Let’s send August out in style with a win over the team my children call “the Stinky Cardinals.”

Tom Shearn, in his second major league start vs. Anthony Reyes. Discuss it here.

In the latest of his continuing series of bizarre columns, Lonnie Wheeler says that interim manager Pete Mackanin should be a candidate for the managerial job with the Chicago White Sox (should it open up).

Let me go on the record as whole-heartedly endorsing Mackanin’s candidacy for that managerial job. Hey, ChiSox, please hire Pete Mackanin as your manager, before Wayne Krivsky gets any ideas!

Toledo 6 - Louisville 2

Jay Bruce and Mark Bellhorn had nice nights at the plate.  Bruce went 3-4 with a double and a run scored.  Bruce is batting .310/.360/.576 with Louisville this season.  Mark Bellhorn went 2-4 in the game with 2 doubles.  Unfortunately for the Bats, Bellhorn and Bruce accounted for 5 of the team’s 6 hits.

Richie Gardner got the loss and dropped to 4-5 on the season.  Gardner went 6.1 innings, allowing 3 runs on 8 hits, 1 walk, while striking out 6.

Chattanooga 2 - West Tennessee 1

Michael Griffin went 3-4 with 2 doubles and 2 rbis in the game.  Griffin is batting .322/.352/.483 in 149 at-bats with Chattanooga.  Shaun Cumberland added 2 hits in 3 ABs for the Lookouts.

James Avery improved to 11-10 on the season by pitching 7 innings, allowing 1 run on 3 hits, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts.  Avery now has a 5.22 ERA with 96 Ks in 146.2 innings pitched. Pedro Viola picked up his first save with the Lookouts by pitching 2 shutout innings.  He allowed 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 2.  Viola now has a 1.32 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 18 innings pitched with Chattanooga.  On the season, he has a 1.44 ERA with 94Ks in 81.1 innings pitched over 3 levels.  I haven’t seen Viola pitch in person, but based on stats, I’m a big fan!

Fort Myers 5 - Sarasota 4 (final 7 - game 1)

Chris Valaika and Eric Eymann each had 3 hits in this first loss of a double header.  Valaika was perfect at the plate, going 3-3 with a double, walk, and run scored.  Tonys Gutierrez added 2 hits in 4 at-bats, contributing a double, rbi, and run scored.  Gutierrez is batting .307/.416/.376 with Sarasota in 218 at-bats.

Homer Bailey started game 1 and went 5 innings, allowing 3 runs on 7 hits, 3 walks, and 3 strikeouts.  I wish I had more details to share on the start, but based on stats, it didn’t look like a very good outing.

Fort Myers 3 - Sarasota 2 (final 9 - game 2)

Tonys Gutierrez added 2 more hits on the day by going 2-4 with a run scored.  This game was a little more offensively challenged, as the team’s combined for just 10 hits.

Alexander Smit has just won the award for “strangest pitching line I’ll see this season”.  Smit went 7 innings, allowing 2 runs.  He struck out 8.  The strange part is he walked only 1 and had a NO HITTER going!  I’m assuming the 3 Reds errors, combined with the walk allowed Fort Myers to score 2 runs in the 2nd inning.  Thus, Smit left the game after 7 with a no-hitter and a no decision.

Lansing 4 - Dayton 3 (final 10)

Drew Stubbs went 3-5 with a double and 2 runs batted in.  Stubbs is now batting .271/.364/.419 with 44 extra base hits and 23 stolen bases.  Keltavious Jones went 2-4 and added a run.

Kevin Gunter pitched a nice outing in relief.  Gunter threw 2.2 innings, allowing 1 hit and 1 walk while striking out 4.  Gunter has a 3.34 ERA and 31 K’s in 35 innings pitched for Dayton.

Billings 7 - Helena 3

With the win, the Mustangs winning streak has reached 4 in a row.  Brandon Waring went 2-4 with a homerun, 3 rbis, 2 runs scored and a walk.  He’s now batting .307/.369/.614 in 254 ABs.  In his last 10 games, he’s hitting .462 with 9 homeruns and 19 rbis.  Kyle Maunus went 2-5 with a double, 2 rbis, and 2 runs scored.  Maunus is now batting .301/.373/.472 in 163 at-bats.

In his first start for Billings since being called up from the Gulf Coast League, Kyle Lotzkar went 4 hitless, scoreless innings.  He allowed 2 walks while striking 4.  He was 0-2 with a 3.86 ERA in 7 starts in the Gulf Coast League. 

John Fay picks last night’s game-ending play by Brandon Phillips as the Reds’ play of the year, and I would be hard-pressed to disagree. It was incredible:

The game ended when Brandon Phillips threw Josh Phelps out at the plate on Nate McLouth’s bloop single down the right-field line.

It was the play of the year for the Reds.

Phillips bare-handed the ball on a bounce, set himself and threw an arching strike to home. Catcher Javier Valentin had to jump to get the ball but got Phelps with a swipe tag.

“It’s probably the best play of my career,” Phillips said. “Game on the line. It doesn’t get any better than that.”

David Weathers, who gave up the hit, put it like this: “I’ve lost games like that. That’s the first time I’ve ever been saved by a throw. Nine and a half times out of 10, he scores.”

Stormy Weathers was trying to blow the game, but BP wouldn’t allow it. What a wild game. Even though this team is probably out of the race, exciting games like last night give us reason to keep watching. It was one of the most interesting games of the year, as far as I’m concerned.

If you didn’t see Phillips’ play, go find a clip of it somewhere. Unreal.

Matt Belisle vs. Matt Morris in the wrap-up of this four-game series with the Pirates. Enjoy the game…

…but before the game, I thought I would honor Jared Burton (who is in the Reds bullpen), Marcus McBeth (who should be in the Reds bullpen), and the immortal Dooley Womack (read Ball Four if you don’t know who Womack is), all of whom were born in the great state of South Carolina. As a tribute, enjoy this video of Miss South Carolina from the Miss Teen USA 2007 pageant. My thoughts are below the fold:

Miss Teen USA 2007 - South Carolina Answers A Question - The best bloopers are a click away

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Another left hitting outfielder.

From John Fay:

The Reds obtained outfielder Buck Coats from the Cubs for a player to be named. Coats is going to Louisville.

Coats, 25, was hitting .303 with 11 home runs, 18 steals and 59 RBI with Triple-A Iowa.

He played 18 games for the Cubs. He hit his only career homer off Aaron Harang on Sept. 24 of last year.

Another transaction that makes no sense to me…but he must be good, he hit a HR off Harang, right?

On MiLB.com:

He’s hitting .465 (20-for-43) with 10 homers, 18 RBIs and 17 runs scored in his last 11 games. Seven of those roundtrippers have come in his last 20 at-bats.

Smokin’….

After that 2-hit shutout last night, it occurs to me once again that the lack of national publicity given to Aaron Harang is downright criminal. On the season now, Harang is 14-3 with a 3.51 ERA. Outstanding numbers.

As you will recall, Harang had a great season last year, yet didn’t receive a single vote for the Cy Young Award. Hence, our latest crusade here at Redleg Nation: to garner support for Aaron Harang’s candidacy for the Cy Young.

It’s not an entirely unreasonable proposition. Harang leads the league in winning percentage, and is tied for second in wins, is 2nd in the league in innings pitched, and 2nd in strikeouts (after leading the league in that category last year). Yes, Brandon Webb is having a great year, but has he been as dominant as Harang? (Maybe, but it’s closer than anyone in the national media would admit.)

Last year’s snub of Harang in the Cy Young voting was a complete joke. There is no question whatsoever that Aaron Harang is a legitimate candidate for this year’s award, and if he is any lower than third in the voting, then the award is worthless as far as I’m concerned. Another year without a vote will mean that the Cincinnati-area writers should be tarred and feathered, because the hometown guys should definitely be supporting Harang after watching his stud-like performance in 2007.

So let’s start the buzz on the Aaron Harang for Cy Young campaign. If we are going to build a groundswell of support, it has to start here and now. E-mail all of your Peter Gammonses and Tim Kurkjians and Ken Rosenthals and Jayson Starkses, and let them know that they are missing an opportunity to witness one of the dominant pitchers in all of baseball.

Tell them all to Vote Aaron Harang for the 2007 Cy Young Award.

From the Enquirer:

Mackanin thinks a September call-up can do a lot of good - even for a player like Jay Bruce who is not likely to get a lot of playing time.

But Mackanin also made it sound as if Bruce might not be in the Reds’ September plans.

“I think there’s always a benefit for anybody to get that experience,” he said. “However, there’s reasons why he may not be called up. There’s a lot more that goes into it than that. I think it’s a great experience for anybody to be up here - see the type of game that’s played, get used to the bright lights. But, perhaps in the case of Jay Bruce, it may not happen.”

Bruce, the 20-year-old who was the Reds’ first pick in the 2005 draft, is not on the 40-man roster, so the Reds would have to make a move to get him there. Bringing him up would start the arbitration clock.

I’ve been told that Jay was hoping for a September callup. As much as I’d like to see him get some ML ABs, I don’t think this is a real huge deal.

As I mentioned in the comments the other day, who do you bench to play Bruce? Dunn, Griffey or Hamilton? Is it worth starting his arbitration clock if he’s not going to play much?

If he makes the club out of ST next year, it should be as a starter, which means either:

A) Griffey or Dunn is no longer with the club (or one has been moved to 1B and Votto has been traded).

B) Someone (probably Griffey or Hamilton) is hurt.

I’m saying this assuming that he won’t have to be added to the 40 man roster next season. If he has to be added for the 2008 season, you’re not saving much by not bringing him up this September (and there are plenty of guys that could be cut off the 40 man roster) and it’d be a nice “thanks for a great season” reward for Bruce.

AAA

Louisville 4 - Toledo 2 (11 Innings)

Luis Bolivar was 3 for 5 with a 2B and Mark Bellhorn was 2 for 3 with a 2B.

Kirk Saarloos started and gave went 4 IP allowing 2 R and 4 H striking out 3. Brad Salmon 3 IP, Todd Coffey 2 IP, and Ramon Ramirez 2 IP all pitched scoreless relief. Ramirez got the win.

AA

Chattanooga 5 - Tennessee 4

Daniel Dorn was 2 for 3 with a BB and a 2B. Michael Griffin was 2 for 4 with a 2B. Adam Rosales added a HR, his 13th as a Lookout, 18th for the season.

Johnny Cueto got the start and the win going 6 IP giving up 2 R, 4 H, 3 BB while posting 9 K. Josh Roenicke pitched a scoreless 9th for his 8th save.

High A

Sarasota 14 - Fort Myers 2

Brandon Szymanski was 4 for 5 with a 3B. Strait was 3 for 6. Eric Eymann was 2 for 5 with a HR. Cody Jeremiah Peipkorn was 2 for 4 with a 3B.

Ben Jukich got the win going 5 IP giving up 2 R, 1 ER, 3 H, and 2 BB while recording 6 K. Robert Manuel 1 IP, Lee Tabor 2 IP, and Ruben Medina 1 IP all threw scoreless relief.

Low A

Lansing 4 - Dayton 1

Eddy Rodriguez was 2 for 3. Todd Frazier and Jason Louwsma both added a 2B.

Anthony Gressick took a tough loss after starting and going 6 IP giving up 1 R, 7 H, and 2 BB while putting up 6 K.

Rookie Ball

Billings 15 - Helena 7

Brandon Waring was 2 for 4 with 2 HRs. Wow, that just never gets old does it? Jason Bour was 3 for 4 with a 2B. Brandon Menchaca was 2 for 4.

Enerio Del Rosario got knocked around for 6 ER over 4.1 IP to start the game. Harris Honeycutt 3.2 IP, and Nick Wandless 1 IP tossed scoreless relief. Honeycutt got the win.

GCL Reds

Completed their season on 08/27. They finished last in the GCL South with the worst record in the GCL at 15-41.

Well, darn.

I can’t help but agree with the commentary in last night’s game thread that pins blame for yesterday’s doubleheader sweep squarely on interim manager Pete Mackanin. Instead of approaching the games as if the Reds were on the cusp of contention in this pennant race, Mackanin managed the team last night like they were a Little League squad, making sure everyone got to play their two innings.

There is absolutely no justification whatsoever for letting Jason Ellison play in either of those games, much less start one of them. Forget lefty/righty matchups; I’d prefer to have some talent in the lineup. Jason Ellison is a marginal major leaguer, and Mackanin is giving him crucial ABs in a big series.

And there is no justification for letting Norris Hopper get more ABs than Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey, or Josh Hamilton. It’s just insane. Letting Hopper start twice over Hamilton is criminal; I don’t care if a lefthander was pitching.

With the Reds on the verge of making some noise in the playoff race, our brilliant manager started an outfield of Norris Hopper, Jeff Keppinger, and Adam Dunn. There is no defense for that.

I’ve come crashing back to earth in terms of my hopes for this team. As far as I’m concerned, Pete Mackanin did himself serious harm last night if he wants to be taken seriously as a major league manager. Because he sure didn’t approach last night’s doubleheader seriously. He didn’t put anything close to his best team on the field in either game.

If you want to watch tonight’s game, feel free to discuss it here.

Here are some of the photos from the game on Saturday between the Reds and Marlins. I had wonderful seats (thanks eBay)!

I used just a little bit of zoom for this picture, but we were very close to the field.

Dunn and Hamilton get loose prior to the first inning.

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Reds prospect Joey Votto was named 2007 International League Rookie of the Year.

I’m glad he’s sitting in AAA while Jorge Cantu is starting both ends of a crucial doubleheader at 1B. I’m sure he couldn’t have helped us any more than stud ballplayer Jason Ellison last night. Sheesh, this team is dysfunctional.

Free Joey Votto!

Louisville 9, Toledo 8 (AAA)

–23 year old starting pitcher Matt Maloney didn’t have the best game of his career as a Reds prospect, but he picked up the win after going 5 innings and giving up four earned runs. More interesting is that he struck out 10 more hitters, while walking three. Maloney’s K/BB ratio since coming over in the Kyle Lohse trade: 57/8. Nice.

–26 year old 2B Luis Bolivar hit his 1st homerun in a 2-3 night. He added 4 RBI. DH Mark Bellhorn also went 2-3 with a homer, adding a walk.

–28 y/o catcher Ryan Jorgensen, in his return to AAA, had two hits, two runs, and a walk.

Tennessee 7, Chattanooga 5 (AA)

–20 y/o SS Jose Castro (I’m sick of shortstops named J. Castro) went 4-5 and scored a run.

–23 y/o LF Daniel Dorn went 3-5 and hit his 8th homer as a Lookout. 24 y/o 2B Drew Anderson added his 11th homer.

Sarasota Reds (A+) had the night off.

Lansing 10, Dayton 5 (A)

–20 year old DH Juan Francisco and 22 y/o CF Drew Stubbs, a former first round pick, each went 2-4 with a homer.

–22 year old SS Justin Turner continued his strong season by collecting three more hits. Interesting to note that Turner and Zach Cozart switched positions last night, with Cozart moving over to play 2B, which is usually occupied by Turner.

Billings 10, Helena 3

–Our buddy Brandon Waring didn’t hit any homers tonight, but 22 y/o RF Kyle Maunus hit his 5th.

–21 y/o 2B Angel Cabrera went 3-4, scoring two runs and knocking in two more.

–21 y/o pitcher Jeremy Horst picked up the win by going three shutout innings. Horst is now 3-2 with a 3.53 ERA.

–22 y/o RF Brandon Menchaca had a good night at the plate, going 2-5 with a triple and two RBI.

GCL Reds finished the season with a dismal record of 15-41.

Let’s play two!

Game one of tonight’s doubleheader with the Pirates begins at 5:05 today, with Elizardo Ramirez taking the hill for the Mighty Redlegs. Bronson Arroyo will start game two. For what it’s worth, catcher Ryan Jorgensen has been sent to AAA; David Ross will likely come off the DL for tonight’s games.

Arroyo:

“If you start the first game, it’s almost like a normal day, but if you start the second game, it’s a little weird,” Arroyo said. “It’s like if you’re fresh out of the shower and you’re all fresh and clean in a suit and you look around and everyone else is all banged up and they’ve all been running in the mud already. It’s a weird feeling. You know you’re into something that’s already had a lot of action. You can feel it. It’s a weird vibe until you get into like the third inning.”

To catcher Javier Valentin, a doubleheader seems about the same as any other game - well, after it gets started.

“Once you get going, it’s all the same,” Valentin said. “You’re there to play baseball. That’s what we do.”

So, Manager Pete Mackanin, what say you:

“Because of our situation, I look at it as the first half of the year didn’t go so well and now we’re in the second half and we’re playing winning baseball,” Mackanin said. “I’m not going to make the same concessions I would normally, because we need to win. As crazy as it sounds, in this division who knows what can happen?”

Still, outfielders Ken Griffey Jr. and Adam Dunn will both sit out one game of the doubleheader against Pirates left-handers Tom Gorzelanny and Paul Maholm.

“In the past, I’ve made up lineups for both games before the first game, but I’m not going to do that,” Mackanin said. “I’m going to give Dunn and Griffey a day off, especially because there are two lefties pitching. That will give (Jorge) Cantu some at-bats, (Norris) Hopper and maybe (Jason) Ellison, because I’ve got to keep their bats sharp.”

If these games are important, as Mackanin says they are, why in the name of all that is good and pure would he want Jason Ellison to get in the game????????

Can the Reds actually do it? John Fay asks that question, then crunches some numbers. He’s a cranky stathead!

I don’t know if the Reds can close the gap or not, but if the Pirates think they’re still in the race, then the Reds definitely have a chance.

Discuss the games here….