ByHere’s the view of HoHoKam Park in Mesa, Arizona from the left field berm. The place holds more than 10,000, much of that in the grass, so be sure to arrive early if you want a decent view.
ByWe were having such a good time today at HoHoKam Park watching the Cincinnati Reds play the Chicago Cubs–and eating Island Noodles–that we whipped out the audio recorder and grabbed our ramblings to share with the wide world at large.
There are also lots of pictures of the Reds 7-6 win, and those will be uploaded later.
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ByLast Game
The Cincinnati Reds showed the Chicago Cubs who was boss yesterday, as the Reds beat the Cubs 10-0. Paul Janish and Edgar Renteria were both among the offensive heroes, with Renteria starting at second base. Johnny Cueto and Francisco Cordero showed sharp command that one hopes they don’t lose before the season begins. Me, I’m looking forward to the next time the Reds and Cubs meet, because the Red Hot Family will be there in person to see it.
Next Game
Today the Reds host the Milwaukee Brewers, with Homer Bailey going against Yovani Gallardo. The first pitch is scheduled for 3:05pm EST. This game will also be televised by Fox Sports Ohio.
Baker’s Shortstop Plan
In light of Edgar Renteria starting at second base today (while Paul Janish started at shortstop), beat reporter John Fay interviewed Reds manager Dusty Baker about how he plans to use Renteria.
Baker said it’s merely an emergency plan. It sounds like the bulk of Renteria’s time will come at shortstop.
“As long as Brandon (Phillips is) healthy, whoever plays behind Brandon is not going to play a lot,” Baker said. “But what if something happens to Brandon. Renteria is going to play some at shortstop, too. How much he plays depends on how (Paul) Janish plays.”
Renteria is not in the mix for time at third base.
That last bit has to set the Baker-sense a-tingling. Baker has been consistent in his position that Janish is the shortstop. I hope he’s willing to give Janish time to play through if he struggles much like he did for Jay Bruce and Drew Stubbs last year. The team will be better if Baker doesn’t fall back into his veteran-playing habits.
What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
The Reds have improved their record each of the past four years. They won 72 games in 2007, 74 in 2008, 78 in 2009, and 91 in 2010.
By| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cubs (2-6) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Reds (6-3) | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | - | 10 | 12 | 0 |
The Chicago Cubs came to Goodyear to face the Cincinnati Reds today and left after the 10-run rule came into play.
Johnny Cueto started for the Reds and went three innings, allowing no runs. He was followed by an unusually sharp Francisco Cordero. In what we can only hope is a harbinger of improvement this season, Cordero had a perfect inning and struck out two. That’s right! Instead of his usual bases-on-balls, he actually recorded some strikeouts!
Overall, the Reds pitching was outstanding, limiting the Cubs to two hits. At one point, they’d retired 16 batters in a row.
On the offensive side of things, it was the unusual tandem of Paul Janish and Edgar Renteria who got the beating started. Both were playing–Renteria at second and Janish at short–and both had two-hit days. Combined, they scored three runs, driven in by Juan Francisco and Chris Heisey. Only one of the 10 runs was from a homer, and that was from Zach Cozart in the 5th. Definitely not a good day to be a Cubs pitcher, if there ever is one.
Cueto picked up the win, while rotation candidate Todd Wellemeyer gets the loss.
ByPitches and catchers reported today.
The Chicago Cubs beat all the other National League Central teams to the start of Spring Training by having pitchers and catchers report today.
The Pittsburgh Pirates start tomorrow, but I somehow doubt that the extra day or two will help either team all that much. Although I do expect the Pirates to win more than 57 games this year.
But this is the week it all begins. And in just two weeks, the Cincinnati Reds will play their first exhibition game against the Cleveland Indians.
