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Saturday, October 03, 2009
| Friday, October 02, 2009
| Thursday, October 01, 2009
| Wednesday, September 30, 2009
| Tuesday, September 29, 2009
The Reds defeated the Cardinals in the opener of their three-game series, with a power show by Jay Bruce. Homer Bailey came up with another fine performance. Bailey gave up one run in seven innings on seven hits and one walk with seven strikeouts. Jared Burton pitched a scoreless inning. Ramon Ramirez gave up a solo homer in the 9th, but got the side. Bruce hit two homers and drove in five runs. He hit a three-run shot in the second and a two-run homer in the 6th. Joey Votto added a solo homer in the 3rd. Brandon Phillips had two hits including a triple. The Reds maintain their hold on fourth place, and may increase it with Houston trailing the Phillies. | Monday, September 28, 2009
The Cincinnati Reds return home for the last six games of the season. First up: the St. Louis Cardinals, who have already clinched the NL Central Division championship. It's just about pride for the Reds, and tuning up for the postseason for the Cardinals. Tuesday night, Homer Bailey and Joel Piniero will start. Wednesday night, Bronson Arroyo and John Smoltz will get the go. Thursday afternoon will see Matt Maloney and Cy Young candidate Chris Carpenter. The Reds are 74-82 after yesterday's loss, and cannot finish at .500. They do still have some remaining goals, however. Joey Votto, at .318, can keep his average above .300. He also needs two more homers to get 25. Brandon Phillips, with 95, is five RBI short of the 100 mark. Jonny Gomes needs one more homer to match his career high of 21. For the pitchers, Bailey can push his ERA under 5.00, and Bronson Arroyo can keep his under 4.00. Arroyo also needs one more victory to reach 15. Francisco Cordero needs one more save to reach 40 on the season. Also, of course, everyone can better themselves somewhat. There is also the matter of jockeying for a job for next year. There is much to be seen in the last week. | I have been writing this blog for seven years now, and it's about time to redecorate the place a little. Got some plans, should be out by the end of the week. Watch this space. | Sunday, September 27, 2009
A halt to the offensive explosion meant an end to the winning streak and an end to the drive for .500. The Reds lost this afternoon to the Astros 3-2. Johnny Cueto was a bit shaky, giving up three runs in 7 1/3 innings on six hits and five walks with five strikeouts. Nick Masset got the last two outs. It wasn't bad pitching, and with better offense would have been enough. Not this day. The Reds got 10 hits but only one was for extra bases. Jonny Gomes had two hits including a double. Ramon Hernandez also had two hits. The Reds now head home for the last six games, starting with three against St. Louis. | Saturday, September 26, 2009
The Reds won their sixth in a row and 10th of their last 12, keeping the dream of .500 alive while increasing their lead on the third place position. Justin Lehr was, well, pitching like a career minor leaguer, but it was good enough for this new explosive Reds offense. Lehr gave up four runs in five innings on six hits and two walks with four strikeouts. He gave up two more home runs. Lehr got the win and now has a 5-2 record. The bullpen did scoreless work. Micah Owings pitched 1 1/3 innings, Danny Herrera 2/3, Nick Masset and Jared Burton one each. Joey Votto had three hits, all doubles. Jay Bruce, Juan Francisco, and Corky Miller had two hits each. Bruce had a homer and a double, Laynce Nix homered, Miller and Kevin Barker had doubles. Bruce also walked twice. Bruce and Nix had three RBI each, Francisco and Miller each had two RBI. Votto and Bruce each scored three runs. Johnny Cueto and Wandy Rodriguez pitch tomorrow in the series finale. | Just finished reading the new book, "The Machine" by Joe Posnanski. It's terrific! Every Reds fan should read it, for the pleasant memory of times gone by. Posnanski worked for a few years as a columnist for the Cincinnati Post, now defunct. He is originally from Cleveland, and in recent years has been a columnist for the Kansas City Star. He was just hired by Sports Illustrated. It is not hyperbole to call Posnanski the greatest sports writer of this generation, as you know if you have read his stuff in the newspaper, SI, or on his blog. Poz spent over a year going back over the original print material, both the newspapers and the books written at the time: nearly all the beat writers of that era put out a book on the team. This book has the perspective of history, and the gift of nostalgia. There is profanity here, so be warned. It's the way most athletes, especially Pete Rose, talk. For those of us who were alive then, it is a trip down memory lane. For those born since, it will be a window into a world only heard about, not experienced. Posnanski takes you right into the clubhouse, right inside the heads of the players, whom he extensively interviewed. Every Reds fan will enjoy this book. | Friday, September 25, 2009
After taking a day of rest, the Reds returned to the Offense That Wouldn't Stop, winning their fifth consecutive game while putting a 10-4 hurting on the Astros. That gives the Reds some breathing room in the race for fourth place. Things got off to a good start when Joey Votto homered in the first inning. The Reds added five more in the second, with Votto hitting a three-run double to cap the rally. After that it was just piling on, including a homer by Jay Bruce. Juan Francisco, a late sub for the scratched Scott Rolen, had three hits. Votto, Drew Stubbs, Paul Janish, Bruce, and Wladimir Balentien had two hits each. Bruce also doubled. Matt Maloney got his second win with seven innings of two-run ball, giving up six hits and no walks with four strikeouts. Pedro Viola got one out but gave up two hits and two runs. He was pulled after Lance Berkman's homer. Ramon Ramirez got the last two outs of the 8th, and Jared Burton pitched a scoreless 9th. Justin Lehr and Felipe Paulino tomorrow night. | The Reds go to Houston this weekend in fourth place, a half-game ahead of the Astros. Winning two of three would solidify their hold, and a sweep would keep alive dreams of reaching the .500 mark. The Reds must win all nine of their remaining games to reach .500. Tonight, Matt Maloney and Brian Moehler will face off on the mound. Tomorrow, Justin Lehr and Felipe Paulino will take the hill. In Sunday afternoon's series finale, Johnny Cueto and Wandy Rodriguez will start. It can be a long road to the end of the season for an also-ran, but having goals can make the process more interesting. Above all else, Reds young and old can work on establishing their bona fides for next year, jockeying for a job. | Thursday, September 24, 2009
The G20 summit is in Pittsburgh, but not many came out to see the ballgame. Cincinnati completed a sweep of Pittsburgh before about 3000 spectators in the afternoon game. Bronson Arroyo got his record back over .500 at 14-13 with seven innings of one-run ball, allowing a homer to Lastings Milledge. Arroyo gave up five hits and one walk with four strikeouts. Nick Masset and Francisco Cordero each pitched scoreless innings, though Cordero gave up two singles and a walk in the 9th. He still got his 39 save of the year. Willy Taveras and Brandon Phillips each had two hits. Drew Sutton and Joey Votto had doubles. Votto drove in two runs, Sutton one, all in the third inning. Phillips also singled home Votto for the four-run total. The Reds now move to Houston to continue their pursuit of a .500 record and fourth place. Baby steps, people, baby steps. | Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Just like last night, when the Reds kept piling on runs, the Cincinnati ballclub just kept scoring and scoring. When the game ended, the Reds were up by a 12-2 decision. Homer Bailey got his sixth win, putting him over .500 at 6-5. Three of those victories are over the Pirates. He gave up two runs in six innings on four hits and three walks. Oddly, he did not strike out anyone. Jared Burton went 1 1/3 scoreless innings, Pedro Viola got two outs, and Ramon Ramirez hurled a scoreless frame. Joey Votto got four of the Reds' 14 hits. Drew Stubbs, Scott Rolen, and Jay Bruce had two hits each. Votto had the only extra-base hits, two doubles. Paul Janish drew two walks. Votto scored three times, Stubbs and Janish twice each. Stubbs stole two bases. Brandon Phillips, Rolen, Bruce, Laynce Nix, and Corky Miller had two RBI each. Nix didn't even have a hit. Bronson Arroyo and Charlie Morton tomorrow afternoon in the series finale. | The Reds won and the Astros lost yesterday, which puts the Cincinnati team into a tie with the Houston club for fourth place in the NL West. Both teams have 70-81 records now. The Reds had been fifth since July 11, when they lost to the Mets. That was the day they fell below the Astros at 42-44. Now, to take over the position by themselves... | Tuesday, September 22, 2009
You know those games when you just can't seem to stop scoring runs? Yeah, I know, not this year. At least not until tonight, as the Reds win in Pittsburgh by a 10-4 score. Johnny Cueto didn't have his best stuff, but still got his 10th win. He gave up two runs in five innings on nine hits with two strikeouts. He didn't walk anybody. Danny Herrera came in and got one out but gave up two hits and was charged with a run. Ramon Ramirez got the last two outs of the 6th while giving up a hit. Arthur Rhodes then pitched a scoreless 7th. Pedro Viola got the first two outs of the 8th, but gave up a hit, a walk, and a run. Carlos Fisher got the last four outs of the game, giving up a hit and walking two but striking out two. Offensively, the Reds got 16 hits. Joey Votto and Scott Rolen each had three. Jonny Gomes and Ramon Hernandez had two each. Votto had three doubles, Rolen two, Gomes and Drew Stubbs one each. Rolen had three RBI and Votto scored three times. Homer Bailey and Kevin Hart tomorrow. | Stubbs CF; Janish, SS; Votto 1B; Phillips 2B; Rolen 3B; Gomes RF; McDonald LF; Hernandez, C; Cueto, P. Yep, that's Darnell McDonald instead of Wladimir Balentien again, with a left-hander on the mound. In related news, Willy Taveras was reactivated from the disabled list. Baker seemed to hint that Taveras might not enter the lineup, bringing up the name of Wally Pipp. However, you and I both know what Dusty is like. Also, this is the first start back for Ramon Hernandez. He was behind the plate for most of Cueto's best work, so that could be a good thing. | The Reds are in Pittsburgh for three games with the Pirates that figure to be lightly attended. Tonight, Johnny Cueto will go for his 10th win as Zach Duke starts for the Pirates. Tomorrow night, Homer Bailey and Kevin Hart are scheduled. Then in a Thursday afternoon matchup, Bronson Arroyo and Charlie Morton will go. The Reds are mostly playing for pride now, but they can set a few small goals and go after them. We'll see how they do. | Monday, September 21, 2009
The Reds have 12 games remaining. They go on the road for three in Pittsburgh followed by three in Houston, then come home to finish the season with three against St. Louis and a final three against the Pirates. What's left to play for? Well, if the Reds can sweep these last 12 games, they will finish at exactly .500. That's right, a 69-81 record can become an 81-81 finish: just win, baby! It's a tough goal, but why not dream? At 11.5 games ahead of Pittsburgh, the Reds have nearly clinched "not finishing last." One more win will take that. If they want to aim a little higher, the Astros are just 1.5 games ahead, and the Brewers are a not-insurmountable 5.5 games ahead. Cincinnati could climb up the ladder. There are also some individual goals to seek. Brandon Phillips needs one more steal for 25, and two more doubles for 30. If he can collect 10 RBI in these last 12 games, he will get to 100. Just four RBI would match his career high. Joey Votto, at .304, could well finish above .300. Jonny Gomes needs just one more homer to match his high for a season. For pitchers, Johnny Cueto needs another win to reach 10, Bronson Arroyo can get his ERA under 4.00, Homer Bailey can go under 5.00. Francisco Cordero's next save will be the 250th of his career. In the meantime, the Reds need to look at a few others as well. Wladimir Balentien should start at least 10 of the last 12 games, to get a better look. Why is Darnell McDonald still starting? Balentien, Drew Stubbs, and Jay Bruce in the OF, with Jonny Gomes on standby. How's that? So,there is something to root for. | Sunday, September 20, 2009
The Reds had a rare offensive explosion while Kip Wells pitched a fine game and took the last game of their series with the Marlins by an 8-1 score. Wells got his second win of the season. Wells pitched seven innings and gave up just five hits and one run. He struck out two. Danny Herrera and Micah Owings pitched a scoreless inning each. The key hit was a three-run homer by Corky Miller (Corky Miller!) Joey Votto also had a two-run homer. Brandon Phillips hit a triple, and Drew Stubbs and Paul Janish each doubled. Stubbs, Janish, Phillips, and Miller each had two hits. Jonny Gomes walked twice. The Reds have Monday off before going on the road for three at Pittsburgh, then three over the weekend at Houston. | The Sunday Enquirer includes some discussion with GM Walt Jocketty about how the team will shape up for next year. Jocketty indicated to John Fay and the rest of the press corps that there are few changes expected in the team. While Jocketty was characteristically noncommital, he indicated that Drew Stubbs was the likely center fielder for 2010, and Paul Janish the early leader for shortstop. Here in a couple of weeks, after the season has comcluded, we will be looking back at 2009 and ahead to 2010. | Rainy day in Cincinnati. May or may not play today, hopefully it will clear some this afternoon. If all else fails, tomorrow is a scheduled off day. | Saturday, September 19, 2009
The Reds lost another game to the Marlins in which they were leading. Bronson Arroyo, asked to protect his own lead because the Reds' main late men recently, Nick Masset and Francisco Cordero, were tired, lost the lead in the 8th. All runs were scored on homers tonight. Drew Stubbs led off the bottom of the first with a shot to center. Jorge Cantu countered in the 5th. Ryan Hanigan hit his third of the year in the 7th, bringing him to 10 RBI for the season. But Ross Gload (Ross Gload!) hit a two-run shot in the 8th to close the scoring. Arroyo gave up three runs in eight innings on six hits and one walk with six strikeouts. A better offense would have gotten him the win. Ramon Ramirez pitched a scoreless 8th. Stubbs and Joey Votto had two hits each, with Votto contributing a double. That was loss #81 for the Reds, who must win all 12 remaining games to finish at .500. | Friday, September 18, 2009
When Francisco Cordero was called in to pitch the 9th last night for the fourth straight game, it was playing with fire. But Cordero pitched well. When he was called in for the fifth straight game tonight, it was too much, and Cordero blew the game. Really, it's not his fault that Homer Bailey doesn't get a win for his terrific game. It's Dusty Baker's fault. Bailey pitched seven shutout innings, giving up three hits and two walks with eight strikeouts. He was terrific all night. Nick Masset then came in for the fourth straight night, and pitched a scoreless 8th. Cordero, called on for the 5th game ina row, gave up four hits and was charged with four unearned runs. The runs were unearned because Wladimir Balentien made an error, but Cordero still gave up the hits. Jared Burton gave up a double and a walk but then got the last out. Drew Sutton (starting at shortstop) and Joey Votto had two hits each. Sutton had a triple, Brandon Phillips a double, and Juan Francisco hit a solo homer in the 9th as a pinch-hitter. Bronson Arroyo and Ricky Nolasco tomorrow night. | Former Red Lonny Frey, second baseman on the 1939 and 1940 clubs that won pennants, has died at age 99 at home in Idaho. You may remember that the third baseman on those clubs, Billy Werber, died in January at age 100. That's a long-lived infield. First baseman Frank McCormick lived to 71, shortstop Billy Myers to 84. Backup Eddie Joost is still living at age 93. | Thursday, September 17, 2009
The Reds got three runs in the first inning and held on to beat the Florida Marlins 3-2 Thursday night. The win marked the fourth in a row for the Cincinnati team. Darnell McDonald led off the bottom of the first with a solo homer, then Paul Janish doubled, Joey Votto and Scott Rolen walked, and Jay Bruce hit a broken-bat two-run single to make the score 3-0. The Reds didn't get another run, but it was enough this night. McDonald had two hits, Votto and Rolen each walked twice. Brandon Phillips and Jonny Gomes had later doubles, but none was involved in scoring. The Reds got just six hits with five walks. Matt Maloney got his first big-league win with five innings of two-run ball. He gave up seven hits and a walk and struck out three. Maloney tossed four shutout inning, then gave up two runs in the fifth. He was followed by four relievers: Ramon Ramirez, Arthur Rhodes, Nick Masset, and Francisco Cordero, who each tossed a scoreless inning. Homer Bailey and Rick Vanden Hurk tomorrow night. | The Reds will host the Florida Marlins for four games in an extended weekend series. Tonight, Matt Maloney will start for flu-bug ridden Johnny Cueto against Anibal Sanchez. Friday night, Homer Bailey and Rick Vanden Hurk will get the go-ahead. Saturday night, Bronson Arroyo and Ricky Nolasco are slated. Then in the Sunday afternoon finale, Kip Wells and Sean West are scheduled to start. The Reds stand 67-79 and in 5th place in the NL Central. While the team has been eliminated from the pennant race, a .500 record is still mathematically possible, if unlikely. Cincinnati is now a comfortable 11 games ahead of the Pirates to stay out of last place, and after the sweep of Houston trails the Astros by only three games for fourth place. Milwaukee is only a half-game beyond that. Dare to dream.... | Wednesday, September 16, 2009
It's not often that you give up five home runs but win the game, but that's what happened to the Reds tonight. It was enough to give the Reds a sweep of the Astros and a leg up on gaining fourth place in the NL Central. Justin Lehr gave up five home runs among eleven hits in five innings of work, but amazingly all five homers were solo shots. He also struck out six, far more than in any of his other starts. It was a weird start for Lehr, who succeeded almost in spite of himself, by not allowing the big fly at the most inopportune time. Pedro Viola came in and got one out, but allowed a hit and a walk and yielded to Jared Burton, who went 1 2/3 scoreless innings in cleaning up the mess. Nick Masset and Francisco Cordero followed with a scoreless inning each. Jonny Gomes and Drew Stubbs had solo homers, Brandon Phillips had three hits, Stubbs, Joey Votto, and Wladimir Balentien two each. Balentien had a double. Lehr brought home a run on a squeeze play, reaching on an error. Votto also walked twice. Tomorrow begins a series with the Marlins. | Tuesday, September 15, 2009
The Reds won the second game of the series with Houston, even with nemesis Roy Oswalt making the start. That's the great thing about baseball, you just don't know what will happen. It looked like another of those Oswalt games at the beginning, when the Astros scored three runs off Kip Wells in the top of the first. Then came the bottom of the first, and leadoff man Drew Stubbs took Oswalt deep, signalling that this wasn't your father's Oswalt game. The Reds got two runs, and kept things close. The Astros scored another in the 3rd to go up 4-2, but the Reds got two to tie it in the 6th, and got the winning run in the 7th then held on for a 5-4 win. Wells gave up four runs in 6 2/3 on five hits and two walks with one strikeout. Most of the damage was in the first. Danny Herrera got one out to finish the 7th, and ended up with the win. Nick Masset struck out the side on one hit in the 8th and Francisco Cordero finished with a scoreless 9th. Paul Janish had three hits, all doubles, and Joey Votto had two doubles. Scott Rolen also had a double in addition to Stubbs's homer. Rolen had two RBI, Janish scored twice. Justin Lehr and Yorman Bazardo will finish the series tomorrow night. | Monday, September 14, 2009
It took awhile for anyone to get on the board in this game, with the Astros putting up a run in the 6th. That was the only one they would score, and the Reds managed to get three, so it was a 3-1 win for the Cincinnati club. Bronson Arroyo gave up one run in seven innings on six hits, didn't walk anybody and struck out six. Arthur Rhodes began the 8th and got two outs, but gave up a hit and yielded to Nick Masset who retired Carlos Lee. Francisco Cordero then pitched a scoreless 9th. The Reds got just seven hits but Jonny Gomes and Ryan Hanigan had doubles, and Brandon Phillips a solo homer. Juan Francisco made his major league debut, striking out as a pinch-hitter. Jay Bruce also got back into the lineup, pinch-hitting a two-run single and making some catches in the outfield. Kip Wells and Roy Oswalt tomorrow. | This week would be the time to make a move on fourth place, as the Astros are in town. The Houston series shapes up thusly: tonight, Bronson Arroyo and Wandy Rodriguez will start. Tuesday, Kip Wells and Roy Oswalt will pitch. Wednesday night, Justin Lehr and Bud Norris (yes, "Bud" Norris) will start. The Reds trail the Astros by six games in the standings, but can make up some ground with a good series. To finish above .500, they must lose no more than once the rest of the season. | Sunday, September 13, 2009
The Reds lost to the Cubs 5-2, to finish 4-6 on their road trip. The loss mathematically elimiated the Reds from the NL Central race. It was also the first time Ted Lilly had beaten the Reds in Wrigley Field. It was actually 5-0 going into the 9th, when Drew Stubbs hit a single to bring home Darnell McDonald and Adam Rosales. Yes, this means McDonald started instead of Wladimir Balentien again. And yet, Dusty Baker has still not been fired. Stubbs, McDonald, and Paul Janish had two hits each. Janish and McDonald had two doubles each. Scott Rolen and Rosales also had doubles. Homer Bailey started the game fine, but gave up three runs in the fourth. He allowed three runs over 5 1/3 innings on nine hits and two walks with nine strikeouts. Pedro Viola got one out, then Jared Burton pitched 1 1/3 innings and gave up one run on a homer with three strikeouts. Carlos Fisher also gave up a run in one inning. The Reds now head home for three with Houston and four with Florida. | Saturday, September 12, 2009
It was a see-saw affair with the Reds breaking on top and the Cubs coming back to tie, but Cincinnati managed to end the game on top. It was a final of 7-5. Once again Johnny Cueto did well early then hit the wall after about five innings. He pitched four innings of one-hit ball, then ended up allowing three runs in 5 1/3 innings on four hits and three walks with three strikeouts. Danny Herrera got one out but also walked one. Ramon Ramirez got the last out in the 6th but walked two in the 7th and ended up charged with two runs as they scored, as Nick Masset gave up two hits in getting two outs in the 7th and got hit with a blown save. Then Arthur Rhodes and Francisco Cordero each pitched a scoreless inning. Darnell McDonald and Brandon Phillips each had two hits. Drew Sutton had the only extra-base hit, a pinch-double that brought home the two winning runs in the 9th. Homer Bailey and Ted Lilly tomorrow afternoon. | Friday, September 11, 2009
The highs of a seven-game winning streak have given way to the lows of a five-game losing streak, as the Reds drop the opener of a three-game series to the Chicago Cubs. The final score was 6-4. Justin Lehr had a rough outing, allowing five runs in 4 2/3 innings on five hits and three walks with one strikeout. Jared Burton went 1 1/3 scoreless, Danny Herrera one scoreless, and Nick Masset gave up two hits and a run in the 8th. Jonny Gomes hit a three-run homer in the 6th that was most of the Reds' offense. Joey Votto had two singles, while Drew Stubbs and Paul Janish each walked twice. It's just that the four runs scored that would have often been enough in many games this year wasn't enough this time. Tomorrow afternoon, Johnny Cueto and Randy Wells. | The Reds are in Chicago for three games with the Cubs, all afternoon tilts. Today, Justin Lehr and Rich Harden will start a game that begins at 2:20 PM Eastern time. Tomorrow, a 1 PM start will be the day for Johnny Cueto and Randy Wells. Sunday is a 2:20 go time for Homer Bailey and Ted Lilly. The Reds will try to recover from four straight losses at the hands of the Rockies. | Thursday, September 10, 2009
A 5-1 loss means the Reds were swept in four straight by the Rockies. Good news for the Rockies, who are in the postseason race, but a big bump in the road for also-ran Cincinnati. Colorado put up five runs in the third inning off starter Kip Wells, which finished the game quickly. Wells allowed those five runs in his five innings on six hits and three walks with three strikeouts. Ramon Ramirez pitched two scoreless innings and Pedro Viola one. Brandon Phillips had three hits and Joey Votto two, including a double, on his 26th birthday. That was five of the Reds' seven hits, the others were by Jonny Gomes and returning Ryan Hanigan. The only run scored in the first, when Paul Janish walked in front of Votto and Phillips hits. Never again could they string that together. The Reds move on to Chicago for three afternoon contests over the weekend. | After sweeping two series, the Reds got the third of four in Colorado, dropping this game of the series by a 4-3 score. If there is a consolation in this, it is that the Reds were not blown out in any of the games, but played very close to the contending Rockies. The Rockies scratched together two runs in the third inning off starter Bronson Arroyo, and there the score stood for most of the game. The Reds scored two in the 8th to tie on doubles by Wladimir Balentien, Darnell McDonald, and Kevin Barker, then went ahead when Scott Rolen homered in the 9th. However, Francisco Cordero allowed two hits and two walks in the 9th as the Rockies pushed home two runs. Arroyo gave up two runs in seven innings on five hits and two walks with four strikeouts. Arthur Rhodes got two outs and Nick Masset one in the 8th before the horrid 9th. The Reds got just five hits, all for extra base: the one I haven't mentioned yet is Paul Janish's double in the first, the team's only hit until that 8th inning. Afternoon game today with Kip Wells and Jose Contreras. | Wednesday, September 09, 2009
The good news is, the Reds' pitching and defense have been able to limit the Rockies' offense, even at altitude. The bad news is, the Reds have not been able to produce offensively themselves, and so have now lost two games in Denver. The score Tuesday night was 3-1. The Reds had just four hits and four walks. Drew Stubbs, Wladimir Balentien, Craig Tatum, and pinch-hitter Drew Sutton had singles. Jonny Gomes struck out three times. It was not a good night for Cincinnati offense. Matt Maloney had a fine start, giving up one run in five innings on four hits and no walks with two strikeouts before leaving with a blister. Pedro Viola made his major league debut and gave up a homer to the first batter he faced, but allowed just that one run in two innings of work. Danny Herrera gave up one run in his one inning. Bronson Arroyo and Jason Hammel tonight. | Monday, September 07, 2009
The seven-game winning streak is over. Cincinnati had a lead, but the Rockies came back and took a 4-3 decision, as the bullpen couldn't hold them back and the offense couldn't produce more. Homer Bailey had good stuff though his control was shaky. When he gets that going, the guy will be an ace. As it was, he went 5 2/3 innings and gave up one run on five hits and five walks with six strikeouts. Nick Masset got the last out of the 6th. Arthur Rhodes pitched the 7th and gave up two runs as the Rockies got two scratch hits and a walk. Carlos Fisher got two outs, but gave up two hits including the homer that was the game-winner. Danny Herrera got the last out. Brandon Phillips and Scott Rolen had two hits each, Jonny Gomes had a two-run homer. The Reds had eight hits, three walks, and just three runs at altitude. Matt Maloney and Jason Marquis tomorrow night. | The Reds head to Denver for a series with the Rockies, trying to extend their seven-game winning streak and make an assault on third place. Cincinnati is playing their best ball of the season now, even with Justin Lehr and Kip Wells in the rotation. Weird. This afternoon at (just after) 3:00 PM eastern time, Homer Bailey and Ubaldo Jiminez will start. Tomorrow night, Matt Maloney and Jason Marquis will start. Wednesday night, Bronson Arroyo and Jason Hammel will go to the mound. Then in the Thursday afternoon finale of the four-game set, Kip Wells and Jose Contreras are scheduled. The Rockies are battling for the wild card spot in the playoffs with the Giants, so they have big incentive to win. Of course, the Braves were trying to get back into that race when the Reds swept them and knocked them out. The Rockies have won three in a row and five of six, but lost five in a row before that. Let's go Reds! | Sunday, September 06, 2009
The Reds played another extra-inning game, and got their seventh consecutive win as they defeated the Braves 4-2. It was not without its scary moments. Drew Stubbs had three hits, including an eighth-inning solo homer (which tied the game at 2-2) and a triple. The Reds had scored in the third when Johnny Cueto, Stubbs, and Darnell McDonald opened it with singles. They got the two to win the game in the 12th on a walk to Joey Votto, a fly out, a single by Scott Rolen, a walk to Wladimir Balentien, and a pitch that bounced off the helmet of Micah Owings. Owings dropped like a rock, but walked off the field under his own power doubtless with his head ringing. Corky Miller hit a sacrifice fly to bring home another. Cueto allowed one run in six innings on three hits and two walks with nine strikeouts. Jared Burton came in but had nothing, giving up a homer and then another hit before being yanked for Danny Herrera, who went 1 2/3 scoreless innings, then gave way to Nick Masset, who worked 1 1/3 scoreless. Owings pitched two scoreless, then Francisco Cordero got the side in the 12th to end it. On to Colorado next. | Saturday, September 05, 2009
The Reds got runs in only one inning, the 6th, but fortunately they got three then and it was enough. A strong start by Kip Wells led the team to a win, aided by a Joey Votto homer. Wells pitched six one-hit shutout innings, with four walks and four strikeouts. Nick Masset gave up one run in the 7th. Arthur Rhodes had a solid 8th, then Francisco Cordero walked a tightrope in the 9th but escaped. The Reds got just four hits but it was enough. Votto homered, Brandon Phillips doubled, Scott Rolen singled (all in the 6th) and Craig Tatum also singled, the only hit not in the 6th. Timing is, after all, everything. The Reds will try to sweep their second consecutive series tomorrow afternoon, with Johnny Cueto and Tim Hudson starting. | Both teams had just one hit through five innings, before Janish walked and Votto homered. Then Phillips doubled. A Rolen single brings him in for a 3-0 lead. | Scoreless in the 6th, Joey Votto just hit a long homer to straightaway center for a two-run shot. 2-0 Reds. Kip Wells throwing a shutout! Who knew? | |
