May 23, 2010
By
Zeldink
Posted at 9:52 pm
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|
| Reds (25-19) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 |
| Indians (16-26) | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | - | 4 | 9 | 0 |
W: Huff (2-6)
L: Herrera (0-2)
S: Wood (1)
Boxscore
After the heart-breaking collapse in Atlanta, I was wondering how prepared the Cincinnati Reds would be for the Cleveland Indians interleague series. Apparently, I underestimated their fortitude.
The Reds won the first 2 games of the series and were going for the sweep on Sunday. The 2 wins put them back in first place, too, as they continue to go back and forth with the St. Louis Cardinals. I would love seeing that battle for the rest of the season.
Unfortunately, the Reds were unable to complete the sweep, and fell back into second place. It wasn’t for lack of trying, though.
With a tired bullpen and the need for a starter to go deep into the game, Homer Bailey came down with a tight shoulder in the 3rd inning. But the relievers pulled together and allowed just 1 run over 5 2/3 innings.
So often this season that has given the offense enough time to come back. They did tie it once–on Scott Rolen’s second home run of the game–but they never got hits to fall when threatening. Rolen was the sole source of runs this game.
But the series was won, and the Ohio Cup stays in Cincinnati. More importantly, the Reds have shown they can put terrible, terrible losses behind them and focus on the next game. That’s quite a bit different from previous teams, and it something to make me a little optimistic.
May 21, 2010
By
Amanda
Posted at 2:44 pm
Last Game
That was painful, wasn’t it? So painful, it’s hard to write about. It was only one game and one loss, but it sure did feel like the end of the season right there. We’ll see if the team can rebound from the devastation in Atlanta. Given that there were 4 errors yesterday (and there easily could have been more), some fielding practice might not be the worst idea in the world. We’ll see if Dusty Baker has figured out how to make his players practice yet.
Next Game
The Reds travel to Cleveland for the Ohio Cup and to start interleague play. Interleague has always been a struggle for the Reds in the past, and with the sweep by the Braves, the team isn’t exactly primed to win. Bronson Arroyo takes on Jake Westbrook at 7:05pm EDT.
What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
In the 13 years of interleague play, the Reds have had a winning record against the American League just 3 times.
May 20, 2010
By
Amanda
Posted at 3:20 pm
Sitting at work, catching the game between updates from my phone and occasional glimpses at the Gameday. Loved the second inning. Hated the ninth.
Again the Braves grabbed victory in the bottom of the ninth inning, but this time, it was just moments before the Cardinals wrapped up their victory over the Marlins and retook first place in the NLC. There’s a certain justice to that. With four errors and the shittiest parade of late-inning pitching we’ve seen all season, it would have been hard to feel good about holding on to that title after such a performance.
But what now? Come back and get ’em tomorrow? Or (heart) broken for the season? If it depends on Dusty Baker’s fundamentals, motivation, or leadership…well, it was a hell of a run while it lasted, eh?
May 20, 2010
By
Amanda
Posted at 9:54 am
Last Game
Aaron Harang had another less-than-stellar start, although he has improved greatly from the beginning of the season. Remember when he was the best starter on the team? There are definitely things to like about him being the worst. The offense even came back to tie the game with the Braves in the 9th, but were unable to get across the go-ahead run. Thankfully, the St. Louis Cardinals lost, so the Reds are still in first.
Next Game
It’s an afternoon game as this second 2-game series in a row wraps up. Mike Leake will go against Tommy Hanson at 1:05pm EDT. The game is televised on the MLB Network, although Fox Ohio lied about it being a radio-only game last night.
Battle of Young Studs
Today’s game against the Atlanta Braves features two young pitchers who have shown great promise in their young careers. Leake, who has no prior professional baseball experience before this year, we know. Tommy Hanson, we don’t.
Hanson, 23, is in his second season in the majors. He’s 14-7 with a 2.89 ERA in 29 starts on his career. This year, his ERA is about the same, and he’s struck out 56 in 50 innings over 8 starts. He is coming off a rough last start, though, when the Diamondbacks scored 5 off him. Still, it will be a challenge for the Reds. Can they manage to take some non-strike pitches?
What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
After 40 games, the Reds are 23-17, which is the exact same record they were at in 2006 when they finished the year in 3rd place at 80-82.
May 19, 2010
By
Amanda
Posted at 10:08 pm
It is my unfortunate distinction to find myself with something in common with Paul Daugherty. Today, he is a columnist on SI.com, talking about how promising the Reds are:
SI.com contributing writer Paul Daugherty examines a team that, 39 games into the season, has shown some real promise for the future and the present. The Reds haven’t had a winning season since 2000 but Daugherty believes the key to the Reds’ recent success is largely due to veteran Scott Rolen. Reds owner Bob Castellini is quoted saying “We needed stabilization in the lineup and in the clubhouse. Rolen is a stable, no-nonsense guy. He has proven to be exactly who we knew we needed.” With a plethora of talented rookies, the have Reds lacked the focus and leadership they needed in previous years.
Clearly they had to quote Castellini rather than Daugherty himself so that you could understand what was being said.
Speaking of not understanding what was being said, I was also featured in an different forum than usual. I was a guest on the Astrocast a couple weeks ago, giving my commentary over the phone while I walked to a Dallas sushi restaurant with a group of strangers, which I’m sure had an interesting impact on the audio. The episode is now available for your listening enjoyment.
