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Evan Longoria walk off homers the Reds in the bottom of the 9th

June 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

[Box Score]

[Cincinnati.com] [Rays Index]

This game had a playoff style atmosphere from the beginning. In a night of huge pitching match-ups around Major League Baseball (Cliff Lee/Josh Beckett, Tommy Hanson/Michael Pineda, among others) this one probably did the finest job of living up to the billing.

Johnny Damon’s solo home run off Johnny Cueto was the only mark that the Rays could muster against the Reds ace for the first seven innings. The Reds battled against David Price who was more than on his ‘A’ game, and got a triple off the center field wall by Drew Stubbs and then tied the game a batter later on an Edgar Renteria RBI single.

Later in the inning, Renteria stole second base on an 0-2 pitch to Joey Votto. Votto then doubled a few deliveries later to put the Reds up 2-1 and knock Price from the game.

Johnny Damon hit a pitcher’s pitch from Bill Bray into the shallow left center area that fell just out of the reach of Chris Heisey’s glove to give the Rays a 3-2 lead in the bottom of the 8th inning.

The Rays then brought on their closer, Kyle Farnsworth in the top of the 9th inning. Farnsworth entered the game with a 1.99 ERA and 17 saves in 18 opportunities. That’s uncharacteristically good for Farnsworth, and as I told my friend that I was watching the game with ‘at some point the guy is going to play to the back of his baseball card, he’s due to blow a save’.

Jay Bruce led off the inning and worked the count full, and then connected on a mammoth blast to dead center field that tied the game at 3.

The excitement wouldn’t last long. Evan Longoria hit an inside fastball from Logan Ondrusek into the seats in left field in the bottom of the 9th inning to give the Rays the victory.

At some point, the Reds are going to have to stop doing this. They’re now 11-17 in one run ballgames. The summer is flying by, and these were victories that the Reds were collecting at this time last year. They now sit narrowly at one game over the .500 mark at the exact halfway point; and they trail the Milwaukee Brewers by 3.5 games in the NL Central. They’re now officially in 4th place with the Pirates taking over third.

Some might say that it’s only 3.5 games, and yes a big week from the Reds could have them knocking on the door of first place. But a poor week or even a poor two-week stretch could definitely put them out of things for good at this point. Every night is pivotal and the floundering Reds have everyone waiting on them to get hot and it just isn’t happening.

Filed Under: Cincinnati Reds, Tampa Bay Devil Rays, walk off wins Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Game 49, 2011: Reds 6, Phillies 3

May 25, 2011 By Leave a Comment

[Box Score]

[Cincinnati.com] [The Good Phight]

Big, big win for the Reds last night in Philadelphia. It was a win I just had the feeling they were going to go out and get. Somehow, some way, I just sensed that the Reds knew they had to take this one after losing six in a row and before facing Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee.

When Jay Bruce doubled off Ryan Madson with the bases juiced and sent all those fraudulent, wannabe tough-guys in Philly to an early exit at Citizens Bank Ballpark I was over-joyed.

Not only is Bruce getting hits that an MVP would get, but he got it off Madson; a guy who has been so tough this year. The thing I noticed about Madson is although he was throwing 95 on the gun, he was leaving pitches up in the zone. Bruce had a rough night against Vance Worley among others but he got a pitch that was up and out over the plate and the Reds winning streak was only something in the history books after one swing that sent a ball off the right-centerfield wall in Philly.

Props go out to Johnny Cueto for battling for six innings, and also to the bullpen guys like Billy Bray and Logan Ondrusek for keeping this game in a 3-3 tie until the Reds could load the bases and win the game.

Top Plays:

Bruce’s huge hit

Drew Stubbs’ gun from center field

Madson mis-plays Stubbs’ bunt

Joey Votto’s leather-work

Potpourri:

-The Reds face Roy Halladay on ESPN tonight for the first time since his NLDS no-hitter. I have a funny feeling that the Reds will find a way to win tonight. They might not hang a loss on Halladay, but I think they’ll want to extract some revenge and they’ll come out with a nice gameplan of attack against the man with 18 different pitches.

-Here’s an article on Adam Dunn’s slump. Adam, you’re right. The slump is ridiculous. Thanks for making me look like a rookie in Fantasy Baseball.

Filed Under: Cincinnati Reds, Philadelphia Phillies Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Game 15, 2011: Pirates 7, Reds 6

April 18, 2011 By 1 Comment

[Box Score]

[Cincinnati.com]

Observations:
In the worst way I wanted the Reds to come away with this game and I wanted to be able to say that these are the same old Pirates that we’re talking about. But once again as they so often seem to do, the Reds will send me to work on a Monday following a Sunday loss thinking about what might have been.

These are not the same old Pirates. It’s a long series and we’ve all had a good look at the likes of Jose Tabata, Neil Walker, Ronny Cedeno, Garrett Jones, Joel Hanrahan, Pedro Alvarez and the new and improved tandem of Jeff Karstens and Charlie Morton.

Today, the guy that went off was Mccutchen. It’s pretty much his team now even though he’s only 23. It’s funny because today was a microcosm of Mccutchen vs. Bruce. Both guys firing back and forth with blows in a heavyweight title fight. Both guys who figure to face off for the next decade or so and be tops at their craft in the NL Central.

It doesn’t help that Edinson Volquez put the Reds in yet another hole this afternoon. They trailed 4-0 after the first inning, and Volquez’s first inning ERA is now 29.25.

For all the qualities of imperfection the Reds will have to deal with to be one of the best teams in the National League this year, one that they have that so many don’t is that they grind, and they fight and they claw back into ballgames time and again.

When they were in the 4-0 hole, I was sure that the Pirates would need more than that to hang a loss on them today and I was right. Miguel Cairo–a super sub for Brandon Phillips that got on base four times today–homered to get them on the board. It wasn’t a cheapie either.

With two outs a few innings later Jay Bruce singled and Paul Janish followed his single with his own that would make it 4-2. A few innings later Scott Rolen’s RBI double would tie it. Then the Reds took the lead on a Bruce single to make it 5-4.

Garrett Jones homered off Volquez who had settled down and we were tied again. A few hitters later the Pirates would have their lead back at 6-5. Again, there were too many frames left and I knew the Reds would be back.

Jay Bruce’s confidence looks like it’s surging right now. After he lined the single to right field to give the Reds a lead, we just had the feeling that he would have a day. When he came back to the plate with the Reds trailing by one and Jose Veras gave him a high fastball, he launched it into the seats in right centerfield and the Reds had tied it once again.

Logan Ondrusek got out of trouble with a nice play on a squeeze by the Pirates to keep it tied. But as I said to myself, I’ve seen this game so many times. Too often I’ve seen my team battle and get a heroic play like that only to lose it on a single with two outs. That’s exactly what happened. Mccutchen strikes again. The Reds got bested by a good player today.

It is a testament to their character that they weren’t done yet. The Redlegs loaded the bases up in the bottom of the 9th off Joel Hanrahan, and he went 2-0 to Drew Stubbs before Stubbs flied out to the man of the hour in center to end it.

We’re 15 games in and it seems like there’s been a million big moments already. The Reds play all week long instead of having tomorrow off, so that made this one just a little easier to take. Beyond that, when this lineup really goes off it’s all over. No one will be able to play with the Reds on some nights because they’re all going to hit and it’s going to be scary the type of runs they score on a good day. The starters need to start going more than six innings and they need the same good clean bill of health that they were blessed with mostly last year.

Top Plays:

Miguel Cairo’s bomb gets the Reds on the board

Bruce singles the Reds to an early 5-4 lead. All the way back.

Jay Bruce ties it at six with a bomb to center (2)

The heartbreaking but predictable beginning of the end

The Cardiac Reds fall just short

Classic Oldie Song That Should be Played on Loud Speakers at a Ballpark near you:




“Woman, hold me in your arms. Rock it baby.”

Hang with these Reds. They’ll get ‘em tomorrow. They’re that kind of team.

Filed Under: Cincinnati Reds, Heartbreak, Pittsburgh Pirates Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Game 11, 2011: Reds 8, Padres 2

April 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment

[Box Score]

[Gaslamp Ball] [Cincinnati.com]

These Reds have more than 9 lives don’t they?

There were several instances last night where the game should have been over (thanks once again to Nick Masset for burning our bullpen and nearly losing his 3rd game on the young season) in favor of the Padres and had the Reds sitting at 7-4 entering the ever tough getaway day off the West Coast.

But the Reds didn’t quit. The special moment was in the bottom of the 9th with the game on the line, Cameron Maybin hit a ball that looked like a line shot into the right-center gap that would surely end this one. Thom Brennaman even made the point to say “and this game is over–or is it?” before Jay Bruce appeared like Superman out of nowhere to snag the line drive, dash Cameron Maybin’s hopes of celebration (pictured above) and send the game into extra innings.

The other big moment that will stick with me is the way Logan Ondrusek battled out of tough situations last night. In two different innings he had a mess to clean up, and when he struck out Nick Hundley with the bases loaded and only one out in the 10th inning, you just knew they would find a way to get out of it yet again and give themselves one more inning to win the game.

When the game ended last night just before the 2am hour here in Ohio, Dusty Baker had a look on his face that said a lot to me. His look said that he’s been around this game a long time, and there’s something special going on with his group of 25 here in 2010. He’s seen a lot of assembly’s of rosters in his time. He’s had good teams, bad teams, mediocre teams. He knows that there is a little magic surrounding a lot of talent and grit in this group. He won’t admit it, but I’m telling you the thought has crossed his mind a few times already.

Those are the types of things you think about when you’re rolling teams without anything from Jay Bruce, or when you’re seeing a Chris Heisey drive in 8 runs in his first 14 at-bats yet there is no spot for him every day because Gomes and Stubbs have collected so many big hits. Or when Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto look to be at their never before seen peak–how scary of a thought is that?

This team is dangerous.

Top Plays:

Drew Stubbs monster homer slams the door shut

Johnny Gomes saves the game with a catch

Brandon Phillips: Are you kidding me?

Reds 11th inning explosion

Potpourri:

This was the second consecutive game in which I noticed Aroldis Chapman’s velocity was down. He was 94 MPH, touching 96 that I saw, and even though he worked a 1-2-3 7th inning that saw him go strikeout (filthy slider), foul out, strike out looking on his best pitch of the night speed-wise; I’m a little concerned. We’re talking about 10 MPH on the fastball that he’s missing all of the sudden. Keep your eyes on this.

Jay Bruce *MIGHT* be starting to come out of his funk ever so slowly perhaps. The box score will read only 1 for 3, 2 runs scored; but if you watched the quality of at-bats that he had, they’re the type of at-bats that a player has when he’s about to come out of a funk. Confidence building at-bats. Working an 8-pitch walk from Heath Bell who was throwing smoke. Fouling off tough pitches from a lefty. And of course probably 2 or 3 Gold Glove quality plays in the outfield.

I watched this game until the bitter end, wide awake. The reason for this is I am sick as a dog. I don’t know if it’s a cold, or it’s a flu; but it’s some type of re-payment for staying out all night the day of Opening Day. Would I do it again if that is the cause? Absolutely.

Filed Under: bonus baseball, Cincinnati Reds, San Diego Padres Tagged With: , , , ,