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I can get used to Los Rojos

May 12, 2013 by Leave a Comment

losrojos

The Reds are finally giving me reason to get excited.

Here’s the play from Friday night’s 4-3 win over the Brewers that you probably heard everyone talking about. You won’t see a better double play turn in the next decade. You just won’t.

Phillips added a homer in the bottom of the inning that would stand up to be the difference in the win.

Then there was Saturday, lovely Saturday. The Reds tortured poor Hiram Burgos to the tune of 10 earned runs in three innings pitched. Jay Bruce led the charge with this home run (and two doubles):

He’s got the total up to three now, which is a couple more than Matt Kemp. The Reds won a wild one 13-7 yesterday.

The Reds enter Sunday gunning for the sweep on Mother’s Day.

Filed Under: Cincinnati Reds, Milwaukee Brewers Tagged With: , ,

I’m Clint. And I’m a Jay Bruce-a-holic

May 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment

JayBruceHR2

The Reds hit two home runs in the bottom of the 9th off Craig Kimbrel last night to win 5-4. It was one of those wins across seasons that you’ll never forget if you’re a Reds fan. It was one of those ‘WOW’ moments that you’re sure is going to really get your team going. And this afternoon the Reds came out and laid an egg and lost 7-2 to those same Braves.

In a season that has failed to swoon me thus far, it was another missed opportunity. But the positives were non-zero.

Everyone who follows this game has their favorites. They may not have one who sits above all else, but they have some they consider to be one of their favorites. Jay Bruce is my favorite player. This wouldn’t work as well if Jay Bruce was a superstar without his blemishes. It’s easy to like a superstar. A true hero in the storybook has tragic flaws. Luckily for us, being in Bruce’s corner is about as frustrating as the day is long.

He entered today with one home run in 142 at bats. He has ownership of a microscopic .246/.296/.345 slash line. It’s been a really tough stretch, possibly the toughest of Bruce’s entire career. And there’s no real reason why. Bruce isn’t out of shape. He’s just turned 26 years old, thought by many to be the prime of his career.

And yet, Jay Bruce has struggled. And when he’s struggled and you thought he was going to come out of it (he had his first homer and a game-tying hit on April 22nd), he’s struggled a little more. He’s had walk-off hits. He’s had four hit games. But it’s sprinkled amidst 49 strikeouts entering today.

Bruce got after one of his detractors on Twitter a few weeks ago. This has all the makings of a nightmare season for Bruce. His bat seems slow to the zone. He isn’t driving the ball. When he connects it isn’t going very far. His line drive rate is way up. His fly ball rate is way down. But above all of that, you get the feeling that the mental side of the game is still what’s eating Jay Bruce.

Today in the ninth inning of a 7-1 ballgame, Jay Bruce hit a solo home run. In a lot of ways it was the most Jay Bruce home run ever. It was the 136th time in his career that he has rounded the bases in such a fashion. When a player has done it that many times, you stop worrying about him. Bruce has never fully allowed that.

As he rounds the bases – you get the feeling that the voice of the Reds Marty Brennaman has made his judgement on Jay Bruce. The silence is deafening. Perhaps Marty was just coming to the end of a long day in the radio booth. Or perhaps Brenneman was thinking the same thing a lot of Reds fans have been.

‘Where are you Jay,’ ‘We need you Jay’, ‘What happened to that beautiful, polished hitter that came up from Louisville in 2008,’ ‘why couldn’t this have been when it counted’?

Take a look for yourself:

And it was a totally meaningless home run. Except to us. And because we’re sick in the head, we scrambled to the internet to see what we could see. It wasn’t enough to stare at Bruce’s line in the box score. There were important things to look at. This player is in a serious slump. What did the swing look like? How was the trajectory of the ball and where did it land? Was it a majestic blast that we have seen from Bruce in some of the best stretches of his career? Was it off a breaking ball? What was his demeanor as he rounded the bases? Did he seem frustrated still? Exalted? Exhaled? Exiled? What could we deduct from a little cold, hard footage?

Suddenly the day felt a little different. Nothing had happened at work, and the Reds had lost. But in a small way, it felt like a win. That’s strange, you know?

I don’t know what the future holds for Jay Bruce anymore, but we took the anchor up and decided we were going down with this ship a long time ago.

I’m Clint and I’m a Bruce-a-holic. Even if it’s bad to be one. Even if it’s unhealthy. This is just one very small chapter of my story.

Filed Under: Cincinnati Reds Tagged With:

Jay Bruce does his best Stan Musial

April 9, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Everything is coming up Jay Bruce right now. Look at a couple of these ugly finders that counted for knocks today!

Granted, Stan the Man probably didn’t hit this many weak squibbers in his entire career; Bruce went into St. Louis in the Cardinals home opener and posted the sixth four-hit game of his career. He gets about one of these per season, so enjoy the following video montage:

The Reds went into St. Louis–a place that usually serves as a house of horrors–and embarassed the Cardinals in their home opener on a day that their greatest player ever was being honored. When you paste a team 13-4 and score nine runs in the top of the ninth inning to seal it, you’re a group that’s intent on proving a point. Or just really good.

Bruce is now over .300 on the season (.324). Still with a goose egg in the homer department while Justin Upton has um, six; but we will sign up right now for Bruce hitting only 20 homers if he can find a way to hit .300 on the year.

I’m glad that with Mitchell Boggs’ help, the Reds were able to dedicate the day to Stan the Man accordingly.

Filed Under: Cincinnati Reds, St. Louis Cardinals Tagged With:

Stephen Strasburg vs. Johnny Cueto on a Sunday

April 8, 2013 by Leave a Comment

100_0231

[Box Score]

So I went back to the ballpark today and it was a hot one. I came home with a sunburn and a feeling of satisfaction after the Reds worked over one of the finest talents in the game of baseball today.

It was the second time I have seen Strasburg throw live.

Click through the jump to see Strasburg’s bullpen session as well as other photos and commentary.

[Read more...]

Filed Under: Cincinnati Reds, Dispatches, The 2000 Inning Quest, Washington Nationals Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

The Watch Report: Cincinnati Reds Opening Day

April 2, 2013 by Leave a Comment
iannetta

Who had Chris Iannetta in the Opening Day hero pool?

[Angels 3, Reds 1]

This was actually my first Opening Day that I haven’t been in the stands in Cincinnati since Joe Randa and Adam Dunn went back to back to walk off the Mets back in 2005. That’s a lot of Opening Days that I strung together. I doubt I ever make it back to that many consecutive Opening Days. I’m satisfied with the streak I put together. I’ve seen some unbelievable openers in the Queen City. From Randa’s walk-off, to Ramon Hernandez’s walk-off grand slam, to last year’s Cueto masterpiece with Bruce’s moonshot to seal it shut.

Here’s some notes from today’s ballgame, which was a long one.

  • The Reds really didn’t hit all spring long, and they didn’t hit today. Jay Bruce wore a golden sombrero in the middle of the order. Joey Votto went 0 for 4 but at least drew a few walks.
  • Shin-Soo Choo had two hits and Todd Frazier had one. And that’s all the Reds offense tallied. There weren’t even any hard hit balls.
  • Of the Angels fearsome three, Mike Trout was the only one with a hit. Trout went 1 for 6, Pujols and Hamilton went 0 for 4.
  • Chris Iannetta was the hero in this one, hitting a solo home run and doubling in the top of the 13th inning with two outs off J.J. Hoover.
  • The Angels pen just earned this game, though I would give it to the lack of Reds hitting. After Jered Weaver exited, six Angels relievers combined for seven scoreless innings. Ernesto Frieri was the final one and he earned the save.
  • I’m not too upset with this game. The Angels are a World Series contender, and the Reds are going to hit at some point. It hurts that they’ll miss Ryan Ludwick for the better part of a month with separated shoulder.
  • How could I forget Johnny Cueto. I feel like for the last year and a half, if you’ve seen Cueto throw once you’ve seen the same solid, dependable game. I love the effort this guy always brings to the mound with him.

Here’s some running total stats from today’s game, and from my most recent watched game:

Home Runs: 1 (Chris Iannetta 1)
Strikeouts: 30
Runs: 4
Hits: 9
Errors: 4
Stolen bases: none
Official time watching baseball: 4 hours, 45 minutes
Times taking the dog out to pee: 2
Chores my wife asked me to do during (unofficial): one half

EDIT: I watched about two innings out of the Rockies Brewers game today, I watched Chris Sale’s entire start on and off, and I watched about five innings out of the Phillies-Braves game today. I’m not going to count it, because my totals aren’t exact. And I’m honestly ready to abandon the 2000-Inning Quest after just a night and a day. It’s too damn tedious. But still I press onward to go where no idiot has ever gone before.

STATS during the 2000-Inning Quest:

Home Runs: 4
Bryce Harper home runs: 2
Strikeouts: 59
Runs: 16
Hits: 31
Errors: 5
Stolen bases: NONE
Official time watching baseball: 9 hours, 55 minutes
Times taking the dog out to pee: 6
Chores my wife asked me to do during (unofficial): .5
Innings left to go: 1,969

Filed Under: Anaheim Angels, bonus baseball, Cincinnati Reds, The 2000 Inning Quest Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Cincinnati Reds 2013 Team Preview

March 19, 2013 by 1 Comment

Jay+Bruce

If you want me to be 100% honest, I thought it was the Reds year last year. I truly thought after they won the first two games of the NLDS in San Francisco that this team was headed to the World Series. The Reds were going to do one better than my prediction I made before the season of just reaching the NLCS; they were actually going to win the NL pennant and give themselves a shot at the first Cincinnati World Title since 1990 when I was eight years old.

The Reds completely broke my heart when they collapsed. Truth be told, I’m still not recovered from it. While I’m excited for  baseball season, I don’t necessarily think that this team in this window will ever be any better positioned to win it all. You can tell me that I’m wrong, and you can tell me that they’re better for the experience they gained and all that. My opinion is the Reds missed a golden opportunity to win it all last year and will never have a better opportunity.

The American League as a whole was suspect last season and I knew at the time that the hot team from the National League would probably win it. At first glance that team looked to be the Reds. Then Johnny Cueto got hurt. Then the Reds couldn’t make a few plays when Homer Bailey threw the gem that should have ended the series. Then the Reds had to throw Leake and throw away game four. Then in game five, Buster Posey drove a stake in my heart that will never be removed.

With that, I decided that I’ll never again believe it’s going to happen until the moment actually arrives. I am forever skeptical; forever jaded. There is no such thing as ‘we’re going to win the whole damn thing’ before we do it as I declared last year on Opening Day. Not this year. You have to prove it to me now.

Major Off-Season Moves:

  • Signed Jack Hannahan
  • Traded for Shin-Soo Choo
  • Re-signed Ryan Ludwick
  • Re-signed Jonathan Broxton
  • Re-signed Manager Dusty Baker

I know this team so well it’s scary sometimes. When I wake up in the morning during the season and the Reds have a game on their schedule, I know if they’re going to win or lose 95% of the time before the game is even played. I still watch and see the results play out. But at the end of things when the final out is recorded, I usually had a pulse of how things were going to go. My wife sometimes asks me why I don’t just smell the roses when following this team. Why don’t I just enjoy things a little bit more? I wish it were that easy. When this much passion gets involved; when you want something so badly, you can’t help but expect the zenith.

I want that damn trophy at the end of the year. There’s no reason that this group in this era shouldn’t win a title. They’re as good as anyone in the league right now. Everyone has their breaks, their weak spots, their bad luck; it’s time to go out and get it done. Anything less is considered an absolute failure. And if and when that happens I can’t help but be completely exasperated, usually after an emotional explosion.

Here’s a look at yours and my 2013 Cincinnati Reds after the jump. [Read more...]

Filed Under: 2013 Diamond Hoggers Season Previews, Cincinnati Reds Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Yes, You Choked; Yes, I’m Still Proud of You

October 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment

This was the toughest loss I’ve ever had to swallow in baseball; or in sports.

For as long as I live, I’ll never forget this. I’ll never get over it. It will never be easier to accept. It will always sting. It now exists as a spot place-marked forever in my life; an irreversible eternity. Never again in my life will I allow myself to think “hey, we might really have a shot to win the whole damn thing”. Not after this. If this team couldn’t do it, I’ll never be sold again.

The Reds made the kind of history you do not want to make yesterday afternoon in Cincinnati in losing 6-4 to the San Francisco Giants.

Sometimes in loss we learn the most about ourselves.

I have never in my life seen a team scratch, claw, and fight with such life or death desperation as the Reds did after getting down 6-0 yesterday. The image that will forever stick with me yesterday was Ryan Hanigan immediately when Buster Posey connected with his grand slam home run. Don’t watch Latos. Don’t watch the crowd behind him. Don’t look at the hitter or the ball’s flight. Watch Hanigan.

I have never seen a catcher react that way to a ball in play in all my years watching the game. Hanigan turns in immediate pain, anguish, and disgust and swings his arm in angst. He knows when Posey connects that it was the kill shot. The Reds at that moment probably knew they were dead. But like a cowboy in an old Western whose gut-shot, they kept shooting until they drew their last breath.

For instance; when Jay Bruce got down 0-2 in the ninth inning, he decides that even in defeat; he’s going to make the Giants closer earn it.

What ensues after Bruce gets down 0-2 in the last frame of the game and the Reds down to their final two outs of the season, was one of the gutsiest things I’ve ever seen in watching sports my entire life.

Bruce proceeds to battle Sergio Romo for 12 pitches in total as if he’s battling a damn lion or dragon. He stubbornly fouls off pitch after pitch, laying off many off-speed pitches that have long been to Bruce’s liking. As the at-bat wears onward, you realize Bruce is doing more than just trying to come up with a big swing that will result in a 3-run homer. He’s battling for himself, for his teammates, for all of us fans, and for what might have been his manager’s swansong. I don’t know what Bruce was thinking during the course of that at-bat where the Giants continually stayed away from his big time power to right field. I can only think he knew he owed it to everyone who hadn’t lost hope.

Bruce eventually flies out to right field, and the Reds came up short. But I had chills for much of that at-bat. It was a moment based on sheer will and determination. It was what baseball was all about. One man competing against another, knowing his probable fate but refusing to just roll over and die.

Forever etched in our memories is something different. I will never forget the hurt of this series collapse, but I’ll always know that the team I rooted the hardest for and held the closest to my heart fought like Hell for a different outcome, even when it would have been easiest to quit.

Like often the man who spends his days writing about them and living and dying with them, they just came up tragically short.

Filed Under: Cincinnati Reds, League Division Series, MLB Playoffs, San Francisco Giants Tagged With: , , , ,

Unchartered Territory: Reds win NLDS Game Two, Take 2-0 Series Lead

October 9, 2012 by Leave a Comment

[NLDS Game Two Box Score]

[Cincinnati.com]

The Cincinnati Reds are locked in.

That was as good as you can see Bronson Arroyo look. It was his crowning moment in his Reds career. Maybe except for this commercial that I caught last night shortly after Cincinnati grabbed a 1-0 lead on Ryan Ludwick’s solo home run:

The Reds continued to play sound defense and add-on in the top frames until the game was through.

As we sit here on the eve of only the second postseason baseball game in Cincinnati in 17+ years, I hope the Reds realize they haven’t won anything yet. I hope they realize that the journey is still long. Two wins out West is very special, and it’s the hallmark of a team that means business. But the Giants could easily come back and win this series. This was just the first two dominoes that needed to fall in order to do something in this postseason. If the Reds come out flat tomorrow night, things can snowball in a hurry and this can quickly become the worst dogfight they’ve ever been involved in.

If you want my opinion, the Reds get the match-up they need tomorrow night. I don’t want them to face Matt Cain again. And I still think they’re damn lucky to have had such an easy time with Madison Bumgarner (though I’ll say it’s a misconception that I fall victim to in thinking that this roster of Reds struggles against LHP).

Tomorrow around dinner time, the Reds will face Ryan Vogelsong. He’s a good, solid big league starter. But he’s the kind of righty that the Reds should want to advance against in that park. He’s not Matt Cain, and he’s not Bumgarner.

Go ahead and move on in front of your fans on Tuesday night boys, and let the Cardinals and Nationals slug things out for a few more days. I have to admit, I want the Reds to just keep playing at this point. The worst thing that could happen was to give them a day off and a day to even think about what they’re doing. They’re going so good right now that you just hope they can get back out there on a diamond as soon as possible and keep rolling.

Part of how this team has already been able to do what they’re doing is I don’t even think they realize fully what they’re doing. They’re like a fearless teenager who takes a lot of risks because they don’t know how fragile life is at that age; the Reds still don’t grasp how delicate every single moment is in this postseason. And that allows them to be dangerous in this situation.

Tomorrow I’ll come home from work. I’ll slip on the #32 Bruce jersey (he got another big knock last night). I’ll hopefully see my team advance to the NLCS, making the vision I had back in 2010 the night we were eliminated from the NLDS a reality. To this point, I could not be more proud of how they’ve performed. I can’t even believe this is really happening.

Filed Under: Cincinnati Reds, League Division Series, MLB Playoffs, Postseason, San Francisco Giants Tagged With: , , , , ,

Cincinnati Reds win their first postseason game in 17 years

October 7, 2012 by Leave a Comment

[Box Score]

[Cincinnati.com] [ESPN SweetSpot] [HardballTalk] [Lance Mcalister] [The Splash] [Giants Extra]

Someone pinch me, I’m dreaming.

Did my team really just beat Matt Cain on the road out west after losing Johnny Cueto (the ace of the staff) after he recorded just one out? I have to be dreaming. This has happened to me a million times. I wake up, and it all goes away. After all, it has been 6,210 days since the Reds franchise won a postseason game (1995 against the Dodgers for those wondering).

Brandon Phillips was balling out of his mind last night. He got scoring started with a two-run home run to left field. He made a few barehand plays. He made an unreal back up play over at first base on a bunt single that kept the runner on first. He singled home an insurance run. Thank you for playing this way DatDude.

Jay Bruce continued his postseason hitting success.

Matt Cain was cruising through the first four hitters in the Reds lineup when Bruce doubled down the right field line for the Reds first hit. There would be no perfect game in this one against the Reds.

And then there was Bruce’s home run into a spot of AT&T Park where home runs aren’t typically hit:

Not sure I’ve ever gone more nuts when a couple of home runs left the yard than when I did for Phillips and Bruce going deep.

There were just so many efforts that contributed to this game. There was no one story. It was a gritty team effort comprised of Bruce, Phillips, Mat Latos, Sam LeCure (getting five outs as a pinch-hit reliever), and the Reds bullpen working out of tight spots late in the game that had me holding my breath.

The first domino has fallen, and the Reds need just ten more wins to claim a World Series title and six more to reach the fall classic. Last night was another memorable, improbable, and high-character moment from a team that has already provided a full season’s worth of them.

Filed Under: Cincinnati Reds, League Division Series, MLB Playoffs, San Francisco Giants Tagged With: , , , , ,

The 2012 Cincinnati Reds: Champions of the Central Again

September 23, 2012 by Leave a Comment

The 2012 Cincinnati Reds have partially fulfilled a destiny.

In yesterday’s 6-0 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers, Mat Latos threw eight dominant shutout innings. Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips homered. Bruce’s 34th home run of the season was a matter of tradition; he’s homered each time the Reds have clinched a division title.

I sat in the farthest reaches of the upper deck at Great American that October night back in 2010 when the Reds were eliminated from the playoffs, and I told my wife that this group of Reds would be back. I had a strong feeling that the Reds were going to miss the playoffs entirely in 2011 and serve as a monumental disappointment around baseball. Check. I also told her that 2012 was the year. I told her that night that I had a vision of them storming back to make a run for the World Series in 2012.

Here we are.

In all of my life, no matter how long I live; I’ll never forget the 2012 Cincinnati Reds. This is both the most talented, and the most memorable group of Reds that have taken the field since I was nine years old.

I’ve never felt more proud to call a team ‘mine’.

A baseball season is such a weird thing. Compiled of so many highs and lows that serve as mere radar blip snapshots, it’s kind of hard to really know where a team sends until the cement has hardened and the final game has been played. But from the opening gun this year I knew that this team was good. Really good. I never panicked. Not one time did I ever doubt that this would be the outcome. I knew back in May that this team was going to outgun a loaded Cardinals lineup and find a way to win the division by double digits. I knew that a much higher prize should be the idea and that the division title should be table stakes for a roster that’s so talented. Sure, some of it was that vision that came to be back in 2010 (and even before the 2010 season I felt 2012 was the year this team was truly built for). But this team responded to so many things with so many different heroes each night, they never allowed you to doubt them for long.

Hold this moment in your heart if you’re a die hard baseball fan that loves the Reds. I feel that this is what sports are all about. Winning titles are the pantheon of why the games are played. But I’ve said before that Midas’ gold for the sports fan is in the climb. The struggle. The battle. The uncertainty. It’s in the grind that it takes to reach a title. That’s what defines greatness in players, teams and sports.

Reds fans have endured, and now it’s time to indulge. Take a few days, enjoy the fall air and know that a new season is about to begin. The final chapter for this group has not been written and I believe that a great destiny awaits them. Dusty phoned in his post-clinch lineup card.

Sit back, catch your breath, and get ready for a memorable and drama-filled ride that you’re never going to forget. Let’s go after that number one seed.

And thank you, 2012 Reds. I’ll never forget you.

Filed Under: Cincinnati Reds, Clinching Pennants, Los Angeles Dodgers Tagged With: , , ,

Jay Bruce is absolutely on fire

September 5, 2012 by Leave a Comment

It’s one of those hot streaks for Jay Bruce.

Back on August 15th, I said that if Jay Bruce was entering one of these stretches, the entire baseball world would be put on notice.

Hardball Talk reminds us:

Bruce hit a two-run homer that gave the Reds’ their only runs Tuesday in a 2-1 win over the Phillies.

It was Bruce’s third straight game with a homer. He’s hit .345 with 10 homers and 24 RBI in 22 games since Aug. 12, with the Votto-less Reds going 14-8 in that span.

Bruce is hardly a realistic MVP candidate with his .261 average and .340 OBP, but he’s been a consistent force in the middle of the Reds lineup for the first time this year. Last season, he busted out by hitting .342 with 12 homers and 33 RBI in May, but he didn’t hit better than .256 or post an OPS over .825 in any other month. This year, his worst OPS in a month is .755.

He’s absolutely on fire in every aspect of his game. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life watching baseball when he gets hot. There’s not a pitcher who walks the earth who has anything in his arsenal to stopping Jay Bruce.

Here’s the Labor Day blast (30th of the season). Here’s last night’s line shot. At this point, I feel like he’s going to scorch one every time up and it’s not crazy to feel that way. Until Jay Bruce decides he’s not hot anymore, you don’t want to go to the restroom or grab something to drink if he’s due up in an inning.

BRRRRUUUUUUUUCE!

Filed Under: Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies Tagged With:

Game 135, 2012: Curtain Drops on Summer as Bruce’s Monster Bomb Finishes Houston

September 3, 2012 by Leave a Comment

[Box Score]

[Houston Chronicle] [Cincinnati.com]

Good teams steal wins. Bad teams seem to gift them.

On Sunday, when I was celebrating my one year marriage anniversary with my wife; Jay Bruce provided Reds fans with a gift and helped Cincinnati steal another win in Houston yesterday afternoon. This was one of the longest home runs I’ve ever seen Jay Bruce hit.

The three run shot was Bruce’s 31st home run off a lefty pitcher in the past three seasons. That’s tops in the big leagues by a lefthanded stick.

With the Cardinals dropping their third game in four contests in Washington 4-3, the Reds sat comfortably at 9 and 1/2 games in first place. I thought the 2012 Reds would win the division by double digits games; that it wouldn’t even be a race when things settled. We’re about to see if I was right.

Filed Under: Cincinnati Reds, F--k the Astros, Houston Astros Tagged With:

We Live with him, We Die with him, and when he triumps we celebrate with him

August 15, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Jay Bruce homered tonight in the 9th inning (to left field) in a 0-0 tie game to win the game for the Cincinnati Reds 3-0. The win was the Reds 70th of the season. It was Bruce’s 123rd career home run. While some may have come in bigger moments when the spotlight shined brighter, we’re not sure that he’s ever truly hit a bigger one.

This season hasn’t altogether gone as we had it written up for the Reds’ right fielder. We had him as the National League MVP coming into 2012. Fair or unfair, it just hasn’t materialized into that type of season.

After an April that saw him hit .296 and close out the month with home runs in four straight games, it’s been a season long slump. It’s felt that way. But Bruce’s manager has stuck with him through trying times. For all the grief Dusty Baker gets for his odd machinations and far out inventions in the form of a lineup, thank you Dusty for being a player’s manager on this night.

To hit a home run in the 9th inning of a game to the opposite field off a tough lefty with the way that things have been going, that’s just a huge moment. And maybe Bruce continues to slumber through the final six weeks and change of the regular season, who knows. But maybe this is the start of one of Jay Bruce’s epic hot streaks that carries a team to a division title.

Because tonight felt just a little bit like 2010 didn’t it? It seemed that not a body had left–and for good reason–when Bruce hit the line drive into the first row of seats in left field. It’s one of those nights where you’re mad that you had an excuse not to be there taking it in with 29,000 of your closest friends.

The end of 2009 and especially that August and September of 2010, was truly vintage Jay Bruce. It was a time where he seemed on top of the baseball world and no one could get him out. And more often than not when he connected, the ball left the yard. I’ve never seen anything like it in my life watching baseball. It was incredible.

He put together one of those epic hot streaks in May of 2011 and had the minor eruption in April of this season that we touched on, and has since gone missing.

He’s homered in two straight. Not surprisingly, the Reds won them both. Why is one player so paramount to the Reds success? When Bruce succeeds, the Reds are seemingly unstoppable. Or maybe it’s the other way around. Lifetime, in a Reds win, Jay Bruce OPS’s over an astounding .960 clip.

I don’t know how this chapter ends or where it falls in the story. I don’t know if we’re at the halfway point or beginning to ride the downward slope towards the end. All I know is that tonight when Jay Bruce rounded the bases I felt the joy you can only feel for someone when you’ve suffered through the good times and the bad with someone, even if he doesn’t know that we’ve all been along for the ride with him every step of the way.

Jay Bruce is one of us. Born and raised a Cincinnati Red. He provides us with another magical moment in what has thus far been a magical summer.

And if this is the beginning of one of those hot streaks that you never forget, I guarantee you the entire baseball world will be on notice.

Filed Under: Cincinnati Reds, New York Mets, walk off wins Tagged With:

On the Reds 10-Game Winning Streak

July 31, 2012 by Leave a Comment

When the Cincinnati Reds dropped the home stand opener 11-5 to the San Diego Padres last night in Cincinnati, it ended their 10-game winning streak that began with a 7-6 win over Arizona in Cincinnati on July 19th.

I think it was the longest winning streak for the Cincinnati Reds since this blog has been in creation. It took then from tied for first place in the standings to 3 games in the green on the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Reds did it all without the help of their main offensive force, Joey Votto. Even with last night’s loss the Reds are 20 games over .500, which also seems like another benchmark worth mention.

If this band of Reds go on to win the National League Central Division Championship for the second time in three seasons; or reach uncharted territory like the NLCS, this will be the stretch that everyone should remember. They did it with pitching, great defense, and timely hitting. It wasn’t about the three-run homer in the small park, as so many thought Reds baseball would be predicated upon. In fact, the Reds hit five solo shots in their final win on the streak in Colorado.

Other than Drew Stubbs, Ryan Ludwick was probably the hero of the entire streak. He’s seen his OPS hulk up to .849 at the end of last night’s play. That’s ahead of Jay Bruce (.828) and Brandon Phillips (.788) by a healthy margin.

I’m in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. My buddies are headed to the park tonight to watch Homer Bailey and the boys attempt to start a new streak. I have to admit, even with the beach out my window I am a little bit envious. The MLB.tv feeds here are very spotty at best. I’ve been forced to follow the Reds via 700 WLW. Last night the crowd sounded rowdy. With two full months of baseball left, the Reds have made a baseball town fall in love again. What a life we are living in such a place.

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