Loading ...It’s the Homer Bailey show tonight in Cleveland, and I’m extremely interested to see how this new splitter that Bailey is throwing will translate to the big leagues (or if it will translate at all).
If you are watching the game, rather than enjoying this glorious summer day, discuss it here….
I’m worried about Homer already. He walked the first batter and proceeded into a profanity-laced tirade on the mound. At least to the first two batters, his control hasn’t looked great. Hopefully it’s just nerves.
Judging from the mlb gameday, the ump’s strikezone early here is ridiculous for Bailey. All of the ‘ball’ calls so far either were definitely strikes or must have missed by less than an inch.
After two hard-hit balls, though, he gets out of the inning with a nice high fastball. That should get his confidence going.
Well, it is Tim McClelland behind the plate, and his strike zone is usually really tight. But yeah, a lot of the pitches could have gone either way.
BRUUUUUCE
I don’t follow individual umps to know who’s got reputations either way – good note on McClelland, Matt.
Hurrah Paul Janish! Bunt singles will earn you some more playing time on this fundamentally sound ballclub.
There goes Janish clogging up the bases instead of sacrificing himself. No wonder Dusty never plays him.
Great at-bat by Dickerson after being down 0-2. Reds are on their way with some offense!
Yay, offense!
Hairston swinging at everything, but eventually makes good contact on an 0-2 pitch. Reds all over Tomo Ohka now.
Dickerson should have scored easily on that ball. Oh well, now he’s in. 3-0.
Anyway, DA, McClelland is the umpire with the REALLY delayed strike signal, if that rings a bell.
Hairston got absolutely gunned down right there, even though Choo bobbled the ball.
They need to get 2nd & 3rd home. They had the bases loaded twice in that win against Toronto and could have put it out sight early, but couldn’t blow an inning open. That has been a big thing on rallys all year, get a couple but don’t get the big hit that makes it a 5 run inning.
Now that was fun.
Sigh, another leadoff walk from Homer.
And another play of laziness by Phillips. Get in front of the ball.
Bailey missing by wider margins here in the second. Take a breath, Homer.
Another walk…
I didn’t get a good look. How shallow was that ball?
HOLY CRAP! Janish has a freakin’ cannon; no wonder he pitched earlier this season.
Big Double play ball
Which ball, Jim?
It’s almost like Homer allows himself to be intimidated by these MLB hitters. They are more disciplined than the hitters he has seen at the MiLB level. He needs to get a little Roger Clemens in him and be a bad ass. Instead, he acting like Brandon Claussen.
The fly ball that Hairston got thrown out on. I am having connection issues at the in-laws. I had to go outside to hijack somebody’s wireless.
HA, Y-City – so true.
That’s right! Janish was hitting 92 when he made his little cameo on the mound.
Imagine if Phillips would have fielded that hard hit one he tried to olay.
Ah, it was about medium distance, not very deep. A less than perfect throw might have gotten Hairston, too, but he had no chance with that throw.
The Reds are going to town on Ohka, though.
Homer is doing fine so far. He’s facing a great hitting team 1-7 and a small strike zone. His velocity is great and his curve and splitter have looked good.
We’ll never seen this line-up again by the Reds. They smacking the crap out the ball. We can’t have any of that. Dusty will have to get some deadwood back into teh line-up tomorrow.
The small strike zone doesn’t help Okha one bit.
Another nice throw by an Indians outfielder, but it looked like Nix still would’ve gotten under the tag even if Martinez held the ball. Nice job manufacturing a run by the Redlegs.
If Homer can have a very good game, maybe it will be the turning point for him. He needs to strut out on that mound like he owns it and the plate.
Yeah, Jim, twenty bucks says Hernandez starts tomorrow. Not so sure about Taveras, but no way Dusty lets Hanigan play two days in a row.
Taveras will be batting lead off tomorrow because there is a LFer on the hill for Cleveland. I can’t believe it’s Owings turn in the rotation again. It seems like he just pitched the other night.
I’m hoping the Homer avatar is a good luck charm for Mr. Bailey tonight. I hated giving up the Elbonians one.
Its 5 to 1 throw the ball in the strike zone Homer
At least he has his velocity. He just hit 97 on the gun. I remember last year when he came up, he was hitting 92 at most.
Five walks through 2.2 innings.
5 walks come on Homer
Homer – grow a couple!!!!!
At least he got out of it. But still, he can’t walk this line much longer.
Nice strikeout
The walks are bad, but I am not sure if anyone else noticed, he hit 98 on the gun during the last AB (which is what he was supposed to be able to throw when he came up originally from the minors)
Just turned on the game. 5 walks already by Homer? Strike zone or him?
I would say both Jello. With his stuff and a lead, it’s time to just start challenging batters.
Once he overcomes any mental issues he has with major league hitters, he has the potential to be really good, some day.
Really staying away from Dickerson; it’s nice to see someone worth staying away from at the top of the order.
Great AB Dickerson
At least Ohka doesn’t have a mystifying power over the Reds anymore.
Same old Homer in some ways (too many walks), but goodness, his velocity is back and he just looks different out there. He needs to get it in his head that he’s going to have to challenge these hitters.
Dickerson’s BA up to .284, which is higher than even Willy’s OBP.
Alright Homer were up 6 to 1 time to attack the hitters.
THROW STRIKES
Just Give it away Homer
7 walks is unacceptable
Well he got out of it but can he get through 5 innings
Hanigan needs to do a Tony Pena to Homer and go out to the mound and slap him in the side of the head.
Former Red alert: Mike Gosling on to pitch for Cleveland.
Ha ha, McClelland’s ultra-delayed strike calls fooling Marty now. “Ball thr…no, that’s a strike.” “There’s ball thr… no, that’s a strike again.”
1 more out Homer
Bailey hitting 96-97 at the 100-pitch mark.
Alright – well, at least he qualified for a win, and yet Bailey has plenty of room to improve on that effort.
Well Homers in position to win
I’m OK with how Homer did, despite all the BB. I liked his fastball being clocked at 93+ the entire game, hitting 96-98 on occasion. Marty B. is just not right when he said Homer is the same as always.
Remember last year and before when he came up and only hit 90-91 and everyone was worried?
Remember when everyone said his fastball was straight and he couldn’t get it by big league hitters?
Remember when they said he didn’t have a second pitch?
Homer had electric stuff tonight – fastball, curve and splitter – he just didn’t get the fastball over enough.
I’m not saying it’s OK for Homer to always walk 7 hitters, but I’m certainly not disappointed in his performance. If he can just settle down and throw strikes (which he will) he’ll be an excellent MLB pitcher.
(boy is Masset dealing)
P.S. I think Marty B. called the Indians SP “Okra” once.
If Homer has the pitches–and he has more than before– he should improve as he gets his confidence back. All things considered, this was a good outing.
Man, Janish has range and a gun. It’s so sweet.
Nice play by BP. He has crazy range too.
Janish receiving some ebullient praise from the broadcast booth…sure is nice to hear. First step towards actual regular playing time?
I agree with Steve
He needs to get it in his head that he’s going to have to challenge these hitters.
He needs a veteran like Harang to come up to tell him that with his stuff, he needs to stop being so fine. Orel Hershiser did that with Sabathia in Cleveland.
I think Welsh is done being part of the Alez Gonzalez fan club. Janish is strutting his stuff.
Hey DevilsAdvocate….good to see you back. Haven’t seen you around much lately.
Guys, I hope as much as anyone that Homer gets it together, but honestly, 2 Ks in 5 IP and you guys are saying it’s a different Homer?
I could live with the 7 BB and believe it’s a different Homer, but if his stuff is so electric, why can’t he strike anyone out?
(I’m not watching on TV or anything.)
I will grant that Homer’s AAA numbers this year are, finally, numbers that are acceptable for one to believe he *might* be decent in the bigs. However, I still have never seen a single major league game from Homer (based on the bottom line) that is impressive. Not one.
Thanks Chad – for the past year-plus I’ve been busy in the early evenings after work so I haven’t gotten much of a chance to even listen to the lion’s share of most of the games. But when I get the opportunity, always good to stop in see what’s shakin’ in the game threads.
Did I hear George and Chris correctly? Encarnacion played some CF for the Bats?
I didn’t hear that, Jim.
I would like to see a Reds’ reliever used for more than a single inning every once in a while – seems like Dusty has been reluctant to do that this year, except in extreme situations.
I only see that EE has played 3B and DH in AAA.
Yeah, I often wonder about that, DA, but the bullpen has been so good this year, I hesitate to complain.
I was only half listening so I must have got it wrong.
Homer Bailey and the Reds win!!!!!
Hope he comes out with a “pound-the-strike-zone” attitude next time.
And this one belongs to the Reds….
Seven walks in 5 innings isn’t good. But, 3 hits isn’t too shabby. Compare that with last nights debacle by Harang: 10 hits, including 2 HR’s, in not quite 5 innings.
The radio broadcast was giving Janish many props tonight, as well, especially Brantley.
Any thoughts about what happens when EE gets back, does Hairston go back to (mis)playing SS instead of Janish?
One solution: platoon Hairston in LF with Nix, but then when does Gomes ever get to hit?
‘Tis over. They won.
Bottom line: Homer did what starting pitchers are supposed to do: Keep the other team from scoring more than his team.