Kuzul

Not to pat myself on the back, but on Saturday I wrote a story asking some questions as to what the Reds might do to aid their efforts to secure a playoff spot or even win the National league Central.

One of those questions was whether or not they would find another talent bat to assist in their offensive onslaught and today Cincinnati traded Outfielder Chris Dickerson for veteran slugger Outfielder Jim Edmonds from Milwaukee. It’s a good move, though I would not call it Earth shattering.

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news;_ylt=AqZ7QlRKhuvXGNFhk9J0v985nYcB?slug=ap-brewers-redstrade

Dickerson has been injured for the vast majority of the year and didn’t have much impact when he was on the field. Edmonds, who is 40 years of age, may not get around as well as he used to but does have a big bat that is alive and kicking.

I like the fact the deal for the former Cardinal is done just in time to play, who else, the Cardinals in a much anticipated match up for the N-L Central lead. For the most part, I call this a move to show the Reds that there is more to this season than just coming back to life after ten years of slumber.

It’s a move to make sure Cincinnati understands the power of their situation and the amount of work they still have to do. I like it.

Edmonds, welcome aboard and make sure you keep that mindset we’ve been all too familiar with in the past. Its all down hill from here folks, grab a beer and enjoy the ride.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Hmm…two months to go and the Reds haven’t faded and have not given any signs of faltering or disappearing. Yes, two months is still a relatively long time and the naysayers will tell you Cincinnati will show their true colors when it gets to crunch time.

I say keep doubting, keep brushing them aside and do your best to pretend that they don’t know what they are doing.

The Reds are 14 games over the .500 mark for the first time since 1999, that’s 11 years ago for you non-math majors. How long ago was 11 years, well, I’m not going to make everyone feel old, but just subtract that number from your age right now and remember what you were doing at the time. Its scary. (I was 23, a year out of undergrad from Morehead State University and working in Public Radio in Evansville, Indiana)

Cincinnati has posted winning marks in every month which includes 12-11 in April, 18-11 in May, 14-13 in June and 14-12 in July. At the moment they are 4-1 in August. The dog days of summer tend to weed out the pretenders and the Reds have not succumbed. They are 10 games over at home, four games over on the road and are playing their best baseball right now.

The pitching has far exceeded expectations, the hitting (despite a power outage that seems to show up once every two weeks) has been consistent and clutch, and the bullpen has been better than average (not great, but definitely okay).

What has impressed me the most has been the defense with Scott Rolen leading the charge. I was able to listen to Friday’s game in Chicago and you could hear the impression Rolen and company had on Marty and his cohorts on the broadcast.

Furthermore, my brother is in the Windy City for the weekend and sat 10 rows from field level on Friday. He was just as impressed, if not more, by the defense he witnessed with his own eyes. So it just wasn’t Marty over-hyping or going over board.

On the phone, you could hear some of the jeers of frustration from Cubs fans sitting around my brother during the game. I hate to say it, but I know their feelings all too well. Fortunately, that’s not this year.

The Yahoo!Sports Cincinnati Reds Team Page had some comments from starter Bronson Arroyo on Rolen’s efforts on Friday. “That’s why (Rolen’s) so good down there,” pitcher Arroyo said. “You look at box score and you don’t see it show up. That kind of stuff right there, especially Castro from his knees, that changes the whole inning. I’m going through the meat of the order. That’s why our record is so (darn) good with him in the lineup.”

Rolen’s efforts include a diving stab and throw from his knees that nailed Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro at first and then charging a ball by Derrek Lee, backhanding it and throwing him out as well. That doesn’t include several fine plays by Janish, Phillips, Cordero and others.

At 62-48, the Reds have 52 contests left to play and have a half game lead on the Cards. Also, the Wild-Card race is just as tight with San Fransisco, Philadelphia and St. Louis within a game and half of one another. Colorado and Los Angeles are still in the thick of things depending on how well they play over the next few weeks.

Barring major injuries, Cincinnati will be in the midst of the crowded playoff picture till the end.

What will the Reds need to do to help their chances?

Bring in Aroldis Chapman and allow him to test the waters and get some big league experience? Allow Sam LeCure or another of the young impressive arms in the minors to spell Mike Leake now and then to avoid over working Leake’s tremendous upside? Find a talented bat to aid the offensive onslaught? Move Harang to the bullpen? Find some way to get something out of, or for, the ever dwindling presence of Homer Bailey?

We will have to see.

Hello, baseball? Remember the Reds? Yeah, they’re still here.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Despite being ten games over the .500 mark, playing their best baseball in ten years, and being in the playoff race this late in the season for the first time since the Clinton Administration, the Cincinnati Reds still find time to hit the snooze bar at the wrong time.

What is it about Sunday that has this team spooked or jinxed?

It’s like their personal Bermuda Triangle.

The Reds have posted a 6-8 mark on Sundays this year and have been shutout six times on this perplexing day of the week (they have been shutout a total of twelve times this season), including the last three.

Not having your best stuff on a certain day happens to most teams, but not on the same day for the vast majority of the year.

These are just a few of the momentum killers that continue to pile up.

I hate to be a doom and gloom guy, but with the Redlegs in prime position to possibly win the division and/or receive a playoff berth, you have to find a way to win some of the time on Sunday.

St. Louis is hitting their stride and is preparing to put some space between them and the rest of the division, which means Cincinnati must will their way to victory on most of the Sunday games for the rest of the season.

The more Sunday games that slip through the Reds fingers, the more work they will have to do to keep pace with the Cards, let alone the wild-card race.

And the wild-card race has no less than eight teams with a legit shot depending on how they play the over the next two months.

With just six games head-to-head left with St. Louis, Cincinnati needs to prove themselves to the rest of the National League that they deserve to belong.

Deciding to eat a sundae rather then play on Sunday is not going to cut it.

I trust the Reds will get out of this weekend slump and will continue to pursue what has been missing for a decade, but Cincinnati’s front office needs to do their part as well.

I don’t want to lose the great young talent the Reds have, but if improving the playoff chances this year means losing a couple of them, I’m all for it.

Alas, that is if the front office gets in gear because that trade deadline is too close for comfort and nothing has taken place.

The Reds need some assistance, and it better be more than just a smile and a swift pat on the back. Sundays are for winning pennant races, not watching your good fortune go by the wayside.

That goes for both the Reds and their so-called “baseball people.”

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Most of us who are lifetime members of “Reds Nation” cannot explain how much this season has meant to us. Similarly, many of the media folks and critics have been observant enough to point out what Cincinnati has done thus far is more than just a fluke.

I do want some to understand that the soft schedule they are playing should not be held against them, but they are playing great baseball, nonetheless.

By no means is this a rant about how Cincy is being overlooked and brushed aside because most of their wins have come from the bottom feeders. That notion does come up in conversation (which it should, to tell you the truth), but for the most part, the Reds are getting the attention for all the right reasons. Teams don’t get four All-Star selections if they aren’t any good.

Though for those who do point out the so-called “easy schedule,” you need to take a few things into consideration.

First of all, the Cincinnati Reds are playing the schedule that was given to them. The Reds don’t make their schedule before each season. This isn’t college football or basketball where good teams make themselves look great by racking up meaningless wins against far lesser opponents.

Secondly, the Reds are not playing in the National League Central only for the fact that four of the six teams are struggling mightily. Every team plays the majority of their games within their division. Cincinnati just happens to play in a division that is not very good from top to bottom. Not to mention, the NL Central has six teams, which is more than any other division in Major League Baseball. The Reds did not make that decision either.

Number three, if you are given a schedule that you have no control over, you can only do what you can by playing your best against what has been determined for you. The Reds have been good stewards of their future by winning games against the teams they should beat. The Cubs, Brewers, Astros and Pirates are not the greatest teams and the Reds have beaten them, establishing a record of 20-8.

The other team in that division, the St. Louis Cardinals, are on fire and have won seven straight. The Cards (the NL Central favorite, which is a well deserved) and Reds have played twelve times this year with St. Louis winning seven of those games. If you are keeping score, only one win separates a draw between the two. Not much of difference there.

Finally, of the ten remaining teams in the senior circuit, seven of them have winning records and the Reds are absolutely even with 20 wins and losses a piece. If they were not as good as advertised, that (generally) would not be the case.

Sports Illustrated’s Tom Verducci’s recent article touches on the Reds schedule a bit, but does take heart in what the Redlegs have on their roster. And they have what most winning teams have.

Cincinnati has a potent offense that is more than just occasional power, but it’s also a great manufacturer of runs when everyone is hitting on all cylinders.

The pitching is light years ahead of the performances of the past ten years. Trust me, this has been a sore spot for a long, long time.

They have veteran leadership with playoff and World Series experience; they have young stars that have been able to keep their composure, despite the extreme atmosphere they find themselves in.

As a whole, the Reds have great camaraderie and chemistry. They have been able to avoid major, or multiple, injuries for the vast majority of the year. And their roster, from top to bottom, has everyone playing to the best of their abilities with everyone contributing in one way or another every game.

All of these are the key ingredients that produce wins and this is exactly what is taking place right now.

Sure, there are games they should have won against teams that couldn’t fight their way out of a wet paper bag, but you can say that about every team in baseball.

The remaining schedule is relatively soft if you look solely at the records of those teams. Everyone knows most teams that have no playoff shot play better at the end of the year in order to spoil the chances of those teams in contention. That’s not an excuse for what may happen, that’s a given.

The Reds could hit the wall and take a nose dive, it has happened many times before to Cincinnati’s beloved baseball team. It wouldn’t surprise any of us, though it would be a disappointment.

If the Reds don’t win, shame on them. If they do and produce post season baseball for the Queen City for the first time in ten years, then they have done the job baseball has asked of them. Plain and simple.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Walks are annoying. Sometimes they are a necessary evil, but for the most part they make me want to jab a sharp object into my eyeball.

The Reds tend to have this penchant for giving free passes when there are members of the opposing team already occupying the base paths (I’m talking to you Coco!). Cincinnati is playing well, extremely well, but is on pace to exceed the amount of walks issued last year when the pitching staff used home plate as a well oiled turnstile.

That’s not good.

Though I have to say Cincinnati is making up for offering leisurely strolls to first.

We all know Great American Ballpark should issue binoculars to fans so they have a chance to watch the many balls that float into the Queen City atmosphere on a yearly basis. Although this year visiting teams are finding it a bit tougher to litter fans with souvenirs.

You may not have noticed (I sure didn’t) that the Reds have played more games (86) than the number of homers allowed (82) at this point in the season. Sure the moist air of July, August and September are still ahead, but this is something Reds pitchers haven’t done for a long, long time.

How long? The last time they finished the season with more games than homers allowed was the 144 game slate of 1995 when Riverfront Stadium was home (It will always be Riverfront to me). The last time they were anywhere close was 2002 when Reds hurlers gave up 173.

Walks are annoying because batters didn’t have to do much outside of having a good eye to get on base, then have free reign to do as they please for the next three bases as long as they don’t do anything stupid. And if the next batter or two hits one deep into the Kentucky Bluegrass (or where ever it is they are playing on at the time) that team gets to tack on a free run.

That’s not really how you define it, but that’s how it is in my mind.

With that said (yes, I’m tying all this together) I have to give credit to the eight other guys who get to melt on the field every summer for our enjoyment.

The Reds’ defense is tied for first with a .990 fielding percentage, have committed just 34 total errors and are in the top ten in all defensive categories. That means those guys who get free passes end up being stranded along the bases most of time. Those walks haven’t come back to hurt the Reds more often than not.

And with fewer dingers served up, the fewer opportunities opposing teams have to tack on free runs. That equals wins my friends. They Reds are not necessarily doing everything better this year, but they are doing the right things better in order to give themselves more opportunities to win.

I know this may be a lot of hot air, but numbers don’t lie (well, not all the time). Keep pushing the pedal through the floor fellas. The Reds are on a roll

**Oh, and on a side note. You should read the article on Yahoo! Sports about how Mike Leake and Stephen Strasburg played on the same Little League team. Good stuff.**

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Who dey think gonna beat dem…Reds? In the past, no matter how much it pained me to say it, I would have to say most teams. Luckily, this year Cincinnati is running their way towards a winning season, playoff berth contention, and possible division title.

And when I say “running,” I mean it literally.

A quick once over on some old stats was an eye opener for me, but it made a ton of sense. When Cincy is swiping bases, they win games. When they don’t focus on it, they don’t. For example, in the last four winning seasons for the Reds they averaged 154 stole bases. In the last four miserable seasons the Reds averaged a meager 76.

If you scroll back the last 10 years, the only times Cincinnati was consider a running team was 2001 and 2002. The stolen base average in those seasons was 116, but they had to run in those years. The pitching was horrible. There was no way they were going to win with the likes of Chris Reitsma, Elmer Dessens, Lance Davis, Osvaldo Fernandez, Jim Brower, Joey Hamilton, and Jose Acevedo as part of their starting five.

The last your winning seasons, or non-losing seasons, were 1995, 1996, 1999, and 2000. Cincinnati won 85, 81, 85, and 96 games in those correlating years.

As for this year, after 79 games the Reds have stolen 53 bags. They are on pace for taking over 100 bases, which is one of the reasons why Cincinnati has such a productive offense. You get on base and force opposing pitchers to not only focus on the batter, but focus on the guy who is slowly but surely inching his way towards second or third base.

It also helps the Reds have batters who understand they don’t have to get an actual hit each time, but do have to see if they can move guys along base paths at the very least. And with a long, hot summer you have to take advantage of the chances and the weather are given to you.

“Good hitting weather. You’ve just got to put the elements out of your mind. This is when the strong survive—the strong-minded, the strong-willed,” manager Dusty Baker said after last Saturday’s contest which started with the temperature at 85 degrees and the heat index at 95.

Speaking of keeping things on a roll, did you know the Reds and St. Louis Cardinals set a Major League record this week? The teams have been trading places atop the National League Central for the past two months or so, but for the last 30 days neither team has had a lead of more than two games. That’s the longest period of time in MLB history two teams atop a division have been separated by no more then two games, interesting.

Finally, I heard some discussion on ESPN Radio the this week about the Reds possibly making some moves to improve their chances down the road. Keith Law thought the Reds, with their youth talent movement, may need to go get someone but shouldn’t go overboard with what they offer. With this being the first time in a long time the Reds have seen the results of playing well and focusing on baseball, if they keep the majority of the talent in house they could see a run like this for the next four to five years.

Sure they may need to go get someone, but giving up one prospect (two at the most) and paying cash for that extra help is what they should do, according to Law. I think I have to agree with him. You don’t to lose all the pieces you’ve put together in one fell swoop and then not have much left to try make a run the next year. Makes sense to me.

And speaking of youth, Travis Wood is being brought up this week as Daniel Ray Herrera was sent back to Louisville. Wood will make his debut against the Cubs on Thursday (July 1).

If you don’t remember, Mike Leake nudged Wood out for the fifth starter’s spot after spring training. We’ll see what happens.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Don’t look now but the Reds have 40 wins already, more than half of 2009’s win total. A month ago many of us were crossing our fingers hoping that yearly mid season collapse would keep from showing its face (or for at least another month or two, if it is planning to return this year). And as July approaches: Surprise! Cincinnati has survived June, sort of.

With a week of June left, the Reds are a game under .500 for the month (10-11). If you had planned on having a not-so great month of baseball, going about .500 should be the worst you can do if you have playoff aspirations. I know the playoffs are a distance away, but I’m talking in the sense the playoffs are something everybody strives for, even if you haven’t been there in awhile.

Despite lackluster performances within the last week or two, you have to hand it to the pitching staff for keeping the Reds in games (Holy Crap! Did I just say that!?). The offense disappeared in the three game sweep by the Mariners, but Cincinnati was in each game from first pitch to last thanks to the starters. The offense, however, did return during the Oakland trip and the Reds did themselves a favor by reversing the sweep against the A’s.

Many times in past years, the Reds biggest downfall was the inability of the starters to last more than four or five innings; resulting in even more work for a bullpen not equipped to put in nearly five innings a night. Up to this point of the month (June 24th ) the Reds are 2-4 when the starters put in less than six innings, but are 6-0 when they get in at least seven innings. Those numbers bring nothing new to the table, that’s what should happen. But as a Reds fan, you don’t get to see numbers like that on a yearly basis. Its refreshing.

Starters acting like starters and relievers getting the work relievers should, that has been one of the keys to the Reds keeping their heads above water. When someone has a bad outing, the thing is to not overreact. Cincinnati has done just that.

For example:

RHP Nick Masset was brought in during the eighth inning Wednesday with no outs and runners at first and second. He was able to curb the rally. Secondly, he has retired the last 12 batters he’s faced.”I’ve felt pretty good all year,” Masset said. “I’ve had my ups and downs, but I’m feeling a lot more confident out there. I’m letting my pitches work for themselves. I feel like I’ve got my sinker back as it’s warmed up.”

Closer Francisco Cordero earned his 18th save Tuesday night after blowing the save Monday. Cordero allowed two hits Tuesday and had runners at first and third with one out in a 4-2 game. He got Oakland RF Ryan Sweeney to hit into a 6-4-3 double play to end it. “When you give it up,” Cordero said, “the best thing is to get out there the next night and get it done.”

RHP Bronson Arroyo walked none over eight innings after walking a career-high six in the last start prior to the Oakland series. He gave up two runs on five hits to earn the win versus the A’s. “I didn’t make any adjustments,” Arroyo said. “Some days you can make free throws, some days you can’t.”

“It’s a tough series to swallow,” starting pitcher Aaron Harang said after the Seattle debacle. “But we’ve got to look forward to going to down to Oakland and turning things around.” The Reds did just that.

Also, the Reds could use some another arm or two to help bolster the staff as the heat and pressure of July cranks up. As a result, according to the Reds’ team report, LHP Aroldis Chapman is getting a look as a reliever with Class AAA Louisville. Chapman pitched two innings out of the bullpen Wednesday, allowing one run on two hits.” With (Edinson ) Volquez coming on and (Homer) Bailey not that far away, his best opportunity with us might be in the bullpen. There’s still a possibility will use him as starter,” GM Walt Jocketty said.

This would be a great way to introduce Chapman in a way that would not be asking too much of him.

Cincinnati is 73 games in with a National League Central Division Championship and playoff berth well in their sights, that is if they can continue to play within themselves. Yes, things happen and things change but I’m having fun this year. I haven’t been able to say that in a long, long time.

I hope the Reds are having fun too.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Sounds lame, but that’s exactly what the Cincinnati Reds are doing right now until they can find some consistency. They aren’t playing awful, but the aren’t exactly playing the best baseball either.

They finish this month with a six-game West Coast swing before heading home for another six. Those “tulips” I’m referring to are the four teams the Reds will battle in those twelve games: Seattle, Oakland, Cleveland, and Philadelphia. Seattle and Cleveland aren’t very good, Oakland is barely above .500, and Philadelphia (which has had an awful time finding winning ways) is struggling to find the success of the past few years. Hence, they are ripe for the picking.

But that consistency bug has also bitten the Redlegs in the past week.

Looking ahead, it seems like a great chance to pick of some much-needed victories, but the West Coast has been a pain in the rear for Cincinnati the past few years. Last year, they were 2-7 on the W-C and are only 13-32 there during the last four seasons. The Reds need to focus and not play down to their competition. Otherwise it will be a big time struggle as the recent Kansas City series displayed.

I hate to think back to what might have been, which I tend to do, and it pains me to see all those losses that were pulled from the grips of victory. Though, I think Dusty Baker put it best after the recent 30 games in 31 days for the Reds, “I don’t think about whether I’m happy or not. I’m grateful, yeah. You think about the games you could’ve had—the ones that got snatched away from you. You never think about the ones you snatched away.”

Hear, hear manager man!

I’m hoping the Reds can tiptoe through this rough patch, known in the past as their mid-summer meltdown, and get back to playing like they had been. I’m not exactly sure what needs to be done to get their “A” game back, but I can say it will have to start with the veterans lighting a fire under their own rears (Arroyo did that in today’s win: pitching, hitting, defense).

Cincinnati is only 7-8 so far in June and that absolutely will not cut it when vying for the National League Central crown. Sure, the Cards are right there, but don’t look now. The Cubs are just 7 1/2 back and Milwaukee is 8 1/2 back. They may be under .500, but that means nothing. It’s only June and anything can happen.

I will be happy to see the Reds leave Great American Ballpark for a few days. This hot muggy weather allows anything with some air under it to glide into the Ohio River which has visiting teams salivating for a Queen City vacation. Cincinnati’s pitching staff could use the GABP break.

Well, here’s to pushing for a plus .500 June. That is if those tulips don’t turn out to be poisonous.

Oh, and as for the title to this rant..sorry. I can’t stand the song, but it does fit what Cincinnati is in the midst of.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Like Jason Vorhees from the Friday the 13th films , the Cincinnati Reds are a hard bunch to kill. I think that’s what I enjoy most about this season’s version of the Redlegs (among many other items I thoroughly enjoy).

I’m not the only one to point out how much fun it has been to follow these guys either. Today’s (June 11th ) version of Big League Stew on Yahoo! Sports, written by Kris Liakos, gave Cincy a shout out for their tendency to makes things happen late.

Although he did indicate that it is quite possible, due to the Reds’ recent history, that it would be hard to win the Central Division in this fashion. Still, Liakos was on the Cincinnati bandwagon after questioning whether the Reds can keep this up, “But hey, I’m rooting for them and I’m just playing devil’s advocate. To hell with Cardinals fans.”

That’s what I like to hear!

I had to laugh at the fact that Dusty Baker, who has some questionable game strategies, has finally come out publicly and indicated that the entire organization finally has confidence in the Reds playing winning baseball. “I don’t know if you expect it, but I know everybody believes, from the players to the administrative assistants to the grounds crew,” manager Dusty Baker said. “Don’t turn off the TV if we’ve still got bats in our hands,” he said after Thursday’s 7-6 win over San Fransisco.

All it takes is for the players to believe in themselves, and they have the talent to back up that confidence.

Second baseman Brandon Phillips proved last weekend that the team is focused on each game and the task at hand. “I just go out there and play the game of baseball the way I know how. I just play with a lot of excitement. I didn’t see nothing wrong with what I did. If people think I did something wrong, I apologize to whoever thinks so, but it’s baseball,” he said after after running over Washington Catcher Wil Nieves and knocking the ball loose to score a run.

Yes, it is a long season and it is not even halfway through. But I have not had as much fun during a baseball season for the last ten years.

Lets keep the ball rolling Cincinnati. Your fans have your back.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Not literally, but the Cincinnati Reds do need to do it figuratively.

Memorial Day weekend is just a few days away—marking the unofficial start to Summer—and for baseball, this weekend also marks the “real” start to the season.

The pretenders begin to show their true colors, and the contenders grab the bull by the horns as the temperatures rise.

For the last decade, Reds fans have been used to watching their teams melt in the humidity of competition—unable to handle the increasing heat and pressure of what it takes to be more than just a Spring fling.

If you examine it, the Reds (with all of their hot, or decent, starts in the past) resemble an addict who just cannot seem to “stay on the wagon”.

Cincinnati is currently “on the wagon,” and on the road to recovery (or in this case, on the road to success).

But that road gets seriously bumpy from this point on.

It will get hot—and muggy—making it more difficult to perform at the same level everyday. At the same time, as they struggle to compete, those teams who have been there before are primed and pulling out everything they have to win.

In the past, the Reds—not used to having to play even better than they are at the time—have struggled to stay at that level, and they begin to lose confidence in themselves.

They slowly return to the form of a punching bag, believing this is who they really are.

Thus, falling off the wagon—and returning to that nasty drug called mediocrity.

Cincinnati Manager Dusty Baker is well aware of how addicting mediocrity can be.

“Around here, people are a little skeptical because there are times we started out good and come August you couldn’t find us”, Baker said as he chatted with the media after the Reds shot past the St. Louis Cardinals to move into first place.

He’s right.

Seriously, the past does not lie my friends…

2004: Cincinnati finishes the first half six games over .500. The Reds scare themselves back to what they think is normal. Final record: 76-86.

2005: The Reds fall off the wagon early, and in July find themselves 19 games under, but crawl to within six games of .500. The effort comes to a quick end. Final record: 73-89.

2006: On June 25th, Cincinnati is rolling at 11 games over, sitting at 36-25. A mid-summer fade brings the Reds back to a losing binge. Final record: 80-82.

2007: The Reds just are not very good, but start May within a game of .500. The wheels then fall off…really fall off. Final record: 72-90.

2008: Similar to the year before Cincinnati must distrust their lack of true talent, and play with heart. June 1st has them one game under .500, but they never sustain a winning mindset. Final record 74-88.

2009: Cincinnati isn’t great, but not bad as April, and May prove they are worth watching. June and July crank up the heat, and the Reds fall into a stretch that has them go 34-53. Final record: 78-84.

We could go further back, but the enormity of the mediocrity is astounding.

These are images that we as fans—and more importantly, the Reds as a team—need to work on changing.

Baker, continuing the discussion on Cincy’s Summer collapses, went on to say, “I don’t think this is that kind of team.”

I totally agree.

That’s the point of the title of this article.

Cincinnati is used to these “clothes”—this mindset, this belief, that they just are not good enough.

They must change that expectation of losing or falling short.

Its going to get hot, and it will suck having to put out 100-percent effort and focus game-in and game-out just to be among the contenders.

But that’s what it will take.

Refuse to believe that “the winning was good, while it lasted.”

Losing is a type of drug—a drug that will rear its head every chance it gets. It’s an addiction that plays with your mind, and your psyche. It will take over if you believe the critics or doubt yourself at the very least.

There is a small market team bias that acts as a pusher, hoping to real-in its next helpless abuser or maintain that junky who can’t help themselves.

But so far, that has not stopped those teams from believing in themselves. 

A USA Today article by Mike Lopresti last week detailed how a number of baseball’s so-called lower class teams are proving money, power, and prestige do not always equate to wins. He focused mainly on the Tampa Bay Rays, but Cincinnati was prominently detailed as well.

As familiar Reds fans are with just a month or two of success (sobriety), followed by four months of what could have been—Lopresti, also, was not lost on the subject.

His article finished with these hopefully not-damning words, “They’re having fun in Cincinnati, Texas and San Diego, too; places where the bottom line hasn’t gotten in the way. At least, not yet.”

Cincinnati is playing well, and should not be afraid of success.

They must resist the temptation to believe they are not worthy of winning or beating the best.

This must be the season where there will not be a June swoon, July lullaby, an Au-GUH-st or September slumber attached to the Reds.

If they need a sponsor to assist in their path to maintaining a mediocrity-free lifestyle, just take a look around the stands at Great American Ballpark…you will find thousands of us who have their back.

Summers in Ohio do get hot, muggy, and sometimes unbearable.

But that’s the way I like it.

I don’t run from it. The Reds must now show the National League Central that same type of attitude, focus, and determination. There’s a reason St. Louis is always looking down, they don’t have to look up.

They believe.

Cincinnati—put on those fire suits because its gonna be sweltering.

And you will have to sweat it out.

Mediocrity, no more.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com