Boomer Report: Up's and Down's of an early baseball season

Even UT player Xavier Paul got in on the action last Friday night, with
his GS home-run vs. the Nationals in a 15-0 shutout win.

The second week of the season, the Reds and Indians have sure seen themselves in some high-scoring affairs, both on the winning side and the losing side (mostly, the Indians). Scores for the Reds like 15-0, 13-4, and a disappointing 10-0 loss yesterday afternoon. As for the Indians, they followed up back-to-back shutout losses over the past weekend, with a 13-0 blowout victory on Sunday and have lost by scores of 10-8, 11-6, and 14-1. As fans all-around, freak out about their team's fast-start or their team's slow-start, remember it's only April folks, we got a long ways to go, and we don't need to start FREAKING OUT already. Hang in there.

Afternoon delight! The Tribe hammered AL Cy Young winner David Price,
in the team's 13-0 victory down in St. Pete last Sunday.

The Indians started out the season winners of their first two games up in Toronto, but were out-slugged in the series finale last Thursday night against the Blue Jays. It was nice to see the Indians take a series vs. most-people's pre-season favorite in the AL East. However, the Jays haven't really got off to the best of starts, for a potential contender, most notability, their 38-year old knuckleball pitcher R.A. Dickey. With the hot-start up in Canada, the Indians headed down south, to face another AL East squad, the Tampa Bay Rays. The first two games of that series, saw the Indians muster out just SEVEN hits in the two games, with losses of 4-0 and 6-0. Following the back-to-back shutouts, the Indians rebounded very nicely against the reining AL Cy Young award winner David Price (pitched above), crushing 5 HR's and producing 13 runs on 17 hits in a 13-0 blowout.

The Indians on their season-opening 6-game road trip went 3-3, and the team had their eye's set on traveling back home for their home opener on Monday night, vs. the NY Yankees in a four-game series. In the first two games of the series however, the Indians, have been outscored by a total of 25-7, as the Yankees line-up (which now includes, former Tribe DH Travis Hafner) have just T'ed off on the starting pitching of the Cleveland Indians. Thankfully, mother nature PPD last night's national televised game, to spare the potential embarrassment the Indians were in for on another night up in Believeland. The starting pitching was a big concern heading into the season, and the guys that have taken the mound this week, haven't changed the minds of many on that topic, for if the Indians continue to get that kind of starting pitching, it could be a long-summer up in Cleveland. Let's hope in tonight's series finale, the Indians can get a game against the Yankees, before hosting their AL Central rivals the Chicago White Sox for three games this weekend, and then a four-game series vs. the Boston Red Sox next week. Go Tribe!

Carlos Santana's perfect afternoon at the plate vs. the Rays.

Shin-Soo Choo's two error's in centerfield did not cost,
the Reds during their game on Monday vs. the Cardinals.

Every team has that one team, they just seem to never be able to beat. For the Cincinnati Reds, looks like their kryptonite once again, are their division foes, the St. Louis Cardinals. Following their series winning 5-4 victory last Thursday vs. the mighty LA Angels, the Reds took two out of three games over the weekend vs. the Washington Nationals in front of their fans at GABP. In the series, vs. the Nats, the Reds enjoyed a 15-0 rout (well, everyone besides this gentlemen, it looks like), and followed that up with a 6-3 rubber match win on Sunday afternoon against the Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg. In the series, the Reds outscored the Nationals, 27-10, and won another series against a high-powered team.

Following the 6-game homestand to start the season, the Reds went on the road for the first time, in St. Louis for a three-game series this week. After winning the series opener 13-4 (Reds scored 9 runs in the 9th inning), the Reds fell 5 to 1 on Tuesday night, then were shutout by veteran SP Jake Westbrook yesterday afternoon, 10 to 0. The Reds now have to shake off the series loss vs. their division rivals, as they take on another NL Central foe this weekend, the Pittsburgh Pirates on the road for three-games. Following the Pirates series, the Reds return home next week for series' against NL East squads, the Philadelphia Phillies (3-games) and the Miami Marlins (4-games). Go Redlegs!