Can't Get No (#Reds) Satisfaction

by: @Redlegs_Writer
The Reds currently sit at 60-63, 12.5 games behind the first place Milwaukee Brewers and as much as you hate to hear it, are no longer playoff contenders, and haven't been for a little while now. That is not very satisfying to fans of the defending NL Central Champions who had very realistic hopes of repeating, yet we (at least I do) continue to watch and see what will happen hanging onto that thread-like hope that the Redlegs will make a storybook run to October. The real question now is what outcome for the Reds could come close to satisfying you if any at all, knowing that barring a miracle run, and devastating collapse by the Brewers, the Reds will not be playing in the postseason.

The obvious first scenario is finishing over .500. Currently three games under, this is not at all a stretch and there's something about winning more games than you lose that just makes you feel good. However, would that be good enough for you?

Bruce is having a career
year in 2011.

The Reds are in third place, trailing the Cardinals by 5.5 games, and leading the Pirates by 1.5 games. Is the only thing that could possibly make you happy at this point seeing the Redlegs overtake the Cardinals and finishing in second place or would it be good enough for you as long as they stay in front of the Bucs? For reference, they have three games remaining vs the Cards in St. Louis on September 2nd, 3rd, and 4th (I'm going to try and go to a couple of those), while they have six remaining vs. the Pirates starting a 3-game set tomorrow, and finishing with them September 23rd, 24th, and 25th.

Perhaps at this point it doesn't matter to you what the team does if it doesn't involve going to the playoffs. Maybe you just want to see certain players finish strong, or others get back on track.

Will it make you happiest to see a guy like Jay Bruce finish the season strong and end up with 30+ HR and 100+ RBI? He currently has 26 HR and 80 RBI. He'll most likely reach the 30 HR plateau with ease, but with his inconsistency will have to do some work to get to 100 RBI. He had 33 in May, and has 17 through August, but didn't have more than 12 in any other month this season.

Mesoraco is ready to take
the catching reins
in Cincinnati.

Perhaps all you want to see is Devin Mesoraco in a Reds uniform, catching the ace Johnny Cueto and smacking the baseball around Great American. He's hitting .291 with 13 HR and 62 RBI down in Louisville right now. Is that all you're looking forward to for the rest of this season?

Speaking of Johnny Cueto, he's probably got about 7 or 8 starts left, and is currently 9-5 with a league leading 1.89 ERA. Is all you want to end the season with a continually dominant Johnny Cueto who ends up with about 13 or 14 wins, while hanging on to his sub-2 ERA?
I would love to see the Reds finish above .500 (finishing ahead of the filthy Cardinals would be a bonus to me), while Jay #Bruuuuuce finishes a career year with 35 HR and 105 RBI.

What about you? Can the Reds give you any satisfaction this year?