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Wood set to make debut for Reds
Written by Dave Biddle   
Thursday, 01 July 2010 10:17

Travis Wood was my pick to win the Reds' No. 5 starter job coming out of spring training. They picked Mike Leake instead. This is why I'm blogging and they are running a baseball team.

However, the 23-year-old Wood will make his Major League debut today against the Cubs and I'm very intrigued about the situation. He is a 5-foot-10 lefty that certainly won't blow anyone away with his fastball that usually tops off at 91-92 MPH, however, he has a mean cutter and a really nice change-up. He was the Reds' minor league pitcher of the year last season (13-5, 1.77 ERA, 167.2 IP, 121 H, 53 BB, 135 K at AA-AAA combined) and has backed it up with a strong season this year at Triple-A Louisville (5-6, 3.12 ERA, 98 IP, 83 H, 23 BB, 97 K). Ignore that win-loss record this year and look at his strikeouts-per-inning (nearly a 1:1 ratio) and the amount of hits he's given up. The guy might not blow batters away, but he's definitely tough to hit.

And he gets to make his debut at Wrigley Field - it doesn't get much better than that for a road game. Going for Chicago will be Carlos Silva, who has pitched anything but like Carlos Silva this year. His luck will run out eventually - you can count on it. Thus far in 2010, Silva is having a career-year (8-2, 3.01 ERA). Not bad for a guy the Cubs got for Milton Bradley who makes Ron Artest look sane.

Anyway, enough about the dysfunctional Cubs (Carlos Zambrano melting down again was about as surprising as Kosuke Fukudome's yearly swoon after a hot start to the season). They are down and it's time for the Reds to kick ‘em in this four-game series (all day games of course - I love it). Can Wood get things started in style, or will he be too nervous in his first MLB start? We'll find out soon enough.



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Comments (2)Add Comment
Silva v Wood
written by Simpson, July 01, 2010
The Cubs have lost Silva's last 3 starts. He hasn't been bad, but he can be chased early. His longest outing of the year is 7 innings (4) and he has gone just 5 a few times even though he didn't give up runs. Cubs bullpen is not Cincinnati bad, but it isn't great by any stretch. Need to get to Silva early and work the count and then hit the pen.

I have never seen Wood pitch and am excited to. Hopefully a good game. Still find it strange that this is a Thurs day game coming from a travel. I know it is Chicago and that is why, but just strange to me.
...
written by davebiddle, July 01, 2010
Yeah, I see what you're saying. It is rare to have a day game for a road team that played the previous day. However, I'm just so used to it with Wrigley. Night games just never feel right there.

Nice start to the game! Hopefully they keep it going.

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About Three Way Chili

This is a blog devoted to the Cincinnati Bengals and the Cincinnati Reds, with some occasional commentary on items from elsewhere in the sports world. Those are the three ingredients that make up this heaping plate of Three-Way Chili.

As for some background on the site...

Publisher Dave Biddle has been a sports journalist since 1999.

He is currently the assistant editor of the Bucknuts Media Network in Columbus, Ohio, where he covers Ohio State football and basketball. He also writes occasional stories for ESPN.com, which Bucknuts.com is affiliated with.

Biddle has also written a book during his career. He is the author of the "Troy Smith Story: The uncensored biography of Ohio State's Heisman-winning quarterback." It was published in August of 2008.

Biddle has served as the sports editor of a pair of Ohio newspapers: the Kettering-Oakwood Times in the Dayton area (1999-2000), and the Madison Press in London (2000-04).

A '99 graduate of Wright State University - where he was the sports editor of the campus paper The Guardian for two years - Biddle resides in the Columbus area with his wife and two daughters.

As a lifelong Cincinnati Bengals and Cincinnati Reds fan, he has put himself through far too much pain over the years. But alas, he can finally vent (and celebrate the few occasions when something goes right for the Cincy pro sports teams) thanks to Three-Way Chili.

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