The Return of the Big Red.......

[Lual]

Upcoming Series: 3 Games @ Colorado Rockies

Game 1: Cincinnati Reds (51-37) @ Colorado Rockies (36-52)

Aint No Mountain High Enough....

Above: Javy bangs a 3 run shot to ensure the Reds win, Right: Brazoban continues to prove himself in the 'Pen!

The Reds scaled the Rockies to clinch a crucial 6-1 win to start life after the All-Star break on the right note.

Claussen picked things up to go 7IP with just 5H 7 1ER, as he shut down Rockie All Stars Ortiz & Gonzalez, to give the Reds the base they needed to build on.

Another 'All-Star' proved to be the key, as Reds Catcher Javy Lopez jacked a 3 run shot to give the Reds a 6-1 cushion through the 7th inning. Reliever Yhency Brazoban made sure there was no comeback from the Rockies, wrapping up the last 2 innings without giving up a hit.

Reds Talk:

Miley: "The break did us good, those who played in Pittsburgh came back even more pumped, so we can use this energy and re-focus our season back to winning"

J. Lopez: "The odds are high that i wont be part of this organisation next year, but im here to win a ring, and i will give 100% everytime 'Skip puts me out on the field"

Reds Notables:

Hitting:

F.Lopez - 2/5

Huff - 2/5, 1RBI, 1 Triple, 1 Double

Pena - 2/4

Dunn - 2/5, 2RBI, 1 Double

J.Lopez - 2/5, 1HR, 3RBI, 1 Double

Pitching:

Claussen - 7I 5H 1R 1ER 0BB 9K 0HR 4.20ERA W(9-5)

Brazoban - 2I 0H 0R 0ER 1BB 0K 0HR 2.70ERA

Box:


	  R   H   E


CIN   6  13   0


COL   1   5   1

[Lual]

Game 2: Cincinnati Reds (52-37) @ Colorado Rockies (36-53)

Rampant Reds Roast Rockies

Above: A Huff dinger and a Harang win, is just a small episode in this blockbuster!

To sum up briefly, 25 hits, 17 runs and 4 homers. That is the story of the Reds in their one-sided crushing of the hapless Rockies.

Coors Field was lit up by the Reds offence, as the Rockies used an incredible 8 pitchers in the vain effort to prevent a humiliation on their own patch.

The numbers the Reds put together resembled a Football game, and has left the Rockie organisation with a slice of egg on its face.

Casey, Huff and Freel accounted for 13RBIs, giving Aaron Harang the chance to seal his 11th win of the year, and push the Reds a little clearer of the Cubbies.

1 more left in this series, the Reds will be looking to wrap up a sweep in style.

Reds Talk:

Miley: "Crazy night for us, we knew if this offence clicked that things could happen. Luckily for us, tonight everyone just hit form and we tore the Rockies a new ridge."

Pena: "Its all about the Reds baby...Yeah"

Reds Notables:

Hitting:

Freel - 4/6, 1HR, 4RBI

F.Lopez - 3/5, 1RBI

Huff - 4/6, 1HR, 5RBI, 1 Double

Pena - 2/4, 1HR, 1RBI, 1 Double

Griffey - 5/5, 2 Double

Casey - 2/5, 1HR, 4RBI

Harang - 3/4, 1 Triple

J.Lopez - 2RBI

Pitching:

Harang - 7I 5H 4R 4ER 1BB 3K 2HR 3.77ERA W(11-3)

Kline - 2I 3H 0R 0ER 0BB 2K 0HR 2.59ERA

Box:


	  R   H   E


CIN  17  25   1


COL   4   8   0

[RaptorQuiz]

Miley: "Crazy night for us, we knew if this offence clicked that things could happen. Luckily for us, tonight everyone just hit form and we tore the Rockies a new ridge."

LOL! Now THAT is funny.

[probaseball203]

hey man...im jus gettin back from..nowhere...lol the site wasnt working for me..kind of awkward..anywhoo...im lovin this dynasty! ive been with you since the start...and its goin real well this season i see..way better than last season at least..has there been any significant trades?

[RaptorQuiz]

hey man...im jus gettin back from..nowhere...lol the site wasnt working for me..kind of awkward..anywhoo...im lovin this dynasty! ive been with you since the start...and its goin real well this season i see..way better than last season at least..has there been any significant trades?

Major trade:

http://www.mvpmods.com/index.php?name=Foru...r=asc&start=735

[vinnycast27]

OH MY GOD, i haven't been here for a couple of months and your still doing this dynasty lol

great commitment

[Lual]

Game 3: Cincinnati Reds (53-37) @ Colorado Rockies (36-54)

Cinci' Crush Colorado

Above: Griffey and Casey both go yard, as the Reds notch 5 homers!

The sweep was completed, as the Reds hit the Rockies all around Coors Field racking up 15 hits and 8 runs, to seal a 8-4 win.

Kyle Davies continued to improve his pitching record, as he went 8 strong innings to earn his 2nd straight win as a Reds Starter. He complemented this performance with a 4/4 day at the plate, helping the Reds on their way to the 8 run haul.

Javy Lopez chipped in again with another big day AB, with a 3/4 2HR 3RBI showing, the Reds added 3 more homers to this via Pena, Casey and Griffey, wrapping up the sweep in style.

Inter League play is concluded next, as the Reds travel to Detroit to face the Tigers.

Reds Talk:

Davies: "Ive settled down alot and have found the sweet spot in my pitching. Its nice to get 2 straight wins under my belt, but theres still a ton of work for me to do..... Of course it was nice to go 4/4, im not known for my hitting, but if i can chip in, i will always make my ABs count"

Griffey: "The team is hitting form at the right time again, we can build on this sweep and try to pull away from those chasing us in the division"

Reds Notables:

Hitting:

F.Lopez - 2/5

Pena - 1/4, 1HR, 2RBI

Griffey - 2/4, 1HR, 2RBI

J.Lopez - 3/4, 2HR, 3RBI

Casey - 2/4, 1HR, 1RBI

Davies 4/4

Pitching:

Davies - 8I 5H 4R 4ER 0BB 3K 2HR 5.58ERA W(2-2)

Gardner - 1I 0H 0R 0ER 0BB 1K 0HR 5.67ERA

Box:


	  R   H   E


CIN   8  15   0


COL   4   5   0

[Lual]

Upcoming Series: 3 Games @ Detroit Tigers

Game 1: Cincinnati Reds (54-37) @ Detroit Tigers (40-49)

Tigers Toy With Reds

Above: Dominguez continues to struggle for the Reds, Right: The bench can only watch as the Reds flail in the field!

Detroit battered the Reds pitching staff to complete a 10-5 win on the back of 17 hits.

Dominguez took another loss as his record slumped to 5-8 on the year, with a poor 6.09ERA, leaving the Reds in need of a reliable 5th starter for the coming months.

Offensively, Sean Casey continued to improve his numbers with another homer, with Pena went 3/4 driving in 2 runs on the day.

The Reds will hope to snatch something from this series, but will need to improve their efforts or face a sweep in the Motor City'

Reds Talk:

Miley: "Im not a fan of Inter League play, but we have to try to come away from this final series with something"

Dominguez: "I cant deny that im struggling, things are not going my way out there at the moment, but i will work hard to turn this around"

Reds Notables:

Hitting:

Freel - 2/5, 1 Double

Pena - 3/4, 2RBI, 1 Triple

Casey - 1/4, 1HR, 2RBI

Dunn - 1RBI

Pitching:

Dominguez - 4.1I 10H 6R 6ER 0BB 2K 3HR 6.09ERA L(5-

Parrish - 2.2I 4H 3R 2ER 0BB 0K 0HE 2.56ERA

Spooneybarger - 1I 3H 1R 1ER 0BB 1K 0HR 4.19ERA

Box:


	  R   H   E


CIN   5  10   1


DET  10  17   1

[Lual]

Raptor Quiz / probaseball233 / Vinny

Thanks for following lads - im holding on to the dream that i can get these Reds into the World Series...after that who knows....

2007 maybe ;)

[RaptorQuiz]

Thanks for following lads - im holding on to the dream that i can get these Reds into the World Series...after that who knows....

2007 maybe

Hey Lual - I know you're not spending as much time on this as you were for a while - but are you still doing it? I truly enjoy the dynasty and am in awe of your dedication to it... but I'd understand if you've tired of it or changed your priorities.

I was just wondering if you were still with us.

[Lual]

Hey Lual - I know you're not spending as much time on this as you were for a while - but are you still doing it? I truly enjoy the dynasty and am in awe of your dedication to it... but I'd understand if you've tired of it or changed your priorities.

I was just wondering if you were still with us.

yeah im still here and playing on

got some games to write up and post, it is a bit slower - but ive got attached to these Reds

cheers mate :wtg:

[Lual]

Game 2: Cincinnati Reds (54-38) @ Detroit Tigers (41-49)

Detroit Squeak It

Above: Griffey celebrates a 2 dinger day, Right: The loss is sealed as the throw to home fails to stop the winning run in the 7th!

The Reds slammed 6 balls out of the park, yet still ended up on the losing end of a 9-8 scoreline to the persistant Tigers.

Both Griffey and Casey each hit 2 on the night, and given any other start by Zambrano it would of been more than enough. But tonight was different, the Tigers managed to dismantle Zambrano, chasing him for 13 hits and 9 runs, to seal their 2nd straight win over the Reds.

The game was on a knife-edge right until the 7th inning, where with 2 outs, the Tigers sent the winning run home, just beating the throw from Pena out in right.

Reds Talk:

Miley: "To hit 6 homers and still come away with the loss is incredible. Carlos is generally a nailed on win, so its surprising he gave up 9 runs today"

Zambrano: "Its a bad day for me and the team. I was the let-down out there today, our offence clicked but i failed"

Reds Notables:

Hitting:

Huff - 2/4, 1HR, 1RBI

Dunn - 1/4, 1HR, 1RBI

Griffey - 3/4, 2HR, 2RBI

Casey - 2/4, 2HR, 3RBI

F.Lopez - 1RBI

Pitching:

Zambrano - 7I 13H 9R 8ER 0BB 3K 3HR 3.29ERA W(14-4)

Farnsworth - 1I 1H 0R 0ER 0BB 0K 0HR 2.53ERA

Box:


	  R   H   E


CIN   8  10   1


DET   9  14   0

[Lual]

Game 3: Cincinnati Reds (54-39) @ Detroit Tigers (42-49)

Santa Clauss' Comes Early

Above: Huge play by Griffey at the wall, Right: Miley talks with F.Lo after his game winning 'Granny'!

Finally the Reds managed to overcome the stubborn Tigers team, thanks in no small part to F.Lo' who jacked a grand slam in the 6th to seal a 8-4 win, giving Claussen his 10th of the year.

The Reds fought back the hard way, after a dodgy 2 innings saw the Tigers take a 4-1 lead. Huff got things back on track with his 2 run shot, before the F.Lo' show.

Claussens win was sealed by a solid 2 inning show by Kline, who gained his 1st save as a Red.

Reds Talk:

Claussen: "People have doubted my ability to make a real punch in this rotation, but i think im on my way to proving some of those critics wrong"

F.Lopez: "That was a team shot, we needed the win, so i stepped up and made sure we had the best chance possible"

Reds Notables:

Hitting:

Freel - 2/5

F.Lopez - 3/4, 1HR, 4RBI, 1 Double

Huff - 1/4, 1HR, 2RBI

Dunn - 2/5

Hill - 2/4, 1RBI

Casey - 1/2, 1RBI

Pitching:

Claussen - 7I 11H 4R 4ER 0BB 2K 2HR 4.26ERA W(10-5)

Kline - 2I 1H 0R 0ER 0BB 1K 0HR 2.50ERA (Save 1)

Box:


	  R   H   E


CIN   8  14   1


DET   4  12   2

[Lual]

Upcoming Series: 2 Games @ Houston Astros

Game 1: Cincinnati Reds (55-39) @ Houston Astros (43-50)

Astro'Rific

Above: Griffey & Pena + Swinging = Loss!

Houston put a dent in the Reds playoff hopes with a smash and grab 6-3 win, as they put paid to Harangs bad day on the mound.

Pettite picked up the win for the Astros as he shut the Reds out through his 7IP, ensuring the Astros had enough insurance to survive the last ditch 3 run rally by the Reds.

The scoreline leaves the Reds in a precarious position on top of the Central, and will now force their hand in the rest of the series, as another loss could see the leadership change hands.

Dunn and Casey both chalked up their 25 homers of the year, and the latter will make even more headlines with his contract still a big cloud over the Reds Organisation.

Reds Talk:

Miley: "We need to regain our focus, and get back to basics. Once we start playing smallball again, and picking up the simple plays, then we can move forward with some hope"

O'Brien (GM): "No the Casey situation hasn't been resolved, and no i dont have any further comments at this stage"

Reds Notables:

Hitting:

F.Lopez - 2/4

Huff - 2/4

Dunn - 2/4, 1HR, 1RBI

Casey - 1/4, 1HR, 2RBI

Pitching:

Harang - 5I 9H 5R 5ER 0BB 3K 4HR 3.97ERA L(11-4)

Parrish - 3I 3H 1R 1ER 0BB 3K 1HR 2.59ERA

Box:


	  R   H   E


CIN   3  11   0


HOU   6  12   2

[Lual]

MLB Standings (through 19 July 2006):

[Lual]

Reds Paying The Penalty!

(Above: Sean Casey (25HR) may need a new home for 2007!)

With the Reds still riding high in the NL Central, no-one expected the bad news that filled the Cincinnati Sports Pages.

Cincinnati Reds GM 'Dan O'Brien' came out to the press after the loss in Houston (19Jul) and announced that the Reds negotiations to try and extend 1B Sean Caseys contract past 2006 have come to a halt.

The Reds have put this down to 'Financial Differences' but the real answer is found in the over-spending to build a winning team for 2006.

Budget wise the Reds are on the brink, a payroll nearing $90million has left the Organisation overstretched, and potentially in a risky situation should the success leave the field.

Add to this the monies' already promised for 2007:

$4,200,000 towards ex-Red Pitcher Eric Miltons 2007 deal in Baltimore

$1,500,000 to LF Adam Dunn as a reward for him extending in 2005

$2,500,000 to SP Carlos Zambrano, as part of the package which bought him to Cincinnati.

All this has left the Reds in a position to not be able to offer better deals to players who will be Free Agents come the off-season. Casey is not the only player affected, Catcher Javy Lopez is in the final year of his $7,000,000 deal, Aubrey Huff earning just under $6,000,000 will be looking to extend and less glamourous players like Felipe Lopez, Ryan Freel and Antonio Alfonseca are all likely to be testing free agency.

The old addage' Specualte to Accumalate may pay off for the Reds, but failure to succeed this year, could spell another long drought for the Long Suffering Reds fans wanting to see a succesful team.....

[Lual]

Game 2: Cincinnati Reds (55-40) @ Houston Astros (44-50)

Houston Add To Reds Woes

Above: Lopez stumbles at home, allowing the Astros to score, Right: Encarnacion back in the lineup, goes down for the final out!

Brad Lidge earned his second straight save against the Reds, as he pitched a perfect 9th to clinch a 5-3 win for the Astros against the slumping Reds.

Cincinnati looked ordinary again, their cause not being helped by another poor day on the mound for a Reds Starter. Davies after a recent improvement, soon found himself on the wrong end of 3 homers in a short space of time, as he let the Astros take control.

The Lopez' tried to turn things around for the Reds, as Javy went yard, whilst a double from F.Lo' gave the Reds a glimmer of hope deep into the ballgame.

It wasnt to be though, as Houston Closer Brad Lidge easily mopped up the final few outs, leaving the Reds tied in top spot with the in-form Cardinals..

Reds Talk:

Huff: "Im not happy being benched to allow a kid to play. This team needs to start winning again, and that wont happen if we let a .200 hitter take my spot..."

Concerned Reds Fan: "We are slumping real bad at the moment, and this months record of 7-10 leaves me fearing the worst. Our pitching just dosent add up, so id like to see us shift a bat to give the rotation more balance"

Reds Notables:

Hitting:

F.Lopez - 2/4, 1RBI, 1 Double

Pena - 1RBI

J.Lopez - 2/4, 1HR, 1RBI

Pitching:

Davies - 5.1I 9H 5R 5ER 0BB 1K 3HR 5.91ERA L(2-3)

Spooneybarger - 2.2I 2H 0R 0ER 0BB 1K 0HR 3.68ERA

Box:


	  R   H   E


CIN   3   9   0


HOU   5  11   0

[probaseball203]

hey how many homeruns does griffey have (hes my favorite player)

[pez_dispenser21]

So what did I miss while I was gone?

[go_bucs2000]

still keepin up all the good work lual, but still got the cubs and cards on ya tail but don't think about them

[krawhitham]

hey how many homeruns does griffey have (hes my favorite player)

16

[Lual]

Upcoming Series: 3 Games Home vs Arizona Diamondbacks

Game 1: Arizona Diamondbacks (44-54) @ Cincinnati Reds (55-41)

Choke!

Above: Freel gets cut down at 2nd, and (Right) Dominguez gets hit twice as his day on the mound just gets worse and worse!

Disastor strikes for the Reds as they yet again fail to produce in a 5 hit slump, to lose 10-2 to the Diamondbacks at the GABP.

The result leaves the Reds a game behind the Cardinals, something you would of thought impossible as the Reds steamed away from the pack early in the season.

Dominguez' time on the mound appears to be up, as he slumped to his 9th defeat of the year, giving up 14H and 8ER, as the Diamondbacks crushed 3 homers in the 7th inning off Juans pitching.

The Reds will need to re-think their position, as this slump is starting to become a dangerous habit...

Reds Talk:

Miley: "We are strong enough to cope with the pressure, every team will go through a slump, ours has just hit, but we know things will improve in this ballclub"

O'Brien (GM): "Im not going into too much detail at the moment, but we are looking to shift someone for a new pitcher. Its one of those situations where you look back and think 'Should we have kept Eric?'"

Reds Notables:

Hitting:

Freel - 2/4, 1HR, 2RBI

Pitching:

Dominguez - 7I 14H 8R 8ER 1BB 4K 5HR 6.40ERA L(5-9)

Spooneybarger - 2I 4H 2R 2ER 0BB 1K 1HR 4.13ERA

Box:


	  R   H   E


ARI  10  18   0


CIN   2   5   0

[Lual]

16

spot on

ill add to that Griffey's career total now stands at 554..... if i keep on track, he should get to 600 next season sometime :)

[Lual]

Game 2: Arizona Diamondbacks (45-54) @ Cincinnati Reds (55-42)

CZ Gets Reds Going!

Above: Zambrano gets one of his 6Ks in a complete game win. Right: Griffey hussles for home, as the Reds take control!

The Reds get back on track with a solid 10-3 win over Arizona, as Carlos Zambrano led by example, as he pitched a complete game getting 6Ks on his way to his 15th win of the season.

Offensively the Reds played alot of smallball to get their win, as of the 12 hits only 1 went for extra bases, as Freel hit a 2RBI double. The rest of the Reds offence was made up with 11 singles and a few walks, as the hard work ethic came back to the Reds lineup.

Claussen will be looking to build on this result for the Reds in tomorrow nights rubber match, as the hosts are looking for a rare series win in this barron spell.

Reds Talk:

Huff: "I think the management have learned their lesson, to make sure i start everyday. I was bought here to drive in runs, not sit on the bench, so its good to prove i can do that"

Zambrano: "Ive needed this win as much as the team. We have hard a tough run since the All-Star game, but everyone is focused to get things right again"

Reds Notables:

Hitting:

Hill - 2/5, 1RBI

Freel - 2/4, 2RBI, 1 Double

Huff - 2/4, 3RBI

Griffey - 2/3

Pena, Molina & Casey - 1RBI

Pitching:

Zambrano - 9I 7H 3R 3ER 2BB 6K 2HR 3.27ERA W(15-4)

Box:


	  R   H   E


ARI   3   7   2


CIN  10  12   0

[Lual]

Game 3: Arizona Diamondbacks (45-55) @ Cincinnati Reds (56-42)

Clauss' Act!

Above: Claussen drives in 3 runs with this long double, Right: Alls good for the Reds, as this series win puts them back atop the Division!

Brandon Claussen pitched a solid complete game, and complimented this with a 2/4 3RBI day at the plate, as the Reds raced away to a 6-1 win to take the series.

The result never seemed in doubt, as the Reds rolled into a 6-0 lead, and only gave up a consolation solo homer from Gonzalez in the 9th inning. Miley and the Coaching staff will be impressed with the Reds picking up wins with some smallball baseball, leaving behind their 'Jacks or Nothing' tag.

Houston are next to arrive in Cincinnati, as the month of July is drawing to an exciting close for all concernced in the NL Central.

Reds Talk:

Miley: "Everyone realises we are in a real race for the playoffs. We have 63 games left, theres still plenty of time for us to put on a charge, but we cant become complacent as both Chicago and St. Louis are keeping us honest"

Claussen: "Ive got alot of responsibility in this rotation as the number 2 guy. So to have a good day on the mound and at the plate, really helps take some pressure off the team for the Houston series"

Reds Notables:

Hitting:

Freel - 2/4, 1RBI, 1 Triple

Huff - 2/4

Dunn - 2/4

Griffey - 3/4, 1 Double

Claussen - 2/4, 3RBI, 1 Double

Casey - 2RBI

Pitching:

Claussen - 9I 10H 1R 1ER 0BB 3K 1HR 4.03ERA W(11-5)

Box:


	  R   H   E


ARI   1  10   0


CIN   6  12   0