The Cincinnati Reds opened the 2011 regular season right on the border of familiar territory and unfamiliar territory.
The unfamiliar part is that they opened the season as the defending NL Central champions. The familiar part was that they weren't the favorites to win the division. In fact, the team that they opened the season against were the favorites to win with their power lineup and their revamped starting rotation.
The Reds swept the Milwaukee Brewers in three games to remind everyone who the champs were, but as Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker said to me in an interview prior to their game Friday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Brewers won't be so easy next time.
"They didn't really have their full force out there," Baker said. "They didn't have (ace Zack) Greinke, they didn't have (outfielder) Corey Hart. There comes a time when you gotta take advantage of what team doesn't have. You gotta beat them when they are a little bit down."
Despite the temporary loss of Greinke, the Brewers had other problems. A poor performance from their bullpen cost Yovani Gallardo the win, and their other ace, Shaun Marcum, got shelled in his Brewers debut. He couldn't make it past the fifth inning against the Reds' lineup, which everyone knows that five innings qualifies a starting pitcher for the win.
If there is one thing that Dusty Baker, in his 18th year as a manager, knows is that it is so important to really attack a team when they have exposed deficiencies. Baker is smart enough and experienced enough to know the true nature of the competition in the NL Central this year.
"(The Brewers) have a good team, the Cardinals have a good team, the Pirates are playing better, Houston is a little bit better," Baker said. "This is a tough division and it's going to come down to just about everybody."
The Cincinnati Reds are on a Western road trip in Arizona and San Diego, otherwise now known as the Kevin Towers derby, before returning to Queen City to take on the Pirates, who have figured out how to win on the road recently.
He is right, this could be one of the tougher divisions in the game.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com
- Login to post comments