Shin lighting up Cin City
Move out of the way folks, Shin Soo Choo is on fire, and he isn’t looking to slow down anytime soon.
Having already cemented himself as one of the most imperative forces on the Cincinnati roster, Choo is finding ways to get on base and gradually piling up stats worthy of a spot in a top 20 (overall) fantasy ranking. Whether it’s a patiently deserved walk, a line-drive into the outfield or a leadoff jack to get the scoreboard going, the vibrant Reds outfielder has made sure that people are talking about him amongst the likes of Votto and (also former Cleveland Indian) Phillips. This week alone, Choo lit up with 7 runs, 2 home runs and 4 RBI’s as the Reds went 6-1 over that span, including sweeps against both NL rivals the Brewers and the Miami Marlins.
The Reds currently hold the best home record in baseball, and despite the well-known smaller field dimensions at Great American Ballpark, teams are not finding it easy to beat a Cincinnati rotation who went through a stretch of giving up just six runs in four games this week. With the Reds rolling along at home, a few series wins on the roads will shoot them right back to the top of a division whose leading three (Cardinals, Brewers, Reds) are still within 2.5 games of each other.
This week sees the Reds travelling to the East coast to face off against the Philadelphia Phillies and the New York Mets who both find themselves below the .500 mark at this stage of the season. Reds fans would like to see a pair of series wins this week as the club looks to turn around their record on the road.
For those of you (including myself) who were worried about the power display, or lack thereof shown by Joey Votto lately, this weekend has given rise to a collective sigh of relief in downtown Cincinnati. The Reds all-star first basemen hit home runs in back to back games against the Phillies this weekend and now holds a .346 batting average along with 32 runs, 6 home runs and 20 RBI. Votto has shown clear signs of frustration at the plate lately, uncharacteristically striking out on pitches that simply wouldn’t have bothered him last season, but Reds fans could be on the verge of witnessing a hotly anticipated power surge as he settles back into his game.
Highlight: Here’s Johnny!
Cueto returns to the starting rotation on Monday against the Mets at Citi Field, perfect timing for the Reds as they look to get back to winning ways away from Great American Ballpark. The good news for Mike Leake is that he will keep his spot on the starting rotation while the team will most probably drop rookie Tony Cingrani who put up some impressive numbers in his short stint in the major league. Leake helped his own cause by posting a 2.79 ERA in his last three starts, and will be looking to continue that form during his next start on Wednesday in the series finale against the Mets.
