Thursday, June 30, 2011

Cueto Possibly Following in Rijo's Footsteps

There were a lot of positives to take out of the Reds three-game series win versus Tampa Bay, but the 4-3 loss in game 2 of that series still bothers me.  I guess it's because it's the type of game they'll have to win if the Reds return to the playoffs.

It was Johnny Cueto vs David Price.  The Reds best versus the Rays best.  Neither pitcher disappointed. Cincinnati rallied late from a 1-0 deficit to take a 2-1 lead.  Bill Bray came on in relief of Cueto and made a good pitch with two outs and two on against Johnny Damon.  A few inches the other way and Chris Heisey makes a diving catch and the Reds get out of  the jam.  Just when it looked to be over, Jay Bruce tied it with a majestic home run to center.  While the thrill didn't last as Evan Longoria won it with homer of his own, it was the type of game that just hurt because they just got beat; plain and simple.  You couldn't argue that Dusty Baker left Cueto in too long or he brought in the wrong reliever or Bray didn't make a good pitch or the offense didn't put up much of a fight against Price.

A year or two ago, the Reds would have lost that game 1-0.  That's why that loss hurt so much for me.  Because it would have been a win to hang your hat on.  A win that shows you're a quality team. The type of win that captures championships.  It would have been a sign of hope in what has been so far a season of missed opportunities.

Had the Reds held onto that 2-1 lead Tuesday, Cueto would have gotten a well-deserved win.  The Reds right-hander continues to impress me and I pray this season is a sign of the years to come for him in a Reds uniform.  He is starting to remind me of another Dominican pitcher who the Reds once had. Cincinnati has been without a true ace since Jose Rijo pitched Cincinnati to the 1990 World Series Championship.  That's more than 20 years ago!  The interesting thing is I don't think many looked at Rijo as the team's #1 starter when that season began.  More likely it was Tom Browning or Danny Jackson.

Rijo's rise began like this: 13-8 with a 2.39 ERA in 1988, 7-6 with a 2.84 ERA in his first full season as a starter, then he went 14-8 with a 2.70 ERA and 7 complete games in the '90 championship season.  He followed that with his best year in 1991, going 15-6 with a 2.51 ERA in 30 starts.  Over the next three years, Rijo was 15-10, 14-9, and 9-6 -- never with an ERA higher than 3.08.  Who knows what the Reds might have done in the 1995 National League Championship Series against the Braves had Rijo not gone down after only 14 starts with a devastating arm injury.

Like his fellow countryman from the Dominican Republic, Cueto has emerged as the Reds best pitcher.  So far he is 5-2 with 1.84 earned run average and that's after missing the first month of the season with a shoulder injury.  He's coming off of a 2010 season in which he was 12-7 in 31 starts (the victim of 6 blown saves) and a 3.64 ERA.  The year prior Cueto was 11-11 with a 4.41 ERA.  His rookie year in 2008, he surprised everyone by making the rotation as 22-year-old and managed to go 9-14 and a 4.81 ERA.  But no Reds fan will ever forget his history-making debut against the Diamondbacks, in which Cueto went 7 innings of 1-hit, 1-run baseball with 10 strikeouts.  The best thing is he's only 25 and this offseason the Reds locked him to a four-year contract.

Who better to open the 7-game road trip leading into the All-Star break next Monday, July 4 in St. Louis against the Cardinals Chris Carpenter.  Likely to be plenty of fireworks during as well as after the game.

2 comments:

  1. I am impressed with your research. If everyone can just do a little bit better, Thomas Brenneman will be a profit. Time to sweep Cleveland and keep the ohio cup here in the Nati (or in Goodyear Arizona).

    ReplyDelete
  2. So much for a sweep. Better take the next two. Arroyo has been a BIG disappointment this year. Starting pitching is the key. The offense was a no show once again tonight. time to think about Reyes trade. Boy oh boy!

    ReplyDelete