12 August 2007, Padres at Reds
By
KC2HMZ
Posted at 12:32 pm
Shall we…?
Yeah, let's have a game thread!
The starting lineups for this afternoon, courtesy of the Associated Press:
PADRES
Brian Giles, rf
Geoff Blum, 2b
Mike Cameron, cf (ex-Red)
Adrian Gonzalez, 1b
Khalil Greene, ss
Rob Mackowiak, lf
Morgan Ensberg, 3b
Josh Bard, c
Jake Peavy, p
Peavy is 4-0, 1.99 in 7 career starts against the Reds.
And now, ladies and gentlemen, your Cincinnati…
REDS
Scott Hatteberg, 1b
Norris Hopper, cf
Brandon Phillips, 2b
Adam Dunn, lf
Jeff Keppinger, ss
Edwin Encarnación, 3b
Jason Ellison, rf
David Ross, c
Bronson Arroyo, p
Arroyo is 2-3, 3.49 in 5 career starts against the Padres.
John Fay reported that Alex Gonzalez has a “tender” throwing arm. Here's hoping this doesn't signal another infielder with arm problems, to go along with Juan Castro and Jerry Gil, who have already had Tommy John ligament replacements on their throwing arms this season. Anyway, Gonzalez is getting the day off, along with Ken Griffey, Jr.
I have to run to the store real quick, but will be back for the 1:15 PM start time…the store is right around the corner….just wanted to get the lineups up before I went. BRB!
HMZ
More on Peavy, the Pads’ starting pitcher – he’s got a 19-inning scoreless streak going, leads the NL in strikeouts, is second in the league in ERA, and has the best road ERA in the major leagues (0.89, to go with a 6-0 record and .156 opponent’s BA on the road).
At least he isn’t lefthanded too, the Reds figure to have enough problems without it.
OK, I’m back.
The good news about all that Peavy-related stuff: Although Peavy is 5-0, 0.90 against NL Central opposition this season, the one start in which he did not get the win was against the Reds on May 16. He gave up two runs in the first inning and ended up with a no-decision in a game the Padres eventually won in the ninth inning by a score of 3-2.
Nevertheless, the Padres have won all seven starts Peavy has made against the Reds. Which means the Reds are way overdue to hand Peavy his ass!
OK, we are under way at GABP and Giles leads off the game with a homer for the Padres. 😥
Yes! Arroyo shows his appreciation by hitting Blum with a pitch. 😉
Bronson then retires Cameron and Gonzalez on balls hit in the air to Hopper in center before striking out Greene to end the inning.
Padres 1, Reds coming to bat.
Hopper gets a one-out single in the home half of the first, but that’s all for the Reds in the inning and at the end of one it’s the Padres up by 1-0.
Ensberg with a one-out double for the Padres in the top of the second, but Arroyo catches Bard looking and gets Peavy to fly to left. Still 1-0.
Reds go down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the second.
In the top of the third, Blum singles and ex-Red Cameron doubles to put runners at second and third with one out, and after Gonzalez lines one right at Hatteberg, Greene delivers a two-run single, taking second on Dunn’s throw to the plate. Arroyo fans a swinging Mackowiak to retire the side, but the damage is already done. Padres 3, Reds 0.
🙁
Ross singles to right to lead off the third inning – and Javy Valentin makes his [i]third[/i] career appearance as a pinch-runner! No idea why, I’m just watching a text feed on the web, we don’t get Fox Ohio in Buffalo, NY. Maybe Ross pulled up lame or something, I’ll try to find something out.
But Arroyo flies out to deep left, and then Hatteberg lines one at Ensberg and they double off Javy as well. It remains 3-0.
Hopper’s first-inning single extended his personal hitting streak to ten games.
OK, I see now. There was a collision at the plate in the top of the third with Ross and Cameron, and Ross left the game after getting a hit to lead off the bottom of the inning. Valentin runs for Ross and stays in to catch, and his backup would be Hatteberg if it came to that.
Hope it doesn’t.
Ensberg leads off the top of the fourth with another double. Takes third as Bard hits a comebacker to Arroyo and is retired, 1-3. Scores as Peavy hits a sac fly to center. Then Giles hits his second dinger of the game. Arroyo strikes out Blum to avoid further damage. Padres up, 5-0.
The Reds go down 1-2-3 in the last of the fourth, and Phillips and Dunn both strike out swinging to make the second and third outs. We head into the fifth with the Reds trailing, 5-0.
And the Brewers vs. Astros and Dodgers vs. Cardinals are now under way.
Arroyo still out there as we start the sixth. Goes 3-0 on Ex-Red before getting him to line one at Keppinger. Just misses serving up a dinger to Gonzalez, Ellison makes the catch for out number two. Greene doubles to left. Mackowiak strikes out swinging to retire the side for the second time in the game and Arroyo holds it at 5-0.
Just Wondering Department: With the lefty-hitting Josh Hamilton back on the active roster, why is the righthanded-hitting Jason Ellison starting in right field for the Reds anyway?
Ah, well. Keppinger (who else?) gets things started for the Reds with a triple, scores on a groundout by Encarnacion. Ellison strikes out swinging for out number two. Valentin grounds out to Blum at second and the Reds are gone in the sixth, but they finally get on the board and now trail by 5-1.
On the RHM Out-Of-Town Scoreboard, Tony LaRussa’s boys jump off to a 3-0 lead over the Dodgers after one inning of play in St. Louis, Ludwick with his tenth homer of the season for the Cardinals.
HMZ, you’re the awesome. Thanks for the game thread.
Quite a collision there at home, huh? I was surprised Bronson didn’t nail Cameron when he next came up to bat.
I love it when Chris Welsh says that the Reds ought to be embarrassed. I’m not crazy about the nonstop pessimism that Marty gives, but an occasional calling-out seems to be in order, especially with this team.
Sorry to comment and run, but we’ve got to get our boy some school shoes. Go Reds!
Uhh, last inning was the fifth, not the sixth! That’s what happens when you keep looking out the window to watch the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds F-16 Demonstration Team performing in the skies above. They’re in town for an air show this weekend and kept screaming by overhead and I was half paying attention to the game. Sorry about that.
NOW we go to the sixth, for real this time, and Arroyo gets Ensberg and Bard but gives up a double to Peavy. With first base open, the Reds wisely elect to issue an intentional walk to Giles, who has homered four times in the last two games. They pitch to Blum, who hits into a fielder’s choice, forcing Giles at second to retire the side. Still 5-1, Padres.
RHM Out-Of-Town Scoreboard shows the Dodgers getting two in the second against the Cardinals and now trailing 3-2. Brewers take a 1-0 lead on the Astros in the top of the second.
Hamilton bats for Arroyo to lead of the home half of the sixth (really, honest, I mean it this time) inning for the Reds and reaches base on a fielding error charged to Mackowiak. The ball gets away and when the smoke clears, Hamilton’s standing on third base. Hatteberg, RBI double. 5-2. Hopper singles, Hatteberg to third. Phillips grounds it to third, Hatteberg has to hold but Hopper moves up.
Holy cow! A rare sacrifice fly by Adam Dunn! Hatteberg scores, 5-3, but Keppinger strikes out swinging and the inning is over.
The RHM Out-Of-Town Scoreboard: Brewers 1, Astros 0 (Bottom 2nd); Cardinals 3, Dodgers 2 (Top 3rd).
Bill Bray to the mound for the Reds to begin the seventh inning; since he pitched last night and the pitcher’s slot due up third in the bottom of this frame, I imagine he’ll go one inning at most.
RHM, glad that at least someone besides myself bothered to add a couple of cents’ worth to this game thread. Yeah, it’s that time of year when if you’re a parent you get to shell out oodles of money for school clothes and supplies. I didn’t see it when you were here because the page didn’t refresh until I hit the “submit” button at the end of the inning. Sorry I missed ya…
Bray off to a great start (NOT!) as he gives up a leadoff triple to Ex-Red Mike Cameron. Strikes out Gonzalez swinging, but Greene doubles to center, 6-3. The runner has to hold as Mackowiak grounds out to short. Ensberg is next, and either my feed has just died or that’s all for Bray.
Bray out, Majewski in to pitch to Ensberg. Ground ball, 4-3, side retired, and in the middle of the seventh it’s 6-3, Padres.
In Houston, it’s still 1-0, Brewers, in the bottom of the third; Cardinals now lead the Dodgers 4-2 in the bottom of the third; Cubs/Rickies and Pirates/Giants are now under way but scoreless in the first inning.
Peavy’s back out there to start the bottom of the seventh.
Valentin with a two-out homer to deep right center, 6-4. That’s his second of the year. Junior bats for Majewski and Peavy wants no part of him, base on balls for Griffey, tying run at the plate for the Reds. Hatteberg singles to center, Griffey to second. Go-ahead run at the plate for the Reds. Hopper is up and again, either my feed just died or Peavy’s done.
Peavy’s done, Heath Bell in to face Hopper, double switch, Terrmel Sledge replaces Mackowiak in left field. Hopper reaches on a throwing error charged to Greene, bases loaded for Phillips. Phillips lines out to Gonzalez and the rally dies. 6-4, Padres, as we head to the eighth.
It is Jared Burton on to begin the eighth on the mound for the Reds.
David Ross apparently had a headache and concussion-like symptoms and went to Good Samaritan for a CAT scan. Figures he’d get hurt right after the Reds sold Chad Moeller to the Dodgers, leaving them with Valentin as the only catcher with major league experience (unless you count Hatteberg, but there’s a good reason he hasn’t caught since 2001).
Burton walks Bard leading off the inning and Sledge bunts Bard over to second, prompting the Reds to walk Giles intentionally for the second time in the game. The runners move up as Blum grounds out to Hatteberg, but Burton strikes out Ex-Red swinging. Still 6-4, Padres.
We go to the RHM Out-Of-Town Scoreboard:
Brewers 2, Astros 0 (Bot 4th)
Cardinals 8, Dodgers 2 (Top 4th)
Rockies 2, Cubs 0 (Top 3rd)
Pirates 1, Giants 0 (Bot 2nd)
Ding-Dong is still on the mound for San Diego. Trust me, anybody in baseball whose name is Bell, the players are gonna call him Ding-Dong. It’s a reference to the steel jock cups they wear and when a guy takes a shot down there and you can hear that metal clang echo throughout the ballpark, they all go, “Uh-oh, ding-dong.”
So, Ding-Dong retires Dunn on a comebacker. Keppinger reaches on a fielding error charged to Gonzalez and takes second as Encarnacion grounds out, but Ellison hits another comebacker to Ding-Dong, who throws to first, and the inning is over. After eight it’s the Padres up by 6-4.
The Reds send Everyday Eddie to the hill to begin the top of the ninth inning in relief of Burton. Imagine that, Guardado pitching for the Reds in the ninth inning for the first time since back when this team was actually an NL Central contender. He gets Gonzalez to pop one up to Keppinger, but then Greene doubles. Kevin Kouzmanoff pinch-hits for Ding-Dong, and a pitch gets by Valentin for a passed ball, sending Greene to third before Kouzmanoff singles for a 7-4 Padres lead.
That brings up Ensberg, who draws a walk, pushing Kouzmanoff to second, and then Bard hits a two-run double to left which probably puts it away for the Padres as they now lead by 9-4. And it looks like that’s going to be it for Guardado.
Guardado goes to the showers, and Gosling becomes the sixth Cincinnati pitcher of the game. Sledge greets him with a double to score Bard, 10-4.
Giles walks.
Chris Welsh is right, the Reds ought to be embarrassed.
Blum hits into a DP and the Padres’ half of the inning finally, and mercifully for the Reds, comes to an end with the Reds down by six heading into the bottom of the ninth.
Rookie lefthander Joe Thatcher, who has all of two major league innings under his belt, draws mop-up duty for the Padres. Javy grounds out to third. Conine bats for Gosling and works a full count before bouncing a grounds-rule double into the seats in center field. I know everybody always calls it a “ground rule double” but that’s technically incorrect, it’s a “grounds-rule double” for Conine, who has to hold at second as Hatteberg grounds out to third.
And then Hopper grounds another one to Ensberg and the Padres have taken the series with a 10-4 win over the Reds, powered by 15 Padres hits and a franchise record 9 doubles and 12 extra-base hits, and in spite of three Padres errors in the field. Peavy (13-5) will get the win, Arroyo (5-13) will get the loss; Greene leads the way for the Padres by going 4-for-5 with three doubles and three RBI. Ensberg also gets two doubles, and Giles hits a pair of solo homers for San Diego. Hatteberg and Hopper each had two hits for the Reds, with Hooper extending his hitting streak to ten games, and Valentin hit his second HR of the year.
One last look at the Red Hot Mama Out-Of-Town Scoreboard:
Brewers 2, Astros 2 (Top 7th)
Jenkins has hit two homers for The Brew Crew, Biggio and Wigginton have homered for Houston.
Cardinals 10, Dodgers 2 (Bot 6th)
Ludwick and Ryan have homered for the Cardinals.
Cubs 3, Rockies 2 (Top 5th)
Pirates 1, Giants 0 (Bot 5th)
One last item from the Crack Hard Facts Staff: Conine’s pinch double in the ninth inning was his 2000th career appearance.