Paul Janish was not in the Reds lineup today. Despite rumors that he'd been raptured off the roster, it appears that he is in fact still on this earth, but was benched for the game because he's slumping.
I think Dusty Baker is panicking just a bit. Paul Janish is 1-for-his-last-22 and Edgar Renteria is 2-for-his-last-29. Playing Renteria isn't a big improvement on offense but is a big liability on defense.
Janish is still adjusting to the big leagues. I wish Dusty would commit to letting him play the way he stuck with Drew Stubbs and Jay Bruce through their struggles. I know Janish doesn't have the pedigree of number one draft picks like Stubbs and Bruce, but given the lack of good alternatives, Dusty has little to lose by sticking with Janish. Maybe Janish will figure it out and become a dependable starter. But he needs to play in order to develop. At this point, Renteria can't play every day and isn't going to get better. Janish is likely to improve, given more experience.
At least Dusty hasn't given up on Janish yet. Apparently, the beat writers asked him if Miguel Cairo might take over as starting shortstop. (Cairo??? Ye gods.)
Miguel Cairo is not an option at short.
“He can’t play everywhere. He’s already playing third, second, first. He hasn’t played much short in his career. Plus, how old is he? (36). He’s been around a long time. I’ve got two shortstops.
“Like I told you about Renteria, remember what I said about getting him to the hot weather. We’re not there yet. We knew Janish might struggle at some point in time. Just because he struggles some, you don’t take his job away.”
No, but apparently do you take his playing time away. In favor of a guy who's only a year younger than Cairo.
The Reds are now the proud owners of a 4-game losing streak. Dusty's understandably concerned. But offense isn't the problem. The Reds have one of the best offenses in MLB. (They've been trading off with the Cardinals for first place in runs scored.) The games lost (except for the first one) were very close. Sometimes, it comes down to the luck of the draw. It's a long season. It'll even out in the end.
In particular, Dusty needs to quit messing with the lineup. He's been batting struggling hitters second, apparently under the theory that they'll get better pitches to hit in front of Joey Votto. That's just idiotic. Janish is probably my favorite player not named Bubba Crosby, but he's a back of the lineup hitter, and that's where Dusty should put him. Let him learn to hit in front of the pitcher, because that's probably where he's going to hit as long as he's a big leaguer. Bat him 8th...but put him in the lineup six days a week.
Labels: Paul Janish
