The Reds need some help smoothing out those rough edges that have been a thorn in their side thus far. Those rough edges creep up in all facets of their game, but luckily they have not been an every day, every game occurrence. You have to give the starting pitching a ton of credit for their performance over the last two weeks though.
In the last nine games from April 26 through today (May 6), the pitching staff has pitched nine consecutive quality starts. This means the starters have tossed at least six innings and given up three or fewer earned runs. And going back one more game, the one on April 25, it was a win in which Homer Bailey gave up just four earned runs. That's one run more than the definition of a "quality start" but it was just as good.
In that time Cincinnati has gone 7-3, and that includes a stretch of five straight wins. Additionally, those wins have been against some very good competition.
Does this mean they have turned a corner? Well, let’s just say we have a better chance of large Marge being resurrected before we can officially say that.
Although, this is a very good chance for the starters to be aware of what they are doing and how they are doing it. Great or decent pitching will give life to any anemic offense. This will result in wins or having the chance to win each and every ball game.
If you look at the current numbers, Harang, Arroyo, Bailey, and Cueto all have ERAs that resemble zip codes. But those numbers are a heck of a lot better than they were just 14 days ago.
Just ask Harang, who in his last two starts suddenly found his form of three years ago and isn't lighting matches at the oil refinery anymore. (I'm crossing my fingers and hoping I haven't jinxed his continued improvement!)
Maybe it is the influence of Mike Leake doing extremely well. Maybe it is the collaborative effort of assisting one another in working out kinks and sharing ideas. Maybe it is the realization that there is no "I" in "team." Or maybe, just maybe, they have begun to listen, watch, observe, and use that knowledge to pitch.
Like those TV PSAs say: "The more you know..."
I'm not bagging on the offense, as they have come up big in nearly every situation when runs were needed and the late-game heroics are making Reds fans actually listen to (or watch) the entire game. This team in Cincinnati has made Reds baseball exciting again, but however long this lasts remains to be seen.
I'm sure the offense will pick it up a bit more soon, but I really cannot complain about how they are swinging the bats now. Though they must remember that pitching will keep you in games, you have to score to win.
The month of May is a nice trip through the Central Division and the Reds need to keep themselves in the majority of those games. Knowing you are within reach of a win (and capitalizing) will add much needed confidence as the temperature rises, both outside and with the competition.
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