Bust out the brooms, kids!

I admit it: I was one of the nay-sayers when I saw the starting lineup tonight. Scott Hatteberg hitting 3rd? Aurilia hitting cleanup? ::groan, sigh, etc.:: I think I did a quadruple-take at the television when the batting order was on the screen.

Well, that ended up working out pretty well, didn't it!? Aurilia went 4 for 5 with 5 RBI. Hatteberg went 2 for 3, with 2 BB and 2 RBI. Those two batted in every single Reds run between them. I am suitably chastened, and completely OK with being wrong!

So, yes, the Reds scored seven runs tonight. That's without Junior and Edwin in the lineup. AND that's with Dunner and Kearnsie going 0 for 9. Kudos to Lopez with his 2 BBs and 2 runs scored, and Freel for his two hits with two runs scored. Can't bat in runners with nobody on base!

I just got an even bigger surprise... I knew Bronson was pitching tomorrow, but I just discovered that it's Glendon Rusch going for the Cubs. I could giggle like a schoolgirl right now, but I won't. Can Arroyo make it 3-0 in starts against the Rusch-led Chicago Northsiders? I certainly hope so. Believe me, I tried like heII the other day to switch shifts for tomorrow so I could make it to the game, and now that I know it's Rusch pitching, keeping in mind that the Reds (And Arroyo!) tend to beat him like... what's a good simile?... like a Salvation Army drum (that one OK?), I will try again to finagle my way out of work. Probably won't happen, though.

Ahhhhh... life is so sweet right now. Castellini says he will do whatever it takes in July, Junior is hitting like a monster, the pitching is good... I'm happy. It's like a dream. Sure, this team still has its problems, but what team doesn't? I'd love to see Dunn start hitting the ball with some consistency, and see some sort of resolution in the catching situation - although, admittedly, I have no idea what the best resolution would be. I'd love to see another great arm in the 'pen, and Claussen start pitching to his potential (whatever the heck that means), and I'd love to see the Reds get some respect for what they have accomplished so far.

I am well aware that it is merely June. I am well aware that the season is only 1/3 of the way complete. I am also aware that anything could happen between now and August or September, so I'm looking at the standings today, June 8, 2006. The Reds are in first place. I consider that an accomplishment, especially after the sub-par May that this team experienced - a month in which some predicted that the "real" Reds had finally shown their faces, and April was as good as it would get.

I've seen the good this season, I've seen the ugly... I now see resilience and patience, and guys stepping up when called upon. Dunn and LaRue are slumping, so Ross and Aurilia are there to back them up. (Well, LaRue isn't slumping, he assures us that he's just a slow starter. Anyone else groaning right now?) Junior is amazing, and I really don't know any other adjective that fits so well there. Harang, Arroyo, Milton, Ramirez = a solid rotation, and Brandon Phillips has been a fantastic addition to a team that began the season with 4 decent second basemen. I know I'd rather have one everyday guy, who is hitting over .315 to boot! We've also seen that a rested Freel is a great-leadoff-hitting Freel. ...I really don't know how I got off on the let-me-run-down-the-positives-of-the-Reds tangent, but it's a Reds blog, so I can throw that in there whenever I want. ;)

So, if we could just ship Quinton "G 6-3" McCracken out on the next bus to... Bangor, I would be even more pleased with this team.
(I think Narron finally learned his lesson - Javy was the first/only pinch hitter of the evening, and McCracken made no appearances.)
I don't know exactly when my dislike of McCracken developed into full-blown "Get off my team" -edness, but it happened quickly, and it just keeps getting worse. Am I wrong? Seriously. Am I missing something good out of this sub-.200 hitting guy? Waaaaiiiiit. It was the night he was playing CF and dropped the fly ball that ended up scoring the deciding run... was it the Phillies who were in town? I think it was Claussen that night, and he pitched an absolute gem, even with Quinton's error. Punk. (Sorry, I try to plan out my posts before I sit down and write them, but sometimes it's kinda a stream-of-consciousness thing, and apparently my anti-Quinton tirade falls into that category.) I'm willing to possibly negotiate some sort of a truce if you were to, say, get a couple of key hits or make a great grab or two to end an inning. Do that and we'll talk. Until then you will be the guy who grounds out. A lot.

And in conclusion: (finally!)
Reds = good. Me = happy. Arroyo = better than Rusch. Thursday night vs. Cubs = win? We shall see...

Go REDS!