week one.

after a phenomenal series against the mets and a not so hot trip to houston, i'd like to give my impressions on the first week of the cincinnati reds' 2005 campaign:

• first of all, opening day was unreal. it was possibly the best baseball game i've ever attended. i missed last year's opener (due to a stomach virus--hey i sound like jason giambi) so this one was even more special having gone two years without an opening day in cincinnati. getting to the game, i have only two things to say really: dunn is a beast and randa is my hero (so far). my brother and i got so excited after randa's walk-off that during the celebration his car keys flew out of his pocket unnoticed and it wasn't until we were halfway out of the park before he realized they were gone.
• the rest of the series against the mets was solid--two good wins. my only problem was with the bullpen, specifically our newly signed veteran relievers, who were a little bit shaky. however, since their first appearances, weathers, weber and merker have been relatively stellar.
• ryan wagner has also been a highlight of this first week. it finally seems like he has put it all together. thank goodness, we needed that. matt belisle has also been a bright point and i believe his collapse in houston should be blamed on miley and gullet who were calling the game, the kid was just doing what he was told.
• and that brings me to the last three games at the juicebox in houston. many people will be quick to blame the reds' pitching for the losses, but that blame is misplaced. the reds' hitting was atrocious this weekend--the hitter's must shoulder the blame for these losses. the reds just could not put baserunners across the plate against houston pitching. on friday and saturday i believe the reds batted 1 for 9 and 2 for 11, respectively, with runners in scoring position--this is unacceptable. i am sure that the reds offense will get locked in eventually (and it might end up being one of the best in the league) but their showing this weekend was pretty pitiful.

i have mixed feelings about the reds' start this year. on one hand the series against the mets was exemplary, on the other hand the reds must be able to beat houston (st. louis and chicago) on the road if they want any chance at contention in the central division. but right now, i just hope they can take a couple from the cards before they "round third and head for home."