Some good stuff from Lance McAlister, ESPN 1530...

Dusty Baker recorded his 400th win as Reds manager last night. He's the 7th manager in franchise history to win at least 400 games. The last Reds manager to win 400 games for the Reds was Pete Rose ('84-'89).

MOST WINS
863-586 Sparky Anderson
744-631 Bill McKechnie
469-450 Jack Hendricks
443-373 Fred Hutchinson
425-329 Patrick Moran
412-373 Pete Rose
400-378 Dusty Baker

BEST WINNING PERCENTAGE (50 game min.)
.596 Sparky Anderson
.563 Dick Sisler
.564 Patrick Moran
.545 Joe Kelley
.544 Fred Hutchinson
.543 Davey Johnson
.541 Bill McKechnie
.533 John McNamara
.529 Dave Bristol
.529 Jack McKeon
.525 Lou Piniella
.525 Pete Rose
.514 Dusty Baker
.513 Pete Mackanin
.510 Birdie Tebbets
.510 Jack Hendricks

POSTSEASON APPEARANCES
5 Sparky Anderson
2 Bill McKechnie
1 Dusty Baker, Davey Johnson, Lou Pienella, John McNamara, Fred Hutchinson, Pat Moran

MLB cincinnati reds, dusty baker, sparky anderson, pete rose, 400 wins, reds managers

The war of worlds is going on big time between Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker and former St. Louis Cardinals skipper Tony LaRussa.

The two have never been fond of each other, but after Johnny Cueto and Brandon Phillips were both left off of the NL All-Star roster Baker had some choice words for his former rival, who is managing the National League team despite retiring prior to this season.

A strong case could be made for both Cueto and Phillips. Both were key figures in a ugly bench-clearing brawl between the bitter division rivals in 2012, a year the Reds knocked off the Cardinals to win the division.

“A snub like that looks bad. Johnny and Brandon were at the center of a skirmish between us and the Cardinals,” Baker told reporters on Sunday. “Some of the Cardinals who aren’t there anymore are making some of the selections.”

LaRussa promptly responded with equally volitale words to Baker.

"Which of these guys would he like me to kick off? I'd like to know that. There's a second baseman over in Arizona (Aaron Hill) who has credentials to be on the team,” LaRussa told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I don't take that kind of (bleep). That's typical ... (from Baker) and that's unacceptable. There's no question I did the right thing. I haven't been this ticked off since ... well, nothing."

MLB cincinnati reds, st. louis cardinals, dusty baker, tony larussa, johnny cueto, brandon phillips, 2012 mlb all star game

Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker made the move many have been clamoring for on Sunday when he indicated that Aroldis Chapman will take over for Sean Marshall as the team’s primary closer.

He has yet to allow an earned run in 18 appearances in 2012 and has 39 strikeouts in 22 1/3 innings. With Marshall struggling in his first stint as closer, it was only a matter of time.

While it would be nice to eventually see Chapman moved back into the rotation, it is unlikely to happen this season so it only makes sense to put him where he’s needed most.

Baker did indicate he would use caution with the hard-throwing lefty and that means there will be times where others will get a chance to nail things down.

“We still have to monitor him because he’s not used to going three or four days in the a row,” the manager told reporters after Chapman picked up a save in Sunday’s win over the Yankees. “It’s going to be a situation where we’re going to have to use who we think is best on that day. Hopefully, he’s rested and the best guy for that day.”

Chapman promptly celebrated the news by being arrested upon his return to Cincinnati on Sunday. According to WLWT-TV, the relief pitcher was pulled over after he was recorded speeding in a black 2010 Mercedes S63 on Interstate 71 North near Interstate 270 about 12:42 a.m. Monday. Chapman was arrested after the officer discovered he had a suspended Kentucky driver's license.

There shouldn’t be much read into the altercation with the law as the Cuban Missle appears primed and ready to have his best year yet.

Fantasy Baseball, MLB cincinnati reds, aroldis champman, sean marshall, dusty baker

Coming into this season most thought the Cincinnati Reds would have one of the strongest starting pitching rotations in the National League, if not in all of baseball. However, before the season even began both Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey hit the disabled list. Both came back around the same time but Bailey has hit the DL once again and the rotation has been a revolving door with guys coming up from the minors to fill in gaps. Cueto, on the other hand, has been the shining light in the rotation as we enter the early part of June. He's silently been taking the mound and pumping out quality start after quality start.

Since coming off the DL on May 8th, Cueto has had 6 starts, all but one of them has been a quality outing. His record stands at 2-2 but could easily be 6-0 if either the offense hadn't failed him, or the bullpen hadn't given away games. He hasn't given up more than three runs in any game which has him leading the team with an ERA of 2.27, one of the best in the league. In 39.2 innings pitched so far this season he's only given up three home runs and has struck out 23.

In Cueto's outing yesterday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, he pitched a solid seven innings, giving up two runs on five hits while striking out three. The Reds offense built a nice 7-2 lead for him only to see the bullpen blow it by giving up five runs in the eighth inning. What should have been a sure win for Cueto turned into an extra innings loss for the Redlegs. The bullpen was thought to be one of the strongest in baseball coming into this season but time and time again have blown games behind solid starting pitching. Cueto did what he had to do yesterday to get his team the win. He was taken out of the game after just 88 pitches. Hindsight is 20/20. With a 7-2 lead going into the eighth inning you would think, being Dusty Baker, that you could trust your bullpen to come in and close out the game. Unfortunately for Cueto, and ultimately the team as a whole, that was not the case yesterday.

In a season that has seen it share of ups and downs already for the Reds, especially when it comes to the pitching, the one constant has been Cueto so far. Travis Wood, Bronson Arroyo and Edinson Volquez (who was sent down to the minors to fix himself and set to come back tomorrow night possibly) have been inconsistent all season, to say the least. Cueto has stepped up and at this point has become the ace of this pitching staff. Coming into the season the thought was, if he could stay under control and stay focused, he could be one of the best starters in the rotation, if not in the league. He has, and he is. If the Reds are going to get back to the playoffs this year they are going to need Cueto to continue to do what he's doing. More importantly, they're going to need some of what he's been doing to rub off on the rest of the rotation.

MLB cincinnati reds, johnny cueto, homer bailey, dusty baker, los angeles dodgers, travis wood, bronson arroyo, edinson volquez

We are 41 games into the Reds’ 2011 season and it’s time to hand out some grades…

DUSTY BAKER (B+) – It’s hard to criticize Baker too much, but he fails to get an A for his over patience with Jonny Gomes and his failure to force his hand and get Edgar Renteria to budge off playing shortstop.

JOEY VOTTO (A-) – The defending MVP is currently tied for second in the NL with a .345 BA and has reached base it all but one game in which he’s played. His power numbers are a bit down though as he’s only mustered 5 HR and 23 RBI, but his walk rate is up (leads NL with 5 IBB).

BRANDON PHILLIPS (A) – Phillips has dazzled with his glove and his bat and adapted to wherever Baker has slotted him in the order. His team-leading 26 RBI put the Gold Glover on pace for his first 100 RBI season of his career. Add to it an impressive .322 average and he’s on track for a second All-Star game appearance.

SCOTT ROLEN (C+) – Limited to just 21 games due to a right shoulder injury, Rolen has a small sample size to consider. He got out of the gate slowly, but since his return to the lineup last Friday he’s had nine hits over four games and has his average up .273. His glove has been a bigger concern as he’s already has four errors after just committing eight during his Gold Glove 2010 campaign.

PAUL JANISH (C) – His glove and versatility has never been questioned and both attributes have proven to be assets to this point of the season. His bat continues to be another story. Janish has had some good moments throughout the year, but over the opening stretch of the year he’s batting just .250 while getting just two hits over his last 25 at bats.

JONNY GOMES (F) – If we were grading clubhouse and fan popularity or bad haircuts, Gomes would be at the top of the list, but on the field he is below the pack. He has 7 HR, but went over a month without one. He has gone without a hit in 18 of his 37 games and is boasting a 38-to-22 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Gomes hands down is the worst defender on the team and it’s not even close.

DREW STUBBS (B+) – Stubbs is on pace for career marks across and is currently hitting .281. He covers as much ground as any centerfielder in the National League and has a strong arm to boot. His strikeout rate is still high, but improving and Stubbs appears to becoming more comfortable in the leadoff spot and currently reached base at least twice in nine straight games.

JAY BRUCE (C+) – Fresh off signing a big, long-term contract, Bruce is still trying to get things going at the plate. He has homered three times over the last 10 games, but had some terrible at bats and struggles in April. His defensive prowess is a plus, though he has made a few bad judgments in right field.

RAMON HERNANDEZ/RYAN HANIGAN (A-) – Catcher remains the most underrated and non-talked about position on the team. The Hernandez-Hanigan platoon has been lethal. Both players have handled the staff well and held would-be base runners down. Throw in the dramatic homeruns delivered by each and they are even better. Since the start of last season Reds catchers are ranked second in the majors in RBIs (116), first in batting average (.301), second in OBP (.376) and third in slugging (.446).

BENCH (B+) – Chris Heisey continues to be an under-used weapon, but he’s made the most of his playing time and been invaluable as a pinch hitter and late-inning defensive replacement. Miguel Cairo filled in nicely for Rolen when he was out. Renteria and Fred Lewis appear to be nice veteran free agent additions.

EDINSON VOLQUEZ (F) – Volquez has made just six innings in two of his eight starts this season and has walked an alarming 33 batters in 42 1/3 innings. His 5.74 ERA indicates that his record should be much worse than the 3-1 mark would indicate. With an abundance of pitching depth, Volquez will be on a short leash to work out his issues at the major-league level.

BRONSON ARROYO (B-) – Consistency has always been Arroyo’s staple and to this point of the season 2011 appears to be no different. He hasn’t had many stellar outings, but has yet to get roped either. He has a 36/12 strikeout-to-walk ratio and is 3-3 with a 3.78 ERA through eight starts.

TRAVIS WOOD (C+) – After going 0-3 with an 8.39 ERA in his first five trips to the hill, the Reds’ lone lefty in the rotation has gone 2-0 with a 1.93 mark over his last three outings. He still has some work to do before getting his stats back down, but it appears as if his spot in the rotation is safe for now.

JOHNNY CUETO (Incomplete) – Cueto started the year on the DL, but going off his two starts the marks are high. He has yet to yield an earned run in 12 1/3 innings of work and has finished in the winning column each time out in wins over the Cubs and Cardinals.

HOMER BAILEY (Incomplete) – The right hander has a 1.89 ERA and is 3-0 since returning from the DL. It’s a bit early to get too excited, especially considering two starts came against the lowly Astros, but the team has reason for optimism based off the early returns.

FRANCISCO COREDERO (A-) – Easily the most criticized Red, Cordero has been fantastic through the first quarter of the season. The veteran hasn’t allowed a run over his last five appearances, picking up a three saves and a win during that span while sporting a 1.86 ERA for the year.

BULLPEN (B-) Logan Ondrusek and Bill Bray have been outstanding in middle relief. Nick Masset is starting to find a groove after a rough start. Sam LeCure has transitioned nicely moving from the rotation to the pen. Aroldis Chapman struggles and Matt Maloney’s terrible April drag down the unit’s overall grade though.

Fantasy Baseball, MLB cincinnati reds, reds report card, dusty baker, joey votto, brandon phillips, scott rolen, edinson volquez, francisco cordero

The Reds welcomed starter Johnny Cueto back to the rotation on Sunday at Wrigley Field and the right-hander was nothing short of sensational in his first time out this season.

Cueto struggled through four rehab starts (0-2, 6.28 ERA) in attempt to recover from right biceps and triceps irritation, but showed no signs of problems against the Cubs. He went six plus innings, allowing five hits while holding Chicago scoreless.

It comes on the heels of Homer Bailey’s stellar debut in Thursday’s win over the Astros in which he only allowed one run in over six innings of work while striking out seven.

"That's the boost we were looking for," Reds manager Dusty Baker told reporters. "That was an outstanding performance by Johnny and Homer. That's 40 percent of your starting staff, so that's big."

Given the rotation’s struggle, particularly in the early inning of games, it is huge for the Reds to keep opponents off the scoreboard. Now if they can only get the offense going.

Fantasy Baseball, MLB cincinnati reds, homer bailey, johnny cueto, dusty baker

The National League Manager of the Year was announced on Wednesday by the Baseball Writers Association and Padres’ manager Bud Black just edged out Reds’ skipper Dusty Baker in the voting.

Black finished one point ahead of the Baker. Black received 16 first-place votes, seven seconds and three thirds for 104 points. Baker garnered 13 first-place votes, 12 seconds and two thirds for 103 points.

The Giants' Bruce Bochy, the Braves' Bobby Cox and the Phillies' Charlie Manuel, the 3-4-5 finishers, each received a first-place vote.

Baker led the Reds to a 91-71 season en route to the N.L. Central title and the team’s first playoff appearance since 1995. Most experts pegged the Reds to finish in the bottom couple of spots inside the division, but they managed to win it by five games. Baker won the award in 1990, 1997 and 2000.

Black, who played for Baker when he managed the Giants, led the Padres to a second-place finish in the N.L. West. His 15-game turnaround was two better than Baker’s, but Cincinnati made the playoffs and won one more game.  Throw in the Padres blowing a 6.5 game lead, including a 10-game losing streak, starting in late August and did not make the playoffs and it starts looking like the wrong manager won the award.

Minnesota's Ron Gardenhire was voted AL Manager of the Year, placing ahead of Texas' Ron Washington and Tampa Bay's Joe Maddon.

MLB cincinnati reds, dusty baker, san diego padres, bud black, nl manager of year, 2010 offseason awards

The National League Central Division champion Cincinnati Reds and field manager Dusty Baker have agreed to terms on a 2-year contract extension through the 2012 season.

The announcement was made Monday afternoon at a Great American Ball Park press conference held prior to the team's first Postseason workout by Reds President and Chief Executive Officer Bob Castellini and President of Baseball Operations and General Manager Walt Jocketty.

Baker, 61, is 243-243 in 3 seasons with the Reds and 1,405-1,284 in a 17-year Major League career that includes 4 division championships with 3 teams, including the San Francisco Giants (1997, 2000), Chicago Cubs (2003) and now the Reds. This season he became only the sixth manager in Major League history to win a division title with 3 teams, joining Davey Johnson, Tony LaRussa, Billy Martin, Lou Piniella and Joe Torre.

With a 4-3 win on September at Mil, Baker became only the 25th manager in Major League history to record 1,400 career wins. The Reds clinched the 2010 National League Central Division championship with Tuesday's 3-2 win vs the Houston Astros and earned their first playoff appearance since 1995.

MLB cincinnati reds, dusty baker

The Reds signed 37-year old relief pitcher Jason Isringhausen to a minor league contract today. A couple days after watching him throw a bullpen session at Great American Ball Park, Isringhausen showed the powers that be enough to offer him a contract to join the Reds Triple-A affiliate, the Louisville Riverbats.

Isringhausen will officially sign his contract tomorrow. Its likely that he will work down there for a couple weeks before being added to the major league roster. Once added he will assume a late-inning or set-up relief role with the team. The Reds have been in need of help in the bullpen as it has been a roller-coaster of a year for all but Arthur Rhodes coming on in relief.

Making a career out of being a closer, primarily for the St. Louis Cardinals, Isringhausen could be used in that role from time to time if needed. With his 293 saves, Isringhausen is fourth among active pitchers - one spot ahead of the Reds current closer, Francisco Cordero, who has had a rocky year in the role this season.

Isringhausen hasn't pitched in the majors since June 2009 when he was with the Tampa Bay Rays. After blowing out his elbow he had to have Tommy John surgery and is looking to make a comeback with the Reds. He was one of the more dominating closers in the game from 2002-08 when he was working for the Reds current General Manager, Walt Jocketty, with the Cardinals. During that time he notched 217 saves before injuries started taking their toll on him.

Reds manager Dusty Baker has said that he thinks Isringhausen is looking really strong and throwing very well. If that is the case and he can bounce back from surgery he will be a welcome addition to a bullpen that will need help down the stretch.

MLB cincinnati reds, jason isringhausen, arthur rhodes, francisco cordero, walt jocketty, dusty baker

The opportunity for the Cincinnati Reds to win a pennant this year is real.  General Manager Walt Jocketty did a fantastic job over the last 12 months of assembling talent at a reasonable price.  Now, the pressure is on him to make Trade- Deadline adjustments so his team can edge the St. Louis Cardinals and win their first title since 1995.  Here are the three most pressing moves that need to be made to ensure this happens.

1.  Fire Dusty Baker immediately.  This may cause some head scratching, but the Reds are winning despite Baker's stubborn, 1960s- style managing.  Though a master of the media and a great people person in general, Baker has three flaws that have cost the Reds dearly in a number of games:

a.  Just like he did with Corey Patterson in 2008 and Willy Taveras in 2009, Baker is stubbornly starting Orlando Cabrera and batting him at the top of the lineup.  Baker has always been in love with speed at the top of the lineup and not the most important trait at the top of the lineup- the ability to get on base.  Patterson's numbers in 2008 were a remarkably poor .205/ /238/ .344 (batting average/ on- base percentage/ slugging percentage).  Taveras' were a slight improvement, but still an awful .240/ .275/ .285 in 2009.  Somehow, without much attention, Cabrera has matched Taveras at .243/ .283/ .329 including an unsightly .207/ .241/ .291 against right handed pitching.  And he is hitting 1st or 2nd in the lineup!  It is hard to say which is worse- Cabrera's bat or Baker's decision to play him.  Paul Janish has the vastly superior glove at shortstop and the difference is just as great at the plate: .296/ .397/ .463.  But Janish is not the only possible replacement for Cabrera; anyone who is an above average fielding shortstop who can hit .220 is an improvement (Triple- A shortstop Zach Cozart) because Cabrera's range at short is so limited.  Cabrera seems to be a very positive person who helps in the clubhouse so he may have some value on the bench, but certainly not in the starting lineup.

b.  Baker caves in to individual player greed and ego.  He has a need to put individual accomplishments before the team.  He is popular amongst his players because he lets pitchers come back in to pitch after long rain delays in the 5th inning to get a win (Aaron Harang) only to blow up and lose the game.  He lets his rookie pitcher, Mike Leake, who was supposed to be under a strict innings count, stay in the game against the Phillies where the Reds led 7-1 in the ninth to get his first complete game.  Instead, Hall of Fame sluggers Greg Dobbs and Cody Ransom hit home runs sending the game into the 10th where the Reds lost the gmae.  Similarly, he stubbornly continues to send Francisco Cordero out to close games depite the fact that Cordero's performance has been on the decline.  His strikeout rates per nine innnigs are:  9.98 (2008), 7.83 (2009), 7.52 (2010).  His home run rates per nine innings over the last three years are:  0.77, 0.27, 1.11.  Finally, his hits allowed per nine innings over the last three years are:  7.81, 7.83, 9.07.  Baker needs to say "No" to his players more- "no" to Cordero is any tight situation and "no" to players who want to stay in the game to achieve a stat.

c.  Finally, Baker gives up outs, the most preciouse commodity a team has, at an alarming rate.  There is a proper time and place for the bunt- late in a game when the score is close- and Baker does not understand this.  He has called for a bunt after his leadoff man has reached in the first inning, a move that ignores all statistical probabilities (bunting along a runner from first to second actually decreases a team's odds of scoring from .907 to .720) and is a backwards strategy for a game (what if the oppoent scores four runs in the bottom of the first while you played for a single run?).  This includes asking one of his best hitters, Brandon Phillips, to bunt Cabrera to third after a lead- off double.  Phillips was bunting despite the fact that there is no better hitter on the team that can shoot the ball to right field!  Baker asked for the same thing from Cabrera after a Phillips lead- off double in a game in which the Reds had Matt Maloney pitching against Johan Santana- did Baker play for one run because he expected the Mets to be shut out by Maloney?  Why play for one run?  And possibly the worst bunting call of them all- Baker had a pitcher bunt with one out and runners at first and third.  What!?!  We would rather have second and third and two outs than a runners at first and third and one out?  Baker's teams are consistently amongst the top of the league in sacrifice bunt attempts including being number two in 2008 and number one in 2009.  It seems as though Baker is still managing in the 1960s when offense was at a disadvantage due to the height of the mound and bunting was more important.  Times have changed, but changing is one of Baker's weaknesses.

2.  Acquire bullpen help.  The addition of Bill Bray has helped, but the Reds still need a new closer and a right handed set up man.  The ideal target would be Joakim Soria of the Kansas City Royals.  The flamethrower has a reasonable contract ($3 million in 2010, $4 million in 2011, $6 million in 2012, $8 million in 2013, and $8.75 million in 2014 with affordable $750,000 buyouts the last three years), great numbers (11.06 K/9, 2.31 BB/9, 1.03 HR allowed/9, 7.97 HA/9 and a 2.31 E.R.A.) and is on a team that is rebuilding.  A backup plan would be the Marlins' Leo Nunez.  The Marlins seems to be always selling players and since Nunez is making $2 million this year and is eligible for arbitration next year, he is a prime candidate to be moved.  His numbers are 9.08 K/9, 2.21 BB/9, 0.25 HRA/9, 7.12 HA/9 and a 2.95 E.R.A.  Compare those numbers to Cordero's (listed above).  It could be the difference in two or three more wins which could be the difference in the NL Central championship.  Other possible arms to consider:  veterans Clay Hensley of Florida and Brandon Lyon of Houston and Shawn Camp of Toronto.

3.  If Baker is not going to be fired, at least bench Orlando Cabrera.  Just because Cabrera is a veteran and "you know what you are going to get by looking at the back of his baseball card" (the most ignorant saying in the baseball community) does not mean he is productive.  See Ken Griffey Jr. for further proof.

***
For the first time in over ten seasons, the Reds have enough talent and depth to win the NL Central.  They are at a competitive disadvantage in other areas- namely at shortstop, in the bullpen and with their manager.  Those are not hard holes to fill and adjustments are possible and badly needed.  Reds fans are starving for a meaningful September- let's give it to them while there is a chance. 

MLB cincinnati reds, dusty baker, orlando cabrera, francisco cordero, nl central