NL Central-leading Reds seek a win over Wolf, Brewers
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08/30/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - In winning 11 of their last 15 games the Reds now own their largest division lead this season.
Perhaps that momentum can help them solve Brewers starter Randy Wolf.
Cincinnati will try to defeat Wolf for the first time since 2004 when it starts up a three-game series with Milwaukee tonight at Great American Ball Park.
That Reds have enjoyed an excellent second half of August to pull five games ahead of the Cardinals for the top spot in the NL Central. They also showed their resiliency on Sunday as they responded after blowing a two-run lead in the eighth inning to post a 7-5 victory over the Cubs to take the three-game series.
Chris Heisey scored the go-ahead run in the home half of the eighth on a throwing error and Jonny Gomes added a pinch-hit single to plate an insurance run in the frame. Gomes' hit scored a pinch-running Brandon Phillips, who was making his first appearance since getting hit in the right hand by a pitch versus the Giants on Wednesday. It is still unknown when he will return to the starting lineup.
Jay Bruce added a home run, his fourth in the series, and Drew Stubbs notched three hits and scored three runs for the Reds, who have won three of four.
"I've been feeling pretty good at the plate," the rookie Stubbs said. "Everything is kind of slowing down up there. You go through your cycles throughout the season where you're seeing the ball real well and recognizing pitches. I think right now is one of those times for me."
The streaking Stubbs and Bruce will now take their hacks against Wolf, who hasn't lost to the Reds since April 12, 2004 while with the Phillies. He held Cincinnati to just a pair of runs over seven innings of a no-decision on July 26 and is 9-2 with a 3.07 earned run average versus the club lifetime.
The 34-year-old did have a three-start win streak halted on Wednesday versus the Dodgers after giving up four runs on seven hits and three walks over five innings, Wolf's shortest outing since also going five frames on June 26.
The lefty is 10-10 with a 4.74 ERA overall this year.
Countering for the Reds is right-hander Homer Bailey, who will try for his first career victory over the Brewers. The 24-year-old pitched well enough to beat them on May 18, yielding two runs over seven innings, but got a no- decision and is 0-2 with a 6.56 ERA lifetime versus Milwaukee in four starts.
Bailey is 3-2 with a 4.83 ERA in 12 starts this year and won his first two starts following a stint on the disabled list, allowing a run over 13 innings before getting blasted for five runs and nine hits over 5 1/3 frames of a no- decision versus the Giants on Wednesday.
The Brewers are coming off a 5-4 homestand that saw them cap the residency with a three-game sweep of the Pirates. Trevor Hoffman retired the final two batters of the ninth to up his all-time saves total to 599.
Hoffman, who lost his role as the closer to John Axford in late May, owns 29 career saves versus the Reds.
Ryan Braun paced the offense on Sunday with a 4-for-4 showing at the plate, notching a two-run homer while scoring three runs. Chris Dickerson added three RBI for the Brewers, who had dropped four straight before the series.
The Reds have won four of five versus the Brewers this year, including a two- game sweep at home on May 17-18 in the only previous meeting at Cincinnati in 2010.
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The NFL preseason is approaching. Time for players, coaches and teams to turn over a new leaf. General managers have hired some new coaches, while coaches have added some offensive and defensive assistants to try and improve things. Here’s a look at some changes to look for in the preseason.
New York Jets: The Jets were one of the surprise teams in the NFL last season, making the playoffs under hard-driving first-year coach Eric Mangini. Mangini rebuilt the offensive line with rookies D'Brickashaw Ferguson (the No. 4 pick in the 2007 Draft) and Ohio State center (the 29th pick in the first round). This season he upgraded the defense with rookie linebacker David Harris (Michigan) while the secondary picked up a much needed top-notch corner in Pitt CB Darrelle Revis (No. 14 overall).
The Jets have added balance to the offense for QB Chad Pennington with RB Thomas Jones, essentially stolen from the Bears. He will upgrade a New York ground game that was 20th in rushing with a weak 3.5 yards per carry. They have their first true feature back since Curtis Martin. Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer prefers ball control, like his father Marty. In preseason, behind Pennington you’ll see second-year QB Kellen Clemens and mobile newcomer QB Marques Tuiasosopo.
Jacksonville Jaguars: The heat is on Jack Del Rio in Jacksonville as the Jaguars flopped last season despite a ton of talent. Keep in mind that under Del Rio the Jaguars have been outstanding in preseason with a 12-4 SU, 11-5 ATS August mark. online football betting Their defense is loaded, it’s the offense that has been stuck in first gear the last few years.
Enter a new offensive coordinator in Dirk Koetter, the former Boise State and Arizona State pass-happy coach. He will try and upgrade a passing game that ranked 24th last season. Del Rio has criticized wide receivers and Matt Jones this summer, both of whom have battled injuries. It will be interesting to watch the “new” Jaguars passing game in preseason.
Arizona Cardinals: Word out of Arizona is that the players like new coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Steelers offensive coordinator last year. We think of Arizona as all-passing because their running game has been awful of late because of a poor offensive line. However, keep an eye on the running game in preseason as they’ve made a lot of changes.
The new coach brings in Russ Grimm to coach the offensive line (Grimm did a marvelous job building the Steelers line). They took Penn State OT Levi Jones in the first round and signed two offensive linemen, Mike Gandy and Al Johnson, to provide depth. Reggie Wells was moved from right tackle to left guard and they want more speed out of the offensive line for pulling and traps, a Pittsburgh staple under Bill Cowher.
Atlanta Falcons: While all the attention has been focused on QB Mike Vick’s off-field problems, new coach Bobby Petrino is revamping the Falcons from an all-running team to a more balanced one. Petrino likes the experience of backup QB Joey Harrington and he has veteran backup Chris Redman, who used to play for Petrino at Louisville and knows his offenses better than anyone. Petrino wants Vick to be more of a pocket passer.
The addition of FB Ovie Mughelli is a sign Petrino wants a power rushing attack behind a physical fullback and newcomer WR Joe Horn should upgrade what was a below average wideout corps. Petrino is changing their old zone-blocking scheme to a more traditional in-line blocking scheme and the offensive line is bigger. Rookie DE Jamaal Anderson was grabbed in the first round and the secondary got younger with former Auburn cornerback David Irons, who the Falcons think was a steal as a sixth-round pick.
Cleveland Browns: The 2007 Browns look like a double-edged sword. There was the excitement of the offseason, trading for RB Jamel Lewis, upgrading the offensive line with Wisconsin’s Joe Thomas (the No. 2 pick in the draft) and free agent LG Eric Steinbach, then trading for Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn when he fell to No. 22. GM Phil Savage and head coach Romeo Crennel feel they have a talented, balanced offense with these new pieces, plus TE >Kellen Winslow and WR Braylon Edwards.
However, were these moves made in desperation? And were they foolish ones? The Browns gave up their 2008 first-round pick for Quinn and we all know QBs take time to develop. And even first-round QBs can be busts (Joey Harrington, Akili Smith). We also don’t know if the offensive line is that much improved (31st in rushing in 2007) and they did nothing to improve a defense that was awful against the run (142 yds pg allowed).
The Browns have a new offensive coordinator in Rob Chudzinski. This is a young offense and Quinn looked tentative, indecisive and inaccurate early in camp. Crennel will play Charlie Frye, Quinn and Derek Anderson in preseason. And there is a mixed bag for rookie QBs receiving significant starts: Tim Couch (14), Kerry Collins (13), Ben Roethlisberger (13), Vince Young (13), Joey Harrington (12), Matt Leinart (11) and Kyle Boller (nine). While all the focus will be on the Browns new-look offense, I’m more concerned with the defense.
Carolina Panthers: Coach Jon Fox loves the ground game, but Carolina has made some interesting changes for 2007. Fox fired offensive coordinator Dan Henning and brings in Jeff Davidson to run the offense. Davidson has brought in zone-blocking schemes to the Panther offense, a dramatic change for a system that's been built around a power-running style.
In zone-blocking, offensive linemen are responsible for blocking any defender who appears in their zone, instead of focusing on one defender. The Broncos and Falcons have had success with the system, which features smaller, more athletic offensive linemen and can create running lanes on the inside and outside. Keep an eye in preseason on how Carolina adjusts as it will take time to learn the system. Fox has been one of the top coaches in preseason, with a 15-5 SU, 12-7-1 ATS August record.
Dallas Cowboys: WR Terrell Owens is still here, but QB Drew Bledsoe and Bill Parcells are gone. New head coach Wade Phillips takes over, replacing Parcells. He ran the Chargers defense last season. Phillips was chosen by teary-eyed owner Jerry Jones partly because he is one of the best 3-4 coaches in football and the Cowboys have loaded up on players for that scheme.
Remember that Phillips was blitz-happy with the Chargers last season and early reports out of the Dallas camp have mentioned how the Cowboys have been blitzing a lot, a departure from Parcells. The theme of the 2007 Dallas defense appears to be one of attack.
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