April 11, 2007
Avoiding the Brooms
By
Amanda
Posted at 9:49 pm
The CTS found a cheap laptop today at Best Buy, so suddenly I have a computer to tap away on during the game, even though the CTS is also tapping away at his computer. He's editing photos from our vacation, by the way. There's me holding a big, blue parrot. This is quality family time, I tell you.
The chemistry of the commentators seems to be working better tonight, at least through the top of the first. Hopefully this game won't be as painful to listen to as last nights, nor as painful to look at the line score.
two on for the Diamondbacks in the bottom of the first. Do they have the runner-stranding skills that the Reds have demonstrated this series? Only time will tell.
Nope.
Cool catch by Freel in CF to end the inning with the Dbacks scoring but 1. That Freel is quite the fielder.
I see the bleepin’ Snakes are already up a run. 😛
Maybe we should call Bellhorn up. He’s been pretty clutch. Hit a three-run homer tonight that proved to be the go-ahead and the game-winner.
So, while I’m sitting here talking to myself seems like a good time to think about what exactly has been coming up short for the Reds these last few games.
The pitching hasn’t been spectacular, of course, but it seems like it’s been pretty OK, really. Especially compared to years past.
The defense is pretty much the same: not really noteworthy either way, but certainly serviceable.
It seems to be the offense. They just can’t get the runs across the plate. Adam “Mr. April” Dunn is doing his thing and Conine’s been better than I expected, but the pistons just aren’t all firing yet.
Maybe the Diamondbacks are just that good this year. They could be. Who knows?
The Reds have already been up and down since I started writing this. Edwin Encarnación is out of the game, apparently as a punitive action for not legging out a pop-up in the top of the inning. Chris Welsh thinks it’s a good thing.
Hey, BubbaFan. Maybe they ought to bring up Bubba. Not that the outfield has been doing poorly or anything, but I’m sure he brings the mojo wherever he goes.
The extremely annoying Arizona announcers are also talking about EE getting yanked for not running out the popup. They showed the replay. He didn’t even think about running. Did he think it was foul?
Well, Bubba would set a good example for the kids, that’s for sure. He always runs hard out of the box.
And they haven’t been using him in Louisville much lately. He’s been out of the lineup the past couple of days. I’m not sure why. You’d think with only three OFers on the roster, he’d get some playing time…
It’s possible that he didn’t know it was fair, but that doesn’t seem like it should have gotten him yanked from the game.
This game sucks.
That *is* weird that Bubba’s not getting playing time. I don’t see anything to save him up for.
Here we are again tonight, with our starting pitcher looking solid and our offense failing to come through. I hate to think that Belisle giving up one run in the first would be enough to get him the L.
I’ll tell you what we need: a brawl. That would really spice things up.
A brawl would be great. I think that’s what baseball’s been missing for some time. Ever since MLB cracked down on it.
Now all we get is [url=http://graphics.boston.com/bonzai-fba/Globe_Photo/2007/04/10/1176243925_0015.jpg]this[/url] from the Red Sox/Mariners game last night. It was started by former Red and all-around nice-guy Jose Guillen.
😀
Man, Dunn looks great. He’s lost weight, his defense is better, he’s hitting like we’ve never seen before (even into a couple double plays). I hope that the shitty performance of his team doesn’t sap his motivation.
A brawl? In that case, call Wilkerson up!
Another GIDP. Grrr.
And these Arizona announcers are annoying beyond belief. They are such wicked homers. Maybe worse than the Rangers announcers, which I would have thought was impossible.
I like Guillen. He’s a firecracker. He seems like strange fit for the Mariners; he fit in so well with the Nats.
All right, the Reds have a runner on second with 0 outs. Let’s go guys!
A-Gon moves him over. C’mon, boys!
And Ross strikes out on three pitches. 😛
Dude, now there are two outs, and Phillips is only on third. Ross looked like crap at the plate. Thom is ready to award Gonzalez the Nobel Prize for sacrificing, despite the fact that he had a part to play in Belisle being the last hope this inning for tying the game.
Ugh!
Wow. Am I really staying up for this?
They don’t quite have that “manufacturing runs” thing down yet, do they?
Ross has yet to show anything, even the slightest glimmer, that last year wasn’t a fluke. I hope he’s actually in a slump and that he breaks out of it at some point, instead of my fear that he’s returning to normality.
Not so much, and Kriv-dawg doesn’t seem to have noticed that it’s a sore spot for the team yet.
Ross sure looked clueless in that last AB.
I feel like I’m being way too negative here. There has to be a bright point here somewhere…
At least the game isn’t snowed out!
Belisle. Don’t be forgetting Belisle. Dude looks great for the second start in a row.
Oh, and Chris Welsh’ ability to simply talk while broadcasting instead of putting on a fake broadcaster’s voice like Thom.
Wait, I went negative, too, didn’t I?
Did you hear about Keisler coming through for the Cards? WTF? Was he just not challenged enough in Cincy? Or was yesterday a fluke?
Come one now…that could be his real voice! :laugh:
Keisle came through for the Reds once or twice. I would guess it’s a fluke, but the Cardinals have turned polished crap from the Reds before.
OK, this is it. The Reds tie it up this inning or I go to bed. Girlfriend needs her sleep.
Freel, I think is just in a slump. But Ross and Phillips…you have to wonder if last year was just a fluke, and they’ll return to the mean this year.
I feel the same way about the Yanks’ Melky Cabrera. He had a terrible spring. He’s “on the interstate” now. He’s a better hitter than that, but I’m not sure he’s as good a hitter as he looked last season.
Go Freel.
Foul ball sends Freel back to first after a steal attempt. I watched the replay, and I think he would have been under the tag if it had mattered.
Freel almost got thrown out there again.
Is Freel in a slump? He’s doing OK tonight. If so, though, he probably just needs a day off. That’s the way Freel rolls.
Ross has been ugly, but Phillips? He’s been doing OK, hasn’t he?
I don’t know how any of the players are doing. It feels like I haven’t seen them play in forever thanks to these night games.
At least they’re getting them one of the western trips out of the way early.
Before this game, Freel was batting .222 and Phillips was batting .200.
I’m not looking it up, but I didn’t think Phillips ever hit much for average. He does have two homers and three walks already. And he *is* the second baseman, after all.
Well, that does it; I’m getting some sleep. Thanks for coming by, everyone who came by! <3
Hopefully I’ll wake up to see that they won. It’s not looking good so far, although that was a nice double-play by Phillips and Gonzalez.
Go Reds!
Phillips last season (AVG OBP SLG)
.276 .324 .427
This year, so far:
.200 .286 .400
We win !!!!!
Very sweet victory. I went to bed, but was watching it in bed.
It was close, but they pulled it out (thanks in part to another dinger by the Hammer).
The closer situation is a bit worrisome, though. Weathers was very lucky to get out of that last inning.