Loading ...It’s get-away day in Cincinnati, as the Reds take on the Astros in a business day special. Chris Michalak takes the hill against famed Reds-killer Roy Oswalt. I’m a little nervous about that matchup, but I feel awfully good about this team right now.
These afternoon game threads are usually a lot of fun, so join in and discuss, as the Reds go for the SWEEP!
A lack of water in my building has left me home for once for one of these mid-week afternoon games. Three cheers for eighty year old apartment buildings.
Anyone have the lineups?
Just as a late note for last night’s game, if Kyle Lohse pitches half this well for the rest of the season, his salary figure for next season will be a Bronson Arroyo level steal.
Per Marc Lancaster:
Phillips 2B
Hatteberg 1B
Griffey CF
Encarnacion 3B
Dunn LF
Aurilia SS
Hollandsworth RF
Ross C
Michalak P
This came with a note that Hopper was sent back down.
Lancaster reporting that Norris Hopper has been optioned back to Louisville. I presume this has to do with the activation of Michalak from the bereavement list.
Beat me to it, GC. Hope Michalak can rediscover the Jamie Moyer magic from his first outing.
I’d be happy with 3 runs in 6 every time even if that’s more Jamie Moyer of the last couple of seasons and not his glory years.
i’m glad the bullpen is rested. When michalak starts to get rocked, i hope narron has the good sense to get him out of there and let major league pitchers handle the job.
perhaps i’m too harsh, i just think this is a stupid move. let gossling throw, let franklin throw, this guy just doesn’t impress me. prove me wrong!
Astros lineup:
Willy Taveras CF
Chris Burke 2B
Lance Berkman LF
Morgan Ensberg 3B
J.R. House 1B
Jason Lane RF
Adam Everett SS
Brad Ausmus C
Roy Oswalt P
Is anyone else as scared of Oswalt as I am? Even though we have actually beaten him now, he’s scares me.
The nice thing about Oswalt and Clemens is that you know that no matter how well they pitch, the odds are always good that the Astros offense will generate 2 runs or less against any starting pitcher.
Even Michalak?
Even Joe Mays.
The Astros lineup is amazing. First two hitters are batting .278 each. Then Berkman at .313 . The rest of the lineup, no one’s hitting higher than .235 . Astonishing.
The Reds beat Oswalt earlier this year with Claussen on the mound.
And Oswalt, while still having a very good year, has been more hittable this year.
The Reds are 9-2 against the Asstros this year. That truly is an amazing feat. Remember the past few years, when it seemed like playing the Asstros was an automatic loss?
I hope Hollandsworthless can get a hit or 2 today.
Oswalt is 15-1 against the Reds…wow
I like today’s lineup … even though I wish Freel was in it, but he needs a day or two of rest
btw … just a quick note about last night’s game … did anyone else see Lohse’s numbers as a starter this season? with the Twins, he had an ERA around 8.28 as a starter … but with the Reds, he has an ERA UNDER 2 as a starter … hope he continues that trend
I have a feeling this upcoming west coast road trip will be the deciding factor in whether or not the Reds will make the postseason. SF, LA, SD are all battling for playoff spots.
out of that sticky wicket
John … I agree … the West Coast trip will truly expose the Reds as either pretenders or contenders … I’m hoping for the latter
And historically, there have been a number of times that the Reds playoff hopes died on west coast road trips.
Another point about the west coast trip: after the trip, the schedule seems to be pretty favorable to the Reds w/ remaining series against SF, PIT, SD, CHI, HOU, CHI, FL, PIT
Nice to take the early lead against Oswalt (or RoyO as Marty likes to call him). Sounds like it was a heads-up baserunning play by BP
I love this freaking team. Double by Junior, Reds lead 2-0.
Screw Oswalt.
wow, scoring from first on a single, don’t see that much.
Sounds like Griffey almost went yard. Instead he gets a double and Hatte scores. 2-0 reds.
Get ‘em early!
I had stepped away a moment – how does Phillips score from first on a Hatteberg single? That’s what the gameday says.
Kenneth doubles to drive in another. 2-0, no outs.
A field goal in the 1st would be nice, though I won’t argue about a safety, either.
Oswalt threw 26 pitches that inning.
BP was running on the pitch and the 3rd base coach saw the throw going to the wrong base and sent him since he was already coming into third. Astro’s just assumed that he wouuldn’t go since, it was a single after all.
“watching” the game on sportsline. clocked his first pitch to Jason Lane as a “fastball/81″
John Fey from the Enquirer seems to think the Reds will get something from the Nationals out of the Majewskigate thing.
That’s Jose Rijo heat!
DP’s are a pitcher’s best friend.
Speaking of Rijo, I’m waiting for him to announce a comeback this year for the playoff run.
fay reporting that franklin would probably be the 5th starter if michalak struggles, as Mich gets a DP to end the inning.
By the way, between innings you should check out a little I concocted last night.
Rats! How do you post a link?
Marty on Hollandsworthless: “believe me when i tell you he is a much better hitter than we have seen.” I wish I could agree with Marty there.
Marty pauses during his Elvis story to point out that Hollandsworth struck out looking.
I’m gonna go ahead and forget about that inning. Back to the top of the order!
Seriously, what is with Marty and Steve’s digressions lately? They’ve been going on tangents about their movie trivia and seem to forget why they’re there.
Did anyone listen last night? I’m betting in a 14-0 game we went whole innings without hearing any play by play.
Why does the game keep interrupting movie trivia?!!
In return for Majewskigate, Nats have to take Clayton and Mays, sign them to guaranteed contracts for 2007 and are forbidden from trading either of them to the Reds.
Gapper – for links, highlight the text you want to make active, click “link” right above the typing box, and enter in the link webaddress.
Note that you cannot post in-line images within your comment. You can post a link to the image, though.
Steve says that Michalek was a right-handed quarterback in high school. How does that work?
Ahh, its that first step that I missed. Many thanks.
So without further ado, here’s what I was talking about.
Maybe Fernando Valenzuela told him that his best bet to make it to the majors was as a lefthander.
(That’s how Dennys Reyes became a lefty Remember him? I think he’s with Minnesota now, and doing shockingly well this year.
Great stuff, Gapper.
Oh dear lord. I sure wish I hadn’t shared that little instructional.
Those two runs in the first could be huge.
Oh please….Don’t try to tell me you haven’t thought of that before. That image pops into my head all the time!
I love going through the bottom of this lineup. *knocks on wood*
I can honestly say that I have never ever envisioned that picture. I have thought of another image involving Phil Garner – it would be like a Gray’s Anatomy (the reference textbook, not the TV show) illustration, showing a view of his head. Where the brain should be is a big chunk of scrap iron.
I didn’t see that. I didn’t see that. I didn’t see that…
Gameday’s pitch graph for the Lane AB is comical. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a guy throw so many pitches to so many different places. High and inside? Check. High and outside? Check. Low and outside? Check. Low and inside? Check. Right down the pipe? Check.
He did appear quite vacant last night on the bench. Perhaps such an image will become tonight’s work, although its unlikely I’ll feel like picking on poor, swept Phil Garner two nights in a row. I will never give such pity to the likes of Craig Biggio, though.
Hollandsworthless 0-2 w/ 2 K’s? I must be dreaming.
Does anyone know how the blackout rules apply on mlb.tv? I am back at college and bought it to watch the games. I go to Purdue so I am still considered in the Reds television territory even though our cable company thinks we live closer to chicago than indy (1 hr. closer) so we do not get fsn midwest/ohio like I do at home. I am able to watch the game on the houston station today live. The past two nights since it has been on fsn ohio I have had to wait until the game is over and watch the replay. Is that how it works all the time? I am willing to wait until after the games, but I need to know when to avoid knowing what happens via espn bottom line/annoying rommates trying to ruin for me. I look like an idiot in front of friends like jimmy fallon in fever pitch. Any answers would be helpful.
Ben, I don’t have your answer, but go Boilers!
For the love of pete, get Todd off of this team.
Since 1950, 5 players who have worn the #5 have won the MVP award.
Ben – so you can watch the game today?
I don’t know how mlb.tv blackout rules work. Wondering if they are similar to satellite TV rules? Do you know anyone in the area with DISH network and whether they can get Reds games or whether they are blacked out in Lafayette?
berkman could punish us here.
way to get out of that jam
Whew, that wasn’t a fun inning.
nice job by Mich. Credit where credit is due, that was a big spot.
oh my god: reds fan video
I went to a game with some out of town friends a couple months ago and the post-game concert was Freakbass. We got such a kick out of trying to fit the word Freakbass into random conversation. What a terrible name.
that video is incredible.
I hope that video is a joke.
that video is hillarious
c’mon Reds … how about a few more runs?
The Reds seem to have fallen asleep since the first inning.
Do they keep Michalak in?
The thought of this Sonic “Hot Fudge Brownie Blast” is making me hungry. I am about to get in a car and drive down to Cincy to get one (no Sonics in Columbus).
I have actually never been to a Sonic but I see/hear commercials all the time. Are they any good?
Great…leadoff single to Ausmus
If they’re that delicious, I might just have to try one sooner or later.
Coffey coming in for Michalek. Nice job, Chris.
Goodbye Michalak Man, looks like he’s all ‘tire’d out.
Seriously, Michalak is pushing 100 pitches. I hope he’s on a short leash at this point in the game.
geez … are the Reds trying to end it quick today???
Whew.
I cringe every time I see Ausmus get a hit, especially a leadoff hit.
Gapper, they could be gross- I have never been to a Sonic. I think that is why it appeals to me so much. We don’t have any in Columbus.
I agree with you Gapper … it’s the same feeling that I’ve developed lately for seeing the Cardinals’ Chris Duncan in the batter’s box
Ben – Baseball Prospectus did a good exposé-type article on the blackout rules recently, though it is subscriber only. Yahoo also had a sports column on the issue, and more importantly includes a link to the territorial map that is used to determine which games are blacked out for which regions.
I believe it is tied to the address on your credit card. For example, if your credit card has a billing address in Raleigh, NC, WAS and BAL games will be blacked out.
Take a look at the territorial map, and pity the poor fans in Las Vegas and Des Moines.
Beware Taveras bunt attempts!
He’s like a better version of Eckstein, and likewise very annoying.
Excellent, 2 strikes on him now, he’ll actually have to swing.
So you haven’t even tried the brownie and you’re going to drive 2 hours to get one? Now that’s a leap of faith.
Another DP here would be wonderful
I’m not saying I would drive that far to go to a Sonic but I am constantly bombarded by Sonic ads and it is as if they are taunting me since I have no Sonics around me.
Come on, double play . . .
Aw, nuts.
Good lord. We don’t want to blow this one.
Yuck. Tie game and now the bases will be loaded on an IBB.
a K would be nice, Coffey.
crap
Get it together, Coffey!
Nevermind. Have a nice, hot shower, Javaman, and hope somebody can come in here and clean up your mess.
He went 3-1 and got tossed from the game!
Too late. Coffey tossed for arguing balls/strikes, following up on gripes from Ross & Narron
How would you like to come in from the bullpen w/ a 3-1 count and the bases loaded in a tie game?
bye, bye coffey
John R. – no thanks … bases loaded in a tie game is pressure enough, but with a 3-1 count – OUCH … cuz you know Ensberg is looking for/counting a strike
Ryan Franklin will get the chance here.
Ensberg has to be sitting on a fastball right here.
Gapper, you are trying your absolute hardest to get that “Michalak man” thing to catch on. Kudos. Kudos to Coffey as well for getting in Bell’s face. The umpiring has seemed pretty shitty this whole series. The call last night on Phillips was actually a good one though… beat the tag but his hand couldn’t get around the foot to the bag.
DOUBLE CRAP!!!!!!!!!!
Charge that one to Todd Coffey; you were useless today.
and Franklin walks in a run.
There’s a run. The walk is ‘credited’ to Coffey.
3-2 Astros.
Down 3-2
The Reds seem to be content to take 2 out of 3 from the ‘stros.
man … I forgot that there was still just one out
Kudos also to Ross for turning around and saying something (doesn’t happen much for a catcher). Now I need a new box of Kudos…
Thanks for your TWO pitches, Ryan. Now, hit the showers … what’s the reason for this change?
For some reason, I have no confidence in Rheal whatsoever.
Ok, now back to the radio by my work bench. Now that Garner and his club have surpassed their average scoring for a game, time for the reds to reach theirs :lol:. Here’s to another Reds comeback… be back with you all later…
John R. proves himself a prophet.
5-2. Meltdown.
DANG, I’m done … need to get work done anyway.
Cormier gives up a 2-run single and Marty bashes him for not getting out lefties (nice work, Marty).
another hit. 6-2
6-2. Awful.
I hate our bullpen. I truly do.
our bullpen sucks
well if the asses who manage this team would have bothered to look at the FREE stats provided on ESPN.com they would see that he was getting righties out a lot more than he was getting lefties.
oh well
7-2. By all means, might as well keep it coming.
7-2
cormier sucks.
New rule: Anyone who gives up an extra-base hit to Adam Everett should be released.
i hate that coffey got squeezed so badly, and i hate that ryan franklin threw 2 pitches, and replaced him with cormier who’s been crap all together and especially against lefties.
i don’t hate our bullpen anymore, but you have to have a clue about how to use it.
Another run scores. 7-2. Cormier blows. His low ERA this year w/ the Phillies was all due to luck and the fact that he never pitched in big situations. Unfortunately, Krivsky didn’t realize this.
How does coffey have an ERA under 4…I swear everytime he comes in he gets rocked. are they all just IRs?
Something tells me Cormier is secretly still working for his old club, the Phillies.
I went back to the Radio, but it made me sick, I now have my head in a bucket while typing this, ugggghh.
What a way to ruin a great effort by Michalak too. The bullpen has had it pretty damn east the past week and they get the call here and just explode. Michalk should have just been kept in… this is pathetic
What in the hell just happened there? I’m still confused.
The NL must really suck for this team to be in a pennant race.
Mercifully, the inning has ended after a 6 spot was put on the board against the “improved” bullpen.
Gah! I go away to a meeting and when I come back it’s 7-2? Stupid bullpen…
Maybe Krivsky misread the “age 39″ part of Cormier’s bio. I think we’re going to need another grievance!!!
Woohoo Cormier! You did it!
Sadly, Cormier is only charged with one of those runs. How does a guy have a 1.59 with his old team, and then post an ERA of 4.50 before today’s lapse? Don’t tell me he’s injured too.
well, lets see if we can beat around this bullpen. Just need 2 runs the next 3 innings to win this thing. (he says hopefully).
We are all confused. What happened was that the Reds were in cruise control and got rear ended by Phil Garner and his pathetic excuse for an NL champ club.
Oh screw off matt, i hear that shit all over the national media, do i have to read it hear too?
man, redleg nation just had a freak out. it’s one game basically blown by some bad calls, and bad managing. not the end of the season.
and aurilia just hit the ump with his bat on a swing, so there’s something to cheer for.
I have been a lifelong Reds fan and I will always love the Reds but this team KILLS me. I don’t ever recall being so angry at a Reds team before. In the past, even if they were bad, you knew what to expect. Now, they show signs of life and you think the bullpen is improving and they go and pull something like this.
What are the chances Hollandsworthless strike out again here? 85%?
Ol Hollandsworthless with an RBI hit!
Hollandsworth doubles his hit total for the Reds…
Be nice, Al.
I’m just going to pretend this game never happened. See you all tomorrow night in chilly San Francisco.
Broken bat single for Hollandsworthless to get his first RBI for the Reds.
Theres 1!
HaHa. Hollandsalmostworthless
Why would Ross be bunting here?
Keep ‘em coming….
don’t suffocate with your head in the sand al
ROYCE CLAYTON pinch hitting? Has Narron gone insane?
You have Freel and Valentin on the bench and you PH Clayton?
There’s one of Royce’s patented groundouts to the left side.
RE: Ben – Baseball Prospectus did a good exposé-type article on the blackout rules recently, though it is subscriber only. Yahoo also had a sports column on the issue, and more importantly includes a link to the territorial map that is used to determine which games are blacked out for which regions.
I believe it is tied to the address on your credit card. For example, if your credit card has a billing address in Raleigh, NC, WAS and BAL games will be blacked out.
Take a look at the territorial map, and pity the poor fans in Las Vegas and Des Moines.
Comment by DevilsAdvocate — 8/23/2006 @ 2:21 pm
Thanks for everyone’s ideas on this. I thought about the same thing and was even gonna have a rommate with an out-of-state credit card address buy it for me and then pay him the money. I didn’t do this b/c i read some of the fine print about them interrupting your service to verify you were not watching in a blacked out area, etc. It just didn’t seem worth it to me. It does sound like a lot of people are angry about the whole thing and there are those worse off than myself. I do not understand the issue with showing me games that are available to me on local cable anyways. I do not think they are expecting me to come from west lafayette for games on a regular basis. I live in an apartment building that has no place to mount a dish or I would do it for sure. We also miss all of the Pacers home games b/c of not having this channel. Just show the commercials as a part of the mlb.tv broadcast instead of those stupid mlb.com pop-ups and its problem solved. This has to do with money somehow or another, but I am at a loss. I am just happy that I skipped my afternoon class to watch this terrible bullpen blow or sweep.
Marty: “If this bullpen was an old house, you would condemn it.” That’s why he is in the HOF.
Here we go. 2 on; 1 out; down by 4. Lets go LLM ! Can you get us within one?
Reds threaten in the ninth. In other news, the earth revolves around the sun.
Down to the last strike…
Not today. But they made it at least a little interesting, as usual.
Late games on the west coast coming up! I kinda miss all those 10:05 starts that were so common back in the old NL West days.
I like them, because I can watch them after work.
Mulder is getting trashed right now. The Mets batted around in the first, scored four, and are threatening in the second. So hopefully the Reds’ melt down today will not cost any games.
The Cards are seriously ripe for the taking this year. No rotation depth, shaky closer, and a lot of holes in their dinged-up lineup. Let’s hope we can capitalize.
And I’ve jinxed the Mets. They fail to score with runners on first and third with no outs in the second, then Pujols cuts the lead in half in the third.
Welcome back, Mark Mulder!
When I walked in and saw the score at 10-2, I thought Marquis was pitching.
Haha Gapper. It’s really a good thing that Marquis doesn’t spell his name “Marquee” as he is anything but.
Mulder won’t be good the rest of the year, either, there is no way. They rushed him back because they needed immediate help. Marquis, Weaver, Suppan… they all get lit up. Pujols and Rolen are the only ones producing runs. If the reds keep playing solidly as a team as they have the last week or so, there is no reason they couldn’t storm into the divisional lead. Of course, the talking heads on ESPN and FOX will still not pay them any respect and still expect them to fall out of the running. I’m sure they will still expect them to fall out until the mathematically cannot. So stupid.
Anyway, here is to a dominant 10-game west coast swing. Did anyone else hear about thye letter that Bob Castellini gave to all the players as they boarded the plane for Cali. I’ll relay the news later if anyone is interested.