READING TIME 5 MINUTES:
Let's begin with some Reds v. Cardinals:
* We already know what the Cardinals must do this weekend: win games. And the The way I see it, the Cincinnati Reds' assignment in STL this weekend consists of three parts:
(1) Avoid being swept by the Cardinals; do not give the Cardinals hope.
(2) Avoid engaging in nonsense. Make sure to hit the mute button on Brandon Phillips. Don't try to incite anything. If the Cardinals want to start something to settle old scores -- a form of payback for the Johnny Cueto karate exhibition -- then let it be. The Cardinals have embarrassed themselves and proven to be far lesser than the Reds after winning those three games in Cincinnati from Aug. 8-11. So if the Cardinals want to come off as sore losers by seeking retribution, then let them make fools of themselves.
(3) Make a statement by playing well and winning the series. The Reds are 5-10 against the Cardinals this season, and an eye-opening 73-45 versus all other competition. There's a bit of unfinished business for the Reds -- beat the Cardinals, just to put an end to one of the few negatives of their remarkable season.
Moving on ...
* Reds GM Walt Jocketty has too much class to gloat and strut. And he is too close and friendly with old baseball partner Tony La Russa to say or do anything that represents a lack of respect. But Jocketty has to feel incredibly satisfied these days, to come into his old base in St. Louis with a powerful first-place team that has buried a Cardinals organization that humiliated him with the firing after the 2007 season. And here's the thing: with all of their young talent, especially on the pitching side, the Reds are built to last for a while. This isn't a one-year rising.
* With all of the Colby Rasmus and TLR stuff that's been going on lately, it's interesting to note how Reds manager Dusty Baker handled Jay Bruce, his own young, slump-prone outfielder. From July 2 through Aug. 7, Bruce batted .174 with a .222 OBP and a .220 SLG in 117 plate appearances. Did Baker bench Bruce? No. Did he bury him deep in the lineup? No. Did Baker demand that the Reds call up journeyman outfielder Gary Matthews from the minors to replace Bruce? No. Baker kept running the talented Bruce out there, and the faith was rewarded. Since Aug. 8 Bruce is batting .403 with a .479 OBP and an .839 SLG and has cranked out 8 homers and 17 RBIs.
* Monitoring the Phillies: The Cardinals' wild-card prospects don't warrant much discussion unless the team gets hot and begins to click off wins. But even if the Cardinals start to play much better baseball, what are their realistic chances of overtaking Philadelphia for the wild card? (Caveat: the Phillies could finish first in the NL East, which would redirect Atlanta into the WC grouping. But the Cardinals can do a little something about the Braves; they play a four-game series in Atlanta starting Thursday.) I'd be surprised if the Phillies don't finish strong the rest of the way. Why? After a run of hazardous injruries, they finally have their team on the field. After time on the DL, Ryan Howard and Chase Utley are starting to mash again. Placido Polanco, who also missed time, is batting .308. Since July 23, Jayson Werth is batting .336 with a .442 OBP and. .577 SLG. Raul Ibanez, cold through most of the first half, has an .829 OPS over his last 38 games. And since returning from the DL on July 10, the underrated Carlos Ruiz is batting .303 with a .373 OBP and .486 SLG. Those are excellent numbers for a catcher. And of course, the Phillies have their own big three of Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels. The bullpen has been settled by the return of RH setup man Ryan Madson; since July 31 he has an 0.89 ERA with 29 Ks in 20 IP. Closer Brad Lidge is always a threat to implode, but he's been reliable as of late, allowing only 1 run in his last 15 appearances. I ask you: does this sound like a team that's vulnerable for a collapse. If the trends mean anything, the Phillies appear poised to start doing some serious damage. We'll see.
About the Rams ...
* The summer-league NFL play of rookie QB Sam Bradford has created a wave of excitement in our town and lifted the morale of depressed Rams fans who pretty much ran out of hope during the 6-42 beatdown over the past three seasons. The biggest tests, the real tests, are ahead. But for now, I'm just pleased to see the Big Easy give loyal Rams fans a reason to believe again.The fans who have stayed with this team and kept their tickets during the worst of times deserve to be rewarded. The easy thing to do is bail out. The fans who didn't run away from the wreck have my utmost respect.
* DT Fred Robbins was a terrific FA signing; he clearly can make a difference in the middle of that line.
* I know Kenneth Darby had the one long run, but when he was in there with the first-team offense (the first drive), he didn't get anything done. The Rams still need a No. 2 back behind Steven Jackson. I thought rookie FA Keith Toston showed an ability to accelerate through tight spaces; granted it was against Baltimore's scrubs.
* Bradford obviously loves to throw to the TEs, and that should have been easy to predict, given Sam's frequent connections with TE Jermaine Gresham at Oklahoma.
* The Rams' starting offensive line clearly progressed since the disaster in the first preseason game. That's a reason for mild optimism, but we won't know until the real games begin. Obviously, there is some talent up front. If it meshes, and if the men stay healthy, this can be a very good group -- even in accounting for the inevitable based mistakes made by young OTs Rodger Saffold and Jason Smith.
* Bradford's mobility and footwork: a pleasant surprise.
* I think you should read this excellent perspective on Bradford from Tony Softli, the Rams' former personnel director who scouted Bradford at OU. I didn't know that Bradford's nickname at OU was "Big Easy" until reading Softli's piece.
Thanks for reading...
-Bernie
