Daily Archives: August 17, 2012

August 17, 2012

Game 118: Mets 8, Reds 4

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W: Harvey (2-3) L: Bailey (10-8) S: Rauch (3)

Boxscore

There’s almost no part of the game last night that doesn’t qualify as an all-out stinker as the Reds broke their 5-game win streak in the final game of the series against the Mets.

Homer Bailey’s performance certainly qualifies. In just 5.2 innings, he allowed 6 runs (4 earned) on 8 hits and 3 walks. I was on the road last night so I didn’t see the game on t.v., but I did hear part of it on the AM band. Marty was talking about how much better Bailey’s numbers are on the road than at Great American Ball Park, and he suggested that that fear of giving up home runs has Bailey pitching differently at home. That might be it, I suppose. He might also just be tired. Either way, really crummy performance last night.

Brandon Phillips throwingAlfredo Simon did well in his 1.1 innings of relief, not allowing any runs or hits, just a walk. Logan Ondrusek was even better; he didn’t allow any baserunners at all in his perfect 1.0. Jose Arredeondo, though, dragged the collective bullpen performance into the stinker category by allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on a hit and a walk in the ninth.

The defensive contribution was certainly a stinker. Brandon Phillips (of all people) had a throwing error in the fourth that allowed Jason Bay to get into scoring position and come home 2 batters later.

Scott Rolen committed a fielding error in the sixth. There was only one out, and the next out was a sac fly, so it’s hard to know how it would have gone down without the flub, but I think we can guess that probably 3 runs wouldn’t have scored that inning.

Zack Cozart completed the trifecta of errors in the ninth, allowing Justin Turner to reach and Ike Davis to score. Hmm…three errors, one in each of the three innings in which the Mets scored. Go figure.

It’s hard to call the offense a stinker when they scored 4 runs, but it gets an honorable mention at least. They made it look like more of a game than it really was with 3 runs in the ninth. The RBI belong to Cozart, Ryan Ludwick, Jay Bruce, and Miguel Cairo. Bruce was the only one with more than 1 hit: he was 2-for-4. Ludwick got on twice with a hit and an HBP.

The loss brings the Reds’ record to 71-47. They start fresh tonight when they open a series against the Cubs. Bronson Arroyo (RHP, 8-7, 3.95 ERA) will take the mound for the Reds against Travis Wood (LHP,
4-8, 4.52 ERA) for the Cubs. First pitch at 7:10 p.m.

August 17, 2012

Baker talks about Hanigan in the 8 hole

Last Game
The Reds dropped an ugly game to the Mets last night to end the latest winning streak. Homer Bailey did not have a good outing, just as he hasn’t over his last four outings. If the pitcher introduced in the double-header tomorrow makes a good start, maybe Bailey will be getting a little more rest. It’s hard to imagine how he’d contribute to a postseason team in this state.

Next Game
The Reds play host in the opening game of a series against the Cubs tonight. Bronson Arroyo (RHP, 8-7, 3.95 ERA) is looking to get the team back on the winning track as he faces off against Travis Wood (LHP,
4-8, 4.52 ERA). The Reds faced Wood last weekend and fared poorly, but the Chicago bullpen blew it and the Reds came out with the win. Hopefully the Reds can get on the smiling side of the scoreboard from the get-go tonight. First pitch at 7:10 p.m.

Hanigan throwing to secondRyan Hanigan and his 2-hole OBP
Sometimes it feels like the whole world of Reds fandom can be talking about something while the manager remains completely oblivious. It’s been that way with the talk about needing to move Ryan Hanigan up in the line-up.

Hanigan is hitting .282 with a .368 OBP. That’s the Joey-Votto-echelon of OBP. The dude is not fast, but he’s certainly wasted in the number 8 spot, where he finds himself on first just in time to have the pitcher end the inning.

But news of this has, in fact, reached Dusty Baker’s ears. Reds.com put up this story to tell the world why Baker says Hanigan is actually “ideal” for the role of futility batter:

Don’t expect Baker to heed those wishes. Tuesday’s game was an example of why, as Hanigan reached base three times with two outs — on a second-inning intentional walk, a fourth-inning double and a sixth-inning single.

Hanigan: on base 3 times on Tuesday; left on base 3 times on Tuesday. How, precisely, is this an argument for keeping the guy in a place in the line-up where no one will ever hit him in?

Later in the same article, Baker is quoted as saying:

“I know a lot of people are saying, ‘Hey, he should hit second,'” Baker said. “He walks a lot, he gets a lot of intentional base on balls. He would be hitting higher if he ran any better. I think he’s a perfect eighth hitter and perfect for what we need on this team.”

It’s true that Hanigan has been intentionally walked more than most guys on the roster this season. But those 10 IBBs are probably not the key to his on-base success, if that’s what Baker is implying.

Myself, I take it as a good sign. In the past it seems like Baker has made a point to justify his stupid decisions to the media just before changing them. On the other hand, this team is leading the NLC by 6 games right now. We probably won’t see Hanigan freed from the futility hole unless that margin shrinks significantly.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
You might not have noticed it, what with the long outings the starters have been putting in lately, the higher profile injuries, and the fact that I can’t find more than a 1-sentence reference to it on any news site, but our shiny new trade-deadline acquisition, Jonathan Broxton, is day-to-day with shoulder soreness. He hasn’t pitched since August 10.