Stranded
Main Entry: of·fense
Variant(s): or of·fence \ə-ˈfen(t)s, especially for 3 ˈä-ˌfen(t)s, ˈȯ-\
Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin offensa, from feminine of offensus, past participle of offendere
Date: 14th century
1 a: the act of attacking : assault b: the means or method of attacking or of attempting to score c: the offensive team or members of a team playing offensive positions d: scoring ability
Why have the Reds left twenty-three (23) runners stranded on base in the last two games? Why can’t the Reds get a hit when they need one? Why can’t Edwin “E2” Encarnacion get through a game without having an error (or two errors)? Why is Adam Dunn hitting .167 with one homer, and Corey Patterson is batting .268 with four homers? Why does Paul Bako lead the Reds with a .346 batting average (he’s only played in half of the games, but still…)?
At the end of the series against the Brewers, Marty Brennaman and Jeff Brantley both said that taking two-out-of-three in Milwaukee was a “statement” to the rest of the NL Central. A “statement” that the Reds mean business in 2008.
So what kind of “statement” is being made when your team is on the verge of getting swept by the Pittsburgh Pirates?
Johnny “Number 5″ Cueto is on the mound today. It doesn’t matter how he pitches today if the Reds leave another 10+ runners stranded on base.
I agree whole-heartedly. There is nothing more frustrating than stranding 23 runners in 2 games. But this isn’t the first time they’ve stranded tons of runners. Now it’s being noticed because it has caught up with them and has started to cost them games.
The table setters are doing their job: Patterson and Keppinger. Then you get to Griffey. He may be going to the hall of fame but as it stands he is amongst the worse 3 hole hitters in the league. This is a spot you wat a guy batting .330 or so. Griff hasn’t sniffed .300 since being with Cincinnati. What is he doing batting 3rd. Any other team would bat him 5th. Phillips is not a cleanup hitter. He’s a great player but 30 home runs was pretty much the maximum of his power potential and considering GABP is his home park it really isn’t all that impressive of a number. Then you get to Dunn who is constantly pitched around because there is no protection behind him. Thus he gets used to taking pitches so that when he does miraculosly get something to hit he is tardy on it. E squared is off to a slow start and yea you can;t expect much from Bako. Hatteberg was one of our best hitters last year but he is splitting time with Votto now and they are plugged in the number 7 spot.
I don;t know what more to say, but this offense has major problems. What happens when Patterson goes into a slump?