Game 38 - St. Louis Cardinals (Kyle Lohse) at Cincinnati Reds (Bronson Arroyo)

• Azubuike24

  

  The Cardinals come into Cincinnati for their first visit in a battle for first place. Lohse has been great this year and he's been okay in his career against Cincinnati (4.31 ERA, 2-3 record). More impressively however, he's been very good in Great American Ballpark posting a career 3.83 ERA, a place where he's made his third most appearances.
  
  Expect some moves to be announced today. Jose Arredondo has to be activated if he is going to remain with the club, so it's almost a guarantee he's called up today (victims being Sam LeCure, Aroldis Chapman or Mike Leake). Scott Rolen is ready to return, and you would figure a big series against his former club would be perfect for that. Chris Valaika is the obviously choice to be demoted here. As for some other moves, they are on the horizon. Juan Francisco is also very close to returning, and both Yonder Alonso and Todd Frazier are tearing it up in Louisville. Given his major league experience and ability to play LF (a position the Reds have some of the worst production in MLB at), it wouldn't shock me to see Alonso up here (but for who?).
  
  Going to be an interesting weekend...go Reds!
• justincredible

  

  Can't wait for the game tonight and the new Mr. Red's Smokehouse. Gonna have a smoked turkey leg, hopefully it's not $15.
• se-alum

  

  Leake has to go, right? LeCure has earned his spot in the pen, and Dusty pretty much said Chapman isn't going anywhere.
• Midstate01

  

  I think leake needs to go so he can be working every 5th day.
• Heretic

  

  Midstate01;767631 wrote:I think leake needs to go so he can be working every 5th day.

  
  Yeah. And even if their starters tend to have trouble getting beyond six innings on a regular basis, it's still kind of strange to essentially have two long relievers/spot starters on a roster (which LeStache and Leake both are at the time). Guys like that are great when you have to have someone eat 2-4 innings in a game, but it's better to have actual relievers to enter a game in late-inning situations in a close game instead of a guy who's more accustomed to a different role.
• SportsAndLady

  

  Heretic, i'm sure you've done your fair share of athens court st. shuffles, correct? Doing one tonight (my 2nd one), gonna miss this game due to being blacked out.
• Heretic

  

  SportsAndLady;767666 wrote:Heretic, i'm sure you've done your fair share of athens court st. shuffles, correct? Doing one tonight (my 2nd one), gonna miss this game due to being blacked out.

  
  You are correct. They are always a good time. The aftermath can get a bit ugly, but the journey is always fun!
• SportsAndLady

  

  They are awful
• Heretic

  

  SportsAndLady;767671 wrote:They are awful

  
  Especially if you're like me and you lived up on State Street about a 10-minute walk from campus. There was a church that I used the back wall of as my "halfway home piss break" location on the way back. When you're obliterated, a 10-minute walk to get back to your bed ALWAYS was an adventure. Especially since the last time I shuffled, I was at the point where I couldn't even stay on the sidewalk. That was close to a Darwin Award nomination night...smh.
• SportsAndLady

  

  Haha yeah I live at the new palmer place apartments..i'm sure u don't know what those are unless you've been here in the last 3 years?
  
  It's a 10 min walk..my halfway piss point is the art building's parking lots behind those houses on Mill.
  
  Oh and there's a church right by there but even drunk I still feel so weird whipin out my dick to piss on the church lol
  
  Funny story, earlier this year I was obliterated and walked back by myself and had to throw up on the way home so I went to the closest hiding spot I could find--that church. I projectile puked for 3 striaght minutes, looked up, and there was Jesus on the cross....I felt like a complete asshole lol
• rugbywrestler

  Rolen back in the starting lineup for tonight
• thavoice

  I think Leake should be sent down. Reds need to keep a starter ready at AAA to come up when someone gets hurt or flops. Its a long season and it will happen. Send Leake down, keep him on that every 5 day schedule of starting. If someone goes on the DL Leake may not be able to make that next start depending on when he threw last but he would be able to fill in on start two through the time the starter gets rehabbed.
  
  I think it is a bad idea from a team standpoint to take both the starters (Leclure and Leake) and limit their arms to the BP because you will need them in the rotation at some point. One in the BP is good, not both.
• SportsAndLady

  

  Stubbs cf
  Renteria ss
  Votto 1b
  Phillips 2b
  Bruce rf
  Rolen 3b
  Lewis lf
  Hanigan c
  Arroyo p
• se-alum

  

  Janish must not have recovered well from the game Wednesday. Also, I would prefer Dusty swap Renteria and Hanigan or put Bruce in the 2-hole and Renteria in the 8-spot, moving everyone else up.
• SportsAndLady

  

  I hate having Renteria in there over janish...Jani is soooo good defensively
• mhs95_06

  Anything yet on the moves regarding who Rolen replaces on the 25 man and what they do with Arredondo?
• thavoice

  Valaika moved down.
  
  As for the pitcher..still no word yet...Mark sheldon blog said Arredonda not on the premesis yet and it still is a murky situation
• mhs95_06

  After Lohse had a tough struggle getting Stubbs, he handled Renteria and Votto very well!
• mhs95_06

  BP with an ill advised aggressive play, making the last out at 3rd, especially when you consider the axiom to not make the 1st or last out on a tag play at 3rd!
• Jughead

  

  Don't understand the lack of a suicide squeeze play there. The infielders were shifted to where a bunt down the base line scores a runner.
• mhs95_06

  In the bottom of the 3rd the bottom third of the order perfectly set ut a scoring inning by going hit, walk and sac to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out. Unfortunately Stubbs "out kicked his coverage" and trying for two RBI hit the ball "too good" when a dribbler would do for an RBI they were giving, but the ball got to SS so quick that a good throw nailed Lewis by a bunch at home for the 2nd out, and the zero for Lohse was made when renteria hit a weak pop-up to 2nd.
  
  We'll see how the cardinals handle business with the first two reaching in the 4th.
• mhs95_06

  Jughead;767786 wrote:Don't understand the lack of a suicide squeeze play there. The infielders were shifted to where a bunt down the base line scores a runner.

  
  I have been miffed by the failure to have Stubbs bunt for a long time. It seems it would be very valuable for him with his quickness, but the Reds must have given up on him ever being a bunter. After all that talk last year of him working hard on it, I don't recall him even attempting one at all this season! I would have him try it at least on two pitches each series, and add one to that two required for every series he doesn't get one down fair.
• mhs95_06

  Great AB by Berkman in the same situation as Stubbs had(2nd and 3rd with less than 2 out) and he gets a 3-2 SF to knock in the 3nd run. Great AB.
• mhs95_06

  Cards get 3 big ones in the 4th.
• mhs95_06

  Reds get the 6th and 7th hitters on with singles to start the 5th. With Arroyo at 87 pitches do they pinch hit for him?