Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

After Cincinnati's first winning road trip in almost a year and a walk off homer by Junior tonight, the Reds are still mired in last place of the NL Central Division. However, I would argue that the Reds have as much talent as anyone in baseball. What other team has 4 Rookie of the Year Candidates (Volquez, Votto, Bruce, Cueto), a perennial 40 HR hitter (Dunn), a premier closer, (Cordero), 30/30 2nd baseman (Phillips), and Future Hall of Famer (Griffey)?

Most would agree that Cincy has one of the best offenses in baseball. So then why have they so often struggled to score runs? Be patient. I will tell you.

RISP. Runners In Scoring Position. That's when runners are either on 2nd and/or 3rd. In this situation, the Reds bats go AWOL. As a whole, their team average in these situations is significantly lower. How can Hall of Famers, All Stars, Silver Slugger winners, and .300 lifetime hitters turn into Mario Mendoza when their bats are needed most?

Experience, in whole, cannot be to blame. Sure there are a lot of 1st year players in the lineup, but the vets have struggled with RISP also.

Do they easily choke? I don't think so. Every year they are among the league leaders in come from behind and walk off wins.

So why the Jekyll and Hyde routine? Like I said, be patient.

The next time you watch a game where the score is close and there are runners in scoring position, pay attention to how many pitches are thrown before our heroes take a hack. Chances are you could count the number of pitches on one hand...even if you're a Simpson character (they only have 4 fingers). Be patient.

The other day I watched a game in which the Reds were trailing late in a close game. They managed to induce a couple of walks with less than 2 outs. Brandon Phillips, the Reds cleanup hitter, and run producer promptly swings at the first pitch and hits a lazy fly that didn't even leave the infield. I love Phillips and think he will be an All Star type player for many years to come, but I have seen this approach at the plate far too many times by him and just about every other player on the team. If you are facing a pitcher struggling to throw strikes, why in the world would you help him out by swinging at the first pitch? Why not try to draw a walk or force him into a predictable fastball count? I 'll put my money on any Major League player who knows that a fastball is coming. At that point it's batting practice. Patience is the key.

So why do they lack patience in these key moments? I think their success is their reason for failure. They are such good hitters, that they may be over confident. They are the type of players who want to be in clutch situations. They are so eager to get the big hit and help a franchise that has had 7 consecutive losing seasons that they swing at the first halfway decent pitch they see.

If the Reds are ever to compete for a pennant, they are going to have to learn how to work a pitch count with runners in scoring position. "Wait for your pitch" is what I was taught in little league. Wade Boggs, and I believe Pete Rose as well, never ever swung at the first pitch, in any situation. They were only two of the greatest hitters in the history of baseball. If it worked for them, it can't be a halfway bad strategy.