FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Coletrain said 05/10, 12:12 AM
Talking about baseball standings in May is pointless. It's far too early to talk about standings. Not even a quarter of the season is over yet. The Reds are a very streaky team and have gotten off to a rather slow start, but they'll pick it up. They have enough talent to do so.

The starting rotation isn't that bad. Harang is 1-5 but his ERA is 3.09. He hasn't gotten enough support or the bullpen has blown a few games, but he's as dependable as they come. The surprising Edinson Volquez has been one of the best pitchers in baseball, Johnny Cueto has shown he has tremendous talent, and Arroyo has his moments. Not a terrible rotation to the have in the NL Central. Cordero has looked pretty solid thus far has the closer although his walk total is a tad too high.

The offense will pick it up soon. Griffey can still rake better than most hitters and Dunn does have an OBP of .376. Votto is tearing the cover off the ball right now and Phillips/Encarnacion are hitting.

They have much more upside than the Pirates and Astros. The Pirates have no firepower whatsoever and the Astros rotation is anything but well rounded. Even the Brewers with that mess of a bullpen have issues.

Coletrain said 05/10, 12:38 AM
"The Reds pitching isn't that bad but u said it your self, they are not getting the support to back them up"

You're correct, RIGHT NOW their offense has been all or nothing. But I think that will change as the season goes on. Dunn, Griffey, Encarnacion, Phillips, and Votto will all hit plenty of HRs. If something is gonna kill the Reds' season, it will not be the hitting. The pitching was the biggest question for this team heading into the season and it hasn't been that bad.

I can't see the Pirates keeping up with the Reds. Almost every one of their starters is struggling to a degree which isn't good considering their all young and should be improving. Their hitting isn't terrible, but it's not as imposing as the Reds' line-up. Can you see Xavier Nady hitting .349 for the whole year? How about Ryan Doumit hitting .333? I doubt it. The Pirates don't have much going for them right now. They just picked up Jason Michaels, which was their biggest addition since trading for Matt Morris who was the definition of an utter disaster.

The Brewers bullpen makes every game interesting and the Astros pitching leaves much to be desired. Even the Cardinals are overachieving right now.