All Things Bubba

The Reds' new backup shortstop

2012-01-25T18:29:00.004-05:00

The Reds have traded pitcher Jeremy Horst to the Phillies for backup shortstop Wilson Valdez. The good folks at Redleg Nation are underwhelmed.

Seems like a good deal for the Reds. They DFA'd Horst in December; he cleared waivers and was outrighted to Louisville. So, the Reds got Valdez for a guy that any team could have gotten for free last month.

This is not good news for Paul Janish, though it's not unexpected, either. There's just no room on 25-man roster for Janish. He's likely to start the season in Louisville. I don't think Valdez is a better shortstop than Janish, but Janish has options and I'm pretty sure Valdez doesn't.

And Walt Jocketty might not be done yet. I still think he might sign Ryan Theriot or someone like him.

The Center for Disability Services Telethon

2012-01-21T21:11:00.003-05:00

Came across this article, about Joba Chamberlain participating in the Center for Disability Services Telethon. It mentions that Bubba Crosby was a past guest. I remember that. They really liked him.

Bubba Crosby at the Center for Disability Services Telethon (photo by "Ponine")

Janish's raise

2012-01-18T20:42:00.003-05:00

According to AP, Paul Janish got a one-year deal for $850,000. That's $50,000 more than MLB Trade Rumors predicted.

Arbitration

2012-01-17T21:04:00.002-05:00

The Reds announced tonight that they avoided arbitration with Paul Janish. No word yet on what the terms were.

John Erardi spoke with Reds GM Walt Jocketty today.

Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said Tuesday the club is ‘‘pretty well done’’ retooling going into spring training, but would add an experienced shortstop to provide depth for starter Zack Cozart and backup Paul Janish if they can find one.

“If not, we like what we have,” Jocketty said.

I think Walt's going to sign a veteran SS. Kind of a bummer for Janish. He's had no trouble sticking on the big league roster until they tried to make him a starter.

This guy at Bleacher Report is apparently a Janish fan. (I know, I know, I should know better than to read Bleacher Report.) He thinks John Fay is love with Cozart but has written off Janish. But that Dusty hasn't given up on Janish yet. Weird. To me, it looked like Dusty was the first one to give up on Janish. He forced Jocketty to call up Cozart by benching Janish in favor of Renteria. Sure, he said all the right things about Janish having what it takes to be a starting SS, but that's his job as a manager.

Ah, well. I do think it's looking very likely that Janish will start the year in Louisville. But I also think it's likely he'll be called up sometime during the year, for one reason or another. He'll get another chance.

Sickels likes Cingrani

2012-01-10T18:33:00.002-05:00

John Sickels has released his 2012 Reds prospect report. He ranked Tony Cingrani the 6th best prospect in the Reds system.

6) Tony Cingrani, LHP, Grade B-: Borderline C+. Relieved in college for Rice but a starter now, developing slider and changeup with good results in Pioneer League. Throws strikes, has a shot at becoming a number three starter. Grade is aggressive but I like him.

Cingrani's turning a lot of heads in the Reds organization. Looks like they really think he can be a starter.

More on the Rice Alumni Game

2012-01-09T19:45:00.003-05:00

Paul Janish at the 2010 Rice Alumni Game

There's a web page up now for the 2012 Rice Alumni Game. It's February 4, at Reckling Park in Houston. In addition to the game, there's a lecture on the history of Rice athletics the night before. Both are free and open to the public, though they are asking people to RSVP for the lecture.

Good news for Janish?

2012-01-05T20:22:00.004-05:00

Reds beat writer John Fay thinks the Reds might stick with Janish as their backup shortstop. GM Walt Jocketty has said he wants a veteran backup.

It’s down on the list after closer and outfield bat. In other words, there’s a chance they never get to it. What made me think about it is Jack Wilson is still out there. Could be a fit, right? Then I looked at his numbers from last year: .243/.274/.285.

The Reds can probably get that from Paul Janish for considerably less money. Janish hit .214/.259/.262 last year.

Fay thinks Janish is too skinny to play every day, and will hit better with more time off:

Janish is lean and tends to get worn down. That may have been why he was so bad last year.

I'd never heard that skinny guys wear down. If anything, you'd think it would be the big guys who'd suffer more from wear and tear. I'd guess Fay's getting that theory from the Reds, though.

I think Walt would be fine with Janish as the backup if the Reds had an established starting SS. But presumed starter Zack Cozart has played only 11 games in the big leagues, and didn't exactly light up the minors. With the Reds trying to win during the "Votto window," I'd guess Walt's going to sign a veteran backup who can take over for Cozart if needed.

I can't watch

2012-01-01T21:38:00.002-05:00

So, the Cowboys and the Giants are playing tonight. Winner take all. I had a bad feeling about this game, and so far, it's even worse than I feared.

The Cowboys are killing me this year. So many games going down to the last second. The last-minute wins are exhilarating, but I'm not sure they make up for the heartbreaking losses.

Tonight, the Cowboys just look completely out of their depth. Dumb mistakes, bad luck, and just being outplayed. I am really tempted to just turn it off and not watch the carnage. Of course, I'll kick myself if the Cowboys somehow manage a win.

I find it a lot easier to watch a baseball game in which my team is being killed than a football game. I guess because baseball is such an individual sport. Even if the team is losing 20-0, some individual players will be playing well. A nice at-bat, a good play on defense. Football is so much more a team sport. When the team is not doing well, the individual players aren't, either. Or at least it's hard to pick out good performances.

Ugh, sports. Sometimes I wonder why I put myself through this.

So long, 2011

2011-12-31T11:49:00.002-05:00

Paul Janish rounds 3B, spring training 2011

2011 didn't turn out quite like Paul Janish or the Reds had hoped. Mark Sheldon thinks Janish took his struggles at the plate into the field:

Janish is known for playing excellent defense, but could not get it together at the plate last season. He batted only .214 and had a two-week stint in Louisville in July before being recalled because of Cozart's injury. Janish's confidence issues as a hitter might have seeped into his defense, as he made 12 errors.

That thought had crossed my mind as well. Janish's defense was still excellent, but he had a bunch of errors that were quite unlike him. And in September, when the pressure was off, he not only hit a lot better, he had no errors.

Sheldon still thinks Janish has a chance to win the starting job:

Until a season-ending left elbow injury, Cozart was impressive for the Reds, batting .307 with two home runs and playing well defensively. But he only had 11 big league games to show what he could do. It's enough to give him the inside track on the job heading into camp, but the Reds are looking around for a backup just in case. Paul Janish, who lost the starting job last season, is looking for a turnaround year and could be an alternative.

I hope he overcomes his "confidence issues," if only because I love watching him play SS.

A lot of Reds fans, and even some in the media, were talking about signing David Aardsma to close. They were apparently unaware that Aardsma had Tommy John surgery in July, and will likely miss next year. He expects to be back next July, but IMO, that's over-optimistic. Pitchers always think they can be back in a year, but 18 months is more typical. At least to be fully effective. The Reds will have to look elsewhere for a closer.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T17:53:00.000-05:00

Is it spring yet?

Paul Janish, still a Red

2011-12-12T20:43:00.004-05:00

Reds beat writer John Fay reports that Paul Janish has been tendered a contract. No word yet on how much he was offered; MLB Trade Rumors predicted he'd get $800,000.

He's probably happy to get a big league contract with the team he's spent his entire career with. But I suspect it might be better for his career if he'd been nontendered. He might get a roster spot on another team, as a backup infielder at least. As things stand now, there's no room for him with the Reds. I'm guessing he starts next season in AAA, as an insurance player.

Lance Berkman, Leader

2011-12-11T22:04:00.003-05:00

Or so says Jeff Pearlman at CNN. He thinks Albert Pujols was kind of a jerk. Unlike Lance Berkman.

Truth be told, inside the Cardinals' clubhouse Pujols was, on his best days, pleasantly present. When asked, younger players would praise his leadership skills because, frankly, that's what young players do. Yet with last season's arrival of the affable, open, intelligent Lance Berkman, members of the team were able to witness what genuine leadership looks like.

I haven't seen that much of Berkman - his tenure with the Yankees was brief and unremarkable - but from what I've seen, he's pretty approachable as MLB stars go. Anyone who puts up with the nickname "Fat Elvis" must be pretty laid back.

Five more days

2011-12-07T18:30:00.002-05:00

The non-tender deadline is Monday. Derek Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggests that the St. Louis Cardinals might be interested in Paul Janish if he's non-tendered by the Reds. But it's looking like he will be offered a contract. From Reds beat writer John Fay:

The Reds must tender contracts to their arbitration-eligible players by Monday. Edinson Volquez, Homer Bailey, Bill Bray, Nick Masset and Paul Janish fall into that category.

Jocketty at first said all would be tendered, but then backed off that slightly.

Mark Sheldon of MLB.com quoted Jocketty as saying the Reds would "probably" tender a contract to everyone, including Janish.

The Non-Tender Deadline

2011-12-01T00:00:00.003-05:00

MLB Trade Rumors posted a list a couple of weeks ago of players they thought would be non-tendered. Paul Janish is on it. There are a couple of comments under that post that mention Janish. One thought there was no way Janish would be non-tendered; the other thought he'd be worth picking up if the Reds did cut him.

I'm guessing he won't be non-tendered, since he's still on the roster. Though the non-tender deadline is not until December 12, I would expect the Reds to have released him already if they were going to. The deadline for making changes to the roster for the Rule 5 draft has already passed. The Reds roster is full, and they lost a possibly useful player by DFAing him to get him off the roster. (Starter/reliever Matt Maloney is now a Twin). It would be silly to keep Janish on the roster for Rule 5, only to cut him a couple of weeks later.

Of course, teams have done it. Usually to make room for a free agent signing. And the Reds probably are going to sign a free agent or two.

No home games for the SWB Yankees

2011-11-17T23:51:00.005-05:00

They are rebuilding PNC Field next year. The playing surface itself is fairly new, and will remain, but the rest of the ballpark will be more or less replaced. The new PNC will have a full concourse and berm seating, among other things.

But that means the SWB Yankees have to find somewhere else to play next year. They asked the Mets if they could play their home games in Newark, but the Mets refused. (Both the Mets and the Yanks have veto rights when it comes to other affiliated teams moving into the NYC area.) The Yankees promised that they would not stay in Newark for more than one season, and then offered to let the Mets move any of their teams into the NYC area if they ever needed to, in perpetuity, but the Mets still said no.

So instead, the SWB Yankees are playing their games at various ballparks all over the northeast - the baseball equivalent of couchsurfing. The schedule and locations are here. "Home" games will be played at Frontier Field in Rochester, Dwyer Stadium in Batavia, New York, Alliance Bank Stadium in Syracuse, Coca-Cola Field in Buffalo, Coca-Cola Park in Allentown (Lehigh Valley), and McCoy Stadium in Pawtucket, Rhode Island.

That's gotta be rough for the players. Sure, they travel a lot anyway, but this means they'll have no home base. They'll be living out of hotel rooms all season.

The Louisville Bats come to Syracuse in early June, then play the SWB Yanks in nearby Rochester and Batavia. Not a great time of year for me (too close to Memorial Day), but I might try to go some of those games.

The Rice University Alumni Game

2011-11-10T05:54:00.005-05:00

Ray o' Sunshine: Jeff Niemann at the 2010 Alumni Game

The date of the next Rice University Alumni Game has been set: Saturday, February 4, 2012.

I went to the last one and it was a lot of fun.

I would guess Bubba won't be there. He (or someone claiming to be him - it's so hard to tell on the Internet) posted a comment awhile back saying he and his wife are expecting their first child in February.

Is it possible to work TOO hard?

2011-11-05T23:14:00.002-04:00

The Reds roster is now down to 34 players. There's plenty of room to protect young prospects, sign free agents, and perhaps draft a Rule 5 player. Paul Janish is still on the roster, but some are predicting he'll be non-tendered. I still think the Reds will probably keep him for depth, since they have none at SS, and he still has options. He'll be cheap, and they don't seem to need his roster spot for anyone else. But who knows.

Been thinking about what went wrong for Janish this season. Maybe he was just unlucky. Maybe he couldn't handle the pressure of being the starter on a team that was playing much worse than fans and pundits had expected. Maybe he was exposed, playing every day.

But according to the Reds announcers, you can't accuse him not working hard enough. They said no one worked harder, and wondered if he worked too hard. They thought he spent so much time in the weight room he looked tired during the games.

I suppose that's possible; beat writer John Fay reported last year that Janish had a tendency to wear down over the season. Not surprising for a tough position like SS.

But I wonder if it's something more specific. One of the Reds coaches thought Janish's wrists were too weak, and recommended that he work on strengthening them. He reportedly did just that.

It may have backfired. I'm reminded of that time tennis great Andre Agassi bulked up, putting on 20 lbs. of solid muscle. He was tired of being blown off the court by power servers like Pete Sampras, and thought getting stronger was the solution.

It wasn't. The extra muscle made him stronger, but it also slowed him down. He later said that speed is an underrated component of sports in general. He eased up on the weight lifting and went back to his skinny, speedy self.

I wonder if something similar happened with Janish. Perhaps stronger wrists meant slower bat speed. In any case, whatever he did this year wasn't working; maybe he should go back to whatever he was doing last year.

Phillips-Janish fifth best double play duo

2011-11-03T23:56:00.003-04:00

From Reds beater writer John Fay:

Bill James rates Phillips-Janish fifth

For anyone who watched the 2011 World Series, it’s no surprise that the AL Champion Texas Rangers had the best double-play combination in baseball. Elvis Andrus and Ian Kinsler totaled 29 Defensive Runs Saved between them—tops in the majors. But the Cincinnati Reds totaled 15 Defensive Runs Saved by their keystone combination, good enough for top-five status (tying them with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim).

Paul Janish (8) was tied for sixth-most, and Brandon Phillips (7) was tied for seventh-most in Runs Saved at their respective positions. Seattle’s Brendan Ryan (18) led all shortstops, while Tampa Bay’s Ben Zobrist (17) led all second basemen. But together, Janish-Phillips formed the fifth-most deadly double-play duo in the majors. And over the past three years, Janish has proved himself the ninth-best defensive shortstop with 19 Runs Saved over that time (Ryan, with 65, is #1).

As I understand it, Baseball Info Solutions' "defensive runs saved" is like UZR; there's no adjustment for playing time. Obviously, a part time guy like Janish will not be able to prevent as many runs as a similar full-time guy. That means Janish's ranking is pretty impressive, considering how little playing time he's gotten over the past three years.

Cingrani made transitions look easy

2011-11-02T13:53:00.002-04:00

Meant to post this last week, but didn't get around to it. MiLB.com has an interview with Tony Cingrani:

Boasting textbook mechanics and a smooth, flowing delivery, Reds prospect Tony Cingrani made the transition from college reliever to professional starter look effortless.

A third-round selection out of Rice University in June's Draft, the 6-foot-4 southpaw was slotted immediately into the rotation at Rookie-level Billings and looked like he belonged there all along.

Cingrani was kept on a short leash after pitching 57 innings in college, going 3-2 in 13 Pioneer League starts. His 1.75 ERA would have led the league if he had enough innings to qualify, but he still ranked fourth with 80 strikeouts.

"I thought it went really well. There were some good points and some rocky points, I guess, but everything was about learning," Cingrani said. "I was glad that I was in Billings, it was a really good starting point for my pro career. It went well."

With a fastball that hovers in the low-to-mid 90s and tops out around 97 mph, a slider and a changeup, Cingrani began well and gained strength as the summer wore on.

He was scored upon just once in his first six pro starts and surrendered more than one earned run only twice. Limited to four innings or fewer in his first six weeks with the Mustangs, Cingrani finished on a high note by earning victories in each of his last three regular-season outings.

"I threw a lot of fastballs in there for strikes, I threw my changeup for strikes and I never really got beat with my slider," the Illinois native said. "I mixed in my fastball and changeup a lot, so I worked off that. My changeup is really good, but my slider is a work in progress. It's all I've really worked on in instructs, but it's coming along. I'm throwing it a little bit harder and with a little bit tighter spin. We've been working hard on it."

According to Billings pitching coach Bob Forsch, Cingrani has a big upside.

"He throws around 93 with good movement, and what I mean by that is that there's good tail on his fastball. He can spot it to both sides of the plate, which really helps because he can get in on right-handed hitters," said Forsch, who pitched in the big leagues from 1974-89. "There are a lot of kids that can throw hard but can't make quality pitches down in the zone. He was able to do that right out of the gate.

"His breaking pitches are still works in progress. In order for him to get to the next level, he has to throw them behind in the count. That is how you become a Major League pitcher."

In his first pro win, a 3-1 victory over visiting Casper on Aug. 27, Cingrani recorded a career-high 13 strikeouts over six hitless innings. He followed up that performance with a win at Helena five days later, then wrapped up his season by fanning 10 over six shutout innings against Missoula on Sept. 6.

The success came from the combination of a lively fastball, a deceptive delivery and excellent command on both sides of the plate.

"I had a really long arm when I was younger," explained Cingrani, who went 4-2 with a team-best 1.74 ERA and 12 saves in his senior year with the Owls. "When I went to Rice, we switched it up a little and moved it to where it was up. We moved my glove a little bit higher, so that added a little bit of deception because my glove is above my face, where my release point is. That hides the ball a little bit. I have always had smooth mechanics through my legs. I guess it just kind of happened.

The transition from the bullpen in college to the starting rotation in the Minor Leagues was not a difficult one, he said.

"I just took my closing mentality and took that out there with me," Cingrani added. "They started me off with two innings and built me back up until I could go five or six innings and get in line for a decision."

"He has a really smooth delivery," Forsch noted. "It is deceptive, but as smooth as it is, it's quick, too. The ball gets on the hitter a lot sooner than they think. He has some real talent. He wasn't really challenged this year ... it seemed pretty easy for him. I hope to watch him on TV, let's put it like that. I have seen a lot of young pitchers come up, and he has some natural ability."

I'm not sure if he has what it takes to be a starter. Scouts love his fastball, but say his other pitches need a lot of work. I guess the Reds will be giving him the chance to do that work.

Reds Organization All-Stars

2011-10-23T22:31:00.002-04:00

MiLB.com has come out with their "Organizational All-Stars." I'm not sure it really makes sense to compare freshly drafted kids in rookie ball with veterans like Jeremy Hermida and AAA guys who made the big leagues this year, like Yonder Alonso. I guess anyone who was a minor leaguer in the Reds system was eligible.

In any case, Tony Cingrani got the nod for left-handed starting pitcher:

The Rice product dominated the Pioneer League, finishing 3-2 with a 1.75 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 51 1/3 frames for the Mustangs. He walked just six batters and allowed only one homer all season. The Reds' third-round pick this summer also earned league Pitcher of the Week honors on Aug. 29 and was nominated for a MiLBY Award as the Best Short-Season Starter of 2011.

"Tony had a great first pro experience. He really he showed a plus fastball, plus change and an average slider, and the only thing that held him back was he was coming off a college career where he pitched out of bullpen," said Graupe. "We're expecting him to take off next year."

Happy Birthday, Soft-J

2011-10-12T16:47:00.006-04:00

Paul Janish hits a single off Darren O'Day, March 2011
Paul Janish turns 29 today. Seems like a good time to look back over his season. Plus, Rangers-Tigers is in rain delay.

Janish started out the year well enough. He hit a very respectable .286 in spring training. However, even back then, I noticed something odd. It was almost all singles. Janish is not known as a slugger, but he hit his share of doubles in previous seasons, and even a few home runs. Also, he hardly walked in spring training, when he's always had a good walk rate. His numbers for spring were .286 / .314 / .306 for an OPS of .620 - good batting average, the rest a bit disappointing.

Of course spring training stats don't mean much. But when the regular season started, it was the same. Good batting average, no power and almost no walks. Still, he was hitting .289 at the end of April, so it was hard to complain.

The trouble started in early May, when Janish sprained his ankle. He missed four games in the second week of May, and was just never the same after that. Maybe the sore ankle threw off his swing. Maybe it was just a fluke. But he went into a long, deep funk after the injury. He OPS'd .342 in May and .537 in June, instead of the .700 I was hoping for. Even worse, he seemed to be taking his struggles at the plate into the field. He had 12 errors this season, some of them just inexplicable.

In July, Janish lost his job to Zack Cozart. He was sent down to AAA. His struggles continued there...at first. He started out 1 for 22. However, he seemed to settle down after that. He started walking, then he started hitting. And hitting for power: he even hit his first home run of the season. For his last 10 games in Louisville, he hit .303 / .400 / .455, for a .855 OPS.

He spent just two weeks in Louisville. He probably should have spent more time there, but Zack Cozart injured his elbow in a collision at 2B, and Janish was called up again. He went 3 for 4 with a double his first game back, then fell back into his slump. In August, he hit just .125 and OPS'd an abysmal .399.

He finally seemed to come out of it in September. Perhaps the pressure was off by then; the Reds were out of contention, and Cozart was the presumptive starter for next year. Janish started 11 games in September, and got on base in 10 of them. (And he had a RBI in the 11th - a reached on error that could easily have been ruled a hit.) He just looked so much better in September - more relaxed. Even when he made outs, they were louder outs. Instead of popups or weak grounders, he was hitting them pretty deep in the outfield. He hit .281 / .324 / .313 - not great, but much better than the previous month. And he had no errors in September.

So, what went wrong this year? Darned if I know. Exposed by playing (almost) every day? Just bad luck? The pressure got to him? Maybe a little of everything.

Despite the errors, Janish was a plus defender at shortstop this year. He was also a good baserunner. But not good enough to make up for his struggles at the plate. I do think he'll likely hit better next year, if only because he could hardly be worse. But whether he'll get a chance is another story.

I hope he does. It often takes awhile for players to adjust to the big leagues. Janish has been around for three years now, but spending weeks at a time on the bench is no way to learn to hit major league pitching. It's not like slugging shortstops are thick on the ground. If he can hit even a little, he'd be a decent player, with that glove.

Arbitration

2011-10-10T17:17:00.002-04:00

MLB Trade Rumors analyzed the Cincinnati Reds arbitration situation. They think Jared Burton is likely to be non-tendered, but predict that all the rest, including Paul Janish, will be tendered contracts.

Many of the remaining arbitration eligibles disappointed in 2011, but will probably be tendered contracts. A projected salary rundown: Masset ($2.4MM), Volquez ($2.3MM), Bailey ($1.8MM), Arredondo ($1MM), Janish ($800K). Janish seems the most likely of this group to be non-tendered, but I think his defense and low salary will save him. The Reds could trim payroll by trading a few of these players though.

That's more than I expected Janish to be offered. The roster math suggests he'll start the year in AAA, so that's pretty good money. He deserves it, IMO. He had a bad year this year, but was worth a lot more than his salary the previous two years.

Oh, what a night!

2011-09-29T20:40:00.006-04:00

There's no baseball tonight...and I don't mind. I was rooting for the double tiebreaker scenario. I wanted to see both the Rays/Red Sox and Cardinals/Braves have to play a one-game tiebreaker today.

It was not to be. No tiebreakers were needed. But the games last night were so thrilling that I don't care. It was perfect. For pure drama, it might be the most amazing night of baseball ever.

The only game that wasn't a nail-biter was the Cardinals game. Chris Carpenter made short work of the Astros, pitching a complete game shutout. He gave up only two hits. (Lance Pendleton pitched the 9th for the Astros. He gave up two hits, including a home run.) The game was over before 10:30pm, but the Cards had to wait upon the outcome of the Braves game to know if they had made the playoffs or had to play a tiebreaker.

It looked like the Braves were going to win as well, but the Phillies manufactured a run in the ninth, and the game went to extras. The Phillies scored another run in the top of the 13th. It looked like the Braves had a chance to answer in the bottom of the inning, but Freddie Freeman grounded into a double play, ending their season and sending the Cards to the postseason.

Meanwhile, in the AL, it started out looking like a pretty dull night. The Yankees were kicking the Rays' butts. It was 7-0 by the middle of the 5th, and the Rays fans started to go home. The Rays are a team built on pitching and defense. They don't have a lot of offense. They're not the type of team that comes from behind to win, let alone from down 7-0.

In Baltimore, the Red Sox were leading the Orioles 3-2 in the 7th when the tarp went on the field. The rain delay lasted about an hour and a half. It seemed that the Sox had a good chance of making the postseason if they held onto their one-run lead, or playing a tiebreaker if they couldn't.

But in Tampa, the Rays staged an improbable comeback. They scored 6 runs in the 8th to tie the game. Then in the bottom of the 9th, Dan Johnson - .108 hitting, .335 OPSing Dan Johnson - hit a home run that tied the game. Free baseball!

The Yankees, assuming the game was in the bag (and not really caring if it wasn't) had been holding pitching tryouts for the postseason during the game. By the ninth inning, they were on their 10th pitcher. The last man in the pen was Scott Proctor. He had not pitched well since being called up, and fans expected him to serve up meatballs early and often. And didn't mind, since losing to the Rays would be bad news for the Red Sox.

But surprisingly, Proctor pitched pretty well. He got the last out in the ninth. Then pitched the 10th. And the 11th. And came out again for the 12th. There was speculation that the Yankees might have to put a position player on the mound, since Proctor had thrown around 50 pitches - a lot for a relief pitcher.

Then there was a buzz in the stands (among the fans who were left, anyway). People with smartphones found out that the Red Sox had lost. Papelbon had blown the save. He struck out the first two batters, then gave up two doubles and a single. The ball bounced out of Carl Crawford's glove, allowing two runs to score. There was a delay before the score was shown in the Trop, but when it finally was, there was a roar from the crowd.

A couple of minutes later, Scott Proctor gave up a walkoff homer to Evan Longoria. Rays win. Red Sox go home.

What a night. Three blown saves, two games going to extras, heroes both likely (Longoria) and unlikely (Dan Johnson), goats both likely (Crawford) and unlikely (Papelbon). People who went to bed are probably kicking themselves for missing it. This was one for the ages.

This & That

2011-09-27T19:06:00.003-04:00

Former Yankee Mark Melancon pitched two innings last night for the Astros. He went to Houston as part of the Lance Berkman trade last year. Apparently, he's the Astros' closer now. He got the win in extra innings. His wife was in the hospital, giving birth to their first child, so at least he'll be able to tell the kid he was winning a baseball game when he was being born.

Another former Yankee, Octavio Dotel, was Melancon's opponent. The Cardinals ran themselves out of the game, making a couple of dumb outs on the basepaths. Also, Dotel is a terrible fielder, and the Astros seemed to know it. The Astros win prevented the Cards from tying the Braves in the wild card race. Instead, they're one back with two games to play.

I'm kind of hoping both the AL and NL wild cards go to a tiebreaker. The Reds Sox are already planning to start Jon Lester on short rest tomorrow. They'll really be screwed if they have to play a tiebreaker.

Joe Savery played last night for the Phillies. Fans who weren't familiar with his story were amazed that he started this year as in infielder in A-ball. Of course, it's not like he had no experience with pitching at higher levels. ;-) He seems to be doing well in his LOOGY role.

Paul Janish is starting at SS tonight against the Mets. Thanks, Dusty. I won't be able to watch tomorrow's day game, so I'm glad Janish is playing tonight instead of tomorrow. (I would guess Edgar Renteria will start tomorrow.)

Shoulda kept Pendleton

2011-09-26T00:01:00.003-04:00

The Yankees lost in extra innings tonight. The ghost of "Everyday" Scott Proctor gave up 3 runs in the 14th.

Strictly speaking, it didn't matter. The Yankees have locked up the division, home field advantage, etc. They are just playing out the string and setting up the roster for the playoffs. And they might actually be better off if the swooning Sox make the postseason, instead of the hot Rays.

But I have to think it matters psychologically. When you've been playing to win for 14 innings, it's got to be deflating to lose. Especially to the Sox.

And I can't help thinking that the Yanks would have been better off keeping Lance Pendleton, lost via a waiver claim to Houston, instead of Scott Proctor.

Rays and Cards now both one game back in the wild card. The wild card races are wild this year. I'm a little envious. September of 2005 remains one of my fondest baseball memories. When the AL East went down the last day, and every game for a month was like a playoff game. It was nerve-wracking, but thrilling beyond belief.

UPDATE: Looks like Pendleton had a pretty rough day at the office himself. I'd still have kept him instead of Scotty.

Whither Janish?

2011-09-25T22:16:00.003-04:00

Paul Janish had another start today, and another pretty good day at the office. He ended up 1 for 3 with a double, a sac fly, a RBI, and a run scored. The sac fly was almost a home run; it was caught on the warning track. (I'm still hoping he'll hit at least one home run this year.)

It was the ninth game in a row that Janish has gotten on base. He's looking a lot better these days, at the plate and in the field. He just seems a lot more relaxed out there. If he'd played this way all season, I think the Reds would have been content to have him as the starting shortstop.

But he didn't, and now it's uncertain whether the Reds will even keep him. He's arbitration-eligible this year.

The Cincinnati Enquirer's Reds beat writer, John Fay, is doing a series that's basically a position by position rundown for next year. Tomorrow's article, second in the series, is about what the Reds are going to do about the shortstop position.

Can Cozart be Reds' main man at shortstop?

Shortstop is Cozart's job to lose next year. But it's far from certain he'll stick. The article notes:

Before this season, Janish’s and Cozart’s numbers were not that different in the minor leagues.

Cozart had a breakout year in Louisville this year, OPSing .825. But I'm not sure I trust that. For some reason, the Bats were mashing this year. Even Janish OPS’d .750 in Louisville this season - despite starting out in a deep slump (1 for his first 22). His last ten games, he was hitting .303 / .400 / .455, good for a .855 OPS.

The Reds plan to contend next year, and the window may be short. (Joey Votto is only signed for two more years.) That being the case, they can't risk sending the inexperienced Cozart out there without a net. Not to mention the possibility of injury. Walt Jocketty is therefore planning to sign a veteran shortstop to back up Cozart.

Fay doesn't think the Reds will re-sign Renteria.

Renteria is 36 years old. His range is severely limited, so it’s unlikely that the Reds will bring him back.

But they'll sign someone; I don't think they trust Janish to back up Cozart.

So what happens to Soft-J? Fay says that Janish doesn’t hit well enough to be a bench player. Cozart has a solid glove, so they don't need Janish as a LIDR. Fay thinks Todd Frazier is a better option than Janish, but by my count, barring an unexpected trade or injury, there’s no room on the roster for Frazier, either. Assuming 12 pitchers and 2 catchers, you have room for 11 position players. That’s going to be:

Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Scott Rolen, Juan Francisco, Zack Cozart, Yonder Alonso, Drew Stubbs, Jay Bruce, Chris Heisey, Miguel Cairo, and whatever veteran SS they get.

My feeling is that the Reds will try to keep Janish. He won't get a lot in arbitration, if it gets to that. He has options, so they could stash him in Louisville in case of emergency. After what happened this year, I think Jocketty will be concerned about depth. There's no one in the upper levels of the Reds farm system who could reasonable step in, if something happened to Cozart and/or his backup.

Janish should try to get a major league deal, even if it's for league minimum. The Reds can afford that, and being stuck in AAA will be a more lot palatable if he's not making minor league money. And of course, you never know what will happen. One way or another, he'll probably get another chance.

Winding down

2011-09-24T10:25:00.003-04:00

Paul Janish got another start last night, and went 2 for 3 with a RBI. The first hit was a beautiful bunt single. The Pirates didn't have a chance; he beat it out easily. The second was a grounder to right that scored Todd Frazier; nice to see him going the other way instead of just pulling the ball.

Even the out he made was impressive. He hit the crap out of it - announcer Jim Day thought it was a home run, and it sounded like it - but it was caught at the warning track. It was a cool, damp evening; a warmer day and it would have been gone.

Here is a video clip of Janish's RBI single. The Reds announcers end up talking about what they think went wrong with Janish this year. They think he was working too hard this summer, spending so much time in the weight room, taking extra batting practice, etc., even on his days off, that he was tired during the game.

They speculate that he’s doing better now because the weather’s cooler. I dunno...I would think a Houston boy wouldn't be bothered by the heat. Maybe he's more rested now because he's playing less often. Or maybe he's eased back on his workout regimen. He himself said it was more mental than anything, and that I could believe. In any case, he's playing better now, and people are noticing.

Janish was pulled for a pinch-hitter in the 8th inning, which didn't seem very smart to me. And not just because Juan Francisco struck out. Despite the expanded roster, the Reds bench is actually short, because there are so many injuries. Miguel Cairo just had season-ending shoulder surgery. Yonder Alonso has a bone bruise that means he can only pinch-hit. Chris Valaika tore his ACL and is done for the year. Ryan Hanigan has swollen discs in his back and also likely done for the year. But Dusty was swapping players in and out like he’s still got too many players and not enough playing time for them all. The score was 2-3 at the time, so it seemed like extra innings were possibility.

Pinch-hitting for Janish meant there was no one left on the bench. In the top of the 9th, Todd Frazier was hit on the hand by a 98 mph fastball. That walked in a run and tied the game, but it also meant that Frazier had to stay in the game and play third in the bottom of the 9th, injured hand or no. Short of using a pitcher as an infielder, there was no other option.

He seemed to do all right, but it was ridiculous that Dusty created that situation.

Also, I suspect Frazier's hand won't be feeling too good today. The Reds bench might be even shorter now.

A long, long time ago...

2011-09-23T18:14:00.004-04:00

Slate has been running an interesting series this week, about the Manhattan School For Girls. A historian/journalist found a bunch of old report cards, and tried to find out what happened to the students.

Weirdly, there's a baseball connection. He went to Detroit to tour some of the abandoned buildings, and found more report cards. This time for boys that, unlike the Manhattan girls, might still be alive. He found the report card of one Carmen Fanzone. Who turned out to be a former baseball player for the Cubs.

He's still alive, and the reporter got in contact with him. His report card at age 10 already showed his interests. He said the most fun thing he did the previous summer was play baseball, and he also says he wishes he had a clarinet. After his baseball career was over, he became a musician. (He said the Cubs were perfect for him. Since they didn't play night games, he could play in jazz clubs evenings.) He now works for the musicians' union in Los Angeles, Professional Musicians Local 47. And participates in Cubs fantasy camp every year.

Also, his report card shows him to be two years older than his baseball card. I guess that was pretty common back then.

Fanzone had a pretty good life, for a guy who flunked Economics in high school. He succeeded in music and baseball, two fields that are notoriously difficult to break into.

Pioneer League Top Prospects

2011-09-22T20:58:00.003-04:00

Baseball America's 2011 Pioneer League Top 20 Prospects list came out today. Number 8 on the list is Tony Cingrani.

The full scouting reports are behind a paywall, but there's a brief summary here.

The fireballing left-hander went 3-2 with a 1.75 earned run average. In 51 innings and 13 starts, the former Rice Owl allowed just 35 hits, struck out 80 and walked six while holding foes to a .190 batting average. Cingrani led the league in ERA, K/9 (14.0), K/BB (13.3:1), opponents batting average and WHIP (0.80). BA's Matt Eddy wrote that he's impressed with Cingrani's 92-94 mph fastball, which is aided by deception in the hurler's delivery. Eddy wrote that Cingrani's changeup also is deceptive and that his slider has improved greatly during his first pro season.

Two starts in a row for Janish

2011-09-16T18:15:00.003-04:00

Dusty Baker is starting Paul Janish at SS again, making it two games in a row for the first time in awhile. I'm surprised Janish is getting the start tonight against lefty Randy Wolf. Dusty's been sitting Janish against lefties lately. Janish has struggled against southpaws this year (weirdly, since he's usually much better against lefthanded pitchers) while Edgar Renteria has been very good. But Janish has good numbers against Wolf, so perhaps that's the reason.

And Janish has been playing well lately. Last night, he worked a walk in a nice at-bat. He went first to third on a Drew Stubbs single - read the ball off the bat well, with good situational awareness. For a guy who's not especially speedy, he really is a good baserunner. He ended up scoring from third on a wild pitch - a run that turned out to be the one that sent the game to extras. (The Reds were eventually victorious.)

That was the fifth game in a row Janish has reached base. Two RBIs and a run scored over his last three games.

He's also looked better on defense to me. More relaxed. No errors lately (knock on wood).

Paint me a picture

2011-09-15T18:08:00.003-04:00

One of the Reds giveaways last month was a deck of cards featuring caricatures of the players. I am nowhere near Cincinnati, but I love caricatures, so I bought a deck on eBay. Each player is on two cards, so with Dusty Baker, they have 52 cards. Reds mascot Gapper is on the jokers.

They did try to match up the positions with the card numbers. I wondered why Janish wasn't a 7, then I realized he was 6, because that's the number that means shortstop. Catchers Ramon Hernandez and Ryan Hanigan were the twos. Bronson Arroyo and Francisco Cordero were aces. Each player got either both red or both black suits for their card. (Edgar Renteria is on the two red sixes, Janish on the two black.)

Some of the likenesses are better than others, but all in all, they did a good job. A lot of thought went into this project.

I think Janish's caricature is so-so. He's recognizable, but it's not a great likeness. However, I can see where the artist was coming from. It's tough to do a caricature if you're not familiar with the subject. The artist was probably working from photos, and it's funny how sometimes photographs don't really look like the person they're taken of. Janish's face often looks very full and round in pictures - like he weighs 300 pounds. In person, you can see that softness, yet he also looks very thin and sharp-featured.

Janish is in the starting lineup tonight. He's been playing better lately. Maybe it's just chance. Or maybe he's relaxed a bit, now that the Reds are just playing out the string and he's no longer fighting for his job. He's gotten on base his last three games, gotten a couple of RBIs, and been solid - even spectacular - on defense.

Pendleton happy to be an Astro

2011-09-10T20:01:00.003-04:00

Lance Pendleton says it's always been his dream to play for his hometown Astros. And apparently, they liked him, too. Though they didn't want to commit to keeping him on the roster all year after taking him via Rule 5, they did try to work out a trade with the Yankees. The Yankees preferred to keep him, but DFA'd him on Tuesday, and the Astros ended up getting him for free.

The article says Pendleton will pitch out of the Astros pen the rest of the year, but so far, he is not on the active roster. He's listed on the 40-man, but not on the active roster.

Good luck to you, Lance.

Here are a few photos I took of him at a SWB Yankees game on August 7.

Pendleton claimed by Astros

2011-09-09T20:37:00.003-04:00

The Yankees DFA'd Lance Pendleton on Tuesday. Poor guy didn't even get a chance to play after being called up.

Some sources said he was DFA'd to make room for Ramiro Pena, but that can't be true. Pena was on the 15-day DL. He was already on the roster. No one had to be booted to make room for him.

Rather, it looks like Pendleton was cut to make room for George Kontos. I really don't get it. I suppose they wanted Pendleton "just in case," then called up Kontos once the AAA season was over. But why bother? If they wanted Kontos, why not call him up to begin with, and let Pendleton finish the season in AAA? It's not like the Baby Bombers were headed for the playoffs this year. If the idea was to give Pendleton a last look, well, shouldn't they have let him pitch?

Pendleton didn't clear waivers. He was claimed by his hometown Astros. I guess they really like him. They took him in the Rule 5 draft last year, though they ended up returning him to the Yankees.

Now they can keep him without putting him on the 25-man roster.

Giving the kids a look

2011-09-07T16:51:00.005-04:00

Dusty Baker, after weeks of resisting the calls of fans and the media to play the young guys, suddenly posted a lineup that featured a bunch of young callups. I don't know if he's thrown in the towel or what, but it was a very un-Dusty-like lineup.

Perhaps most surprising was Chris Valaika at SS. Valaika was drafted as a SS, but hasn't really played there for years. Beat writer John Fay hints that the Reds might be looking for an alternative to Paul Janish for backup SS next year.

Poor Janish. He started the year hoping to be the Reds' starting SS for the next few years. Now he might not even make the roster next year. It must be something of a shock, since he had a lock on a roster spot as backup SS for a couple of years.

Still, my feeling is that the Reds aren't seriously considering replacing Janish with Valaika. Janish has the better glove, and while Valaika hit better in the minors, he's really struggled since reaching AAA. In fact, he's spent three years in Louisville; he OPS'd .650 this year. My guess is they're trying to decide whether to keep Valaika on the 40-man roster or risk losing him to waivers or Rule 5.

They may also be trying to decide if they have enough depth at SS for next year. Cozart's and Renteria's injuries left Janish the only healthy SS in the upper levels of the Reds system. Cozart will be healthy by spring training, but Renteria will presumably be gone. So that still leaves them awfully thin at SS.

In any case, Valaika didn't embarrass himself, but he didn't exactly set the world on fire, either. He did have a nice at-bat that ended in a walk, but was 0 for 3 otherwise. He didn't have many chances at SS, but handled everything hit to him. He looks more graceful than Todd Frazier at SS, but to my eye he seems slow compared to Janish.

And in the end, Dusty proved he trusted Janish. With a 2-0 lead in the ninth, he pulled Valaika and put Janish in as a LIDR. Janish easily fielded the first two groundouts, but Mike Leake, who looked like he was heading for a one-hit complete game shutout, gave up a dribbler to third, then a home run. Free baseball.

Dusty's decision to sub in Janish bore fruit in the 11th. Janish made a nice diving stop in the 11th that likely saved the game.

Valaika probably doesn't get that one.

Janish's turn to bat came in the 12th. I really thought Dusty would pinch-hit for him. Edgar Renteria was available. But Dusty let Janish bat. I don't know why. Maybe it was part of his "play the kids" plan for the day. In any case, it paid off. Janish hit a bunt single, finally snapping an 0 for 28 hitless streak.

In the end, the Reds prevailed in 13 innings, winning 4-2.

Janish has looked rather grumpy lately, but last night, he was all smiles.

Rosters expand

2011-09-05T20:34:00.003-04:00

Rosters expanded September 1, and today was the last game for most minor league teams, meaning a few more players were called up now that they're not needed in AAA.

The Yanks called up Lance Pendleton on the first, though he hasn't had a chance to play yet. Also called up: "Everyday" Scott Proctor. He signed a minor league deal in mid-August. He has gotten a chance to play since being called up, and hasn't exactly been lights out. Fairly or not, many think Joe Torre ruined his arm; he's struggled with injury the past few years.

Scott Proctor, of course, came over with Bubba Crosby from the Dodgers, in exchange for Robin Ventura. I liked Ventura, and was so upset when the Yankees traded him. (I was rather naive about baseball at the time, and didn't understand that Ventura had to go.) Everyone thought Cashman was a genius, getting both Proctor and Crosby for Ventura. I was heartbroken.

I got over it. :-)

Irene's Aftermath

2011-08-31T17:59:00.000-04:00

Irene left quite a mess in upstate New York. And I hear it's worse in Vermont.

I wonder how we're going to pay to fix all this.

Bellaire High School, 1995

2011-08-29T18:40:00.004-04:00

From an anonymous informant...some scans from Bubba Crosby's senior yearbook.

The Bellaire High School varsity baseball team:

Bubba was a "Birdkeeper" - a senior chosen to protect the school mascot. Which appears to be a cardinal. (That's him on the left.)

Bubba was chosen by his classmates as the most handsome senior. Or was it a runner-up? Something like that.

And here's his senior photo.

Bubba was a pitcher as well as an outfielder in high school.

The yearbook also has some photos of Ray Knoblauch - Chuck Knoblauch's dad. He was a coach at Bellaire.

(There was an interesting NY Times story about that.)

Unhittable Cingrani

2011-08-28T18:53:00.002-04:00

Tony Cingrani keeps getting better and better:

Cingrani unhittable for Mustangs

Earlier in the year, Tony Cingrani drew raves for his work in ending games. On Saturday, it was how he started one that garnered praise.

Cingrani fanned a career-high 13 batters over six no-hit innings to earn his first pro win as short-season Billings defeated Casper, 3-1.

The Reds started Cingrani with two innings a game, and have slowly stretched him out (now to six innings). I thought at first they might just want to have more control over when and how much he pitched, but it looks like they are really hoping he can be a starter, not just a reliever. He's certainly stepped up to the challenge.

Return of the Wanger

2011-08-27T16:22:00.005-04:00

The Reds faced the Nationals last night, with former Yankee Chien-Ming Wang on the mound. Wang hasn't been terrible since returning from surgery, but he's not the pitcher he used to be, either. His sinker doesn't have the velocity it used to have, and his strike out rate, never high, is pretty bad. Perhaps he's still recovering from the surgery. In any case, he managed to keep the Reds in the park. He gave up only a couple of extra-base hits - two doubles to the pitcher, Dontrelle Willis.

The Reds won, but only after Wang had left the game. Another former Yankee, Miguel Cairo, got the walkoff single. It's really amazing how well Miggy has hit since he's become a Red. His OPS is almost 100 points higher than his career average. This at age 37.

Paul Janish started at shortstop, and got on base in the 6th via a walk after a very nice 10-pitch at bat. He scored from second on a Brandon Phillips single. I was kind of surprised they sent him, but Mark Berry, the third base coach, knew who was fielding the ball in left: former Red Jonny Gomes. Gomes' throw was a little off, enabling Janish to slide in behind the plate and under the tag. (Janish is a pretty good baserunner for a guy who doesn't have blazing speed.)

But I guess Dusty wasn't impressed, because he pinch-hit for Janish in the 7th. That's the earliest he's done it when Renteria wasn't available. Miguel Cairo was the pinch-hitter; he struck out, then took over third base. Todd Frazier played two innings at short. He did all right, though I think a real SS would have at least had a chance at DP in the 8th.

Janish seemed pretty bummed at being pulled. The Reds announcers chose that moment to talk about how well he'd done in the previous inning, with the two-out walk, then scoring from second. So they showed him walking across the dugout, into the clubhouse. He was shaking his head and muttering to himself.

Poor Janish has really been a funk lately. That walk was the first time he got on base in a week, aside from a reached on error the day before. I know he can hit better than he has been, but he just seems to be a head case right now.

I wonder whether he'll even make the roster next year. I'm not sure Walt Jocketty will be comfortable going with Zack Cozart (11 big league games) and Paul Janish as his shortstops next year. He might want to get veteran backup for Cozart. Janish has an option left, I believe, and could be stashed in Louisville in case of emergency.

Renteria is starting at shortstop tonight for the Reds, but I expect Janish has a good chance of getting into the game eventually.

Jay Bruce, Paul Janish, and Joey Votto before the game - via Jamie Ramsey

Waiting on Irene

2011-08-27T10:35:00.005-04:00

A variable message board along the highway

The city that never sleeps is coming to a virtual standstill. The entire public transportation system - buses, subways, commuter rail - will be shut down.

I am not in the NYC area, but I made some preparations, just in case. Storm surge won't be an issue for me, but the wind and heavy rains could mean power outages - that last for days or weeks, not just hours. Though I'm hoping it won't come to that.

I went out early this morning - about 6 am - to get some supplies. I filled up the gas tank (refineries are closing due to the hurricane), and got some cash from the ATM (power outages might mean credit cards don't work). I also stopped by the grocery store to get some nonperishable food that doesn't need cooking.

Usually that early on a Saturday, I'm the only one in the store. Not today. It was mobbed. It's a good thing I was already stocked up on batteries, candles, and flashlights, because the shelves were bare.

Little AAA batteries were still available, but the all the C and D batteries were gone.

The bottled water section had also been denuded. I have a shelf full of bottled water already, so I didn't need any. And heck, you can just fill up some empty soda bottles from the tap.

I think I got the last two cans of vienna sausage in the store. The large jars of peanut butter were gone; they had only little ones left.

I still have to clean up my back deck - take in or tie down the patio furniture, and bring in the flower pots so they don't become missiles. Other than that, I'm about as ready I'll ever be.

Lenny, Lenny, Lenny

2011-08-26T17:25:00.003-04:00

Good grief. Just when you think it can't get any worse...

Ex-Met Lenny Dykstra charged with indecent exposure

(CBS/AP) LOS ANGELES - Former New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Lenny Dykstra has been charged in Los Angeles for allegedly exposing himself to women he met on Craigslist. The city attorney's office said Thursday the 48-year-old former baseball star could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine for each indecent exposure count.

Dykstra is accused of finding victims by placing online ads seeking personal assistants or housekeepers. He allegedly exposed himself to women who responded to the ads on several occasions between 2009 and 2011.

This, after allegations of check fraud, drug possession, vandalism, mortgage fraud, sexual harassment, grand theft, sexual assault, and more. The guy must have crashed into too many walls. Or taken too many 'roids.

He was worth more than $50 million. Now he's bankrupt, and in jail for stealing a car, among other things. His World Series ring has been auctioned off by a pawn shop because he couldn't pay his debts.

Goodnight Irene

2011-08-25T18:58:00.002-04:00

Hurricane Irene's current path is a "nightmare scenario."

All eyes were on Irene's projected path, which showed it bringing misery to every city along the I-95 corridor, including Washington, New York and Boston. The former chief of the National Hurricane Center called it one of his three worst possible situations.

"One of my greatest nightmares was having a major hurricane go up the whole Northeast Coast," Max Mayfield, the center's retired director, told The Associated Press.

He said the damage will probably climb into billions of dollars: "This is going to have an impact on the United States economy."

It's already causing sports events to be rescheduled. The Reds played a doubleheader yesterday to avoid playing today. The Phillies will play a doubleheader Saturday, and the Yankees are considering playing a doubleheader Friday.

I'm guessing Irene won't be as bad as Great New England Hurricane of 1938. The path over land should weaken the storm. But this is nothing to mess with.

Hurricane Irene

2011-08-24T16:40:00.003-04:00

The Reds are playing a doubleheader today, because Hurricane Irene is expected to rain out the scheduled game tomorrow. (Northeasterners - forget about the earthquake, worry about the hurricane.)

Edgar Renteria is in the lineup for game one - his first start since straining his groin a week ago.

Paul Janish will probably start in game 2. Mark Sheldon notes:

In a somewhat limited sample size vs. Marlins Game 2 starter Chris Volstad, only one Reds player has a home run. It’s Paul Janish, who is 2-for-3 in his previous encounter against Volstad.

Janish still doesn't have a home run in the big leagues this season. He's really struggling. He's gotten a second, even a third chance this year, with the injuries to Zack Cozart and Edgar Renteria, but has been unable to do anything with the opportunities. He hit pretty well in July, after getting called up from Louisville, but his August has been abysmal.

I gotta think it's a mental thing at this point. I suspect all he really needs is to relax and be a little more confident, but that's easier said than done.

Reds win a wild one

2011-08-20T14:18:00.002-04:00

Crazy game last night. Paul Janish had very nice night. Two for five with a double and two runs scored.

He also had some great plays on defense, including a diving stop up the middle.

He even had a stolen base. He's not a very speedy guy, but he’s a good baserunner. Got to first base in the 8th inning on a hustle single, stole second base, then got to third on a Miguel Cairo bunt. It was ruled a single, but really, if the Pirates had gone for Miggy at first instead of Janish at third, they'd have gotten an out. Janish got a good jump and slid in ahead of the tag. Janish then scored on Brandon Phillips forceout. The first run of the game for the Reds that scored without a home run.

The Reds pen was awful, which is why the game was such a roller coaster. The pen just couldn't hold a lead. But offense and defense went all out. Left it all out on the field.

I've been critical of Dusty Baker for playing to win in a lost season, instead of playing for next year, but after this game, I can understand why he wants to win, even though the postseason is likely out of reach. It would be different if the players were playing like it didn't matter, but they're not. They're still playing like it matters, and it would be very hard not to give them the best chance to win, even in "meaningless" games.

Under the Radar

2011-08-19T19:38:00.002-04:00

MLB Depth Charts picked Tony Cingrani for the Under the Radar Minor League NL Pitching Performance of the Week.

The Reds have decided to give Cingrani another shot in a rotation, but have been stretching out his innings to ease him back into the starter's workload. He throws a power fastball that has potential for improvement. He topped the guns at 97 mph as a reliever, but levels into the low 90’s as a starter. The outcome of his mechanics overhaul has shown a quicker, easy arm action with deception that keeps hitters off-balance. He has potential for a good change-up and solid breaking ball and shows a skill of mixing his off-speed pitches with his plus fastball. The fastball may have him destined him for a relief role, but overall improvement of his secondary pitches could keep him in the rotation.

Young Tony's pro career is off to a nice start.

Janny's got a gun

2011-08-18T18:42:00.000-04:00

Paul Janish made a couple of great plays last night, at the expense of former teammate Jonny Gomes. In the fifth, Janish scooped up a ball that shot past third baseman Miguel Cairo, then fired it across the diamond, just getting Gomes, who was so mad he threw his helmet. Man, what an arm.

The ninth inning got a bit hairy. It looked like the game was slipping away, especially after Janish slipped making a sliding stop, and bobbled a Jonny Gomes grounder for an error. But before fans could even draw breath to call Janish a bum, he turned this great double play (with Gomes sliding in hard). And just like that, the game was over.

Beat writer John Fay's headline: Janish saves it for Cordero, Cueto.

Even Dusty Baker was impressed.

"That was a great play by Jannie with Jonny Gomes bearing down," Baker said. "He did get him pretty good (with the slide), but Jannie got a good throw off."

The Fangraph tells the story:

Look at that last spike. It's Janish's error, followed by the double play. Talk about a game turning on a single play!

Janish did all right at the plate, too. He was 1 for 3 with a walk - not bad against a tough pitcher like Ross Detwiler.

Janish is in the lineup again tonight, even though he's limping a little after being taken out by that slide. It's not like the Reds have a lot of choice. He's the last true shortstop on the 40-man roster who's healthy enough to play

Another one bites the dust

2011-08-17T06:34:00.003-04:00

Edgar Renteria left the game last night with a groin strain. He'll be evaluated this morning to see if he has to go on the DL, but whatever they decide, it looks like Paul Janish will be starting again for awhile.

If I were the superstitious type, I'd think that someone up there wants Janish to start. Every time Dusty benches him, something happens that gets him back in the lineup.

It's probably in the Reds' interest to get Janish more playing time this year. He'll probably be back on the team next year, if only as a backup, and he is still adjusting to the big leagues. (He's got about 800 at-bats, spread out over four years. Bobby Murcer used to say that you saw a big improvement once a player had 2,000 to 2,500 at-bats.) Renteria probably won't be back next year, and at his age, more at-bats aren't going to make him any better.

And it's not clear Renteria is a better option even if the plan is to win now (which it shouldn't be - the Reds are out of it at this poing). Defense was brutal for the Reds last night. Though Renteria had a RBI double, it didn't make up for the runs he let score with his porous defense at SS.

Chien-Ming Wang had a pretty good night, starting for the Nationals. He repeated a pattern he used to have with the Yankees for awhile: bad first inning, then solid after that. His sinker doesn't have the velocity it used to have; perhaps that will come back in time. He's still an excellent fielder, which is a good thing for a groundball pitcher. Wang was always one of my favorites, so I was glad to see him doing well.

Cingrani Report

2011-08-16T17:22:00.003-04:00

A lot of negotiations went down to the wire last night, but most of the big name draft picks were signed by the deadline, including Anthony Rendon.

Meanwhile, Tony Cingrani is turning heads in Billings. He's sporting a 1.84 ERA. They are using him as a starter, and have stretched him out to 4 innings. Not sure if they seriously think he can start, or if they just want him to get more playing time.

A Reds fan who traveled to Montana to see the Mustangs has a game report here, including some photos of Cingrani on the mound.

Happy Birthday, dear Bubba

2011-08-11T06:48:00.005-04:00

Cutest. Dog. Ever.

I love this photo. It's from the April Yankees Magazine article, and shows Bubba, his wife Julie, and their boxer. What an awesome dog.

I thought Bubba's fiancee was a blonde; not sure if she changed her hair color, or if he ended up marrying someone else. They're a lovely couple, anyway.

I had occasionally wondered how Bubba's family business was doing. I read a lot of news stories, and have seen many articles about how landscaping companies are struggling due to the high cost of fuel. (They use a lot of it, for their tractors, weed whackers, blowers, trimmers, etc.) It sounds like Coastal Spray has a lot oil refineries as clients. That's a heck of a way to hedge against high fuel prices!

Bubba sounds a lot like my dad when he's talking about pests. My dad is in the pest control business as well, though more in the agricultural/academic end of it. (He's got a Ph.D in weed science. Seriously.)

Happy 35th, Bubba.

Thirty-five is still so young - even by baseball standards, many players are still playing at that age. But it sounds like he's content with his decision to retire from baseball, and happy with his new life. That puts him ahead of the game. As the YES announcers were saying the other day, baseball careers almost always don't end well - even for big name stars like Derek Jeter and Jorge Posada.

I kinda like the Reds' new second baseman...

2011-08-10T21:53:00.003-04:00

Hall of Famer Hal thinks that, with the Reds season more or less over, Dusty Baker should play the young guys from here on out...including Paul Janish.

Well, it looks like Janish will be getting regular playing time, though it's probably not how he hoped or expected. Brandon Phillips will be out for a week or so after being hit by a pitch on the elbow. And Zack Cozart will have season-ending surgery on his elbow Friday (about time). With Miguel Cairo nursing a sore oblique, the Reds are a bit short of infielders.

Janish started at 2B tonight, and had a pretty good game. He was 2 for 3 (breaking up Kevin Millwood's no-no), and even his fly out was hit pretty hard. Just hung up a little too long.

He also turned three double plays, including one that was absolutely spectacular and will no doubt make the highlight reels.

Put a fork in 'em

2011-08-06T17:46:00.002-04:00

Not a great day for the Cincinnati Reds. The lowly Cubs kicked their butts. Their ace, Johnny Cueto, had a terrible outing. The Yonder Alonso left field experiment isn't working. Todd Frazier did not look like the third baseman of the future. Brandon Phillips collided with Drew Stubbs; I suspect Phillips will miss a game or three.

Paul Janish didn't get into the game until it was all over but the shouting, but he didn't have a great at-bat, popping out to shortstop against lefty John Grabow.

It's only one at-bat, but it's puzzling, how much he's struggling against lefties this year. He's hit lefties better than righties throughout his minor league career, and in the big leagues...until this year. I used to say that if he hit righties as well as he hit lefties, he'd be an All-Star. Not true this year. His splits are reversed this year. He's hitting only .163 / .200 / .186 against lefties. A fluke of small sample size, or have the other teams' scouts found a hole in his swing?

However he hits, Janish's roster spot is likely safe. Zack Cozart had to shut it down when he tried to take batting practice for the first time yesterday. He will have to have surgery, and I think the Reds will eventually admit that it might as well be sooner rather than later. With Brandon Phillips' sprained ankle, the Reds are rather short of infielders. Outfielder Chris Heisey also went on the DL today; center fielder Dave Sappelt will take his spot.

The Reds are now playing for next year. They are nine games back, and I think even Dusty Baker accepts that they won't make the postseason this year. That being the case, I hope he plays the younger guys, including Janish. Renteria won't be back next year. Might as well give Janish a second chance. And see if Yonder Alonso can figure out left field, and Todd Frazier can be an everyday third baseman. At this point, why not?

Friday in the Friendly Confines

2011-08-05T22:56:00.001-04:00

Paul Janish started at shortstop tonight, to my surprise. I was really expecting Dusty Baker to write Edgar Renteria's name on the lineup card today. Janish was 0 for 3 with a walk, which doesn't sound that great, but I'm pleased with how he played. His first at-bat was fantastic. It was an 11-pitch walk:

Maybe even Dusty was impressed. Janish was due to lead off in the 9th, with the Reds trailing by one run. I wondered if Dusty was going to pinch-hit for Janish, but he didn't. Janish, the hit by pitch expert, was hit by the first pitch.

Unfortunately, the Reds couldn't get him home. Lead runner on, no outs, the team's best hitters due up...and they fell short. Again. The Reds have the worst luck with one-run games this year.

Meanwhile, it's looking more and more like Janish doesn't have to worry about being sent back to Louisville this year. It sounds like Zack Cozart won't be coming off the DL on time. I wouldn't be surprised if his season is done. It sounds like his elbow needs surgical repair. They are hoping he can play with a brace on his arm, then have the surgery in the off-season. But with the Reds now 8.5 games back and in fourth place, they have nothing to play for but the draft picks. Why rush Cozart back? IMO, it would be smarter to let him have the surgery now, so he'll have plenty of time to recover before spring training next year.

Oswalt vs. Pendleton

2011-08-03T00:08:00.010-04:00

PNC Field

After reading about Joe Savery's story, I checked the SWB Yankees schedule to see if the IronPigs were coming to Scranton any time soon. (Admittedly, I don't need much of an excuse to go to a baseball game. ;-) I was in luck; the IronPigs were coming to Scranton at the beginning of August. I picked the August 1 doubleheader. It was a Monday. I had that day off work, and I figured my chances of seeing a relief pitcher were probably best on a doubleheader day.

I almost changed my mind about going that morning. The weather report was terrible. Thunderstorms, high wind, rain, even hail. I had pretty much decided to stay home, when I checked the weather one last time. The forecast had changed for the better - still thunderstorms, but the chances were lower, and they were earlier, before the game, rather than during. Plus, Lance Pendleton was starting for the SWB Yankees. I decided to take the chance.

Since it was Monday, I was expecting plenty of good seats to still be available. I was wrong. I got there early, but there weren't many seats left downstairs; they had opened part of the upper deck, which they usually don't do on weekdays any more. I did manage to get a seat above the visitors' dugout, but it was further out and further up than I usually get.

The lady sitting next to me explained the unusual crowds. Roy Oswalt was starting for the IronPigs - on rehab assignment. Scranton was the Phillies AAA affiliate for years, and it's not that far from Philadelphia, so there were tons of Phillies fans there.

Oswalt started the first game.

Lance Pendleton took the mound for the SWB Yanks.

Oswalt had decent velocity, but he gave up a lot of hits.

Top prospect Jesus Montero hits a RBI single off Oswalt.

Oswalt's line: 6.0 IP, 7 hits, 2 runs (both earned), 2 BB, 4 Ks, 0 HR.

Lance Pendleton held his own against Oswalt.

Pendleton's pickoff move.

Pendleton's line: 5.1 IP, 4 hits, 2 runs (both earned), 2 BB, 5 Ks, 0 HR.

Since I was sitting on the visitors' side, I was surrounded by Phillies fans, many of whom did not know who Pendleton was. They were impressed by his pitching, however. He actually pitched better than Oswalt. People seem especially impressed with his curve.

In the end, the IronPigs won, but neither starting pitcher got the win, as the game went to extras. (Minor league doubleheader games are only seven innings.)

Joe Savery did make an appearance in Game 2. Amusingly, he's listed as an infielder on the IronPigs' roster, though he seems to be used mostly as a relief pitcher.

Savery pitched the 5th inning. When he came in, there were two on, no outs.

Savery gave up a hit, a walk, and struck out one. Unfortunately, the hit was a Jesus Montero RBI double.

Savery got out of the inning, but not before two runs scored (on the double and a fielder's choice).

As for the weather? It was fine. Hot and sunny for the first game, cooler and clear for the second. I did get quite the lightning show on the drive home, but only a spattering of rain. (New York City was not so lucky.)

Hometown Hero

2011-08-02T00:59:00.004-04:00

Paul Janish got the start tonight in Houston. I had a feeling he would. Renteria played two days in a row, including a day game after a night game, and his veteran bones need rest. Dusty's been trying to match Renteria up against lefties; Wandy Rodriguez is starting tomorrow for the Astros, so Renteria will probably get that start. Also, Janish is from Houston; Dusty likes to play guys in their home towns, knowing that their friends and family will be in the stands.

Yonder Alonso got his first start in left field tonight, and that probably was a factor as well. Dusty was looking for the center fielder and shortstop to help out Alonso if he needed it, and Janish has more range than Renteria at this point.

Janish had a great night, going 2 for 3 with two doubles and a walk. (His mom must have been there. He says his mom brings him hits the way other moms bring cookies.) He's now hitting .357 / .437 / .571 since being recalled.

Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. The Reds lost in OT, in a heartbreaking manner: Brandon Phillips made a nice pick and a great throw home, but Hanigan dropped the ball. What a waste of a rare good Arroyo start.

The Reds are downright confounding this year. When they're hitting, the pitching is terrible. When the pitching is good, the hitting is bad. When both hitting and pitching are working, the fielding sucks. They swept the world champion Giants over the weekend, but lost to the lowly Astros tonight.

They're now 7.5 games back. Barring an epic collapse by the Brewers and the Cardinals, things aren't looking good.

Deadline Day

2011-07-31T19:11:00.002-04:00

The deadline's past, and the deals are done. Or not. A surprising number of deals seem to have fallen through at the last minute. Maybe it's the Facebook/Twitter effect. With news spreading through social networks like wildfire, the conventional media feel the pressure to get the story out quickly, rather than waiting to get it right. So they're jumping the gun a little.

The trading seemed especially feverish in the NL Central, with the Pirates, perennial sellers at the trade deadline, suddenly buyers. The Brewers are going all-out this year as well. And the Cardinals didn't let grass grow under their feet. The Reds, however, did nothing except send Jonny Gomes to the Nationals to make room for hot prospect Yonder Alonso. They are 6.5 games back, with three teams ahead of them, so perhaps Walt Jocketty has given up on winning this year. The odds don't look good...though the Reds suddenly are.

Cincinnati completed the sweep of the world champion Giants today, and it wasn't even close. I was surprised that Paul Janish wasn't in the lineup. Sunday is traditionally veteran's day off, and it was a day game after a night game.

Dusty has been putting Renteria in against lefties, and Renteria's numbers against Barry Zito are good (4-for-9, .444). Still seems odd he'd start him today. Complete loss of faith in Janish? Confidence that Cozart will be back soon, so he can use up Renteria? Desperation, with time running out?

Janish didn't help his case, unfortunately. He was subbed in in late innings because the game was a blowout, and got a fielding error when the ball took a bad hop. I think there's something wrong with the infield there. Orlando Cabrera and Edgar Renteria also missed balls that took weird hops today (neither was ruled an error, though they probably should have been). And Renteria had two fielding errors in one inning yesterday.

Janish got one at-bat today, and flied out to right. He went the other way and it left infield, at least, but it was still a one-pitch out.

I fear Zack Cozart's injury was as unfortunate for Janish as it was for him. Janish was just getting into a groove in Louisville, and he could have used a little more time there to build his confidence. Now he's in Cincinnati, not getting a lot of playing time, and not playing all that well on offense or defense. I still think he can be a major league shortstop, and would like to see him get that chance, but right now, the pressure seems to be getting to him, and not in a good way. Poor guy.

Almost

2011-07-30T17:02:00.002-04:00

Paul Janish got the start Friday night. He ended up 0 for 2 with a run scored. He was hit by a pitch in his first at-bat, and ended up scoring on a single and a forceout.

His last at-bat was a deep fly out to left. It sounded good off the bat - that ringing thunk you get when a player gets all of it. I thought it might go out for a brief moment, but it was too high. The fielders had all the time in the world to set up under it.

Still, a good sign, I think. He just missed it.

Edgar Renteria (who had the extra-innings walkoff hit last night) gets the start tonight. I would guess Janish will get the start tomorrow: day game after a night game.

Dusty seems to be arranging things so Renteria gets the starts against lefties. Renteria's left/right splits are extreme, especially this year. Weirdly, Janish's are reversed. He's hitting .171 / .209 / .195 against lefties, and .245 / .274 / .296 against righties. Odd, because he's been much better against lefties for most of his career. A fluke, or have they found a hole in his swing?

Zack Cozart had his brace removed Thursday, and played catch and hit off a tee yesterday. He'll get some swings against underhand throws today. If his progress continues, he'll be ready when he's eligible to be activated off the DL (August 8). If he's ready by then, Janish will probably be sent down again. There simply isn't time for him to make a case for himself, with only a week left, and playing roughly half the games.

Janish starting at SS

2011-07-27T18:58:00.004-04:00

Paul Janish is in the starting lineup tonight. I would guess this means Edgar Renteria will start in tomorrow's day game. Looks like Dusty's planning on starting Janish 1/3 of the time, and Renteria 2/3.

John Fay has a Zack Cozart update:

Zack Cozart’s left elbow is a lot better. He hopes to have immobilization brace off by this weekend.

“Hopefully, I can start baseball activity,” he said.

Cozart is still hopeful of being able to return within two to three weeks of the injury.

I'm reminded of what former Yankees (and current Red Sox) beat writer Peter Abraham used to say: whatever time the team or player tells you someone will be out with an injury, double it. If that holds true, Janish's roster spot might be safe until rosters expand September 1. In any case, he's been given a second chance. It's up to him to make it hard for Dusty Baker to leave him out of the lineup, and hard for the Reds to send him down again.

Marathon

2011-07-27T05:57:00.004-04:00

Scott Proctor celebrates with his teammates (AP photo)

Holy guacamole. The Braves-Bucs game last night went 19 innings.

The unlikely hero? "Everyday" Scott Proctor. Braves won, on a walkoff fielders choice RBI by Proctor, the last guy left in the pen. It was his second at-bat of the game. He hadn't hit since 2007.

Sounds like it was a crazy game.

This game went so long that catcher Brian McCann left after nine innings with a strained oblique, the Braves announced he would go on the 15-day disabled list and by the end of the game you wondered if he was healed and eligible to be activated again.

I guess Scotty doesn’t use Twitter.

It was just before 1 a.m. when Proctor – possibly the most lampooned Braves player since Greg Norton – became a trending topic on Twitter. Why? Simply because he was the Braves’ last non-starting pitcher left. He sat in the bullpen watching Tommy Hanson, Eric O’Flaherty, Jonny Venters, Craig Kimbel — Hah! The closer entered in only the ninth inning! – Scott Linebrink, George Sherrill and Christian Martinez pitch. Wonder how many games of solitaire he played?

The thought occurred that the Braves were trying to avoid bringing Proctor in, given he started the night with a 7.36 ERA. (The fact Martinez threw an improbable six shutout innings of relief, a relative "quality start," helped.) Any way, Proctor’s extending viewing became a running online gag. When told later he was trending on Twitter, Proctor said, "I was what?" You were a hot topic. "Oh, I’m sure. I’m not very well liked right now."

The winning run scored on a terrible call. Lugo was out by 10 feet, but was called safe. Game over. Umpire Jerry Meals said he thought it was a phantom tag. I suspect he just wanted to go home. The game was 6 hours, 39 minutes old by then, it was past 2 am, and he probably wanted to go to bed.

Scott Proctor was the guy who came to the Bronx with Bubba Crosby in the Robin Ventura trade. Yankees fans remember him as "Everyday" Scott Proctor because Joe Torre used him so much. He's had injury problems since then (which some blame on Torre). Nice to see him be the hero, at least for one night.

Fast out of the gate

2011-07-25T22:59:00.003-04:00

Paul Janish got his first start for the Reds tonight since being called up yesterday. He continued where he left off in Louisville, not just hitting, but hitting with some pop. He was 3 for 4 with a double and a run scored tonight. He almost got on base on an error his last at-bat; probably shouldn't have slid into first, though I understand why he did it.

He was the best hitter in the lineup tonight; hopefully it gets him some more playing time.

The Reds lost a close one, 4-2. It was exciting to the end, but the Reds' rally fell just short.

Janish recalled

2011-07-24T14:17:00.004-04:00

The Reds have put Zack Cozart on the DL. Paul Janish has been recalled from AAA-Louisville.

Janish seems to have turned the corner in Louisville. When he was first sent down, he couldn't buy a hit. He was 2-28 his first eight games.

Then in the last week, it’s like someone flipped a switch. He went 4 for 5 in one game, and since then, he’s been mashing: .600 / .611 / .933 since that game. Including a home run, his first of the year (including spring training). His batting average was .071 a week ago. Since then, he’s pushed it up to .256. In just five games.

Don't know if he or Renteria will be the starter. The Reds play at 8pm ET tonight - ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball.

UPDATE: Tom Groeschen reports that Dusty Baker will "mix and match" Janish and Renteria. Renteria is starting tonight.

Turning it around

2011-07-23T21:06:00.002-04:00

Paul Janish is definitely turning it around. He had another good day at the office today: 2 for 3 with a double and run scored. He also reached base on a HBP. (He's a hit by pitch expert, according to The Baseball Cube.)

His last at-bat was very good, and reminded me of the way he was hitting earlier this season, and last year. He started out down 0-2, but fouled off enough pitches to eventually single down the left field line on the 8th pitch.

He was the best hitter in lineup today, and just might be recalled in the near future. Zack Cozart was injured in a collision at 2B this afternoon: hyperextended left elbow. No word on what they're planning to do with him. I would guess they'll give him a night, and see how he is tomorrow. If it looks like he'll be better soon, he'll be day to day - like Janish, when he sprained his ankle earlier this season. If he needs to be DL'd, I would guess Janish will get the call. There's really no one else near ready.

I'll be a little disappointed if it happens; I was hoping to see Janish play when the Bats come to Scranton the first week in August. But I'm sure he can't wait to get back to Cincinnati.

Janny goes jard

2011-07-20T23:26:00.003-04:00

Paul Janish hit his first home run of the year tonight. He hit five last year, four in the month he was the starting SS. This year, he hadn't hit a one. Not even in spring training.

But that changed tonight, in the sixth inning. Janish smacked a pitch from lefty Yohan Flande over the fence in center left, into the bullpen. He had a great night overall: 2 for 3 with a walk, a home run, 2 runs scored, 2 RBI, and a sac fly.

The Gwinnett announcers were pretty funny. A couple of days ago they were dissing Janish and his .071 batting average. Tonight, they were wondering if anyone could get him out. “This guy is incredible, what a firecracker” – because he was 4 for 5 yesterday and 2 for 3 today. Janish raised his batting average from .071 to .222 in two games.

Don't know if Janish will play tomorrow. It's a day game after a night game, and he hasn't had a day off since he was sent down. But I bet he'll want to play. He might not want to leave Gwinnett. ;-)

Finally turning the corner?

2011-07-19T22:41:00.004-04:00

Paul Janish has really been struggling since the Reds sent him down to Louisville. He started out batting second, but lately has been dropped down to last. On Sunday, he had his best game with Louisville this season, going 1 for 3 with a walk and two runs scored. I hoped he was turning it around, but then I saw him in Monday's game. He was 0 for 3 with a walk, which isn't that bad.

(He's been walking a heck of a lot more since being sent down. He barely walked in spring training, despite having a walk rate over 10% in his minor league career. He was walking at less than 4% in the big leagues this year, but has rebounded to about 15% in AAA.)

Anyway, I saw part of Monday's game, via MiLB.TV. The Bats had been playing in Charlotte the previous series, and their camera work is dreadful. In fact, there is no camera work. They just have one camera, high behind home plate, that shows the whole field. The players are tiny, fuzzy blobs, you can't see the ball, and if all minor league games were like that, I'd demand my $10 back.

But on Monday, they moved on to play a series against the Gwinnett Braves, and Gwinnett has professional video coverage, like you might see at a Major League game, or close to it. I saw Janish at bat, and he looked...out of sync. I don't know how to describe it, because I'm not a coach or anything. But usually when a player is hitting well, he's focused on the ball. Seems like his entire body is locked on the pitch, with few extraneous movements. Janish was just kind of flailing. His head was moving a lot, he didn't seem to be following the ball all the way in, and everything just seemed uncoordinated.

It reminded me of when he was first called up to AAA. (I just happened to see him at a few games shortly after he was promoted. I had bought the tickets hoping to see Bubba Crosby play with the Bats, but he was on the DL. I went to the games anyway.) Janish looked so awkward at the plate back then, I wondered if he'd ever make the Big Leagues.

Of course, he figured it out eventually. I'm confident he'll eventually get out of his current funk...and he may have started tonight. He went 4 for 5 tonight, with a RBI and two runs scored. In one game, his batting average rose from .071 to .182. There was a lot of hitting in that game, to be sure, but Janish was the only one to get 4 hits.

Hope this means he's turning the corner.

Another Ankiel?

2011-07-17T21:24:00.005-04:00

Joe Savery

Interesting story here, about Joe Savery, one of Lance Pendleton's teammates at Rice. Savery was the Phillies' first round draft pick in 2007. He made it to AAA but struggled as a starting pitcher. He decided to reinvent himself, starting over in A-ball as a position player and relief pitcher.

He did well enough that he's been promoted to AAA again.

Some quotes here on the transition from starting pitcher to relief pitcher/designation hitter/first baseman.

“It was fun. It’s fun to feel like you’re good at something again,” Savery said on Thursday after rejoining the IronPigs. “Even though it was A-ball and I was way too old for that league, it was fun to be good again. It was fun to run the bases and slide. I enjoyed that time for sure.”

Probably most of these guys were always the stars of their teams - Little League, high school, college. Must be tough to realize you're not the best any more, in the bigger pond of pro baseball.

He's officially a relief pitcher for the IronPigs, but might be used as a pinch-hitter as well - the Phillies are a NL team, after all.

Rick Ankiel is well-known for flaming out as a pitcher and starting over as an outfielder - a fairly successful one. Fangraphs thought Paul Janish's stuff was good enough that he might be more valuable to the Reds as a relief pitcher than as a shortstop. And Jerry Gil, once a Reds infielder/outfielder who competed with Bubba Crosby for a bench spot with the Reds, is now a relief pitcher. (He walked into the manager's office one day and asked to switch, saying hitting was too hard.)

The Lehigh Valley IronPigs come to NY to play the SWB Yankees in early August. I'll have to see if I can get to a game or two, and see how Joe is doing in his new role.

From the WSJ

2011-07-13T22:42:00.003-04:00

A couple of interesting links from the Wall St. Journal. One serious, one not so serious.

First, the not-so-serious:

The Yankees on the Yankees

The WSJ asked the Yankees to rate each other. Who's the smartest? The best-dressed? The most likely to have a deer head over his fireplace?

Amusing glimpse inside the clubhouse. I'm not surprised Jorge Posada was picked as the slowest...and that he was not happy about it. Jorgie doesn't seem to have much a sense of humor about that kind of thing.

The illustrations for the articles are a hoot. Fun with Photoshop!

On a more serious note:

A Stadium's Costly Legacy Throws Taxpayers for a Loss

CINCINNATI—Here in Hamilton County, where one in seven people lives beneath the poverty line and budget cuts have left gaps in the schools and sheriffs department, residents are bracing for more belt-tightening: rollback of a property-tax break promised as part of a 1996 plan to entice voters to pay for two new stadiums.

The tax hit is just the latest in a string of unforeseen consequences from what has turned into one of the worst professional sports deals ever struck by a local government—soaking up unprecedented tax dollars and county resources while returning little economic benefit.

The Reds' deal has turned out okay, but the Bengals deal has been a disaster. I'm amazed they agreed to such onerous conditions. I guess it was part of the bubble mentality of the '90s, but still.

On top of paying for the stadium, Hamilton County granted the Bengals generous lease terms. It agreed to pick up nearly all operating and capital improvement costs—and to foot the bill for high-tech bells and whistles that have yet to be invented, like a "holographic replay machine." No team had snared such concessions in addition to huge sums of public money, Journal research shows.

A holographic replay machine? Good gravy.

These smaller cities are really over a barrel with stadium funding. No would seriously believe it if the Yankees threatened to leave NY, or the Cowboys threatened to leave Dallas, but cities like Cincinnati had to be worrying that what happened to Baltimore would happen to them: their team would pack up in the middle of the night, and move to greener pastures.

Somebody call the copyright police!

2011-07-11T17:46:00.008-04:00

So, last year I took some photos of a game at PNC Field in Scranton, PA. Including this photo of Rick Sweet, the Louisville Bats manager:

It's now one of the first images that comes up when you Google for images of Rick Sweet. Apparently, not a lot of people take his picture.

The Louisville Bats have an official blog now, and lo and behold...they're using my photo on it.

Here are the images side by side, resized so they're the same size:

And here's an overlay, with the Bats banner image at 50% transparency directly over my image:

Someone call the copyright police! My intellectual property has been stolen! I demand $500,000 in penalties and damages, in accordance with the DMCA!

Or a Paul Janish game-used jersey. That would be good, too.

Actually, if they'd just asked, I'd have said yes. It's kind of lame that they swipe pics off the net like they're a 12-year-old on MySpace.

I suppose I'm living in a bit of a glass house here, since I've been known to...er...borrow wire service images from time to time. But I'm just a fan. I'm not making a cent off my blog or web site. The Louisville Bats are a for-profit corporation. It's surprising they would just Google for images and help themselves to whatever they like, without acquiring the rights legitimately.

And they're lucky I'm just a hobbyist photographer who doesn't really care if people "borrow" my pics. If they'd swiped the image of a pro photographer, they'd likely get a takedown notice, if not a lawsuit. Pro photographers tend to be very protective of their work, since it is their livelihood.

Andy Phillips, mentor

2011-07-10T08:43:00.003-04:00

The Montgomery Advertiser has a little mention of Andy Phillips. It's about a high school player, Blake Barrow, whom Andy helped get into college.

"It was disappointing, you could say, with us going into the playoffs ranked No. 1 in the state. We got upset by Slocumb. I'm trying to take it as a positive for me personally because it led me to where I'm going to be attending college."

Explain, please.

"After we lost, we competed in an FCA tournament. At the banquet for that tournament, Andy Phillips, an assistant coach at Alabama, was the speaker. After it was over, I went up to him to thank him for coming. We talked, he asked me where I was going to school. He said he'd call Meridian Community College for me if I wanted. I did, and the next day the coach at Meridian called me."

Sounds like Andy's making an impact in his new career. (And now he's "an assistant coach at Alabama," not a "former Yankee.")

Good on ya, Andy.

Jeter finally does it

2011-07-09T18:48:00.002-04:00

Derek Jeter has gotten his 3,000th hit, and in a fashion that seems like it could only happen in a movie. He went 5 for 5 today, and the historic hit was a home run. Jeet has never been much of a home run hitter, and certainly not this year. But he did it today. Just an unbelievable moment.

It's an amazing accomplishment.

This has been Jeter’s most trying season, with a career-low .257 average through Friday. He spent almost three weeks on the disabled list with a strained calf muscle, and has hit a higher percentage of ground balls (65.3 percent through Friday) than any other player in the majors.

Naturally, some of the erosion in Jeter’s skills can be traced to age, and, perhaps, to the extra wear and tear from roughly a season’s worth of games — 147 — across 30 postseason series. He has also played no defensive position besides shortstop, the most demanding spot on the field besides catcher.

Only one other player, Honus Wagner, reached 3,000 hits while still a regular shortstop. Wagner did it in 1914.

“Physically, you have a responsibility that can be difficult, and mentally as well, you have to be in every pitch, every game,” Jeter said, referring to shortstop. “So there’s probably a reason why there’s not too many guys that have played the position that have had that amount of hits. I take pride in it. This is my job. This is the only thing I’ve done.”

I wonder what Jeter is going to do once his playing days are done. Joe Torre, in his book, told a story about how Jeter never watches baseball games at home. A-Rod wanted to watch a game, and couldn't believe that Jeter didn't know what channel it was on. Torre said players always try to hang on too long; he claims Jeter is the only player he knows who will be able to walk away from baseball when the time comes, and never look back. I'm not so sure about that myself.

The fan who caught the ball (actually, picked it up off the floor) gave it back. Wow. I'm not sure I could bring myself to do that. He could have sold it for six figures. That's a house, a child's college education, retirement security. The Yanks rewarded him handsomely, of course, but still...wow.

Janish has reported to Louisville

2011-07-08T17:14:00.002-04:00

Paul Janish in the Louisville Bats lineup tonight, batting 2nd and playing shortstop.

Mike Bauman has a little more of Dusty's comments on Janish.

"Paul Janish was putting a lot of pressure on himself, and his confidence was waning some," Baker said. "He needs to go down there and, more than anything, get his confidence together. He's definitely a quality shortstop, definitely a proven shortstop, one of the best there is, I think. It's just a matter of him getting his stroke together and his confidence together.

"Everybody has been pushing, pushing, pushing. We were still trying to get what we could out of Paul Janish. It wasn't fair to him, pushing for somebody else to take his job and he just got the job. Under different circumstances, had our offense been clicking completely, this might be a moot point. Even though we're among the league leaders in runs scored, we still have the potential to have a whole lot more offense here. And you know, Paul was one of the best-liked guys on this team."

Janish would probably have had a longer leash in another year. If the Reds were leading the division, or if they had no chance at the post-season, they'd have had more patience with him. But three games back, in fourth place, I guess they felt they had to make a move.

Janish might report Friday

2011-07-08T00:29:00.003-04:00

Reds beat writer Tom Groeschen is reporting that Janish might report to Louisville by Friday.

LOUISVILLE — Bats manager Rick Sweet said Thursday night that shortstop Paul Janish might report to the Reds’ Triple-A club here as early as Friday. Sweet has not spoken to pitcher Edinson Volquez, who also was sent to Louisville on Thursday.

“I talked to Janish today. He called me from the airport,” Sweet said, after the Bats’ 5-2 win over Indianapolis on Thursday night. “Janny and I are pretty close. He played for me. We talked, and he might be here tomorrow (Friday). It just depends on how his flight goes today. He flew back to Cincinnati, so we’ll see.”

...“He talked about possibly coming tomorrow (Friday), but they have three days,” Sweet said. “Sometimes they need a day or two to clear their heads, and sometimes they just need to get to work. Janny’s a gamer. Whatever decision he makes, I will back. I know he’s ready to go to work, and I’m excited to have him back. He’s a good baseball player.”

Sweet said the minors sometimes can rejuvenate players who are used to being in the majors.

“Mike Leake came back and said the same thing, when he went back up,” Sweet said. “It cleared his head. It was like a breath of fresh air. You can kind of get yourself back to baseball instead of worrying about all the extra stuff going on.”

Players have 72 hours to report when they're optioned down. Much is made of how long they take to report, with guys who show up ASAP admired and those who take the full three days suspected of pouting and having a bad attitude.

But realistically...they're moving to a new city. Not many employers expect their workers to pick up and move to a new location, and start work in only three days.

Janish optioned

2011-07-07T17:42:00.003-04:00

Paul Janish will be wearing a Louisville Bats uniform again. The Reds sent him down to AAA today, and called up Zack Cozart.

From Reds beat writer John Fay:

–The Reds aren’t ready to give up on Edgar Renteria. They would have had to designate him for assignment in order to open his spot. He’s hit better lately. But Janish is more versatile (can play third as well as shortstop and second base) and is much better defensively. Offensively, it’s been a draw. Janish was hitting .227/.259/.271, Renteria .229/.304/.271.

–Janish was hitting a bit below what the Reds expected from him. But I don’t see him going to minors for a short spell and developing into an offensive force.

Many were expecting the Reds to DFA Edgar Renteria to make room for Cozart. I wasn't. I figured it would be Janish sent down, even though he's a more versatile player with a better glove. The reason is depth. The Reds don't have any real shortstops down on the farm who are close to being ready. Renteria is old and injury-prone. And I don't think they're sure Cozart will actually be an improvement on Janish. They need insurance. Renteria cannot be optioned; if they cut him, they lose him. Janish has options, and can be stashed in Louisville for later use.

There seems to have been much confusion/indecision in the Reds front office last night. The Bats' starting pitcher was switched from Travis Wood to Dontrelle Willis to TBA back to Wood. Then Walt Jocketty said Willis would pitch in relief last night...but he didn't. (Either Wood or Willis will probably be called up to take Edinson Volquez's spot in the rotation; he was optioned today along with Janish.) Meanwhile, Cozart was in the lineup and was not pulled early...suggesting that they made the decision to call him up after the marathon extra innings game the Reds barely won. (Renteria was 1 for 5 and Janish 0 for 2 in that game.)

I'm sure Janish is disappointed at the demotion, but he'll probably be recalled when rosters expand in September...or sooner, if Cozart doesn't work out or there's an injury.

Selfishly, I'm kind of hoping he's not recalled too soon. The Bats come to New York the first week in August, and I'd love to see him play.

UPDATE: Dusty Baker's comments on Janish:

“He put quite a bit of pressure on himself. His confidence was down. He’s going down to get his confidence together. Confidence is a big part of this game. You hear and you read. When you’re getting ripped a lot, it messes with your confidence. You put pressure on yourself. He’s definitely a quality shortstop. He’s one of the best there is. It’s just a matter of him getting his offense together.”

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times...

2011-07-06T18:06:00.002-04:00

Well, the good news about yesterday's Reds game is that Paul Janish had a decent night at the plate. He was 1 for 2 with a double and two walks...which made him the best hitter in the lineup that day.

The bad news is that he had an error that ended up really hurting. It wasn't the reason the Reds lost, but it sure didn't help Janish's case. It was his ninth error of the season, and unlike the 8th, it was deserved. Meaning a crescendo of clamoring for Cozart. (Never mind that Cozart has 11 errors in AAA, in about the same number of games.)

Renteria is starting at SS again tonight. I think it's safe to say that Janish has lost the starting job.

Lance Berkman had a pretty good game yesterday. He homered in the first inning, and it was the longest home run ever in the new Busch Stadium. It was his 23rd of the year. Man, I thought Berkman was cooked after his stint with the Yanks last year. I guess not.

Reds-Cards on national TV tonight

2011-07-05T18:40:00.002-04:00

The Reds and Cardinals will be playing before a national audience tonight. The game will air on ESPN. Paul Janish is in the lineup, playing SS and batting 8th. Lance Berkman will be playing 1B and batting cleanup for the Cards. (Albert Pujols has been activated, and is available to pinch-hit, but he is not in the lineup tonight.)

Has Janish run out of rope?

2011-07-04T14:59:00.002-04:00

It looks like Paul Janish has lost the starting shortstop position, after a mere 200 at-bats. There hasn't been an official announcement or anything, but Janish has started only two out of the last six games (counting today's - Renteria is starting against the Cardinals tonight). I don't think it's an injury, because he is getting the occasional start, as well LIDR duty. Janish had been getting 2 out of 3 starts. Now he's getting 1 out of 3, and being pulled early for a pinch-hitter when he does start.

Maybe GM Walt Jocketty hasn't lost faith in Janish, but it looks like Dusty Baker has. If so, Jocketty may be forced to make a move. Either trading for a SS, or calling up Zack Cozart.

Janish got jobbed

2011-07-02T22:22:00.004-04:00

The Reds' weirdly bad luck continues. Paul Janish was charged with an error today...that was doubly undeserved. It looks like the umpire blew the call. Rolen fielded Carmona's bunt, and threw it to Janish. The umpire ruled that Janish was pulled off the bag, and Lou Marson was ruled safe.

Terrible call. Let's go to the videotape. Yes, Janish was pulled off the bag, but he was back on it before the runner got there. The only thing I can figure is that the umpire thought his foot wasn't touching the bag. But how could he tell? From his angle, he couldn't tell if Janish's foot was touching the base or not.

And what's up with the scorer ruling that a "missed catch error"? Rolen's throw pulled him off the bag. If there's an error there, it's on Rolen, not Janish.

That really was a crazy inning. Fausto Carmona took a crazy fall running to first. Looks like he just tripped over his own feet. While running at full bore. He actually flew over the base without touching it. Janish probably should have completed his throw to first. Might have gotten Carmona out. Carmona ended up being pulled for a pinch-runner. Injured quad was the report.

Unfortunately for the Reds, Carmona was probably the best chance they had at a win. They ended up getting more hits than the Indians, but losing anyway. All in all, a very strange and frustrating game.

Janish was 1 for 2, before being pulled for a pinch-hitter. Be interesting to see if he starts tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Tony Cingrani's pro debut went pretty well. He pitched two innings, giving up two hits, no runs, no walks, and striking out four.

Rob Neyer likes the Reds

2011-07-01T18:42:00.003-04:00

Rob Neyer is now a believer - in the Cincinnati Reds. He says he didn't think they could reproduce last year's success. He's changed his mind, and now thinks they might win the division.

Why? For one thing, the Reds have the best run differential (+41) in their division.

For another, when I look at these fourth-place Reds -- granted, they're only three games out of first place -- I see some real upside.

Part of that upside: Paul Janish. Neyer thinks Janish has a good chance of hitting better than he has.

If Dusty Baker gives him a chance, anyway. Janish is on the bench tonight. Edgar Renteria is starting. Renteria has done reasonably well in his last couple of games, and Janish hasn't, so perhaps Dusty's playing the hot hand.

Sigh. I hope this means Janish plays the other two games of this series, but I have a feeling it means he'll play tomorrow and Renteria will play Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Reds' third round draft pick out of Rice, Tony Cingrani, is supposed to have his pro debut tonight. He's starting for the Billings Mustangs.

Famous Texas alumni

2011-06-29T20:51:00.004-04:00

The Beaumont Enterprise has a photo gallery of "famous Texas alumni." Bubba Crosby is among them. Also included: Lance Berkman (Rice), Drew Stubbs (Texas), Chris Snyder and Michael Bourn (University of Houston). Dunno why they left Paul Janish out.

Beaumont is the hometown of Jay Bruce. Bruce was not included in this photo gallery because he never went to college. But his home town paper did feature a gallery about him a couple of years ago. They must have gotten his family to give them some photos, because there are baby pics, Little League pics, etc. Too cute for words. I love that first photo, where he's holding the baby bottle. A lefty from the start!

Standing by Janish

2011-06-26T22:09:00.006-04:00

Janish makes the stop
Reds GM Walt Jocketty defended Paul Janish today.

"Everybody has a spot on the club that may not be [getting] all the production they want," Jocketty said. "But we're still getting good defense from those guys. That is as critical as the offense for us, because of our pitching staff and the way we've built our club, defense is extremely important."

The Janish-Renteria combination came into Sunday batting .230 for the season, with zero home runs and 14 errors in the field. At Triple-A Louisville, Cozart was batting .318 with seven homers, 29 RBIs and eight errors entering Sunday.

Despite his six errors as the primary shortstop, Janish generally has an exceptional glove and is probably better defensively than Cozart. Janish came into the day batting .232 in 61 games, with 19 RBIs.

"We're willing to wait for a while," Jocketty said. "We still have faith in Janish. Right now, he's probably putting a lot of pressure on himself. He just needs to relax and play the type of game he's capable of playing."

Dusty Baker is getting a bit annoyed at being asked about it.

It sounds like the Reds will try to turn it around with the current roster. Baker bristled at the mention of a personnel change.

“I’m not going to answer that,” Baker said. “It seems like everyone knows what we need. Let them keep saying that.”

Dusty feels the Reds are really close to turning it around. He could be right. The numbers suggest the Reds have been very unlucky.

And then there's Hal McCoy's Q&A from Saturday.

Q Isn’t it about time that Edgar Renteria strained his hamstring so the Reds could put him on the DL to see if Zach Cozart is the answer at shortstop? — Kyle, Dayton

A Answer at shortstop? What’s the question? Paul Janish is the shortstop (for the most part) and he is in there to save runs, which he does almost daily with his glue glove and whip-lash arm. Just because Cozart is hitting .320 doesn’t mean he’ll hit .320 in the majors. If the Reds bring up everybody hitting .300 at Class AAA Louisville, they’d bring up Cozart, Dave Sappelt, Devin Mesoraco, Jeremy Hermida and Yonder Alonso. Some fans think the Reds should call up the entire Louisville team and send all the Reds to Triple-A.

Janish did make some very nice defensive plays today. He was 0 for 4 at the plate, though.

Hopefully he'll get some hits tomorrow night against the Rays. (If he gets to play.) The Reds will be on national TV - Monday Night Baseball.

Bringing Down the Horst

2011-06-23T23:28:00.003-04:00

Interesting roster moves made in Cincinnati. Relief pitcher Jeremy Horst was optioned to Louisville today. Not surprising; with Sam LeCure activated, a relief pitcher was going to be sent down.

The timing is a bit odd, however. They made room for LeCure yesterday by optioning Travis Wood to Louisville. He's a starting pitcher who will be replaced by Homer Bailey, who is due to come off the DL. But Bailey is not supposed to pitch until Sunday. I'm kind of surprised they didn't keep Horst around until then.

Perhaps they are going to call up another arm (Aroldis Chapman's rehab period is over). Or another bat. But despite the speculation about Zack Cozart, he started tonight in Louisville. So did all the other likely suspects for a callup, and they all stayed in for the whole game. No one was pulled early.

To add the the intrigue...Chad Reineke was outrighted off the roster yesterday. He was already in Louisville; outrighting got him off the Reds' 40-man roster. He's not a hot prospect or anything, but again, the timing seems odd. The 40-man roster was at 39. There didn't seem to be a need to outright Reineke. The 40-man roster is now at 38.

So...just a little roster housekeeping, or are the Reds preparing to make some kind of move? If so, the signs are pointing to a trade rather than a call up, since the players most likely to be called up are all already on the 40-man.

Cozart getting his shot?

2011-06-22T22:49:00.003-04:00

Reds beat writer John Fay thinks the Reds will call up Zack Cozart from AAA before the Reds travel to Baltimore for their next series. He says it's just a feeling. And he's been laughably wrong in his predictions in the past. But it's the time of year when callups happen, and the Reds shortstops have been struggling.

If Cozart is called up before rosters expand in September, then either Edgar Renteria or Paul Janish will have to be removed from the roster. Janish has options and could be sent down to Louisville, but Fay thinks Renteria will be DFA'd. He's not hitting or fielding as well as Janish, and Janish can play 3B, which Renteria can't.

If Cozart is called up, I don't know if he'd be the starter or the backup. I would guess they'd at least want to try him as a starter. Maybe they'd go with the two-headed shortstop tandem, as they're doing at catcher.

I hope they give Janish just a little more time. He had a truly dreadful May, but seems to be coming out of it. (He was 2 for 4 tonight.) But he's not hitting anything except singles, he's not walking, and weirdly, he's not hitting lefties like he usually does. I suspect he'd return to something near his career norms if given the chance, but the Reds may have run out of patience.

Learning to walk again

2011-06-18T23:38:00.005-04:00

MLB.com had an article a few days ago, about how Paul Janish worked his way out of his slump.

"Originally when I got into the funk, I didn't really feel I was swinging the bat too poorly," Janish said. "Then I started to change some stuff around and became pretty result oriented and it kind of snowballed on me. I got into a funk and I found myself kind of lost at the plate for a period of time. Ten or 15 at-bats turned into 40-50."

Janish's strong glove kept his name in the lineup, and at the plate, he's been able to raise his overall batting average 30 points the past two weeks, but he's still batting only .233 with 18 RBIs. Neither Janish nor backup shortstop Edgar Renteria has a home run this season.

The adjustments have been more mental than physical. Janish, playing regularly for the first time in the Majors this season, let himself relax.

"I had put too much pressure on myself," he said. "I finally said, 'We've got nowhere else to go.' I'm finally starting to get some hits again and inch my way back up. Unfortunately, I kind of dug myself a little bit of a hole there. I do feel like I'm coming out of it though."

Might be too soon to say he's out his slump. He's hitting much better, but his numbers still aren't great. I can't help wondering how much rope the Reds are going to give him.

Today, GM Walt Jocketty was asked if Cozart's hot hitting down in AAA would force a move. He said no, the Reds are happy with what they have. (But then, what else is he going to say?)

And then, Janish was pinch-hit for in tonight's game. He was 1 for 2, but they still pinch-hit for him in the 7th inning. Probably because he popped out in a similar situation yesterday.

Power is reportedly down across the league this year, so perhaps expecting the return of Janish the Doubles Machine is unrealistic. I do wish he would walk more, though. He's had a good walk rate throughout his career (over 10%). This year, the walks have disappeared. He's down to around 3%. Returning to his career norm for walks would go a long way to fixing what's wrong with his hitting.

Cingrani signed

2011-06-14T20:21:00.003-04:00

The Reds announced Monday that they signed their third round pick, Tony Cingrani.

And it looks like Paul Janish has emerged from his slump. (Knock on wood.) After a horrible May, he's put up decent numbers for June so far. (And none too soon, with Zack Cozart raking in AAA.)

With the Yankees putting Jeter on the DL today, it looks like the Reds will have the better shortstop when they meet at Great American Ball Park next week.

Milestones

2011-06-09T17:12:00.003-04:00

Couple of milestones yesterday, one good, one not.

Paul Janish hit the first triple of his major league career. Tony Campana dived for a hit into the gap and missed. Yes, the same Tony Campana that Janish gunned down in his most recent Webgem. Looks like Janish is young Campana's nemesis!

Meanwhile, with the Yanks, Lance Pendleton gave up his first home run. Actually, he gave up two.

The Yankees have lost the first two games of this series to the Red Sox. If they lose tonight, too, it's gonna be ugly.

Day 2 of the Draft

2011-06-07T15:55:00.002-04:00

So, I was on the Syracuse Chiefs web site, seeing if the game is on for tonight. (I'm thinking of going, but the weather is looking scary.) I found this article, interviewing Anthony Rendon.

It was quite a surprise that he fell as far as he did in the draft; the general consensus is that his medical reports must have been bad. But if the shoulder's okay, the Nats got a steal. The top pick, without having the top pick.

And in the third round, the Reds picked Tony Cingrani, lefty reliever from Rice.

Paulie Webgems

2011-06-07T00:13:00.003-04:00

Paul Janish flashed the leather in tonight's game against the Cubs, making a sliding stop and throwing out the insanely speedy Tony Campana.

This play ended up the day's #4 Webgem, as well as #7 on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays of the Day. It's the second time Janish has gotten a Webgem this season.

Draft Day

2011-06-06T17:46:00.006-04:00

With the Reds hovering at .500, many Cincinnati fans are panicking. As Paul Daugherty notes, "The impulse to Do Something in baseball is almost always wrong" - but at times like this, people can't resist demanding that the front office do something, anything.

The problem is obvious: pitching. Particularly starting pitching. But without any realistic way to address that need, there's talk of calling up position players from AAA - in particular, shortstop Zack Cozart, who is on a tear in Louisville. Paul Janish has been hitting better lately - 3 for 5 yesterday, and .333 for the past 7 days. He still doesn't hit for much power, though, and Cozart does offer a bit more pop.

Of course, Cozart hasn't done anything on the big league level. It's possible he would struggle to adjust. Heck, it's likely. And if that does happen, those calling for him now would be calling for him to be sent back to Louisville. Hopefully, Walt Jocketty has a little more patience than the fans and media do.

Hal McCoy has a nice article about how Janish's defense has earned him the starting job. Given the terrible pitching, good defense up the middle is even more important - a way to improve your pitching when you can't improve the pitchers.

Also, today is draft day. Earlier this year, many expected Rice standout Anthony Rendon to be taken with the first pick. The Pirates have reportedly decided on Gerrit Cole instead. There are rumors (which may or may not be true) that Seattle is passing on Rendon, too, because of concern over his shoulder. He is still expected to go somewhere in the first round, however.

UPDATE: Mark Sheldon says Dusty Baker has ruled out any callups for hitters. Baker says the problem is pitching, not hitting, and that the gap between AAA and MLB is wider than ever. Sheldon does hint that the Reds may be quietly pursuing a starting pitcher. (They tried and failed to get Cliff Lee last year.)

And the Mariners passed on Anthony Rendon. Rumor had it that his shoulder got a "yellow light" from team doctors - not green, not red, but yellow. However, he was taken by the Nationals with the sixth pick. Maybe I'll get to see him when he reaches AAA and plays in Syracuse.

The Yankees Magazine article

2011-06-03T00:58:00.003-04:00

I've been on the road lately the last few weeks, but I came home today to find a Priority Mail envelope waiting for me. Could it be? Yes! Finally! The April 2011 issue of Yankees Magazine I've been pursuing for weeks. The one with the Bubba Crosby article.

Holy cow, it's awesome. I was expecting a relatively short article. I was hoping for a pic, but not counting on it. But yay, it's a pretty long article, with a boatload of really nice photos. Including one of Bubba with his dog and his wife. (Sorry, ladies - it appears he's married now.)

All in all, a very nice piece. I wish he got this much ink in his playing days.

Yankees Magazine is not what I expected. I thought it would be a typical sports magazine. You know, soaked in testosterone. Either that, or aimed at kids. But this publication seems to be aimed at a wider audience, including females. There's a really long article on a Yankees fantasy camp for women. (I'd love to do that some day. I'd suck, but I'd love to do it.) And even a recipe. A salad recipe, no less.

Anyways, the Bubba Crosby article is here. I'll have more comments on it later, but it's way past my bedtime, and I gotta be at work early tomorrow.

Janish's leash getting shorter

2011-06-01T18:11:00.004-04:00

Fangraph's "NotGraphs" section featured a photo of Edgar Renteria today, with the title "Veteran Presence Caught On Film." Yup, it's of his error. (Pretty good photo, I must say - speaking as someone who spends more time than I should photographing baseball games. The photographer really caught the moment.)

Renteria started last night, and that error opened the floodgates to a 4-run inning for the Brewers. But Paul Janish didn't exactly help his case, when he was double-switched in in the 7th. He went 0 for 2...and collected an error himself. And not one I can remember seeing before. He just stood there and let the ball go through his legs. Usually when that happens, the ball's moving so fast the fielder doesn't have time to react, and so doesn't get an error. But Janish could have gotten it, and so got an error. Bizarre.

I'm not sure what happened there. Daydreaming? ADHD, like Nick Green? Petite mal epilepsy seizure? Or just out too late celebrating his wife's birthday the night before? (Um...I'm not stalking them, I swear. I just happened to notice that Monday was Mrs. Janish's birthday when I linked to her player page yesterday. ...I sound like a stalker, don't I?)

Mike Leake, the Reds' groundball pitcher, is on the mound tonight. And Janish is not in the lineup. This is the first time he's been out of the starting lineup two days in a row when he wasn't injured. I fear his leash may be getting short. He's been kind of lucky; Renteria hasn't played well, and down in AAA, Zack Cozart was terrible at the beginning of the season. Cozart started hitting well, but then ended up on the DL with a sprained ankle. So there hasn't been any serious alternative to Janish. But some are already calling for him to be replaced.

Christina Kahrl thinks the Reds should call up Cozart and trade Janish to the Twins (with a boatload of other players) for Liriano. (I like Zack Cozart just fine, but it mystifies me why people think he'd be an improvement on Janish. His minor league OPS is almost identical to Janish's. Janish has more patience, Cozart a bit more power. Both play good defense; Cozart has a little more speed, Janish has a much stronger arm. Cozart does have a better pedigree, drafted in the second round, vs. the fifth for Janish. Maybe it's just "second string quarterback" syndrome. As in the second string quarterback is the most popular guy in town when the team is struggling. With baseball...the farther the guy is from the big leagues, the better he looks.

Rob Neyer has a more realistic view:

The Reds trail only the Cardinals in scoring, despite Paul Janish's terrible hitting stats. And Janish is a fine defensive shortstop, which makes it more difficult to justify a change there.

He and Kahrl agree that the Reds need a good starting pitcher. But they're not exactly thick on the ground, and sure won't be cheap. There's a reason why even Brian Cashman wanted to grow his own.

Paul Janish, shortstop/bellboy

2011-05-31T07:38:00.004-04:00

So, apparently Paul Janish might have a future as a bellhop if this baseball thing doesn't work out. Dusty Baker returned from the road trip to find the power out in his apartment building. With the elevator not working, he had to climb up the stairs - seven floors - to his apartment. Paul Janish and his wife helped him with his luggage. (Mrs. Janish is a former Rice soccer player, so presumably fit enough to carry suitcases up seven flights of stairs.)

I guess it would be hard to leave Janish out of the lineup after that. ;-) Janish started at SS last night, and went 2 for 4 with a stolen base, RBI and a run scored. And his usual nice defense. It really looks like Janish is heating up. Maybe it's just a fluke. Maybe being out four days with a sprained ankle threw him off. But he's definitely hitting better lately.

Robbed

2011-05-30T14:57:00.006-04:00

Cincinnati Reds' Paul Janish is called out at home plate in the eighth inning of a baseball game Sunday, May 29, 2011 in Atlanta. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

Paul Janish has really had some rotten luck lately. He hit the ball hard a couple of times Friday, but right at the fielders. He came away 0 for 4 (with a sac bunt RBI). Yesterday, he was 2 for 3 against a tough righty. But he was picked off first after his first hit. His second hit might have been a double; he almost went for it, then changed his mind and went back to first. Perhaps he should have gone for it. He ended up called out at home, in what would prove a game-changing play.

He probably shouldn't have been sent. But he was, and he did a great job of avoiding the tag and sliding around the catcher to touch the plate. Alas, the umpire made the wrong call. (And it was the wrong call, as numerous replays showed.) The usually mellow Janish was hot over that call. He knew he was safe. Dusty Baker was irate as well.

ESPN named left fielder Martin Prado Player of the Game, in part for gunning down Janish. Hah. The home plate umpire should be POTG, not Prado.

No such thing as too much pitching

2011-05-29T18:13:00.003-04:00

At the beginning of the season the Reds had so much pitching they didn't know what to do with it all. The competition for the starting rotation was stiff, and a lot of guys who would have been starters on other teams were stashed in AAA.

Now, the Reds have made their fifteenth pitching transaction this week. They've suffered an incredible number of setbacks to their pitching - everything from Edinson Volquez being sent down due to ineffectiveness to Dontrelle Willis going on the DL with a groin strain to Homer Bailey spraining his shoulder to Matt Maloney landing on the 60-day DL after breaking a rib during a violent sneeze.

The Reds are in a major skid right now, but the team is playing fairly well...except for the pitching. According to the MLB.com stats page, the Reds offense is second in the NL over the past 30 days. They are fourth in the NL on defense. And dead last in pitching.

I think the pen is actually fairly decent, but they are being way overworked, because the starters aren’t going deep. It’s the starting pitching that’s killing them.

Paul Janish has been struggling lately, and losing playing time to Edgar Renteria. I'm hoping the Reds realize that the problem is pitching, not hitting, and don't try to sign another Orlando Cabrera type.

In any case, Janish is in the lineup tonight, and the Reds are in the national spotlight, playing on ESPN's Sunday night game.

My Yankees Magazine saga

2011-05-28T09:54:00.002-04:00

Some of you have asked me if I've gotten a chance to read the article about Bubba Crosby in Yankees Magazine yet. The answer is not yet...but it's not for lack of trying.

Of course the first thing I did was what any self-respecting American in the 21st century would do: check eBay. No dice. So I went to several local newstands, and Barnes and Noble, which has the largest selection of magazines in these parts. No luck there, either. (I live in the boonies, not in NYC.) So I decided to subscribe, hoping it was in time for the April issue. I finally got my first issue a couple of days ago. Rats! It was the May issue, with A-Rod on the cover. Not the April issue, with Raphael Soriano on the cover.

My next plan was to see if there was any info on ordering back issues in the magazine. But first I decided to try eBay again. Lo and behold, this time I found it! For only a dollar over newstand price, plus $4 shipping. Woot! I put in an order and hope to have it by next week.

I will of course report on the contents once I get it. ;-)

High socks = base knocks

2011-05-27T11:47:00.006-04:00

Paul Janish has been slumping big-time lately: 0 for 21, a career record dry spell. Yesterday, he wore high socks for the first time since he's been called up, probably to try and change his luck. Apparently, it worked. He hit a 2 run single. Unfortunately, the pitching didn't hold up. Reds ended up losing, 10-4.

Marc Katz of the Dayton Daily News thinks the Reds should stick with Janish.

There’s a lot of whining going on among radio and television announcers covering the Reds over the lack of hitting at shortstop and left field.

But the Reds tried using sluggers at those positions before and finished with nine straight losing seasons. Now they have a shortstop in Paul Janish who saves more runs than he drives in, and, guess what? Last year the Reds won a division title with Janish playing almost every day at the end, and even now, with the team slumping, Cincinnati’s still very much in contention.

If there’s any position you can afford to have without a stick, it’s shortstop, if the guy’s good enough in the field.

I agree, and I think Dusty should commit to giving Janish 5-6 days a week at shortstop, regardless of how well he hits. Janish is still adjusting to big league pitching. Other teams are scouting him now, and making adjustments, and he's going to have to adjust in turn. Given the chance, he will. And I would guess he'll hit a lot better when he isn't worried that his next strikeout will result in being benched for Renteria.

The Reds are skidding, and Dusty Baker is getting worried. The bats are slumping, but the real problem is pitching. Hitters slump. Sometimes, the whole team goes into a slump at once. They'll get over it. Pitching is another issue. The Reds have a bunch of young talent who might eventually be aces, but right now, they are bunch of middle-to-back of the rotation guys who can't go deep into games. If they want post-season success, they need an ace. Getting another bat or two won't help. As the Yankees found out, hitters alone won't win a Series.

Don't Panic

2011-05-21T21:48:00.002-04:00

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.

"Macho Man" Randy Savage dies

2011-05-20T22:50:00.003-04:00

Randall Poffo, better known as "Macho Man" Randy Savage, died today in Florida. He suffered a heart attack while driving. He was only 58 years old.

Randy Poffo's first love was baseball, and he won a spot in the Cardinals organization in an open tryout at age 18. He was moving up through their minor league system as an outfielder and DH, but then suffered a shoulder injury to his throwing arm. Undeterred, he taught himself to throw left-handed, and played a season with the Reds A-ball affiliate. He was released by the Reds, and the next season got a look-see from the White Sox. He was released during spring training, and became a full-time wrestler.

Oh, and it seems Bubba Crosby is a fan.

I think. I'm not sure if that's really him who posted those comments. But he says he's going to be a guest on Raw on June 27th!!!

Reds Blooper Reel

2011-05-19T19:32:00.002-04:00

There's a video of outtakes at Reds.com. It features the players trying to record clips to show on the Jumbotron, advertising the various promotional giveaways.

Hmmm. Might have to re-think that Janish as a broadcaster thing. ;-)

Andy at Alabama

2011-05-17T00:02:00.000-04:00

Andy Phillips' hometown paper has this story:

'This is what I'm supposed to be doing,' new Tide hitting coach Andy Phillips says

TUSCALOOSA - Not so long ago, the new guy on the Alabama baseball team's coaching staff played with major league legends such as Derek Jeter, Alex Rodriguez and Mariano Rivera. Naturally, inquiring minds want to know what that was like and what they are like.

Just the other day, junior center fielder Taylor Dugas quizzed Andy Phillips about one of his former New York Yankee teammates.

"I said, 'What was Roger Clemens like as a teammate?'" Dugas said.

He was awesome, Phillips said. Real competitive.

"He said, 'You have no idea how competitive,'" Dugas said.

Phillips recalled a moment when he fielded a ground ball and made a putout at first base rather than attempt a force out at second base to start a potential double play.

"Clemens yelled at him, 'You've got to turn that!'" Dugas said.

Oh, the stories Phillips can and does tell about his playing days that probably would be continuing this season, if not for the job offer he couldn't refuse.

That offer came one day in late December, after Phillips had worked out for the Boston Red Sox.

Mitch Gaspard had an unexpected opening on his staff, and he was sure he wanted to hire Phillips, but Alabama's head coach wasn't sure about the timing.

"He said he started not to say anything about it, because he felt like I still wanted to play," Phillips said. "But he said, 'I would regret it if I didn't at least ask.'"

Phillips talked to his wife and his agent, then quickly accepted the opportunity to become the Crimson Tide's hitting coach.

"I felt like this was where we needed to be," Phillips said. "This is what I'm supposed to be doing."

Phillips, 34, had spent the past two seasons in Japan.

"You look at your career as a player and you think, really, can it get any better than what I had already done?" he said. "Playing in the big leagues in New York. Getting to go overseas and play there. It was time for something different."

Time to come home? Phillips already was home. The former Alabama star from Demopolis has lived in Tuscaloosa each offseason. Returning to his alma mater meant not packing suitcases for spring training.

And it has meant so much more.

"Baseball doesn't define me," Phillips said. "Certainly it's a blessing to do it, to play and coach, but baseball is not the substance of who I am."

His faith and his family are more important, he said. Phillips understands it's his job now to develop baseball players, but he's more interested in molding young men.

"This was the most enjoyable time of my baseball career," he said, reflecting on an Alabama career highlighted by three trips to the College World Series. "It's also a short period of your life. To be able to invest in them, help them grow as players, grow as men ... that excites me as much as trying to help them hit that slider."

"The thing for me is pouring into these guys in ways that's going to make them better men 20 years from now. I hope more than anything that's what they get from me.

Sophomore third baseman Brett Booth says Phillips not only is providing valuable hitting instruction but is leading weekly Bible study sessions.

"The first day he was here, the first thing he said was that the main reason he was here was to impact us not only on the field but off the field as well," Booth said.

Gaspard said he hired Phillips because of his character.

"He's the guy that you want all of your players to emulate," said Gaspard, who was a groomsman in Phillips' 2004 wedding. "He's been that way ever since we signed him here in 1996. He hasn't changed a lick through the big leagues. He's probably the most respected player I've ever been around. That's why we offered him the job to come back."

Gaspard was the assistant coach who recruited Phillips. Alabama was Phillips' only offer. In four seasons with the Tide, Phillips posted a career batting average of .356 with 61 home runs, 224 RBI and 322 hits. He still holds the school career records for home runs, hits and total bases (590).

But he wasn't an instant star.

"My whole first year was really, really bad, to the point where I questioned if I was good enough," Phillips recalled. "Mitch really believed in me as a player then, really poured confidence into me when I didn't see any as a player. I was no good."

Gaspard smiled when asked what he recalls.

"I remember a lot of talks," he said. "When I signed Andy, I felt responsible to get him going. It was very obvious even in his struggles that he was a very talented player. We knew it would happen. Coming from a small school, it was an adjustment for him, particularly that first year.

"Once he got comfortable in the environment, he just turned into a superstar. Not only a great player, but he became a great leader. That 1999 season, his senior year, basically Andy just put that team on his back and carried a group of freshmen to Omaha."

Phillips then was drafted in the seventh round by the Yankees, but he didn't reach the major leagues until 2004. He hit .250 in 259 career games over parts of five seasons that included time with the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets.

Coaching was something that Phillips said he thought about dating back to his college days.

"I enjoyed the technical part of the game, the teaching part of the game, the mechanics of the game," he said. "I tried to watch and learn from the best in the game. There's no greater thrill than when you work with a guy, and then it clicks for them. It's very rewarding to see them have success."

He understands why Alabama players embrace his suggestions.

"The biggest thing is not being far removed from the game," Phillips said. "You know what it's like to kick the ground ball. You know what it's like to swing at that pitch in the dirt. Being about to recall all that and realize, this is a very difficult game."

But Phillips wasn't interested in just coaching anywhere.

"Growing up an hour down the road and growing up an Alabama fan, it's poured into your blood," he said. "Then when you get to be a part of something special. ... Those years, there wasn't a better time to be a part of the program. All those trips to Omaha. They gave me an opportunity to play. Had the university not given me that opportunity, I mean, this was the only place that recruited me.

"I owe a lot to this place."

Hmmm. Clemens sounds like kind of a jerk. Not exactly a startling revelation, I suppose.

Paul Janish, broadcaster?

2011-05-16T23:07:00.002-04:00

Reds radio broadcaster Marty Brennamen has a feature called "Ask Marty," where he answers questions submitted by fans. Tonight's question was "Which current Reds player has the oratory talent and baseball acumen to be a broadcaster / who would you want to call a game with?"

His answer? Bronson Arroyo or Paul Janish.

The best there is?

2011-05-15T20:37:00.003-04:00

Paul Janish has struggled at the plate since his return from an ankle injury. Dusty Baker is batting him second, and he's not well-suited for that spot. Though Dusty probably likes his contact skills; he often calls for a sacrifice bunt if the leadoff hitter gets on.

Janish did have a web gem today. This play was the #3 web gem. They said, "A lot of metrics say Janish is the best there is."

Janish in the two-hole

2011-05-14T13:59:00.003-04:00

The Reds lineup has been posted, and Paul Janish is batting second.

Dusty Baker is old-school, and is prone to traditional lineups: center fielder leads off, shortstop bats second. But he said at the beginning of the season that he would bat Janish 8th, except maybe against lefties, when he might bat him second.

The pitcher today is Kyle McClellan - not a lefty. Janish is 0 for 2 in his career against McClellan, so it's not like he hits him well (if a sample size that small means anything, which it doesn't).

Dusty had been moving Janish up in the lineup sometimes, from 8th to 7th. He said it was to give Janish better pitches to hit, but it was probably also that catcher Ryan Hanigan wasn't hitting well. And now the two-hole. Maybe Janish is earning Dusty's trust.

UPDATE: Reds beat writer John Fay has an explanation of sorts:

JANISH SECOND: Paul Janish hit in the second spot for the first time this year.

“It’s kind of how it worked put,” Baker said, “with Scotty (Rolen) hitting sixth and who we’re facing. It’s the best lineup on today. If Scotty’s playing tomorrow, then Janish will go back to sixth. I wanted to given Scotty a couple days down in the lineup before I put him behind Joey (Votto).”

When Rolen goes back to cleanup, Brandon Phillips will hit in the No. 2 spot.

Sixth? Janish was supposed to bat eighth. I guess he's moving up in the world. At least in Dusty's estimation.