Aaron Kennelly

Nice.

The Reds had a chance to end their streak of consecutive games in which the bullpen gave up a run. Instead, they chose to let J.J. Hoover pitch in the 9th.

Richard?

Cy Hendricks.

Really good start for Hendricks, when we probably needed one the most. Two AAA retreads in the lineup. Dexter thrown out. Going up against another good starter.

Come on, Addi, you're not Javy.

Hell of a throw. But, he looks safe.

Zobrist!

He didn't put his hands up! How are you telling KB to stop?

Seal Boy ain't messing around.

Yay! That's probably the best way to get him out.

!

Fantastic.

Just one? I meant get one, counting just this inning. I'm not too greedy.

Good start for Hendricks. Let's get a dong.

You really need Taylor's speed at the top of the lineup, though. It's not like they have an MVP in the 3-hole that is able to drive guys in.

Not today, Murphy.

Seal Boy!

Hey, let's get a nice, big lead early.

Good start.

Usually I cringe a little when I hear the phrase "pitch to contact." With most pitch-to-contact guys, they aren't actually trying to pitch to contact. Really, they just don't have the type of stuff to miss bats. So, sorry, buddy, but you aren't trying to pitch to contact, you just have no other option. What you are actually trying to do is avoid hard contact, by not leaving the ball in dangerous spots. With Arrieta I'm totally cool with him when he says he is trying to pitch to contact, because, surprise, he's also better at that than anyone else, too. So, when he says after a no-hitter that he was trying to pitch to contact, I believe him. All you have to do is look at the fact that he threw more fastballs in that game than in any other of his games as a Cub. This might be due, partly, to him having an elevated pitch count and wanting to be able to advance deeper into the game. But this dude seriously was trying to pitch to contact in a freaking no-hitter. I would imagine most other guys are trying to strike everyone out when they have a no-no going on. "Why leave it to chance? I'll handle this myself." Arrieta has so much confidence that he is going to get guys out that he's willingly letting them put the ball in play during a no-hitter. With some pitchers, they might not have much choice in the matter. But, he clearly has the ability to punch guys out. And, yet, he has enough confidence in his stuff that he is pitching to contact, simply so that he can finish off his no-no while exuding less energy. That's nuts.

http://www.ivyleaguelifestyle.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/GIF-bitch-please-contempt-deadpan-disbelief-good-John-Cleese-Monty-Python-o-rly-really-skeptical-stare-stupid-GIF.gif I should have explained myself better. Obviously Jake Arrieta will be fine. I meant, in regards to him being God-mode Arrieta of last year. I think he can still be that good even if he gives up contact more often.

Honestly, I think two things are happening. Firstly, he hasn't been as sharp as he was last year. I'm talking about the walks mainly. His command has been a little off at times. Secondly, I think he has figured out the secret to generating soft contact. And he already had last year. That is by throwing ridiculous pitches with ridiculous movement, and being able to throw a bunch of different pitches equally as well. He's just a hard guy to square up. But, this year, he may have taken the soft contact idea to the next level, by realizing that he has Addison Russell, Javy Baez, Jason Heyward, et al,. behind him. If you have that good of a defense, and guys aren't going to inflict major damage against you, why not just let those fellas behind you do what they do? It's obvious everyone wants him to stay fresh. So let's save some bullets by having him get through innings quicker. Pitch to contact until you get in trouble, then try to wipe guys out. He hasn't been quite as good, but I think he'll be absolutely fine, with his stuff and the defense we have.

For a millisecond I wanted to get angry and start typing, then I just threw my hands up and laughed. Who cares? Have fun in Washington, Dusty. I will, however, get angry is Jesse Rogers or one of the writers goes back down the 'Dusty is actually a great manager' road. We've always known Dusty and his philosophy/approach were dumb. I'm hoping the people that cover this team can see that after the last 18 months or so. http://gifrific.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Ron-Swanson-Says-Dont-Even-Care.gif

For a millisecond I wanted to get angry and start typing, then I just threw my hands up and laughed. Who cares? Have fun in Washington, Dusty.