Loading ...Sorry for the late recap. I was doing family things, and Chad’s on his way back from the game.
FINAL
St. Louis 8
Cincinnati 7 (10 innings)
WP: Franklin (1-0)
LP: Cordero (0-1)
S: Chris Perez (1)
BOX SCORE
POSITIVES
–Votto is back! Joey returned with a monster PH homer in the 7th.
– Owings! Our 5th starter is our best pinch hitter. After an awkward-looking, but very tenacious plate appearance, Owings hit a game-tying HR with 2 out in the bottom of the ninth. He even took a curtain call.
– Adam Rosales hit his first career HR.
– Seven runs is always a good thing. So are five HRs.
– Phillips reached base 3 times.
NEGATIVES
– They lost.
– Francisco Cordero simply cannot pitch in a non-save situation. Jeff Brantley says this all the time, but it makes no sense that a guy can’t pitch when the game is tied. He started off the 10th by walking the #8 hitter, was given an out when the Cards couldn’t get a bunt down, then gave up a monster double – and the winning run – to Colby Rasmus.
ETC.
– Chad continues to find the strangest Reds fans:
You forgot the HORRIBLE at-bat by Hairston.
If you could put Adam Rosales’ energy in a bottle and sell it you could buy a whole new team of all-stars. I think he is largely responsible for the winning that the Reds have done…and not just because of his bat!
PH OPS
1.500 Owings (2 for 4, is before today)
1.145 Nix (4 for 14 with 4 extra base hits)
the rest of the team is 4 for 45 including 2 for 10 from McDonald and 0 for 5 from Dickerson
- Why was Votto not in there from the start? This superstition of not starting him because you won without him is BS.
- Why do they keep having the #2 hitter sac Taveras to 2nd? It doesn’t do any good to have a fast, 300 slugging lead-off hitter if you have to waste an out to move him to 2nd.
- What the heck was going on in that last at-bat from Hairston? Was he trying to bunt or bat? I only heard the Brantly call on the radio, and Marty chimed in all gripey about how he didn’t do his job because he didn’t bunt them over. And if he was trying to bunt, I don’t think that was the right call there.
I like this team. They are so over Dunn.
Hairston at bat;
Pitch 1 – ball
Pitch 2 – ball
Pitch 3 – bunted foul
Pitch 4 – strike, outside, almost bounced, bunted at
Pitch 5 – strike, outside, almost bounced, weak swing
It was just a terrible at bat. Some would say he choked.
It was a bad situation for bunting. Pujols was 30 feet in from 1B and the pitcher was wild as hell. The smart move would have been to take some pitches and probably get walked. Votto was on 2nd base so Taveras couldnt steal 2nd in that situation, and sure you would love to move the runners over, but with a wild pitcher and the first baseman playing way in, you don;t just give away an out like that.
Seems to me that Dusty always calls for the bunt when the book says to bunt. That’s too conservative.
Having said that, Hairston’s bunting at then chasing after bad pitches was his own fault.
And having said that, it seems to me that on this site Hairston gets a lot of heat when he screws up but not much credit when he contributes, for example that little leadoff 9th inning HR. He’s been playing well lately.
Anyway sounds like a thrilling game, too bad the good guys lost.
Please DFA McDonald, he’s useless.
Thanks for getting the recap, Chris. We’re home, safe and sound.
I will have more tomorrow on the weekend, but it was a bit of an eye-opening experience. I hope to have a post soon that expands on what mhopp said up there in comment #2. I think there’s something to that, in a way.
And yeah, Hairston’s AB was miserable in the 10th.
Hairston’s last AB was awful. He was between trying to sac bunt and slap a base hit. Then he ultimately struck out.
I have said it before and will say it again, games like the one today are why I NEVER leave a game early. If a pinch hitting pitcher can come in and tie the game off of a pitcher who coming into today had an ERA of 0.00, then no game is out of reach.
And I will take claim for the find of the Lincoln jersey today. Of course I pointed it out to Chad and used his camera phone to take the pic.
Votto. My man crush continues!
Why not DL Gonzalez and bring up some help…especially with Votto and Bruce sickly.
Looks like Chad needs better seats.
Ouch. Wonder why the Reds didn’t comp me a couple of Diamond Seats?
Someday….
Wow, Matt Klinker posted a comment on this thread.
We’re honored, Matt.
not sure there is a lot of help right now in the minors that is ready to go
I don’t know much about Drew Sutton but he’s hitting well and while a 2B can play 3B and has played a little SS. .375 OBP this year and .377 for his minor league career.
Gomez’s OPS is up to .863
and from the video I watch I’d almost say Heisey could make the jump from AA and play any OF position.
DL Gonzo and call up Sutton
release McDonald and call up Gomez
send Hairston to AAA and call up Heisey
send Herrera down and call up Fisher
trade Owens or Arroyo and a minor leaguer for a LF
call up Bailey for the trade pitcher
get EE healthy
The game was so much fun, except the losing part.
McDonald is a joke, and if he is on the team tomorrow there is something wrong.
Hairston’s AB cost them a chance at the game…if he gets it down, they tie it up on Jay’s fly out, it was the most disgusting thing I have ever seen. BTW, I think Hairston should have shown bunt on the first pitch, then after that swing away and try to hit Albert in the teeth…but that is just me.
both Taveras and Hairston bunted like they were trying to get hits instead of moving the runner over, with them not dropping down until the last second. The cards seemed to be charging regardless, playing for the bunt. exciting game but tough ending.
also agree with some other posters, roster management of the reds is bad. when you have 2 guys sick and another hurt, you have to make a move and DL the hurt guy. Reds were lucky previous 2 games it had not hurt them to be down 3 players.
If he gets the bunt down, Bruce doesn’t win the game…they intentionally walk Bruce to load the bases.
er…I meant doesn’t tie the game…
Mike, IMO they’d bring up Stubbs before they brought up Heisey…but won’t bring up either anytime soon. What have you got against Herrera? He’s done fine. Fisher’s doing well at Louisville, but if you want to get rid of someone, get rid of Lincoln. I’d bet Hairston doesn’t have options and he’s versatile and fast, so he’s not going anywhere (see HAVOC).
And I’d have had to ask the woman in the Lincoln jersey if she was a) related or b) being paid to wear it.
Plus, Mike, if they aren’t going to start Votto because they’ve won a couple of days without him, they aren’t going to make the wholesale changes to the roster, either.
I still sport my Pokey Reese jersey proudly.
At least Lincoln is still on the team. In this era of baseball with people going in and out so fast on a team, you can’t blame someone for being behind the times. It shows “they ain’t no front runner.” Shoot, the way things are going, I think I’ll order myself a Darnell McDonald jersey huh?
Was Dusty or anybody quoted saying Votto sat for superstition? Just curious, I didn’t start listening to the game until the 6th.
“He’s real close,” manager Dusty Baker said of Votto. “If we weren’t playing so well, he’d be in there for sure.”
Baker said he obviously wants to get his top hitter Votto (.370) back as soon as possible. Yet, Baker said Votto told him he does not want to disrupt the team’s winning chemistry.
“He’s such a team guy,” Baker said. “He said, ‘What if we win (again Sunday)? I said, you’re playing Monday.’ “
George and Chris were also talking about it at the beginning of the game.
Thanks Greg. I guess that sums it up. Disappointing.
My impression is that Votto’s flu was the main reason he was out. Superstition was just secondary.
I went to the Chargers/Colts playoff game 2 years ago, and sat (in the nosebleeds) behind a whole row of people in Mike Goff jerseys. Of course, they were his family. It was pretty cool, actually.
FWIW, Dusty bunts ALL the time. The Reds have (successfully) bunted 25 times. Second-most in the league is StL with 20. That’s excessive, IMO, but reflects the fact that the Reds need to “manufacture” runs.
What makes NO sense, is that the Reds are 10th in stolen bases (9th in attempts, and 11th in success %). Part of that caused by the fact that our fast guys (Phillips, Hairston, Dickerson, and McDonald) are NEVER on base.
But I’ll never understand why Willy Taveras, who has 23 singles, 11 walks, and 2 HBP – has only attempted 8 steals.
-Down by 1 run in the bottom of the 10th inning
-runners on 1st and 2nd, nobody out
-pitcher can’t find the plate, and the opponent only has one reliever left that they haven’t used
-Your batters are Hairston, Bruce, Phillips, Janish.
I say this is not a sacrificing situation. Take your 3 full shots of at least at tie with a single. The pitcher was so wild, he might even walk in a run or two.
A successful sac bunt and they take the bat out of Bruce’s hands, anyways, loading the bases for GIDP Phillips & Janish.
An unsuccessful bunt, and you only have 2 shots of at least tying it up.
I was at the game Saturday and saw someone wearing a Pokie Reece jersey.
Preach, maybe it was you. Were you there Saturday. How many people out there still have Pokey Reece jerseys?
I’m not afraid to admit that I love Steve Nebraska…err…Micah Owings.