Game 51, 2011: Phillies 10, Reds 4

[Box Score]

[Cincinnati.com]

Observations:

Remember Daryl Thompson? One of the last times we saw him at the big league level was at Old Yankee Stadium. He got the win that day. We never really figured that he would re-surface at the big league level with the Reds. He did, and yesterday he recorded some counting stats that counted for the wrong values.

The Reds fought back valiantly from a 4-0 hole against Cliff Lee–and when you hang 10 hits on Cliff Lee it should be good enough to win–only so Daryl Thompson could allow 5 walks and 5 earned runs and factor in as the loser.

Homer Bailey also gave up four runs in four innings before leaving the game due to a shoulder spasm. This was just a horrible ending to another horrible series in Philadelphia. It always ends badly when the Reds play the Phillies and to think that Shane Victorino wasn’t even part of this series.

The way the Reds bats hit the last two days against Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee is honestly a pretty big testament as to how good of hitters they are as a team. No one gets to Lee and Halladay like that. Miguel Cairo had three hits in the clean-up spot for goodness sakes. But the Reds pitching staff as a whole is in shambles. This is not the way it was drawn up.

The Reds need some big time heroics or something that changes things up and they need it now. Calling up Todd Frazier for one at-bat to begin the Phillies series wasn’t the jab in the arm they needed to remedy this losing bug. Something big needs to happen; whether that is the release of a veteran or something in the way of a trade. They cannot afford to wait until July. Things might be out of reach by then.

I find it irony that the Reds are wasting the greatest hot stretch of Jay Bruce’s career by going 1-8. This has the feel of 2002-2009 to it. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. They’re a game over .500 now and heading to Atlanta for three. They’re in third place. It’s time to circle the wagons boys.

Top Plays:

Bruce’s 14th homer off Cliff Lee ties the game at 4-4

Cliff Lee’s two-run double

Paul Janish gets a big hit, thanks to some high socks

Homer Bailey, hurt again