NL CENTRAL PREDICTATRON 2019

i don't know if any other player has singlehandedly ruined the cardinals so much over such a length of time

https://i.imgur.com/GxkHEme.png

early season silliness

The run differential is wacky. Reds definitely left two potential wins on the table in LA this week.

Your 2019 Pittsburgh Pirates, tied for 1st

Now 19 games into the season, the Cardinals are still waiting for a starting pitcher to record a seventh-inning out. In fact, they’re only the third team since 1908 -- joining the 1995 Padres and 2018 Cubs -- to go this deep into a season without a starter going longer than six innings.

Mikolas into the 7th, KM, I hope you're happy!

I have to admit I am pretty happy

Machado shows a sense of humor here.

https://www.facebook.com/Reds/videos/864492680562546/

two more HRs for Yelich today, he's on pace for 100

i’m told the record for april homers is 14, shared by a-rod and prince albert

yelich has 13 on the 20th

He has a great chance at the RBI records for April (35) and through-end-of-April (36)--both Juan Gonzalez.

Plus he has three more games against be cardinals in April. He’s got this thing pretty much wrapped up

The slow curve that Yelich hit for the second home run was a pretty good pitch. Even if he was sitting on Ryu to bring the curve on the first pitch, it was right on his hands and Yelich just swatted it.

I looked at his game logs from last year, and he started his epic finish as early as July 8. Since then, coming up on 100 games:

G – 96
AB – 380
H – 139
2B – 26
3B – 5
HR – 38
R – 87
RBI – 106
BB – 52
BA –.366
OBP – .446
SLG – .761

Incredible!

Bellinger robbed him of one today

Reds put a curb stomp down on the Cards last night. Cincy hit like the beer league softball team they are designed to be last night. A hot night and some bad pitching, and the Reds will probably play some high scoring games this year. They always seem to have a couple of slug fests a year at Great American as it is such a small park. Ball carries really well on a hot day game, I've seen a couple of them over the years.

all of that may be true. however, jedd gyorko struck out a batter.

worth it!

Your 2019 Pittsburgh Pirates, tied for 1st

the wheels came off shortly after you wrote this -- strong work

In a Drew Storen-esque move, Cardinals’ Alex Reyes broke his pinkie by punching a wall after his last start.

On his non-pitching hand, thankfully

Looks like Nick Senzel will join the Reds this weekend. I'm kinda thinking that Scott Schebler's terrible start is probably going to be the end of his shot at being a regular for Cincy and may have signed his ticket to Louisville and eternal AAAA baseball.

info for Reds fans: Vargas is not this good

jason vargas is a baseball legend

paul dejong has 14 doubles

cardinals have won 59 of 97 (.607) since mike matheny went to hell, a 99-game winning pace

just throwing some cardinal trivia out there

Mets have been taking the Reds lunch money for a few years.

surprise!

https://mlb.nbcsports.com/2019/04/28/report-cubs-privately-threatening-writers-who-criticize-addison-russell/

puke

cardinals/cubs series starting tomorrow should be good. cards have won five in a row, cubs have won four in a row

nice to see Eric Thames having a solid start

why is ian happ in triple-a? he doesn't strike me as worse (or less versatile) than almora or bote or zagunis

probs bcz he's currently slashing .235/.336/.398 in the hitter friendly PCL?

he was sent down in march. career MLB wRC+:

happ: 109
almora: 92
bote: 103
zagunis: 54

granted, almora is a better outfield defender

maybe there were some other issues?

Bote's been extremely solid and has had a few folk hero moments.

(also the eastern bits of the PCL -- iowa, nashville, round rock, memphis, new orleans -- are actually pitcher-friendly)

happ had a bad spring training but i'm guessing there also wasn't roster room to platoon happ and almora like last year. i'd rather have happ than zagunis though

or better yet keep all those guys AND GET RID OF ADDISON RUSSELL

it's interesting to me (if probably not you) how i suddenly don't hate the cardinals

part of it is surely that they haven't made the playoffs in a few years, but i think it's mostly the absence of tlr/matheny

also Paul DeJong is rather attractive

Dakota Hudson is a handsome guy

I think there are more likable personalities on the team now, too. It used to be Carlos Martinez + a bunch of boring guys, but now there’s Jose Martinez (the most entertaining player in the NL, esp when he’s failing on defense), Ozuna, Bader, Tyler Bro’Neill, etc.

they are still boringly efficient/good to me but i like ozuna (as a player and for entertainment value) and fowler (as a good dude and for residual cubs world series goodwill)

jose martinez is like hunter pence if hunter pence was weirder

i don’t believe you

I liked the score of the Reds/Giants game much better when I turned off the tv. Cincy is just the gang that cannot shoot straight.

Congrats to Luis Castillo on being NL Pitcher of the month for April. The last Red to win NL Pitcher of the Month...wait for it...Kent Mercker way back in '97.

i predict that this is the last game that dexter fowler will start in CF for the rest of his career (at least in a cardinals uniform)

why you would start fowler in CF ahead of bader AND o'neill is beyond me

in the same inning, one of the most embarrassing misplays of dexter fowlers career + the best defensive play of jose martinez's career

and the longest game in Miller Park history is blown by the Amazins

During that game:

Braun: 6/8
rest of the Brewers: 5/54

Fxxx a Posey, has he not caused enough grief to Reds fans?