinerary last fall: The White Sox spent last Thursday's off day at the Playboy mansion in Southern California before opening a weekend series with the Los Angeles Angels. Making them, still, October's pinups.
By Scott Miller
CBS SportsLine.com Senior Writer
Here's the Weekend Buzz, while you were raising a glass to toast at the Boss Man's wedding ...
1. Cincinnati Red Hots: As far as honeymoon periods go, new Cincinnati general manager Wayne Krivsky is finding this sure beats 10 days in Hawaii.
The game's hottest team as April turns into May, the new Red Machine is surprisingly balanced, surprisingly efficient and, thanks to perfectly placed pieces such as Bronson Arroyo, Brandon Phillips, David Ross and Scott Hatteberg, not prepared to drop the "surprising" tag anytime soon.
The past three Fridays, the Reds have tamed aces Roy Oswalt (Houston), Ben Sheets (Milwaukee) and Chris Carpenter (St. Louis, the 2005 NL Cy Young winner). Also in that span -- though not on a Friday -- they roughed up Florida's Dontrelle Willis.
"I was hoping we could stay under the radar," Krivsky was saying the other night over the telephone after the Reds moved into first place in the NL Central. "But I think our cover's blown."
Past Reds teams were one-dimensional bangers that employed the same philosophy as your rec league softball team: Outscore the other guys. The difference so far this season: Their lineup is much more balanced and the Reds are finally getting some pitching. Not that all of their pitching woes are solved, but Arroyo (4-0) has been a huge acquisition and opening-day starter Aaron Harang (4-1) has roared to life in winning four consecutive decisions.
Cincinnati has been able to rest its bullpen when Arroyo pitches -- he's worked into the seventh inning or deeper in four of five starts -- silencing critics who chafed when Krivsky grabbed him from Boston for slugger Wily Mo Pena. Besides, critics, take note: Until Pena hit his third home run Sunday, he and Arroyo were tied with two apiece.
Leadoff man Ryan Freel and No. 2 hitter Felipe Lopez already have a combined 17 steals (Lopez has nine, Freel eight). But perhaps the best example of the New Reds is the smart work of Phillips, who is taking consistently good at-bats, hitting to all fields and navigating the bases as if in possession of a personal GPS device.
In Saturday's win over Houston, he swiped third with Freel at the plate, then alertly scored on a wild pitch that didn't even bounce all the way to the backstop.
The night before, Phillips stole second base, snatched third on a routine ground ball to shortstop -- "A lot of guys wouldn't have even tried that," Krivsky says -- and was in position to score on a squibber to second baseman Craig Biggio. There wasn't even a play at the plate.
And last week in Milwaukee, Phillips scored from second base on an infield hit, never even hesitating while rounding third.
Then there's Ross, who according to Krivsky "doesn't get enough pub. He's done a hell of a job as Arroyo's catcher. I'm very pleased. He's handling the pitching staff, calling games, receiving the ball very well."
The youngest player on the team, 23-year-old Edwin Encarnacion, leads the team with 24 RBI -- in no small part because he is working counts much better than he did last year. After fanning 60 times against only 20 walks in 69 games 2005, he's struck out 13 times and walked 12 in 21 games in '06. Just as encouraging, under the tutelage of Bucky Dent, the Reds already have seen improvements in both Encarnacion's footwork and glovework at third base.
Where the difference between the old Reds and the new Reds is most notable, though, is upstairs, where new owner Bob Castellini has made it clear he is as interested in winning as he is in the bottom line. Following the Marge Schott and Carl Lindner eras, it was no small thing for the Reds to designate infielder Tony Womack for assignment last week -- and risk eating roughly $900,000 of his contract.
"I think the players have a lot of faith in ownership now," Krivsky acknowledges. "I think they know Bob Castellini is in this to win."
2. Hush Puppies Player of the Week: Cleveland finally did something Saturday that no other club had been able to do for seven consecutive games: Keep Texas slugger Kevin Mench in the park. Shelved with "turf toe" earlier this month, trainers told Mench, among other things, that his shoes were too small. Seems the big lug had worn size 12 shoes in the past when he needed size 12 1/2.
Now, every single one of his seven home runs and 22 RBI have come in the nine games since his toe has healed and he's begun lacing up bigger spikes. Which makes you wonder: If what he's doing is so impressive now, just how monstrous could this guy's numbers be had he worn the proper shoes from the start on opening day? Mother always stressed the importance of good shoes.
3. He's not Batman, he's a joker: Tampa Bay's Delmon Young may be one of the best prospects in all of baseball, but at 20, he's got a whole lot of growing up to do. If you haven't seen the clip of him throwing a bat that struck an umpire in a Triple-A International League game last Wednesday, you're spending entirely too much time napping.
Young was suspended indefinitely, which hopefully translates into "for most of the rest of the season." More worrisome is that Young seems to have festering anger issues: At Double-A Montgomery last May, he bumped an umpire and was suspended for three games. And earlier this season, after he was hit by a pitch, he tossed a bat in the air so high and far that it landed near the pitcher. As Green Day sings, wake him up when -- and don't remove him from the suspended list -- September ends.
4. The new Bonds: It's more clear with each passing inning that Albert Pujols has supplanted Barry Bonds as the best and most dangerous hitter in the game. But forget about his major-league record 14 homers in April and major-league leading 31 RBI. Most impressive is his run of stroking the game-winning RBI in five of St. Louis' past eight victories. "He's in another league right now," Cincinnati's Krivsky says.
5. Boooooooo!: Sorry, just warming up for Johnny Damon's return to Fenway Park on Monday. Conveniently, Boston concessionaires don't even have to mark down those WWJD T-shirts. Now they just tell folks it stands for "What Would Judas Do?"
6. Tigers maul Twins: Outscored 'em 33-1 over the weekend, causing long-suffering Detroit baseball fans to hesitantly put away their Denny McLain and Jack Morris posters and begin learning how to spell "Verlander." The Tigers' rotation now ranks first in AL with 3.35 ERA and second only to Houston's rotation (3.22) in the majors.
7. Jose off his rocker: Jose Mesa received a well-deserved four-game suspension Friday. Mesa, angry when Omar Vizquel criticized him in a book for his Game 7 failures in the 1997 World Series, told Philadelphia reporters in the spring of 2003, "If I face him 10 more times, I'll hit him 10 times. Every time, I want to kill him." Adding even more vivid color, Mesa added, "If he charges me, I'll kill him." Since then, Mesa has drilled Vizquel with a pitch three consecutive times. Doesn't this guy ever take notes from Law and Order and learn to cover his tracks?
8. Texas Toast: While Mench smokes, Rangers closer Francisco Cordero burns. Texas manager Buck Showalter removed Cordero from the closer's role over the weekend after Cordero blew his fifth save opportunity this month -- a major-league record for April.
Cordero's 97 mph heater is still there, but his location isn't. He's blown four saves since April 19, prompting Showalter to hand the ball to Akinori Otsuka, who successfully converted his first save opportunity in Cleveland on Saturday.
How poorly is Cordero doing? Oakland's Dan Johnson was 1-for-37 before schooling him twice in two nights last week. Johnson smashed a game-tying double against Cordero last Tuesday and then followed that up with a game-tying homer against Cordero on Wednesday.
9. Where have you gone, Doug Mirabelli?: Damon's return isn't the only attraction Monday night in Fenway. If you're in a gawking-at-a-highway-accident sort of mood, keep your eyes locked on Boston knuckleballer Tim Wakefield and Red Sox catcher Josh Bard. Looking like a guy trying to catch a wet bar of soap while tracking Wakefield's knuckler, Bard committed four passed balls Wednesday in Cleveland and already has 10 so far this season.
That puts him on a pace for ... don't worry, we did the math: 77. The major-league record is 35, suffered by Texas catcher Geno Petralli in 1987 while catching the knuckleballs of Charlie Hough.
10. This wasn't on the ALCS itinerary last fall: The White Sox spent last Thursday's off day at the Playboy mansion in Southern California before opening a weekend series with the Los Angeles Angels. Making them, still, October's pinups.