Loading ...
Time for a recap of tonight’s titanic struggle….
FINAL
Chicago (A) 3
Cincinnati 4
WP: Arroyo (8-5)
LP: Contreras (2-6)
S: Cordero (17)
BOX SCORE
–I didn’t get to watch or listen to tonight’s game (though I followed parts of it on my phone), so I’m going to depend on you guys to clue me in to the positives and negatives I missed.
POSITIVES
–The top two batters in the order — Chris Dickerson and JHJ — were 4-7 with two runs scored. Plus, they played good defense. For some reason, that seems like a better performance than we’ve seen from the top of the order lately. Something was different, but I just can’t put my finger on it….
–The top five in the order all had at least one hit, and four of them had two hits. Laynce Nix, Ramon Hernandez, and Dickerson all had doubles. Brandon Phillips only had one hit, but it was a huge one, a homer that put the Reds ahead to stay. BP also had a sac fly to drive in a run. It’s amazing what can happen when the top of the order produces.
–Ryan Hanigan went 2-3 with a triple (?), plus a walk. Good grief, he just keeps producing, doesn’t he? His batting average is up to .325 and his OBP is .416. Simply outstanding.
–Decent outing by Bronson Arroyo: six and two-thirds, two runs allowed on only two hits. He struck out seven, but walked four. I’ll take that.
NEGATIVES
–Jay Bruce was 0-4, and grounded into two double plays. It doesn’t get much worse than that.
ETC.
–Did you know that BP is second on the Reds career list for homers by a second baseman (as noted in the game thread)?
–Back to two games over .500. Good stuff.
–Joey likes to beat the ChiSox! (Courtesy of loyal reader Scott)
Kudos to Dusty for (FINALLY) doing something with the lineup.
Good Photoshopping skills. I think the only time I have donned a sombrero was the lice infested one at Chi-Chi’s for my birthday.
Does the gift shop sell Reds sombreros? They should. It would be hilarious if a large group went to a game all wearing them. You would probably be able to hear Harry Caray from the grave saying “Check out the guys with the sombreros.”
My last sombrero comment. A good t-shirt would be the Gomes pic with the caption “Jonny likes the smilin’ side of the scoreboard.”
Too bad Hanigan will be grabbing some pine when Votto comes back.
I nominate Y-City Jim #52 for comment of the night:
“There has to be some bad blood going on between Baker and Janish. Janish probably questioned his line-up decisions.”
I’d give Bronson a better grade than “decent” – maybe “very good”. Despite a few BB, he really only made one bad mistake on that home run ball. He had quite a few Ks and pitched relatively deep into the game.
Dusty actually handled the bullpen/matchups pretty well. I’m not sure I’d have done the double switch since it weakened us at both SS and 3B, but Hairston made two nice plays at short.
Dickerson is so UTTERLY better than Taveras – absolutely anyone can see it.
Steve, I agree. Bronson was very good. Chris Dickerson hit a ball to the wall in left center that was hit harder than anything Taveras has hit all year (and probably longer than that). He plays good defense, he’s fast (so won’t clog up the bases even while he is ON THEM), and he hustles. Why are baseball teams not merit based? (Is it just the Reds?) What if the Yankees had said “Welllll, this Gehrig kid has potential, but when Wally Pipp feels better, he’s going back into the lineup because he’s been here longer and he makes more money.”???
Did you know Phillips sweats Hershey kisses?
We got to start a campaign to keep Hanigan in the lineup after (if) Votto returns. I’m not a big fan of Ramon Hernandez. His OPS is less than .700. His catching defense doesn’t impress me. That said, I’m thankful he’s been willing to play first and he’s been adequate there. And he’s certainly better than Paul Bako (although I’m not sure he’s better than David Ross). He’s an important part of the team. But there would be no excuse to make Hanigan the back-up again. I suppose it will come down to money, which is dumb, because the money is spent either way.
Dickerson’s pretty hot right now, swinging a good bat. I don’t think he’s capable of hitting much over .260 for a season, but while he’s hot he needs to be in the lineup. For now, Taveras can sit and try to figure out where he left his bat.
Good call Steve (#4). I’m an Arroyo guy, I’ll take the swings of his good and bad. I think you just have to appreciate someone who gives (most nights) a solid effort and is ALWAYS there to take the ball. However, to be fair, you can’t ignore that 5.16 ERA, even if it’s been bloated by a couple of blow-outs. Those blow-outs are on him.
Slightly off topic, but I was just looking over the team pitching stats, and it struck me that Cordero and Burton lead the bull-pen in IP (30, and 28.1 respectively). The distribution is nice for everyone else, and after 66 games, it just further shows how few “long relief” scenarios this team has had. Nice job staff, and nice job managing the bullpen to Dusty (but get your head right on the offensive side of the game!).
I can’t stop laughing at that picture.
And yeah, I’m afraid Hanigan will be sitting most of the time when Joey comes back, which is a REAL shame, because he’d have to be the leading candidate for ROY at this point, esp because of the position he plays and how he’s gunning down everyone.