Daily Archives: May 14, 2012

May 14, 2012

Votto’s bat goes to HOF just 18 years before he does

By
Amanda
Posted at 10:33 pm

Round-tripperJoey Votto made history yesterday, and Cooperstown took notice. Though his three-homer performance against the Washington Nationals wasn’t a first (heck, Votto has done it before himself), it was the first time one of those three home runs was a walk-off grand slam.

The Hall of Fame has requested the bat that so punished all those balls:

“It’s an honor for the Hall of Fame to be interested in something of mine,” Votto said. “It’s a first for me, and I’m happy about it.”

Though it was Mother’s Day, it was a black bat that’s going to the Hall, according to the story on Reds.com. On the pre-game show tonight, Votto was saying that it was a bat he was sad to part ways with, it being particularly well made, even among all the well-made bats Louisville Slugger provides.

In fact, Votto did go hitless tonight without that bat, though he was lacking many opportunities. The Braves walked him twice.

Posted in Joey Votto.
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May 14, 2012

Game 34: Reds 3, Braves 1

By
Amanda
Posted at 9:59 pm

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W: Ondrusek (3-0) L: Venters (2-2) S: Marshall (6)

Boxscore

The Reds continued their role as NLE spoiler tonight by knocking the Braves back into second place behind the Nationals by winning 3-1.

It was Homer Bailey on the mound to start things off against a formidable Braves’ offense. He worked 6.2 innings, allowing 1 run (earned) on 6 hits and 2 walks. Logan Ondrusek and Aroldis Chapman then came on to put in .2 inning apiece, with Ondrusek being the lucky one to be on the mound when the win came. Sean Marshall closed it out for the save.

Though everyone was still talking about Joey Votto’s three-homer game, walk-off grand slam, and bat going into the Hall of Fame, it was the right-handers who knocked in the runs for a change. Brandon Phillips and Chris Heisey had an RBI apiece. In fact, Heisey went 3-for-3. Not bad.

Tomorrow the Reds and Braves finish out the two-game series. With Johnny Cueto (4-0, 1.12 ERA) taking the mound against Tim Hudson (1-1, 4.50 ERA), the chances for a sweep seem better than they have all season.

Posted in Game Wrap.
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May 14, 2012

The Daily Brief: Votto’s Walk-Off Grand Slam

By
Amanda
Posted at 8:38 am

Last Game
The Reds salvaged a single game from the series with the Nationals by winning yesterday in walk-off fashion. Since it was a grand slam that put it away, the final score of 6-9 makes it sound like the Reds looked a whole lot better than they really did. Even so, it couldn’t have been a bit more exciting than it was.

Next Game
The Reds (17-16) go to visit the NLE-leading Atlanta Braves (23-13). Didn’t they just face the NLE-leading team? Why, yes they did, but yesterday’s win knocked the Nats a half game behind the Braves, who just swept the Cardinals in a 3-game series. Atlanta scored 23 runs in that series, but at least they allowed 13, so I’m sure the Reds’ notoriously potential-fulfilling offense will get a run or two before it’s over.

Homer Bailey (1-3, 4.93 ERA) takes on Randall Delgado (2-3, 4.54 ERA) at 7:10 p.m.

A Smarter Guy Would Have Intentionally Blown the Save
The National League has a healthy respect for Joey Votto, as evidenced by his league-leading 31 walks. When Votto came up in the bottom of the ninth, the team was down by one with two outs and the bases loaded, setting up the most dramatic situation possible:

  • An out ends the game in a loss.
  • A walk ties it up.
  • A hit at least ties it and probably wins it.

At the time, the Nationals thought they were doing the right thing to pitch to the man, but in retrospect, they should have walked him–take your chances with Phillips, go into extras, and shut it down before Votto comes up again.

I predict that at some point this season, a team will make this very decision: blow the save with a walk rather than give the Most Dangerous Player anything to hit with the game on the line. Hopefully Bruce is batting clean-up by then.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
The Reds are 10-1 in the last game of a series and 6-0 on Sundays. They are 5-6 in the first game of a series.

Posted in Daily Briefs, Random Ramblings.
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