Loading ...Can Matt Belisle stem the bleeding tonight? I hope so. His ERA has risen to 4.43 since his outstanding start, so Belisle is due for another good outing, I would guess.
For the Pirates, Tom Gorzelanny will take the hill. He’s 3-0 with a 2.05 ERA, so maybe he’s due for a bad outing.
Yes, it’s all wishful thinking and speculation. I’ll take what I can get. But hey, it’s a day for celebration: Frenchy is gone!
Discuss tonight’s game, and everything else surrounding the Reds, here.
Is Salmon with the club yet? I’d like to see this kid.
Wow, busy game thread tonight. Lots to do on a Ssturday night, I guess…lots that doesn’t involve the two worst teams in the league.
Well, I’m here and watching!
George Grande is a moron. On the play that Dunn scored, it was obvious that the catcher tagged Belisle before throwing to second, but Grande is just making stuff up, saying the ball hit Belisle in fair territory.
Wow. I tuned in just to see a wacky play. … and another one. squeeze bunt by Belisle where he didn’t run…does Narron bench Belisle now?
The squeeze was successful, only because Ross was safe at second due to Jack Wilson’s decision to rely on the “neighborhood out” call at second.
By the way, Adam Dunn now has 5 SB on the season without having been caught.
Wow, Hamilton almost hit that one out.
4-0, after that crazy play. Very, very nice.
Josh Hamilton cannot be stopped. RBI double off the top of the CF wall.
4-0 Reds. The PIT pitcher seems to have been rattled by the confusing defensive play earlier. Now he’s balked in a run, 5-0.
Yeah, Dunn is tied for the team lead in SBs. He’s doing something right.
I hope Belisle isn’t benched, or distracted by his role in that big scoring inning, he’s looking amazingly sharp early on here. Through 4 perfect innings, 5 K and only 45 pitches. That’s phenomenal to have that many strikeouts with that few pitches.
Belisle looked just fine in the bottom of the fifth. Safe to say he’s returned to his form of earlier in the year. Wonder how many pitches he’s thrown through 5?
There’s 5 perfect innings for Belisle, 56 pitches.
Belisle is sharp!
Thanks for the pitch count, DA. Wow.
That has to be a record for Belisle for fewest pitches through five innings.
I’d like to see Dunn get started on a roll right now.
5.1 Perfect innings is nice.
No perfect game, but I’m not complaining.
Well, I’m not complaining until the bullpen blows the game in about an hour.
True true, at least the pitch count is good.
Good job by Matt to end the inning. I’d like to see if he can toss a complete one tonight.
Where are we on pitch count after six?
A complete game might be our only chance, the way the bullpen is going lately.
It’s refreshing to see a few runs being scored again. Be nice to do it a little more consistently.
Hustle is good
67 through 6
Indeed, Jim.
Freel is fast as anyone, but he’s such a terrible baserunner.
It’s been an interesting draft day.
bad baserunning….bad luck call. oh well.
Draft day is long this year. my Jets are not impressive today. But my hometown Bills are.
Belise got hit…great
I think we can blame ESPN to some extent for the length. Everything has to be an event with them.
Nice DP!
5-4-3 DP is a nice change.
I’m with Chad from his post earlier. I can’t get excited about the draft. It’s not much in the way of drama for me. Who cares?
Is there anywhere that keeps track of pickoffs? I’ve seen them counted for pitchers but not for baserunners. I’d be interested to know how many times Freel has been picked off.
I was about to type that Belisle wasn’t showing any ill effects from being hit by that ball, but then LaRoche just drilled one into the gap.
That is so very true. But each team takes all 15 mins it seems.
One pitch later, inning over.
Matt looks sharp tonite. Harang should carry on and Arroyo that should help the Bull Pen
Matt seems to be getting balls up in the zone. Sure beats having Brandon Claussen.
Belisle still has thrown just 79 pitches through 7. Nearly Maddux-esque.
Justin has a point. Our bullpen will look a lot better if our starters can pitch complete games!
BC ooh man
Jeff Conine is turning in the Scott Hatteberg Memorial Nice Season By An Old Guy this year.
Then again, it isn’t even May yet.
Yeah, Conine’s been better than I expected. Whether he can keep it up or not remains to be seen.
Yes, it will help if our relievers are not leading the league in appearances.
Votto should learn some 3rd and OF
This would be huge if Eddie could deliver.
1B will be vacant for Votto in the near future.
Heads up Conine
Eddie certainly is battling!
I know. Conine and SH are 1 year contracts.
Very encouraging at bat!
EE delivers on a good at bat.
Ross who has 2 hits, doubling his season total tonite.
A good at bat would be huge for Ross as well.
Well he hit it sharply.
sharp DP at least there was only 1 out otherwise he would have had 2 triple plays turned against him.
Complete Game I think
Pirates have finally decided to swing away at anything close, with mixed results. single, then doubleplay, then flyout. 3 pitch inning. Awesome. 82 pitches.
Channel Surfing Report
School of Rock on TNT
Glad this is close to being over. I’m still feeling the effects of chaperoning after prom last night.
School of Rock. Good movie.
How’s Votto doing now at Louisville? I know he got off to a bad start. I’m going to have to go check his stats.
Bless your heart, Jim. You’re a better man than I.
Votto’s average is only .217, and his OPS is 766…
…but his OBP is .382, which is encouraging. He’ll come around.
Hey! Your children are always worth it. My wife and I have been blessed.
Belisle walks to lead off. They’re just trying to tire him out by making him run the bases.
Votto’s probably still waiting for the Earth to heat up!
Aaah, your kids. Yeah, that’s a good reason to go through that. How many do you have?
We’ve got two, and we’ve been blessed, as well.
Wow, 6 runs! Is this some kind of record?
Farney says “OUCH!”
Two as well. A senior and a junior.
I don’t want to jinx him, but a grand slam would add yet another chapter to the Josh Hamilton saga.
A slam would make a nice chapter for the Josh Hamilton saga.
Grand Slam Time
A senior and a junior. I don’t know how you do it.
Mine are younger, and I dread the teenage/high school years.
OK, Chad! That’s weird. More so if it happens.
Jim, are you in my head?
3 K tonite
That is completely bizarre, Jim.
Okay, guys, you’re freaking me out. Is this the Twilight Zone?
Conine!
They haven’t been bad at all. Both kids are involved with lots of extracurricular and take their academics seriously.
2 run single!!
Have some fun, Dunn!
You are a lucky man, Jim.
Well, you’re a Reds fan, but I’d still say you’re lucky.
Dunn has a good eye and yet takes too to many pitches
That parrot is cracking me up.
We’re luckier than Indians fans. I’ve seen three World Series championships in my lifetime. My buddy, a diehard Indians fan, has seen none.
The Pirate is irritating my wife.
I think I agree with you, Justin. Dunn has a great eye, and I love all the walks (because the great hitters all take a lot of walks). But sometimes, he just seems to be TOO selective.
That’s a fine line, I guess, and I’m not really qualified to tell him when he’s being too selective, I suppose.
True, same here…but the last ten years have felt decidedly un-lucky.
Dunn struck out. I can’t believe it!
The best thing about the Parrot mascot is that his theme fits the Pirates. I hate the mascots that look like someone stuck a bicycle horn into a florescent spray painted Tribble’s rear end.
Poor old Dunn couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat. Just ask Marty.
Please close out this game, Belisle. A 7 run lead is not enough for this team!
Think the Parrot is trying to distract Bellisle?
1 more to go
Looks like the Parrot is trying to beat the traffic.
Alright, Bellisle!!! Outstanding!!!
Hey Jim, sounds like you are talking about mascots like Gapper!
I agree, by the way.
This one belongs to the Reds!!!
Wow, a complete game! Just what the doctor ordered.
Awesome. Belisle is back!
What’s his ERA now?
3.45 lowered a bunch
Belisle is 3-1 with a 3.45 ERA. I’ll take that.
nearly a full run
3.45
Harang is right where he was at last year and even Arroyo
91 pitch complete game, Belisle’s ERA is 3.45. Didn’t strike anyone out after the fourth inning.
Man, I needed a win like that. Yeah, it was just the Pirates, but still…
Now a win tomorrow means a series win for the good guys.
Just the Pirates, but a Pirates team that has had terrific starting pitching – which the Reds beat up on tonight – and a team that still has a record better than Cincinnati’s, good enough for 2nd place.
Harang pitches well vs Pitt too.
*I want to go back to the Belisle bunt. I was watching on TV and the umpire clearly called Belisle out because the ball hit his foot and not because Paulino tagged him. My question is why wasn’t the ball then declared dead? Once it hit his foot the ball is dead and Dunn should not have been able to score and the runner should have had to go back to 1st. I taped the game and watched it again and the umpire immediately called him out because it hit his foot. The Pirate broadcasters were saying the same thing.
Are you sure, RedsFan? I need to check the replay on Tivo.
The Pirate radio guys were all confused, but said Paulino tagged Belisle. They stayed w/ that story all night – the one guy actually said he could placed all the blame for the loss on Paulino. The color man was like, “uh, no share of the blame for Jack Wilson? He could’ve just tagged the runner to complete the double play, right?”
ESPN has it as a successful sac bunt (2U).
To follow up on the Conine thread: I really ripped that signing, and have been completely wrong through 1/8 of the season. The power numbers, obviously, are what are surprising. If he slugs SLG .581 all season, I’ll buy Wayne Krivsky a dozen cheese coneys.
Just re-watched the play. There doesn’t appear to be any doubt that Paulino tagged him. Grande just made up that stuff about the ball hitting Belisle (“it hit his toe”) outside the box. I saw nothing like that on the video myself. More importantly, you’re absolutely right about the rule: Rule 7.08(f) says that when a runner is hit by a fair ball, he’s out and the ball is dead (“The ball is dead and no runner may score, nor runners advance, except runners forced to advance.”).
The ump must’ve called Belisle out by tag. If he’d called him out by contact, Dunn and Ross would have been sent back to their original bases.
The ump definitely called Belisle out by tag. On the Reds television broadcast, they kept showing a replay where the ump pointed and mouthed “he tagged him” (or something to that effect) a couple of times.
George Grande seemed confused, and just made up a story, but the slo mo replay showed what the ump called; it was very clear.
When is George Grande not confused…
I went back and watched it and you guys are right. The ump immediately pointed down and I (and the Pirate TV announcers) thought he meant the ball hit his foot (it didn’t), but I think he was saying fair ball and then he was tagged. At least I can admit when I’m wrong