State of the Cincinnati Reds in Month #2

Well what can I say. April was bad, May was the exact opposite for the Cincinnati Reds. They have been doing so well that they have earned a share of first place. Offensively we have been on fire. Top 5 in almost every offensive statistic in the NL. It's hard to really single out one hot hitter in the line up because it more than just one. Scott Rolen is on fire batting .298 with 6 hr and 22 RBIs. Who knew when we acquired him last year that he would be the offensive weapon that he has become, there was no question about his defense and the glove he has on the hot corner, but he's never been a offensive difference maker I personally wasn't too excited about giving up Edwin Encarnacion for Scotty but I admit I was wrong. If there was an unsung hero award, i guess that goes to Miguel Cairo. He has didn't nothing but rake all month, he finish may batting .372 highest batting average on the team in may, replacing an injured Joey Votto, and who said we would lose a step with Votto missing 7 straight games. Then there's Jonny Gomes. He has tour the cover off the ball as well. He batted .364 in may with 5 hr and 22 RBIs, lead the team in RBIs for a hot second. I feel he was cheated out of the NL player of the month award which was awarded to Troy Glaus of the Atlanta Braves inspite Gomes leading Glaus in most offensive categories. Look, I can go on and on about all the hot hitters in the month of may for this Cincinnati Ball Club, just pick a name. You want an idea of how hot this time was in may??? As a team They was 1st in the NL in hits (301), Hr (45), RBI (160) and a .299 batting average. For what it's worth they was in 1st in Slugging Pct (.507) and On-base Percentage (.873). They scored 162 runs 2nd to Atlanta who had 163. There team batting average was 20 points higher than the nearest team, and they hit 18 more homeruns then the nearest team. Offensively they was arguable the hottest team in the MLB. Pitching is where this team didn't look so great. Don't get me wrong pitching was great as well, but it had nothing on the offense. It seem like the bullpen and starting rotation changed roles this month. If you remember the starting rotation start the season off horrible, and the bullpen seem to pick up where they left off at the end of the '09 campign. In may, the starting pitching was exceptional. As a starting staff we we're 18-11 with a 3.84 ERA, not off the chart #'s but good enough when you have the offensive out break we did. We was tied for 3rd in innings pitched (260), which means in most cases a healthy rested bullpen.What do I have to say about Mike Leake? All i'm saying is Steven Strausburg who is that? Mike Leake is 2-0 with a 1.88 ERA in may and still is undefeated on the year, and he's under the radar because of Who?? That's another story for another day. Jonny Cueto was prolly the hottest pitcher in the MLB in may, posting a 4-0 record in 5 starts with a 1.59 ERA. Then you go to the bullpen, Probably the only dark spot in the month for the ball club. I guess the #'s don't say that, but nobody in the pen is pitching consistently, except Author Rhodes who leads the MLB in ERA for Relievers, but you can't pitch him everyday. Coco has a lot of saves, but he also has blown a few as well, lucky enough for us 2 of them has turn into W for him. If you watch the Reds, coco always give you drama in that 9th inning, it never fails, he comes in give up a hit or two, or walk a man, but more times then not find his way out of it. Some fills that if Cincinnati is there battling for a playoff spot down the home stretch coco could hurt them, and it's true. I feel the exact same way. As far as the rest of the guys, it been a very unstable group. Lincoln has went down, he's on 60 day DL I feel sorry for that guy, he just can't buy a break. Del Rosario and Ondrusek has been up and down from the majors and triple A. Del Rosario has been pretty good for the little time he has been here, even doe his one appearence this month didn't go well at all. Onddrusek, Masset, and Herrera has all just been inconsistent. I get worried everytime we have to turn to the bullpen. The month of may has also brought along the injury bug. We lost Homer for 15 DL with a shoulder, Dickerson is out on the 60 day DL with a hand, we lost Hanigan for 15 days with a hand, Votto missed 7 straight games with a stiff neck but we haven't really lost a step. You have no choice but to be excited as a reds fan. Let's hope June bring more excitement to the city and that we can have some breathing room in 1st place, HEY WE'RE GETTING CLOSER TO OCTOBER!