Loading ...Final game of the series tonight in Houston before the Reds head to Milwaukee for a weekend clash with the Brew Crew. Elizardo Ramirez goes for the Reds, after a very rough outing last time out. For the Astronomicals, we’ll see right-hander Taylor Buchholz, who pitched a good game against the Reds back in April. Of course, he’s a rookie, and the Reds have had lots of problems with young pitchers this year.
The Reds really need to win this game and take the series against the Astros. Taking two of three at Minute Maid Park would send a little message: “Hey, Astros, you aren’t coming back on us in the Central division.” Losing two of three gives them a little hope.
Two out of three here, then two out of three in Milwaukee, and suddenly the Reds are looking good as they return home.
Discuss the game here.
Freel in right, Aurilia at third, with Valentin catching tonight. I have no problem with Freel playing more, but remember when the Reds wouldn’t call up Denorfia because they wanted him to get at-bats? He hasn’t started in over a week.
Lineup news:
1. Encarnacion not in it.
2. Clayton is.
3. Griffey hitting 3rd.
4. Aurilia batting cleanup.
has valentin caught all of ez’s starts? i know at one point he had but not sure if he still has
I don’t feel great about the offensive potential of this lineup tonight.
hey one batter into the game it looks good haha
Maybe Freel won’t get picked-off to start the game tonight.
Dunn is 5 for his last 5 now
the base hit magician does it again
At least one start by EZ was not caught by Valentín.
go cubs tonight!
Please snap out of this slump, Griffey
The cubbies always play the cards tough. Hope that continues this serie!
GOODBYE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
YES
Thank goodness. Griffey homers.
maybe this will bring back that “i bet griffey homers here” feeling when he comes to plate..i haven’t felt that in a while
Brandon, it would be nice to have a guy like that in a playoff race.
Know what you mean he has to come out of it soon. Maybe this is the start of it.
I feel so bad for Valentin. I think he has potential but there is now way he car realize it when he hardly gets a chance to play anymore.
yes it would john…i remember a month or 2 ago about 4 or 5 times he came to the plate and i said i feel a home run coming and there it went, if he can’t get back to being that kind of threat, with the way dunn’s hitting the ball, good things could start happening (especially since there’s a lot of games against the NL worst coming up
2-0 cubbies
BP and RC comin through with the DP
Way to get out of it Elizardo
we should get jerry to get a laptop in the dugout and take a poll when he’s gonna make some kinda change during the game, then we can’t complain about it later haha
wow…ballsy move by clayton with the pitcher up
HOW BOUT EZ!!
Fear Elizardo!
Always like to see pitchers make a contribution at the plate. RBI Double for Elizardo, 4-0 Reds.
Nice play by Huff
im less impressed with jr’s hr now that ez just doubled off this guy, but it’s still great to see.
well you can’t forget how bucholz shut down the reds in april, it’s not like he’s a scrub
2-2 in chicago
THERE’S THE HOMER STROKE
oh yeah
that was a BLAST by Dunn. now 6 for his last 6.
Dunn is on fire! And he’s 6 for his last 6, right?
Adam Dunn is OUT OF HIS HEAD!
and outta the yard
of all the players on the Reds Dunn is the last I would think 6 for 6 with. That was a bomb
on pace for a 27-0 win haha…i think that would change ur mind about the offensive potential for this lineup john lmao
Adam Dunn is a 2 ton man-mountain who can palm a medicine ball.
time for ez to put it in cruise control. no walks.
I am pleasantly surprised with this lineup tonight.
Is it just me or does Phillips lose the ball on the transfer during potential double-plays a lot?
mayb.e.but i’m not gonna say a word about his defense
Wow. Pinch-hitter in the 2nd inning?
I love Phillips defensively and I don’t know that he would’ve turned that DP but I think I have seen him do that multiple times.
Well I’m not stepping away tonight like last night. No turning the world upside down for me tonight.
EZ has been less than dominant so far tonight.
i’m eventually gonna have to step downstairs and watch the game on fsn..damn radio’s starting to cut out
well even tho ez’s had good games where the offense hasn’t come through he just has to be decent tonight and it should be enough to mark one up in the win column
dunn over the last 30 days: .343/.430/.586
that’s ridiculous..i need to go hug dunn
Nice work EZ
Adam Dunn is currently ranked 18th in the AP College Football Poll.
The middle of this lineup is loaded for bear. **note sarcasm** EE would add that much more danger there.
The Astros TV anouncers just said that Dunn’s been using a lighter bat for the past few weeks. Haven’t heard that from any of the beat writers who traipse around the Reds locker room every day.
This could turn into a Chuck Norris-esque 100 Facts about Adam Dunn.
“Adam Dunn once had a heart attack; his heart lost.”
“Adam Dunn counted to infinity – twice.”
I heard George/Chris talk about his lighter bat as well.
Before The Trade, I’d wondered if maybe Kearns was using a too-heavy bat.
I remember hearing about the bat but it might have been here or another blog. But he definitely changed his stance even if slightly.
Adam Dunn showers in Vodka and feeds his baby shrimp scampi.
Clayton almost got his first HR of the year…almost
It’d be great to see the offense give EZ this much run support more often. I’d imagine it takes a ton of pressure off of a young guy like him. Just think about what the “Lizard’s” record would be if he got at least 4 runs every time he goes out there. So far tonight he’s looking like a top notch starter, plus a nice base hit w/RISP! Perhaps he could take Dewayne Wise in the Cage before DW goes back down to AAA and teach him a thing or two!!
That’s at least the second almost-HR for Clayton since he joined the team. He can’t keep this up forever, but he’s certainly not hurting the offense right now.
that’s interesting about dunn’s bat, it gives me hope that this isn’t just a crazy fluke.
adam dunn’s tears are part bald eagle blood and can cure sick kids.
EZ has K’d 4 out of the last 5
Dunn seems to be spraying the ball a lot more since the break. I think his approach at the plate has changed not just his bat.
Adam Dunn’s semen can form liquid human- like Terminator 2.
make it 5 of 6.
I have to head out. Hopefully I won’t be in for a surprise later on when I check back in on the game (like last night).
In case you’re not listening to WLW, the update on Homer Bailey is that he threw 6 more shutout innings tonight. 8 K, 2 BB; uncharacteristically allowed 5 hits. ERA down to 0.74. It’s odd that he’s dominating so completely in comparison to the dramatic up-and-down ride he had in Sarasota to start the year, which was a lower level, and in a league that was much more favorable to pitchers.
Dunn walks, preserving his perfect streak. Griffey follows with a 4-pitch walk and it’s another Reds threat.
Rich Aurilia, GIDP to end the inning. Argh.
5 consecutive K’s for Elizardo, and the pitcher coming up.
Aurilia is doing nothing against righties for the last week or two but I still get to watch him versus everyone of them
Make that 6 K’s in a row.
7 of 8
you will be assimilated
Make him expand the zone, EZ! Biggio fouled off 6 pitches in a row, here, count is still 0-2.
What pitches does Elizardo throw? Fastball, change-up . . . what else?
9 foul balls in this at-bat so far.
what a battle. Don’t know how he layed off ball 3
8 of 9 This is fun !
that was fun to watch. Great battle
Ha, Biggio! Finally. 16-pitch at-bat, 11 foul balls, called 3rd strike ends it. That’s 7 consecutive K’s and 8 of 9. That’s exciting!
Wow! EZ… Just Wow
well it took an innings worth of pitches, but biggio got what was coming to him.
ELIZARDOOOOOOOOO is rolling 8 outta 9..put the man in ice
A nice long inning here with a run or two would be nice to get EZ some rest.
one of you need to go hit for the cubs so somebody other than barrett can get somethin done tonight..i hate being 5+ games out
albers is getting out of a lot of mini-jams. so much for that rest for ez.
K streak ends, but EZ gets the side retired in order, on just 5 pitches. Dominator.
Looks like he didn’t need the rest anyway. 1-2-3 in the 6th
This Albers guy has been doing a great job. Incidentally, this appears to be his first major-league appearance. No wonder the Reds are having trouble with him.
technically..his second..he faced the reds the other night..but yea he looks pretty good so far
ok, why are people dressed up like a bottle of mustard and a bottle of ketchup in the stands.
Ah, missed that – you’re right, Albers turned in 1/3 of an inning on Tuesday.
Adam Dunn small ball machine
damn, JR. first pitch swinging again.
chris welsh just said “the reds rid themselv…er released joe mays”……he ALMOST said it right
Maybe Dunn could move to first base after he seems to the next coming of Sean Casey the last 2 nights. He and Berkman seem to be having a blast.
Another walk for Adam Dunn.
Adam Dunn can split the atom. With his bare hands.
I’m getting really sick of Encarnacion not starting. Free Edwin Encarnacion!
I know, that was a complaint for two hours ago, but I just got home.
is anyone warming?
I hope so. I don’t want to see a repeat of last night.
Get the Lizard out of there.
No not the Majic Man
Please not Majewski.
the two outs this inning have been scalded.
Who wants to bet that these two inherited runners score. You can almost go ahead and close the book on Ramirez with three earned runs.
Shackelford
Shack Attack.
Shack Fu. I don’t have a problem with this move.
Why does Shack remind me of Norm Charlton?
Big K. Great job by ShacKleford.
good
RagTag- the reverse jinx works! K!
Awesome.
I’ll take that reverse jinx any day!
out of the inning but the Majic Man still warming up
So. Whose pitching the 8th and 9th? Is Weathers gonna get in this game? I wouldn’t mind seeing Tex start an inning vs. coming in with runners on. And there is a bit of a cushion. Confidence builder?
Nice capitalization.
The Reds offense seems to have died out shortly after blossoming in the first two innings. Maybe that’s why this feels like a closer game than it is. 5-run lead with two innings to go.
i actually want majewski to come in…please..nobody kill me hah…it’s a 5 run lead..i think even that’s safe with him, he needs to work out of his funk, better to bring him in up 6-1 than up 2-1
I accepted your bet, but… ummm… err… my computer crashed. So you now owe me a game worn Edwin Encarnacion jersey. I know they are rare, but a bet is a bet.
hammer1, that’s wit right there.
You got your wish – Majewski enters.
No, not Majewski! Please, no!
here we go.
I hate this guy, despise might be a better word, perhaps loathe.
I’m with you, Brandon. Let’s get Majewski straightened out when we’ve got some room.
I hate Majewski.
yeesh. Hit batter !
Why, why, why, why
Question: Is it possible for Majewski to be bad enough to get DFA’ed? Or does he have options? I’m just wondering if there’s a theoretical number where Krivsky would have no choice but to admit defeat. 20 IP with a 9.00 ERA? Less than that? (He’s doing ok tonight).
At least Narron is messing around. Get Bray in there to turn Berkman around.
austin kearns has a good arm, we could have just tried him out of the pen.
I don’t know why I wrote that parenthetical – wishful thinking?
*Narron isn’t messing around.
Every 3B on the roster will play tonight except for Encarnacion.
I would have made the same move. At some point Majewski’s going to turn it around, but until he does he’ll have to be used in low-leverage situations. Didn’t happen tonight, and Bill Bray inherits two runners.
Majewski isn’t giving up homers or walking tons of batters. He’s just giving up singles & doubles, and that’s a good indicator that he can recover just through a turn of his luck.
they need that GBDP right about now
Berkman gets an RBI hit but re-injures himself. I thought it seemed risky for the Astros to let him play with an easily aggravated type of injury.
Meanwhile, Cubs have tied it up with STL in the sixth, 4-4.
non chalant throw by Phillips there, otherwise prob a DP
CUBS LEAD..thank ya rolen for muffin a grounder
This is nerve-wracking.
I know it would nice to win the division and beat the Cardinals, but it really doesn’t matter. The Mets will be waiting in the first round, division title or wild card.
my god bray is scaring me..that long foul just about made me crap myself
Ragtag, you were right about the inherited runners scoring, just an inning early. 6-3 now.
thats the thing brian..if the reds win the division, and the cards win the wildcard, then the reds play the winner of the west and wont have to face the mets in round 1
If the Reds win the division, they’ll play the western division champs in the playoffa unless the Braves or Marlins manage to beat out STL for the wild card.
this sucks
This isn’t good.
Hmmm. 6-4. Todd Coffey enters.
why not Guardado?
I was mistaken. Go Cubs!
I just want to point out…
The Reds were winning by five before the two pitchers they got in the Nats deal came in the game. And they’d be out of the inning if Clayton had made a better throw.
Okay, I still like Bray, and Phillips deserves some blame on that DP. I’m just sayin….
hah good point ragtag..u forgot to mention berkman’s hit skipped off clayton’s glove
I blame that non DP totally on Phillips, the throw was high and he didn’t put enough on it. Clayton had to go up and get it and it affected his throw to first.
Everett swings with a wet noodle. Throw strikes!
Thanks Java man
That’s what I’m talkin’ ’bout. 6-4, heading to the ninth.
and one of the also rans from the old bullpen finishes the inning don’t know why we didn’t get rid of him. Come on 3 more outs.
Glad Krivsky fixed the bullpen.
Could someone just not tell Majewski the bullpen phone is for him from now on?
Could someone just not tell Majewski the bullpen phone is for him from now on?
Tell him it’s the barber. He won’t want any part of it.
Adam Dunn gets another at-bat after Freel’s 2-out triple.
Adam Dunn.
Yeah. 7 straight hits, and a much-needed insurance run.
Dunner.
7-7 with a slew of walks in between.
Love to hear what Marty has to say after these 2 games
Dunn again !
I heard he ordered a Big Mac at Burger King, and got one.
See if JR can wait til the second pitch to ground out this time.
Well, he didn’t even swing. I’ll take that.
scientists have now isolated adam dunn’s bat as the sole cause of global warming.
Marty is singing Dunn’s praises. Hitting safely, to all fields, still the patience & occasional power . . . nothing not to like about his performance lately.
What are Dunn’s numbers since the trade? That seems to be when he caught fire.
Since June 26, Dunn is hitting .343 (before tonight), with a .500 average with RISP.
Even more insurance. Nice job by Rich.
64% of his hits have been singles in that stretch.
a .500 average with RISP.
That is awesome.
Wise? WISE??????
a slg around .600 is a bit more than occasional power.
WISE?!? Free Encarncion!
I wonder what Houston blogites are saying about their late inning pen now?
Did EdE make an error last night or something?
could this possibly be a near perfect baseball day? a possible reds win..a possible cards loss..and both of the closest teams in the wildcard lose
Is Wise the man out when Germano comes up Saturday? Or is it a pitcher?
Entering tonight, Dunn since the All-Star Break (or The Trade):
.378/.472/.600 in 12 games; 17 hits, 2 HR, 7 walks, 7 RBI, 7 runs scored.
narron just wanted to go home and figured that 4 runs was enough of a lead. Wise: the automatic out for when you really need one.
Come on, Everyday Eddie!
Can someone finish this? Adam Dunn doesn’t care about numbers……
Has Eddie been good, or what?
Not to jinx him, or anything.
Wily Mo trade rumors.
Oh yeah – Cubs are up 5-4 on STL in the eighth.
I was drawing a blank, but thought of this one. Adam Dunn doesn’t care about numbers, except when counting the beads of sweat on opposing pitcher’s foreheads.
Ehhh.
This line from those Wily Mo rumors is hilarious:
“The Red Sox may need to part with Wily Mo Pena in order to bolster their starting rotation.”
They traded pitching to get him, didn’t they?
Wily Mo for The Majic Man I hope
I’d love to have Wily Mo back.
Guardado is awesome!
Eddie ! Nice job
this was a big one with the way everything else turned out today
Dunn has reached base nine straight times. Awesome.
This should have been a sweep.
Cards are still losing by one, but Pujols is up with a runner on.
Good point, Ragtag. Boston didn’t even have a spot for Arroyo in their supposedly million-mile-deep rotation – he was being banished to the bullpen before they traded him.
Great catch by Jacque Jones!
Wily Mo for Joe Mays, The Majic Man and a bucket of balls that sounds fair
Pujols ripped one, damn near knocked the right fielder over making that catch. Still 5-4 Cubs
Do the Cubs even have a closer anymore?
STL loses.
great way to get that game back on the cards from yesterday
Sad part of that article:
San Francisco general manager Brian Sabean had already been inquiring about the Pirates’ Salomon Torres, and he’s now also targeting Roberto Hernandez. With Pittsburgh seeking a first baseman or outfielder in return, Shea Hillenbrand’s recent arrival raises the prospects of a deal between the teams.
Lance Niekro, who began the season as the Giants’ starter at first base but is now in the Minors, and Travis Ishikawa are candidates who could be available, as is outfielder Todd Linden, reports the San Francisco Chronicle.
Torres and Hernandez are having (arguably) better years than Majewski/Bray, and the price is either Lindnen or Niekro (i.e. spare parts)?
Dunn was on a pretty good streak before the trade also– in the 13 games prior to the trade(ASB) he was 17-54(.315) 5HR 17RBI 7BB…….since June 25th he’s raised his average 40 points; his OB% 24 points; his SLUG% 24 points and his contact% has increased from 67.2% to 68.4%