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Wednesday, May 30, 2012
The Reds lost a one-run game in Pittsburgh tonight, bringing a disappointing close to a successful run of twenty games in twenty days. With Joey Votto getting a rest, the final was 2-1. Votto got a rest even though the Reds have two of the next five days off. I know the guy must be tired, bur really? Anyway, Johnny Cueto pitched seven innings and gave up just two runs on five hits and four walks with five strikeouts. Sean Marshall got one out and Logan Ondrusek two. The Reds got just four hits, two by Chris Heisey. They also drew three walks, two by Drew Stubbs. Zack Cozart and a pinch-hitting Votto got the other hits, Mike Costanzo the other walk. Cozart's hit was a double, the only Cincinnati blow for extra bases. The Reds head from Pittsburgh to Houston for three over the weekend with the Astros. | The start of the game was delayed nearly two hours by rain, but when it got underway Homer Bailey got rolling and went the entire nine innings. The offense collected twelve hits, and the Reds beat the Pirates 8-1. Bailey stymied the sleepy Bucco bats, giving up just four hits and one walk with five strikeouts. He allowed just one extra-base hit. Bailey threw 103 pitches in his full-game effort. Cincinnati scored twice in the second, twice more in the fourth, and never looked back. Jay Bruce had three hits, including two doubles. Brandon Phillips and Todd Frazier had two hits each. Frazier had a triple and a double. Joey Votto hit a double. The Reds close out their Pittsburgh series with a Wednesday night game. | Monday, May 28, 2012
The Reds had trouble hitting James McDonald, and Bronson Arroyo was not sharp, so the Reds lost their Memorial Day game in Pittsburgh. The final score was 4-1. Arroyo gave up four runs in four innings on eight hits and a walk with one strikeout. Alfredo Simon threw three scoreless innings of relief, and J.J. Hoover one. Cincinnati got just six hits, two by Ryan Hanigan. Hanigan had the only blow for extra bases, a double. Joey Votto scored the run and Chris Heisey drove him in. The series continues tomorrow night. | Sunday, May 27, 2012
This is a review of Rick Morrissey's new book about Ozzie Guillen, titled "Ozzie's School of Management." I received this book free as a review copy. So there's that. For his first book, Morrissey picks an interesting subject in Guillen. The profane, voluble Venezuelan is never dull to be around, and that shows up in this book. Guillen has a natural talent for stirring things up and attracting publicity. He was a favorite of the Chicago press for his availability and quotable nature (once you bleeping out about half the words) and he is no less interesting here. Language alert: the author and editor do not censor Guillen in the book. Lots of four-letter words, especially ones starting with the letter "f". The major problem with the book is the struggle the author has with moving from the world of newspaper column writing to operating at book-length. It's a big change and Morrissey struggles with it. The chapters in the first half of the book feel very repetitive. There is an attempt to write an introduction and then chapters based on different aspects of Guillen's managerial philosophy, but the author has limited success with the format. It's a lot of, "Boy, that crazy Ozzie, he'll say anything and he sure does cuss a lot." Not until the second half of the book does Morrissey show more skill at separating into chapters. One way to write a book is chronologically, which has the benefit of mimicking the way we live our lives. It feels right to us to see something written out in sequence as it occurs. We tend to assume such is true even when it is not, because it feels right to us, and that is why a movie like "Benjamin Button," which plays with our perceptions, seems so strange. Morrissey chooses not to do that, instead looking at Guillen's managerial stint in Chicago more by themes, and the execution does not always work out. He also pays little attention to the past or Guillen's playing career, except briefly as background. It's a choice that can work, but the book feels choppy, with sentences crafted more in the style of newspaper writing than book writing. For all that, Morrissey has chosen his subject well, because the story of Ozzie Guillen holds the interest and will keep the pages turning. For all the faults of the book, the story wins out. Guillen, his family, and the politics of decision-making in the major leagues are all on display here. Fans who can't understand why baseball teams aren't run in real life like they run their fantasy teams may learn something here, and others will just be entertained. I recommend the story of the never-boring Ozzie Guillen. | Another barrage of homers was hit, and the Reds defeated the Colorado Rockies 7-5 in their Sunday afternoon game. Aroldis Chapman was used to close out the game by getting the last FIVE outs, starting with the #3 hitter. Now that's managing a bullpen, Dusty! It all started as a home run duel. Joey Votto hit a solo homer in the first, Colorado's Troy Tulowitski answered in the second, Jay Bruce answered back in the bottom of that inning. In the third, Mat Latos was hit by a pitch and two outs later Votto singled, so two were on when Brandon Phillips hit his homer, making it 5-1. Carlos Gonzalez got one back for the Rockies in the fourth, then in the bottom Todd Frazier hit another solo shot then Ryan Hanigan singled, Latos bunted him to second, and Zack Cozart doubled to score the catcher. The Reds were up 7-2, and would score no more. Meanwhile Latos was still giving up solo homer, one in the fifth and one in the sixth. He hit for himself in the seventh and came out for the eighth in spite of the heat, got one out but gave up his fifth homer to make it 7-5. Jose Arredondo was called in to quell the fire, but a walk and a fielding misplay put runners at the corners with one out. Dusty waved in the tall Cuban with the fastball to match the heat of the day, and he retired the Rockies' 3 and 4 hitters to choke off the rally, then gave up a walk to start the ninth but got a lineout and a ground ball double play to end the game. Latos gave up five runs on five hits in 7 1/3 innings with no walks and three strikeouts. Arredondo got no outs, Chapman five. Votto and Phillips had two hits each, Ryan Ludwick walked twice. The Reds hit the road for series with Pittsburgh and Houston. The team hits the road in first place! | Saturday, May 26, 2012
The Reds got back in the win column Saturday night, defeating the Rockies by a 10-3 score. They did this despite a rough start by Mike Leake, with a relentless offense. Leake struggled, giving up nine hits in just 3 2/3 innings, and throwing 84 pitches in getting those 11 outs. He managed to get away with just three runs scoring, partly because he walked only one, striking out four. The bullpen took over and shut things down after that. J.J. Hoover pitched 1 1/3, Sam Lecure two, Logan Ondrusek and Sean Marshall one inning each. The offense, meanwhile, was tearing it up. Brandon Phillips had three hits, Joey Votto and Chris Heisey two each. Heisey hit a three-run homer in the first inning, Devin Mesoraco hit a solo shot in the fourth, and Ryan Ludwick pinch-hit a three-run shot in the 7th to wrap things up. Votto had two doubles, Leake and Jay Bruce one each. The three-game series wraps up Sunday afternoon with Mat Latos and Jaime Moyer pitching. | Friday, May 25, 2012
Joey Votto had four hits but Johnny Cueto had a rough start and the Reds fell to the Rockies Friday night. The final score was 6-3. Cueto lasted just 4 2/3 innings, giving up five runs on eleven hits and two walks with three strikeouts. It was actually his second bad start out of three, so he's in a bit of a slump. J.J. Hoover went 1 1/3 scoreless, Alfredo Simon pitched two scoreless frames, then Jose Arredondo gave up one run in his inning. Votto had four hits, Ryan Ludwick two. Votto had two doubles, Ludwick, Zack Cozart, and Todd Frazier one each. All three Reds runs came in the fourth when Votto and Brandon Phillips singled and one out later Ludwick and Frazier had consecutive doubles. Mike Leake and Jeremy Guthrie tomorrow night. | The win last night coupled with the Cardinals' loss puts the Reds into first place in the NL Central division. Cincinnati leads St. Louis by one-half game in the standings. Yay, Reds! | Thursday, May 24, 2012
The Reds completed a four-game sweep of their series with the Braves Thursday night, and got their sixth straight win in the process. Cincinnati beat Atlanta 6-3. Homer Bailey started and went six innings, giving up two runs on a homer by Michael Bourn. Sam Lecure got his first work in over a week and gave up a run in one inning. Sean Marshall and Logan Ondrusek each worked a scoreless inning. The big blow was a grand-slam home run by Devin Mesoraco. Drew Stubbs had a solo homer and Todd Frazier an RBI double. Stubbs, Frazier, Zack Cozart and Chris Heisey had two hits each. The Reds are now 25-19 on the year and Colorado in a three-game series at home this weekend. | A walk-off home run by Todd Frazier in the bottom of the ninth inning sent the Reds home with a 2-1 victory, their fifth win in a row. Bronson Arroyo posted another solid start. It was a low-scoring affair. Dan Uggla put the Braves in the lead with a home run in the fourth. The Reds tied it in the sixth with a rally, as Zack Cozart and Chris Heisey started the inning with singles, Joey Votto struck out, but Brandon Phillips walked, and Jay Bruce hit into a force at second that scored Cozart. Ryan Ludwick flied out to end the inning, but it was even. No more scoring until the 9th, when Frazier homered with one out. It was his fourth homer of the year. Arroyo gave up one run in 6 2/3 innings while allowing four hits and two walks with seven strikeouts. Jose Arredondo got four outs and Aroldis Chapman the last three. Cozart and Heisey had two hits each, Phillips walked three times. The series wraps Thursday night. | Wednesday, May 23, 2012
Brandon Phillips homered for the first time in nearly a month, belting two out of the park as Mat Latos delivered a solid start. The Reds beat the Braves Tuesday night by a 4-3 score. The Braves got on the board first when Michael Bourn homered in the top of the first, then Phillips hit his first homer of the game in the bottom of the inning, bringing home Drew Stubbs ahead of him for a 2-1 lead. Zack Cozart homered in the third. The Braves got one back in the fourth, but Phillips hit a solo shot in the bottom of that inning. The Braves got another homer from Bourn in the 8th, but could get no closer. Cincinnati had just six hits, but three were homers, two by Phillips. Latos allowed two runs in seven innings on five hits and one walk with eight strikeout, giving signs he might be ready to get rolling. That would make the Reds significantly better. Logan Ondrusek gave up the run in the 8th and Aroldis Chapman pitched a scoreless 9th. Third (though not final) game of the series Wednesday night. | Monday, May 21, 2012
In a game where all the runs scored on solo homers, the Reds emerged as Monday night victors by a 4-1 score. Mike Leake pitched his best game of the season. Leake went eight innings and gave up just two hits, one of them a homer to former teammate Juan Francisco. Leake walked one and struck out six. Jose Arredondo came in for the ninth and got two outs, but then walked the next two hitters, so Sean Marshall made an appearance in a save situation. He got the final out. Drew Stubbs homered in the first for the first run, then in the fourth Leake, Zack Cozart, and Stubbs hit them consecutively. Stubbs had the two homers and Cozart also had two hits. Joey Votto walked twice. Mat Latos and Brandon Beachy pitch tomorrow night. | Sunday, May 20, 2012
Maybe Ryan Ludwick needs to get hit on the elbow more often. He had his first good offensive game of the season, and with Johnny Cueto making a strong start, the Reds beat the Yankees 5-2 Sunday afternoon. Cueto and C.C. Sabathia had quite a pitchers' duel going. The Reds didn't get a hit through the first four innings, and no one scored until Raul Ibanez got the Yanks on the board in the 6th with a two-run homer. While Cueto gave up some hits, he couldn't be reached for any more runs, and in the 7th the Reds offense answered the bell. Ludwick led off the inning with his first homer of the season. One out later Ryan Hanigan hit his own solo shot to tie the game. Zack Cozart singled, Chris Heisey struck out, then Sabathia couldn't find the plate. Drew Stubbs walked, so did Joey Votto, and finally Brandon Phillips drew a free pass to force in a run and give Cincinnati the lead. That stayed the score until the 9th, when the Reds added some insurance after Phillips singled with two out, Jay Bruce singled, and Ludwick then doubled both of them in. The three hits and three RBI even got Ludwick over .200 for the season. Hanigan had two hits. Cueto went seven innings (plus one batter) and gave up two runs on eight hits and two walks with five strikeouts. Sean Marshall got one out, Logan Ondrusek two, and Aroldis Chapman all three in the bottom of the 9th. Cincinnati took two of three from the Yankees over the weekend and now hold a 21-19 record, one game behind the Cardinals and second place in the NL Central. The Reds now return home for four with Atlanta and three with Colorado. | Saturday, May 19, 2012
The Reds took an early lead thanks to some small-ball and held it with a Joey Votto homer, then hung on to the end for a 6-5 victory at Yankee Stadium. Homer Bailey got his second win of the season. Bailey gave up only three runs in 6 1/3 innings in spite of coughing up two homers. He allowed a total of seven hits but only one walk, which helped, and struck out seven. Logan Ondrusek got the last two outs of the 7th, Aroldis Chapman pitched a 1-2-3 8th, then Sean Marshall came in with a three-run lead in the 9th. He gave up four hits while getting just one out, so Jose Arredondo got the last two outs. In the first, with one out Drew Stubbs walked, then stole second. Joey Votto walked. Brandon Phillips singled to right to drive in Stubbs with the first run. In the second, Devin Mesoraco hit a ground-rule double with one out, and one out later scored on Chris Heisey's double. It was 2-0 Reds. The Yankees came back to tie the score, then in the fifth Wilson Valdez singled, Heisey dropped a bunt for a single, Stubbs forced Heisey at second, then Votto homered for three runs and a 5-2 lead. The Yankees got a solo homer in the fifth and it was 5-3. The Reds got an insurance run in the 8th when Brandon Phillips singled, Jay Bruce walked, Phillips moved up on the next play, and Mike Costanzo hit a sacrifice fly to bring him in. The Reds would need that run after a double and three singles in the 9th scored two for the Yanks, but not enough. A matchup of aces tomorrow with Johnny Cueto and C.C. Sabathia. | Friday, May 18, 2012
The Reds were shut out by Andy Pettitte and the Yankee bullpen. Bronson Arroyo was good through seven innings but weakened in the 8th for a 4-0 loss. The Reds got only four hits, a single each by Drew Stubbs, Chris Heisey, Todd Frazier, and Ryan Hanigan. DH Miguel Cairo, of course, did not get any hits. Only one walk, that to Heisey. The Yankees got a run on a groundout in the 4th, then scored three times with two homers off Arroyo in the 8th. Arroyo pitched 7 2/3 innings, Jose Arredondo got one out. Next game tomorrow afternoon with Homer Bailey and Ivan Nova starting. | Thursday, May 17, 2012
The Reds and Mets reversed roles, with the Reds bullpen faltering while the Mets bullpen held firm, and New York topped Cincinnati 9-4 Thursday afternoon. Aroldis Chapman gave up his first run of the season, though it was unearned. Mat Latos was a bit shaky, with three runs in five innings on seven hits and three walks with seven strikeouts. The stuff was good, the command was shaky again. J.J. Hoover pitched a scoreless inning, Chapman gave up his first run, but then Logan Ondrusek got bombed for five runs while getting three outs. Joey Votto started the scoring with a homer in the fourth, Votto and Brandon Phillips had two hits each, Phillips, Ryan Hanigan, and Chris Heisey each had a double. The Reds stay in New York but will begin interleague play with three games in Yankee Stadium this weekend. | Wednesday, May 16, 2012
The Reds fell behind but came back to beat the Mets Wednesday night by a 6-3 score. Mike Leake had a comeback start. Cincinnati scored in the top of the third when Leake singled with two out and Zack Cozart doubled to drive him in. The Mets got the run back in the bottom of the inning on two singles and a walk. Leake was running a bit high on the pitch count, and lost some of the effectiveness in the sixth as the Mets scored twice. Todd Frazier broke a slump with a homer in the 7th to make it 3-2. Then the Reds put together a four-run eighth. Drew Stubbs singled, Joey Votto doubled, Brandon Phillips singled to score Stubbs, and after Heisey fouled out Jay Bruce pinch-hit for Ryan Ludwick and hit a sacrifice fly to bring in Votto and put the Reds ahead. Frazier followed with his second homer of the game to bring in two runs and make it 6-3, the final. Cueto was charged with three runs, one earned, in six innings. He gave up seven hits and two walks with five strikeouts. Jose Arredondo, Aroldis Chapman, and Sean Marshall each pitched a scoreless inning. Frazier, Stubbs, and Leake had two hits each. Cozart and Votto each had doubles. Second and final game of the series is Thursday afternoon. | Tuesday, May 15, 2012
The Reds lost today to the Braves, 6-2. Johnny Cueto had his first bad start of the season and the team could not produce enough runs to overcome it. Cueto gave up six runs, five earned, in four innings of work. He allowed eight hits and two walks with two strikeouts. Alfredo Simon worked two scoreless innings, J.J. Hoover and Jose Arredondo one each. Chris Heisey had three hits and Ryan Hanigan two. Hanigan and Jay Bruce had doubles. The Reds move on to New York to play the Mets for two, then the Yankees for three. | Homer Bailey turned in a strong start and Brandon Phillips was the hitting hero as the Reds got their road trip off to a good start. Cincinnati beat Atlanta 3-1. Bailey gave up one run in 6 2/3 innings of work on six hits and two walks with three strikeouts. Logan Ondrusek and Aroldis Chapman got two outs each and Sean Marshall got the last three. Chris Heisey had three hits and Jay Bruce two. Phillips drove in Drew Stubbs in the 8th with a double for the go-ahead run, then scored an insurance run on Heisey's double. Bruce had scored the first run in the fourth when Todd Frazier reached on an error. Last game of the two-gamer tonight. | Sunday, May 13, 2012
The Reds won a rain-delayed game to break a losing streak, avoid a sweep by the Nationals, and go back above .500. This win was all about Joey Votto, who hit three home runs and drove in six runs in the 9-6 victory. Happy Mothers' Day! Votto got the scoring started with a two-out homer in the bottom of the first. The Nats got single runs in the second and third, then Votto tied it with another solo shot in the fourth. The Nats got the lead back in the fifth against a Bronson Arroyo who was shaky for the first time all season, with two runs to go up 4-2. The Reds got one back in the fifth when Ryan Hanigan singled, Wilson Valdez doubled, and Mike Costanzo made his major league debut a good one with a sacrifice fly. It was 4-3. Washington got another in the 7th and then in the 8th for a 6-3 advantage. Things were looking grim, but in the bottom of the 8th Drew Stubbs reached on an error and one out later Votto doubled, then Jay Bruce followed with a double for two runs to bring the score to 6-5. The Nats got two on in the 9th but couldn't add to the lead. That sent things to the bottom of the ninth. Could Votto get to the plate again? Hanigan singled and Valdez bunted him to second, but Miguel Cairo fouled out. Stubbs worked a walk, then so did Heisey, and Votto again came to the plate, the park alive with anticipation even in the rain-soaked atmosphere. Votto did not disappoint, launching a home run to center, a grand slam to win the game. Arroyo gave up four runs on eleven hits in five innings. Sam Lecure was also shaky, charged with one run in 1 2/3. J.J. Hoover was charged with one in 1 1/3. Sean Marshall gave up two hits but no runs in one inning. Votto had four hits, three homers and a double. He's earning that money. Hanigan had two hits. That was game three of a scheduled twenty in a row for the Reds. Next they hit the road for two in Atlanta, then two in New York against the Mets and three over the weekend against the Yankees. After that, they return home to face Atlanta and Colorado. | Saturday, May 12, 2012
The Reds could not come up with enough offense in front of a sellout crowd, and lost to the Nationals 2-1 on Saturday night. Mat Latos struggled again, throwing 109 pitches over five innings, though he gave up just one run thanks to some solid defense. The Reds had scored their only run in the first. Zack Cozart singled, Drew Stubbs was safe on what was ruled a fielders' choice rather than a hit, the runners moved up on a Joey Votto groundout, and Cozart scored on a Brandon Phillips groundout. That was all the scoring. Jose Arredondo got the loss by giving up a home run in his inning of work. He did strike out the side. Logan Ondrusek worked one scoreless inning and Aroldis Chapman two. Final game of the series tomorrow afternoon. | Before tonight's game, Scott Rolen was put on the 15-day disabled list with a sore shoulder (and a sickly batting average), and Mike Costanzo was called up from Louisville. This would seem to mean that Todd Frazier will get a lot of time at third base, though Miguel Cairo will certainly be in that mix. In the meantime: Mike Costanzo? Costanzo is a Philadelphia native, and a left-handed hitter, which was surely a big reason for this call-up. He's 28, and was originally picked by the Phils in the 2nd round of the 2005 draft. So, he's a minor league vet, he has no previous big league experience. He's a .259 minor league hitter with a 782 OPS, .249 and 712 in 227 games at triple-A. The Reds picked him up out of the independent leagues in 2010. He hit .270 at double-A that year, .271 in 73 double-A games and .216 in 47 triple-A games in 2011, and this year had hit .333 in 11 games for double-A Pensacola and .291 in 23 games for Louisville. He's been mostly a third baseman with some time at first base, and a handful of games as a catcher. He's been involved in two big deals: the Phillies sent him to the Astros as part of the Brad Lidge trade in 2007, and the Astros sent him to the Orioles as part of the Miguel Tejada deal. The bloom is off the rose of this prospect, but he is a minor league lifer getting his shot at the big time. Good luck to him. | Friday, May 11, 2012
Mike Leake got torched early and often, and the Reds lost a Friday night game to the Nationals by a 7-3 score. Scott Rolen's season average dipped to .174. Leake was charged with six runs in three innings of work. He gave up seven hits, two of them homers, and two walks with three strikeouts. Alfredo Simon gave up one run in two innings, J.J. Hoover worked one scoreless, Jose Arredondo added two scoreless, and Sam Lecure one more. Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce had two hits each. Bruce and Miguel Cairo each had a double. Joey Votto walked twice. Mat Latos and Jordan Zimmerman scheduled for tomorrow. | You know how yesterday I was saying that Rolen and Ludwick are killing the offense? So, Reds down 4-0, Bruce leads off the 2nd with a book-rule double. Rolen strikes out, Ludwick strikes out. Sigh. Come on, Devin! | Thursday, May 10, 2012
The Reds to this point have been carried by seven players: Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Zack Cozart, Johnny Cueto, Bronson Arroyo, Aroldis Chapman, and Logan Ondrusek. The rest of the team has done from little to nothing. Veterans Scott Rolen and Ryan Ludwick have been black holes for the offense. The rest of the rotation has had little success. The rest of the bullpen has been all right. It's time to get some more playing time for Todd Frazier, either at third base or left field (both positions are now mostly uninhabited), and Chris Heisey could use some more playing time as well, just to see if he can pick it up. I'd really like to see Chapman replace Mike Leake in the rotation. I expect Brandon Phillips to get going, and the catching is fine with Ryan Hanigan and Devin Mesoraco. But if someone else doesn't get going to boost the offense, and another starter doesn't begin to produce with some consistency, it could turn into a long season in Redsland. | Wednesday, May 09, 2012
It was scoreless for eight innings, until Cincinnati broke through in the top of the 9th. Then the Brewers threatened, so the Reds had to hang on for a 2-1 win in their getaway game. They will return home victorious. Johnny Cueto was dealing, and tossed seven scoreless innings, allowing five hits and one walk while striking out five. Aroldis Chapman added a scoreless 8th with two strikeouts. But Brewer Zach Greinke was matching that performance with eight shutout frames of his own. Greinke went out for a pinch-hitter in the bottom of the 8th, bringing in reliever John Axford for the 9th. The Reds had only three hits to that point, and it looked like more of the same, as Axford began by striking out Chris Heisey and Zack Cozart. Then Drew Stubbs singled. Joey Votto followed with his "daily double," which scored Stubbs. Brandon Phillips dunked a single into center that scored Votto, and the Reds were up 2-0. Phillips stole second (his leg is feeling better), Jay Bruce was intentionally walked, but Miguel Cairo grounded out. In the bottom of the 9th, closer Sean Marshall entered to protect the two-run lead. Ryan Braun promptly led off with a homer to make the score 2-1. Marshall got two outs, but then gave up two singles, and the call went out for Logan Ondrusek to finish up. Ondrusek gave up a walk to fill the bases, but then got a flyout to end the game. Whew! The Reds got just five hits: Stubs and Phillips each got two of them. Stubbs also had a double. Cincinnati has Thursday off before a brief homestand, a three-game set with Washington. The Reds will to light up the Nats' pitching staff that has been lights-out this season. They enter the series with a 16-14 record. | The Reds lost to the Brewers Tuesday night, as Homer Bailey had a rough outing. The final score was 8-3. Bailey seemed to lack the ability to finish: he would get two strikes on a hitter, or two outs in the inning, and couldn't get the last touch needed for the out. He lasted just 3 2/3 innings, giving up six runs on six hits and three walks. He struck out four. J.J. Hoover got one out to finish the fourth, Sam Lecure gave up one run in two innings, Jose Arredondo one run in one inning, and Alfredo Simon pitched one scoreless inning. Jay Bruce had two hits including a two-run homer. Brandon Phillips also had two of the Reds' nine hits. Phillips, Zack Cozart, Joey Votto, and Scott Rolen also had doubles. Final game of the series is this afternoon, with a good potential pitching matchup in Johnny Cueto and Zach Greinke. | Tuesday, May 08, 2012
Chris Jaffe has a piece up at The Hardball Times marking 10,000 days since Marge Schott took over as owner of the Reds. | Noted earlier that Miguel Cairo had an RBI double. He was activated from the disabled list, and to make room Willie Harris was outrighted to Louisville. Harris was the only lefty hitter on the bench, but was 3-for-35, and .086 batting average. That was a -24 OPS+. Ouch. Harris has 72 hours to decide whether to accept the assignment: he can either stay in the organization or become a free agent and give up his salary. | Monday, May 07, 2012
A five-run fourth inning keyed the Reds to victory over the Brewers. Bronson Arroyo gave up a first-inning run and shut down Milwaukee thereafter. Arroyo gave up one run, on a homer, and a total of six hits with a walk in 6 2/3 innings while striking out nine, a very high total for him. Logan Ondrusek got four outs and Sean Marshall three. Ryan Braun's homer in the first gave the Brewers a lead until the fourth inning. The Reds had gone down to emergency starter Marco Estrada nine in a row to that point, but Zack Cozart started the proceedings the second time through the order with a home run to tie the score. Drew Stubbs doubled, Joey Votto doubled to bring him in, Brandon Phillips singled, and Jay Bruce homered to clear the bases and total five runs. An insurance run was added in the ninth when Chris Heisey singled, stole second, and scored on Miguel Cairo's double. Homer Bailey and Yovani Gallardo go tomorrow night. | Sunday, May 06, 2012
Mat Latos struck out 11 in six innings and the bullpen added three scoreless innings for a victory over Pittsburgh at PNC Park this afternoon. The offense got going for five runs. Cincinnati got on the board in the top of the first when Drew Stubbs walked with one out, went to third on an errant pickoff throw, and scored on a single by Joey Votto. Latos got into trouble in the bottom of the first by hitting a batter and walking two, but Todd Frazier snared a liner to third base, Latos got a strikeout to end the inning, and settled down after that. Frazier then homered in the second, though he didn't lead off the inning. In the third, Zack Cozart walked and Stubbs homered. Stubbs singled, stole second, moved to third on a lineout, and scored on a sacrifice fly by Brandon Phillips in the fifth to finish the scoring. Latos gave up two hits and walked three, only one over his last five innings. J.J. Hoover got two outs, Aroldis Chapman four, and Alfredo Simon three. Stubbs had three hits and Frazier two. The Reds head to Milwaukee next. | It was a close game, but the Reds could not muster the offense to defeat the Pirates Saturday night. Pittsburgh beat Cincinnati 3-2. In a game this reporter watched live from Section 310, Mike Leake looked better with extra rest, but weakened brifely in the third as he gave up a double to Jose Tabata and a homer to Neil Walker for two runs. Pitching in the 7th (I thought he should have been taken out after the 6th) he gave up a homer to Alex Presley. Leake was charged with three runs in seven innings on four hits and four walks with four strikeouts. Jose Arredondo pitched a scoreless inning even though he gave up two hits and two walks. Double plays help. Joey Votto had two hits, including a book-rule double (which he thought was foul and neglected to run out at first) Zack Cozart had a double, and Jay Bruce had a triple that was a sinking liner right at CF Andrew McCutchen and skipped past him to the fence. Scott Rolen followed with a dink single that was the first run. The other scored when Cozart's double scored Devin Mesoraco. Final game of the series Sunday afternoon in Pittsburgh with Mat Latos and Charlie Morton. | Friday, May 04, 2012
It came fairly easy Friday night, as the Reds posted a 6-1 victory over the Pirates. Johnny Cueto pitched a complete game, and the offense was in gear. Cincinnati got on the board in the second when Chris Heisey reached on a squeeze bunt that scored Jay Bruce, then in the fourth Ryan Hanigan doubled to score Heisey. The Pirates got one back in the bottom of the fourth, but the Reds retaliated in the fifth when Brandon Phillips singled to score Zack Cozart. Then the homers started, as Cozart and Drew Stubbs went back-to-back in the 7th, then Bruce finished the scoring with a blow in the 8th. Cueto gave up just one run on seven hits, didn't walk anybody, struck out four, and threw 109 pitches. He got his fourth win of the season and lowered his ERA to 1.31. Cozart, Stubbs, Bruce, Heisey, and Hanigan each had two of the twelve hits. Joey Votto walked twice. Game two tomorrow with Mike Leake and James McDonald. | Thursday, May 03, 2012
Most of the game looked like a rerun of Wednesday's loss, but in the end it was a happy ending for the Reds and their fans at Great American Ballpark. Cincinnati beat Chicago 4-3 in 10 innings. The Cubs hit solo home runs off Reds starter Homer Bailey in the first, fourth, and fifth, and took a 3-0 lead into the ninth. With closer Carlos Marmol on the mound, the Chicago northsiders looked for victory. The Reds offense came alive, at first thanks to Marmol's well-known wildness. First Willie Harris and then Joey Votto drew a walk to start the inning, then Brandon Phillips reached on an error to score Harris. Jay Bruce hit a single to fill up the bases. Ryan Ludwick drew a walk to force in a run, and the Cubs went back to the bullpen, which meant Devin Mesoraco grounded into a double play but the tying run scored. It was on to extra innings. In the 10th, Zack Cozart walked, Chris Heisey reached on an error that put runs on second and third, then Scott Rolen hit a sacrifice fly to score the winning run and send the fans home happy. Homer Bailey gave up three runs in six innings on nine hits, a walk, and four strikeouts, in a start eerily similar to that of Bronson Arroyo the day before. Jose Arredondo, Aroldis Chapman, Sean Marshall, and Logan Ondrusek each tossed a scoreless inning of relief. Joey Votto had two of the team's five hits, and the only extra-base hit, a double. The Reds move on to Pittsburgh for three games, and then to Milwaukee for the same. I plan to be at PNC Park for the Saturday night contest. | Wednesday, May 02, 2012
The Reds' offense apparently disappeared over the off day, managing just three hits against the Cubs. Bronson Arroyo struggled a bit, and the bats could not muster enough to overcome it. Arroyo gave up three runs in six innings, but allowed nine hits including two homers. He walked just one and struck out three, limiting the damage. Sam Lecure pitched two scoreless innings and J.J. Hoover one. The guys with hits were Brandon Phillips, Jay Bruce, and Chris Heisey. Bruce had a double, though that broke his string of four straight games with homers. Also just two walks, by Joey Votto and Todd Frazier as a pinch-hitter. The only run scored on a double play. Homer Bailey and Ryan Dempster start tomorrow. | Tuesday, May 01, 2012
Tonight's scheduled game between the Reds and Cubs has been postponed due to the rain and stormy weather in the area. No makeup has yet been announced. | Monday, April 30, 2012
The Cincinnati Reds have completed their April 2012 schedule, since they do not have a game today, April 30. How'd it go? Considering they had a sizable period when the offense couldn't hit, not bad. They finish April 11-11, and in second place in the NL Central, three games behind the Cardinals. They are also three games behind the wild card leader, and two games back from the new second spot. It seemed much worse at the time, when the team lost seven of nine in the early going. The Reds have bounced back to win seven of their last ten. The team has scored 87 runs and allowed 90. They've scored and allowed roughly four runs per game. The team has had a lot of ups and downs in getting there. Offense: the hitters have been Joey Votto and Jay Bruce, as one might expect. Votto has a .439 on-base and a .500 slugging, mostly by drawing 20 walks and hitting 10 doubles in 22 games. Bruce was just named Player of the Week, hitting four homers as the Reds surged, and now has seven round-trippers for a .637 slugging. Rookie Zack Cozart had a good month, with a .333 on-base and .435 slugging, but has cooled after a hot start. Devin Mesoraco is hitting .300, but has had problems connecting with the pitchers. Other hitters are struggling. Ryan Hanigan has a .353 on-base, but no power as usual with a .304 slugging. Brandon Phillips, slowed somewhat by injury, is at .302 on-base and .407 slugging. Scott Rolen is hitting .186 and Ryan Ludwick .190, though both veterans have hit some homers. Drew Stubbs is just at .283 on-base and .310 slugging. Chris Heisey is hitting .214. Willie Harris is 3-for-30. Since Todd Frazier is 5-for-13, Harris may be the odd man out when Miguel Cairo returns. Pitching: Johnny Cueto has been great, 3-0 in five starts with a 1.39 ERA. Bronson Arroyo has a 2.70 ERA in four starts. Homer Bailey is just 1-2 but has a 3.60 ERA in four starts. Mike Leake, though, has gotten knocked around, with a 6.65 ERA, and Mat Latos has gotten off to a rough start with his new team, with a 5.97 ERA. Relievers Aroldis Chapman and Logan Ondrusek are unscored upon. Jose Arredondo has given up three runs in 10 2/3 innings. Though, Sean Marshall has had a couple of bad outings, and given up five runs in 8 1/3 innings. Sam Lecure has a 5.59 ERA. Alfredo Simon got off to a rough start, but has settled into a 2.79 ERA. Bill Bray went to the DL with a 13.50 ERA. J.J. Hoover has pitched scoreless ball in his first three major league innings. The Reds will have to do better if they want to reach the postseason, but seven out of the last ten gives hope. Can they build on that? They must. | Sunday, April 29, 2012
The Reds fell behind the Astros in the middle innings but staged a late comeback to beat the Astros and take the weekend series. The final score was 6-5. The Astros scored single runs in the first and second off Mat Latos to take an early lead, but Joey Votto tied the score with a two-run homer in the fourth that brought in Zack Cozart. Houston got two in the fifth when Jed Lowrie homered, and in the bottom of the 5th Cozart doubled to bring in Ryan Hanigan and make it 4-3, then Houston got another in the 6th. Down by two in the 7th, Cincinnati got to work. Hanigan singled, Chris Heisey hit a pinch-single, Drew Stubbs grounded into a force at third, Cozart struck out, but Votto doubled to bring in two and tie the game. In the bottom of the 8th, Jay Bruce led off with a homer that proved the margin of victory. It is the fourth consecutive game in which Bruce has homered, one short of the team record. Bruce is locked in, obviously. Cozart, Votto, and Hanigan had two hits each. Votto and Bruce hit homers, Cozart two doubles and Votto one. Latos went 6 1/3 innings and gave up ten hits (including two homers) and five runs with four strikeouts. Jose Arredondo got two outs, Logan Ondrusek and Sean Marshall each pitched a scoreless inning. Cincinnati is back at .500 with an 11-11 record. They take Monday off before a three-game series with the Cubs. | With two outs in the first inning Joey Votto doubled and Brandon Phillips followed with a triple to score him. Jay Bruce then walked and Scott Rolen singled him Phillips for the second run. The Reds never looked back after that, tallying a 6-0 win over the Astros. Bruce also hit a two-run double in the third and a two-run homer in the fifth. He and Phillips had two hits each. Johnny Cueto pitched seven scoreless innings, giving up five hits and one walk with three strikeouts. Logan Ondrusek and Aroldis Chapman each tossed an inning of relief. Mat Latos and Jordan Lyles are the starters for the Sunday afternoon game. | |
