Monthly Archives: September 2010

September 11, 2010

Aroldis Chapman Dominates the Pirates

By
Zeldink
Posted at 1:14 pm

Aroldis Chapman was brought into the extra-innings game against the Pittsburgh Pirates last night and dominated, striking out 2 and getting a ground-out from the third. I don’t know where he fits into the future versions of the Cincinnati Reds, but he was electric last night, and I could easily seeing him supplanting Francisco Cordero in the playoffs, should Cordero continue to struggle.

Here’s Chapman throwing a 101mph heater and striking out a batter.

Posted in Aroldis Chapman, Cincinnati Reds, Human League, NL Central, Pittsburgh Pirates.
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September 11, 2010

Jonny Gomes Twitches and Singles

By
Zeldink
Posted at 1:06 pm

Jonny Gomes has been quite entertaining in his time with the Cincinnati Reds. One of the things he’s known for is his ticks before each pitch of his at-bat. He steps out of the box and fiddles with his batting gloves and his helmet. Here’s some video of him doing just that, followed by a single.

Posted in Cincinnati Reds, Human League, Jonny Gomes, NL Central.
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September 11, 2010

Pirates 3, Reds 4: Remembering How to Be Lucky

By
Zeldink
Posted at 12:28 pm

Team123456789101112RHE
Pirates (47-93)0010000020003103
Reds (80-61)003000000001490
W: Smith (3-2) L: Ledezma (0-2)

Boxscore

It took 3 innings more than it should have, but the Cincinnati Reds finally won another game, beating the Pittsburgh Pirates late last night 4-3.

Homer Bailey started for the Reds and pitched more than good enough for the win, going 7 innings and allowing 1 run while striking out a career-high 9. Unfortunately, Francisco Cordero came in in the 9th for the save with the Reds leading 3-1. He faced 5 batters and got only one of them out. After that, the game was tied.

It was Cordero’s 7th blown save of the season. He was bailed out in the 9th by Arthur Rhodes. Then the bullpen came in to shut down the Pirates until the Reds could score.

Cincinnati was unable to plate a run until the 12th, despite opportunities throughout the game. In the bottom of the 12th, Chris Heisey started things off by bunting down the 3rd-base line. He saw the third-baseman playing back and took advantage, beating the throw with his speed. After that, the birthday boy Joey Votto was hit by a pitch–the second time of the game–and Scott Rolen loaded the bases with a single. Up came Jonny Gomes, who hit a grounder that the shortstop Ronny Cedeno fielded cleanly. Cedeno threw home, and the umpire initially signaled out, until he saw the ball pop out of the catcher’s glove. The crowd roared as the call switched to safe and the Reds had another walk-off win.

The RHM crew had the opportunity to watch the game from the Cincinnati Bell Riverfront deck above the batter’s eye in center field. It’s a great view, and if you ever have the opportunity, be sure to take advantage of it. Below are a few pictures.

Apparently, Gapper honors German heritage by wearing pants
It was German Heritage night at Great American Ballpark. To celebrate, for the first time I’ve ever seen, Gapper put on pants.

Votto looked at a lot of strikes on his birthday
It was Joey Votto’s birthday, but it wasn’t a good one. He had no hits and struck out 3 times, twice looking. He also got hit twice.

Witness the calm of Mount Cordero before the eruption
Francisco Cordero, before all hell broke loose.

Gomes is under that pile somewhere
The Reds rushed the field, piling on Jonny Gomes, while someone next to me screamed, “Don’t hurt Gomes! We’ve only got 3 outfielders!”

The first win in a long while
The scoreboard showing the Reds breaking their 5-game losing streak.

Posted in Cincinnati Reds, Game Wrap, NL Central, Pittsburgh Pirates.
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September 10, 2010

The Daily Brief: Hoping for a Fresh Start

By
Amanda
Posted at 10:51 am

Last Game
Despite surging to an early 5-0 lead, the Cincinnati Reds crumbled again yesterday, and ended up losing to the Colorado Rockies 6-5. And it was all on a straight steal of home. Nick Massett, in a moment he will relive for a long time whenever he closes his eyes, turned to face second instead of throwing home to allow the go-ahead run to score. It was bad. Worse, the Rockies swept the 4-game series, and the Reds have dropped 5 in a row. The Cardinals won, as well, shrinking the lead to 5 games.

Next Game
The Reds return home as the Pittsburgh Pirates arrive in Cincinnati. If one of the worst teams in baseball doesn’t restart the Reds winning ways, nothing will. Sounds like a perfect time for a fresh start to me. It’ll be Homer Bailey and Paul Maholm at 7:10pm EDT.

Reliving Votto’s Ankle Strike Again and Again and Again
During the wretched Colorado series, it seemed the Reds could never do anything to really hurt the Rockies. Well, there was one notable exception.

On Wednesday, Joey Votto stepped to the plate and hit a line drive up the middle that connected loudly with Aaron Cook’s fibula, fracturing it. Cook left the game and is unlikely to return before the playoffs begin, should the Rockies reach them.

If you missed the crack of the bat followed by the crack of the bone, a helpful internet denizen assembled it in video form for your viewing.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
The Reds currently lead the majors in the fewest number of fielding errors with 59. The team with the most? The Chicago Cubs with 115.

Posted in Cincinnati Reds, Daily Briefs, Game Wrap, NL Central.
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September 9, 2010

The Daily Brief: Miserable Road-trip to End

By
Amanda
Posted at 7:13 am

Last Game
The Reds dropped another game to the Rockies 9-2, losing the series, but maintaining their lead on the losing Cardinals. They’ve now lost 4 in a row.

Next Game
The good news is today’s game is the last of this current road-trip. They’ve gone 1-5 on the trip, and games at home (and against the loserly Pirates and Diamondbacks) are tantalizingly close. They need to focus today, though, and try one more time to beat Colorado. Travis Wood will be the one the Reds turn to, while the Rockies send out Jason Hammel. Game-time is 3:10pm EDT, and the game will not be televised.

Bruce, Nix Still Injured
The report on Jay Bruce and Laynce Nix is still not good.

Bruce is coming around. He swung from a tee 2 days ago and took batting practice yesterday. However, he took it slow, swinging at only half power.

“It felt fine,” he said.

That’s good news, but the day he returns can’t come soon enough, and right now, it’s looking like Saturday at the earliest. Bruce’s loss has been devastating for the offense. He was the hottest bat when he injured his side muscle during batting practice.

As for Nix, he apparently has made no progress in healing his sprained ankle. He’s eligible to come off the disabled list Friday, but it won’t happen. The outfield could certainly have used him a time or two during this road trip. If only Walt Jocketty hadn’t taken an outfield surplus and turned it into a shortage.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
The Reds have been in first place for 25 straight days. With their 6-game lead, it will be at least 31 before they could even move to second place, assuming the Reds stay so bad and the Cardinals get super-hot, both scenarios incredibly unlikely.

Posted in Cincinnati Reds, Daily Briefs, NL Central.
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