Postgame Report: SDP (-130) Loss

It's 8-0 Reds in the bottom of the sixth, I'm writing this one off as a loss and calling it a night.

Nick Martinez has a no-hitter working for Cincinnati, Dylan Cease has given up a pair of homers and is out of the game.  

In a way, tonight's game at The Great American Ballpark has exposed Cease.  He piles up the strikeouts, he struck out eight in the tonight's start, but he is a two pitch pitcher, he doesn't have a third pitch and player's are sitting on his fastball because of it.  The walks are also a concern.  Cease is a durable starter, he has great stuff, but he needs a third pitch if he is going to take his game to the next level.  Tonight's game opened my eyes to his inefficiences, and in some way I am downgrading Cease from a front of the rotation starter to a three.  

Great start for Nick Martinez.  This guy is a complete mystery.  Just when you think he is on the way out he pulls in with a Cadillac.  At age 35, I'm think it's a blip on the radar but credit Martinez with the win tonight.  

The Padres have a good lineup but they have been bad offensively all season.  It's been the crux of their team.  To get sauced like they did tonight, in a way, it has really swung the pendulum.  

Yuki Matsui got blown up in relief of Cease, he has had two bad outings in a row now.  The Padres bullpen is starting to break down and there are 80 games left to play.  Matsui was big for them in the first half.  He has pitched poorly in June and the Padres don't have a lefty arm on the farm to replace him.  

The Padres are more and more looking like a bad team that needs to sell at the deadline and the Reds are on the rise with rookie phenoms Chase Burns and Rhett Lowder both joining the rotation.  

Tonight's start might spark a little interest in Nick Martinez who is surely on the trade block.  I don't think they Reds will get much in return, he has a 21M dollar salary this season, but he could certainly be moved for a low level prospect or two.  

This win is big for the Reds, they are in the playoff hunt and a big game from Spencer Steer (3 HRs tonight) adds a dimension to their lineup that has been missing all season.  The Reds have an offense that can win them some games.  They have one of the best rotations in baseball.  They could be legitimate contenders this season.  The Padres are looking like the pretenders.

What a difference a single game can have on one's perspective.  It is probably overly optimistic (Reds) and overly pessimistic (Padres) but its my honest assessment tonight and it's based on more than this game alone.  The Padres have hit poorly all season.  Their bullpen is breaking down.  Their starting pitching isn't that good.  The Reds have a great rotation.  Their bullpen isn't great but has pitched well and is improving.  Their offense has been hitting the ball well and I'd say they have some more upside potential with McClain having been in a prolonged slump all season and Encarnacion-Strand missing the first two months of the season.  

Two losses in a row for the Pickstreak, after a hot start to June we have also found a slump.  Losing is part of the game.  Losing streaks are inevitable.  We'll try and right the ship tomorrow.