March 24, 2010
By
Zeldink
Posted at 10:19 pm
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|
| Giants | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 3 |
| Reds | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | - | 10 | 10 | 1 |
W: Burton (3-0)
L: Affeldt (2-1)
Boxscore
Homer Bailey started for the Cincinnati Reds and, in his own words, “pounded the zone.” Given his results so far this spring, the zone does indeed appear to be all that Bailey’s been pounding lately.
Bailey didn’t strike anyone out, but he did allow only one run, 3 hits, and one walk over 5 innings. It’s that one walk that I really like to see.
On the offensive side, the Reds flat-out destroyed the Giants. The first 2 runs both came off the bat of Joey Votto, although he was out on both occasions. His Spring Training batting average is at .171, but he does still have almost 2 weeks to get everything straightened out.
The majority of the scoring came in the 8th, off former Red Jeremy Affeldt and Brandon Medders. Aaron Miles contributed an RBI double, and Drew Stubbs hit another home run. Stubbs has 4 on the Spring, which continues his power surge since joining the majors last year.
There was no save situation, but Daniel Herrera did pitch a scoreless 9th to prevent another Spring Training tie.
March 24, 2010
By
Zeldink
Posted at 7:29 am
Last Game
Cincinnati had their only day off of Spring Training yesterday. Hopefully, the players took their sole opportunity to get in some sight-seeing. Or, at the very least, not getting injured.
Next Game
Homer Bailey starts against the San Francisco Giants today at 4:05pm EDT. Hopefully, Bailey will continue to showcase his growth as a pitcher as he heads towards the stat of the season.
The Back Strain that Shook the Internet
In the Reds last game, Aroldis Chapman strained his back, and the amount of words that were devoted to it online were impressive. Heck, even the guest poster on C. Trent’s blog devoted a treatise of almost a dozen paragraphs to it. The overall opinion seems to be that this will allow the Reds to more easily have Chapman start in the minors. Whatever makes him the best for the majors. One thing’s for sure: his next appearance will garner even more attention than before.
What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
Johnny Bench, the best catcher in the history of ever, will be the grand marshal of the 91st Findlay Market Parade on Reds’ Opening Day. He’ll also serve as an honorary captain of the Reds for that game.
March 23, 2010
By
Zeldink
Posted at 11:28 am
Pat Lackey of the Pittsburgh Pirates blog Where Have You Gone, Andy Van Slyke? recently took a week-long trip to Florida to check out Spring Training in the Grapefruit League. He also received an unexpected opportunity to tour Pirate City.
Pirate City is a facility that the Pirates opened back in February of 2009. It serves as the home for the Pirates Florida operations, and includes dorm rooms for players and staff.
According to Lackey, the Pirates house all of their minor-league players on-site during Spring Training. Apparently, the Detroit Tigers are the only other team to do such a thing. I know that the Reds don’t.
It sounds like the Pirates have done a great job of incorporating the history of the team into the complex, with pictures of past greats adorning the hallways. Another nice touch is that each of the dorm rooms is dedicated to a particular Pirate All Star.
Lackey also got a meet-and-greet with Pirates GM Neal Huntington, and got to see many of the conference rooms and player areas. There are more pictures and details about how Pirate City is used here.
March 23, 2010
By
Amanda
Posted at 7:20 am
Last Game
The Cincinnati Reds lost to the Colorado Rockies yesterday, dropping their record to 8-9 on the Spring. Bronson Arroyo was the loser, in more ways than one, but Aroldis Chapman provided the scare, being taken out early with a stiff lower back.
Next Game
The Reds have their only off-day of Spring Training today. They host the San Francisco Giants at 4:05pm EDT on Wednesday the 24th. If you can’t let a day go by without Reds baseball, you may need some counseling. However, if you’re in denial, you can catch the MLB Network’s 30 Clubs in 30 Days episode about the Reds at 10pm.
Time to Upgrade to HD
Looks like the RHM household chose the right year to upgrade to HD satellite, which is happening Wednesday. This year, FSN Ohio will be simulcasting all 145 televised Reds games in HD. This will be our first year watching baseball in HD, and I can’t wait. Especially after seeing the wretched video quality coming from the standard feeds offered by MLB Network and FSN Ohio the last couple days.
What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
Chris Heisey, Zack Cozart, and Todd Frazier were all cut from big league camp and will have to pray for injuries to get called up during the season.
March 22, 2010
By
Zeldink
Posted at 8:19 pm
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|
| Rockies | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 10 | 1 |
| Reds | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
W: De La Rosa (2-1)
L: Arroyo (1-2)
Boxscore
Well, the game started off well. Drew Stubbs continued to fight for the center field job by leading off the bottom of the 1st with a solo home run. Unfortunately, the home run was a true rally-killer. The Cincinnati Reds never scored again.
Bronson Arroyo started for the Reds, but it was his evil, first-half of the season self that showed up. Arroyo allowed 3 runs in 5 innings and was tagged with the loss. He almost allowed the cycle, but opted for a second home run instead of a single. I guess he’s an over-achiever.
After Bad-royo, the Aroldis Chapman experience took to the mound. Although scheduled for 4 innings of work, Chapman lasted just 1 2/3. It was the first time all Spring that he’s struggled, allowing 4 unearned runs in his shortened time. More frightening than his poor outing was the fact that he left early due to concerns over a stiff back.
John Fay interviewed Reds pitching coach Bryan Price about Chapman’s soreness.
“If we had any concerns about his back, we wouldn’t have gone any further right then,” Price said. “We’re not going to have guys out there throwing, knowing they have problems with their back or arm….[W]e noticed him stretching out a little bit. As soon as we saw that, we brought the trainer out to verify that there wasn’t problem. There was.”
Hopefully, it’s nothing more than a reaction to the rigors of Major League Baseball. I do think this will make the Reds even more cautious about having him be with the team on opening day.
