Kuzul

Remember that scene in the movie Bull Durham when Crash Davis (aka Kevin Costner) tells the manager what he should do to get his team to respond? Funny, you see those kinds of tricks work in the movies.

But believe it or not, the Cincinnati Reds manager may have hit a home run of his own with such a tantrum back in April.

If you don’t remember from the movie, Crash Davis tells the manager to remember that the guys are just a bunch of kids, and that you have to scare them to get them to listen.

The manager then goes ballistic, throws baseball bats all over the clubhouse, and rips the team for lollygagging , not being committed, and playing like horse pooh. Magically, the team responds, and they live happily ever after.

ANYWAY, back to reality. On April 24 , after the Reds were shut out by San Diego five to nil, Dusty Baker let them have it. And they deserved it.

Cincinnati produced all of four hits (to go along with being shut out), had three base running errors (caught stealing twice), Drew Stubbs lost track of how many outs there were, and starter Johnny Cueto added a wild pitch and hit a batter to a so-so mound performance. After this fiasco the Reds had all of seven wins to go along with 11 losses.

According to an article on Cincinnati.com from April 25 Baker was asked about the so-called closed door meeting with his bunch of lollygaggers . His response: “Anybody that’s a parent knows that sometimes you’ve got to chastise your child,” Baker said. “Even though you spank ’em, you still love ’em. It’s over now.”

Dusty had seen this poor play all to often, “It wasn’t just yesterday (April 24 ), it was a number of things,” Baker said. “You just gotta keep teaching and preaching.” He went on to say, “It’s not through lack of effort, it’s proper effort.” It was obvious to everyone.

Funny, Baker hasn’t been there long enough to understand that this is the type of play Reds fans have seen for the last 10 years. Surprisingly enough, the Reds actually took to Dusty’s get-your-butt-in-gear-or-get-out firestorm. Cincinnati has gone 16-5 since that time, had an 11-game errorless streak, and is playing the type of ball Reds fans enjoyed prior to 2000.

They have even produced some wins that still make me question whether or not I actually saw it, including Tuesday’s (May 18 ) come from behind 5-4 victory over Milwaukee where they scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth (four runs total in the final two innings)!

Not only are the Reds playing like winners, they are also playing the part. On ESPN Radio’s Baseball Tonight Monday night (May 17 ), rookie pitcher Mike Leake spoke with ESPN’s Chuck Wilson. The interview sounded like Wilson was conversing with a 10-year veteran: no frills, no over-the-top statements…just baseball.

Leake credited his success to watching and learning from the veterans (Bronson Arroyo, Aaron Harang, and others) and pretending like you have been there before. Wow, it was refreshing to hear.

For those of you who still don’t believe, or are just waiting for the Reds to hit the brick wall (don’t worry, we’ve seen it all to often), I think you need to reconsider.

Or maybe rent Bull Durham and scare yourself at how eerily similar that flick from 1988 resembles the Cincinnati Reds of 2010.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

As we speak the Cincinnati Reds are riding their second five-game win streak this season. I do not want to be over enthusiastic since it is only May, but it is hard to curb the excitement.

Seriously, when was the last time you saw a Red team play halfway decent defense, get outstanding pitching performances and be more than just average at the plate…ALL AT THE SAME TIME?! Sadly that would be the last time they had a snippet of a playoff birth (a one game playoff to break a tie to see who would actually get into the playoffs back in 1999, the Mets cruised to victory).

I agree they need some serious help in raising that batting average, but you cannot say that they haven’t been opportunistic when runs have been needed and base runners are in need of being moved around.

That my friends is just one of the little things that keep teams winning and within arms reach of snatching victory out of the arms of defeat.

Those other “little things” show up in statistics. The Reds pitching staff (outside of Mike Leake and Aaron Harang’s resurgence) needs a lot of improvement, although the last month has been quite the rebirth for the hurlers (Homer Bailey did WHAT on Wednesday..WOW ).

Getting back to the point, the Reds relievers rank in the National League top five in saves (fourth ) and holds (third). Meaning they are either keeping the Reds in games and giving them a chance to win or they are keeping opposing teams from getting runs across the plate. This is a good thing.

The bullpen did get a ridiculous amount of work in the first month, but lately have only had to worry about their primary job. That tends to make things a little easier, for everyone outside of Cordero anyway.

The defense has been lacking in recent years, but has improved (albeit slightly) enough to give the Reds that added boost of confidence that all games can be winnable. Cincinnati’s fielding percentage is fourth in the NL despite a head scratching fifteen errors already. Pitchers tend to rest a bit easier knowing they don’t have to do everything to win games.

The offense (which has greatly improved in the last couple of weeks) could use a shot in the arm that will last the next four months. Though it is hard to complain with how the Reds are moving runners around and capitalizing on opportunities.

For instance, Cincinnati is near the bottom in average, slugging percentage, on base percentage and hits, but is among the top ten in runs, triples, homers and stolen bases. Swiping bases and taking extra bases are a big help for batters who get the fact that if you can go opposite field, or get some air under it, you can improve the chances of pushing those runners across the plate or get them into scoring position.

I can not tell you how frustrating Cincinnati’s lack of ability to sacrifice has been in recent times. There is a reason I am losing my hair. Not that this disease has been fully eradicated, but it puts my mind at ease to see it happen with frequency these days.

Continuing to improve in all facets and touch upon those little things is something Cincinnati needs to focus on long term. We know full well the Cardinals have been doing such things on a regular basis which is why they have been the class of the Central Division for so long.

The Reds now know the secret, but keeping it up will more of a challenge for a team that hasn’t been able maintain winning baseball for the past ten years.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Reds need some help smoothing out those rough edges that have been a thorn in their side thus far. Those rough edges creep up in all facets of their game, but luckily they have not been an every day, every game occurrence. You have to give the starting pitching a ton of credit for their performance over the last two weeks though.

In the last nine games from April 26 through today (May 6), the pitching staff has pitched nine consecutive quality starts. This means the starters have tossed at least six innings and given up three or fewer earned runs. And going back one more game, the one on April 25, it was a win in which Homer Bailey gave up just four earned runs. That’s one run more than the definition of a “quality start” but it was just as good.

In that time Cincinnati has gone 7-3, and that includes a stretch of five straight wins. Additionally, those wins have been against some very good competition.

Does this mean they have turned a corner? Well, let’s just say we have a better chance of large Marge being resurrected before we can officially say that.

Although, this is a very good chance for the starters to be aware of what they are doing and how they are doing it. Great or decent pitching will give life to any anemic offense. This will result in wins or having the chance to win each and every ball game.

If you look at the current numbers, Harang, Arroyo, Bailey, and Cueto all have ERAs that resemble zip codes. But those numbers are a heck of a lot better than they were just 14 days ago.

Just ask Harang, who in his last two starts suddenly found his form of three years ago and isn’t lighting matches at the oil refinery anymore. (I’m crossing my fingers and hoping I haven’t jinxed his continued improvement!)

Maybe it is the influence of Mike Leake doing extremely well. Maybe it is the collaborative effort of assisting one another in working out kinks and sharing ideas. Maybe it is the realization that there is no “I” in “team.” Or maybe, just maybe, they have begun to listen, watch, observe, and use that knowledge to pitch.

Like those TV PSAs say: “The more you know…”

I’m not bagging on the offense, as they have come up big in nearly every situation when runs were needed and the late-game heroics are making Reds fans actually listen to (or watch) the entire game. This team in Cincinnati has made Reds baseball exciting again, but however long this lasts remains to be seen.

I’m sure the offense will pick it up a bit more soon, but I really cannot complain about how they are swinging the bats now. Though they must remember that pitching will keep you in games, you have to score to win.

The month of May is a nice trip through the Central Division and the Reds need to keep themselves in the majority of those games. Knowing you are within reach of a win (and capitalizing) will add much needed confidence as the temperature rises, both outside and with the competition.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com