First Somalia, Now Cincinnati: Pirates Be Takin' Over E'er'thing
by Brendanukkah on Apr 11, 2009 4:13 PM EDT
in Events
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PrintThe Joe Nuxhall Memorial Star of the Game
Paul Maholm. 7 IP, 3H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 K. Had a perfect game going through 3.2 innings, and generally made the Reds offense look foolish. Not tremendously difficult, but a tip of the cap to a fine pitching performance.
Honorable mention goes to Ryan Doumit, who went 3-5 with a grand slam.
Key Plays
- The Pirates team bus arrives at Great American Ball Park.
- Extra base hits were the order of the day. Cueto gave up three doubles, a triple, and a home run, and Mike Lincoln continued his terrible spring by giving up two more home runs to back to back batters.
- Nyjer Morgan stole two bases to put himself in scoring position, and also got chippy by crashing into Hernandez when he didn't have the ball, and taking out Gonzalez to break up a double play ball.
- Votto was thrown out at home trying to score from second on a single by Encarnacion. Red Reporters questioned why Mark Berry sent him home when he was thrown out easily.
Other Notes
- Cueto was hit hard, but did strike out 9 while only walking 1 in six innings. His 6 IP ties Bronson Arroyo for the longest outing by a starter this season.
- Micah Owings was going to be used in the bullpen, but then came in as a pinch hitter and smashed a ball off the wall for a double. It was a foot away from being a home run.
- Ramon Hernandez had a rough day, going 0-4 and hitting into an inning ending double play (though that's partially the fault of Bruce, who was picked off first when Hernandez flied out). He had nothing to do with the one baserunner that was caught stealing.
- Brandon Phillips continued to hit well, getting two hits, two runs, a walk, and a stolen base. He's been one of the few bright spots this season.
- Darnell McDonald got a hit! He's actually hitting .375 this year.
- Mike Lincoln and Danny Ray Herrera continued to struggle, though Herrera did record strikeouts for all of his outs. His ERA is 10.80, and Lincoln's is an eye-popping 34.71.
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Christ, this has been an abjectly miserable start to the season...
Nothing like the feeling of being mathematically eliminated 4 games in.
realistically
we were mathematically eliminated in december
Made from 100% recycled awesome,
by chandrathan on Apr 11, 2009 4:44 PM EDT up reply actions
Nyjer Morgan
Red-killer in more ways than one. 3 for 4 (including a triple), with a walk and 2 SBs.
All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?
Instead of
Bill Hall, we now have to worry about Nyjer Morgan?
by Highlifeman21 on Apr 11, 2009 5:35 PM EDT up reply actions
Excellent use of Twitter
the title of this thread made me lol
Made from 100% recycled awesome,
by chandrathan on Apr 11, 2009 4:44 PM EDT reply actions
Apparently I've moved into a real baseball neighborhood
My next door neighbor is Trei from SBNation, and the guy across the street came over and introduced himself today, informing me that his cousin is Luke Gregerson of the Padres. Cool.
I've picked the best opening week to miss out on ever!
...because there's already someone posing as Jacob Brumfield
Keep an eye on that Micah fellow
He can mash.
"I've actually never had a drink before, tonight I might try it out. We'll see."
—Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, on turning 21
too bad he'll be batting 9th
"Oedipus ruined a great sex life by asking too many questions!"- Dr. Stephen T. Colbert DFA.
by justin007000 on Apr 11, 2009 5:54 PM EDT up reply actions
so i wrote the featured poll
"Oedipus ruined a great sex life by asking too many questions!"- Dr. Stephen T. Colbert DFA.
1 and 3 what a great start
Darnell Patterson McFlurry has bought himself until about July 1st
Hernandez at this point is not any kind of an upgrad…HAnniganMan – please
How about that new and improved pitching staff…
The Long Season – by Dusty Baker
available in bookstores all over cincinnati
Its probably going to happen - bend over
small sample size i know
but also theres ST…
I’d love to see Hanigan start in every Arroyo, Harang, and Owings/Bailey game
Tom Groeschen
in for the Fay:
Pitt really teeing off but it’s also an all-or-zip affair for the Bucs. Cueto does have 8 Ks, but I can somehow hear my Dad saying, “Good speed to hit. Straight as an arrow.”
Dad would know, I might add; he’s a former minor league pitcher (Boston organization).
All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?
former minor league pitchers
are a veritable font of knowledge, now arent they? quick! someone call Chris Michalak!
My millions are unconventional!
by Charlie Scrabbles on Apr 11, 2009 6:57 PM EDT up reply actions
And poor Bruce
From Mark Sheldon:
Jay Bruce put some unwanted punctuation on the game with a glaring mental mistake in the bottom of the ninth. Cincinnati had a one-out rally going and scored a run when Ramon Hernandez skied a long fly out to deep center field. Running from first base with his head down, Bruce had nearly passed Edwin Encarnacion on the bases when he was sent back to first.
The ball easily beat Bruce to first base for a game-ending double play that left Baker with an extra bad taste in his mouth.
“It’s hard to take when you make mental mistakes like that,” Baker said. “When you have a young, young team, you know you’re going to make some mistakes. You just hope they’re not game-costing or game-ending mistakes. We constantly remind them how many outs there are. These are things you should know. Like in all sports, you run with your head up.”
Bruce thought there were two outs and simply ran on contact.
“I don’t know what I was thinking. I wasn’t,” Bruce said. “There is absolutely no excuse for that. It was a lack of focus, and I have to do a better job. Who knows if we would have won or not? But that’s not even giving my team a chance. Off the bat, I didn’t think he was going to catch it, [but] that’s no reason to take off to the races like that. You’ve got to know the outs and be in position to do both. I just wasn’t paying attention. It was ridiculous and embarrassing. It can’t happen again, that’s for sure. I have to do a better job.”
All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?
That's good stuff.
Classic veteran manager and young rising superstar.
But it has nothing to do with why the Reds got their asses kicked. It has nothing to do with the fearsome and powerful Pirates’ lineup.
"What wrath, Daddy?"
by Fat Vegas Alan on Apr 11, 2009 7:04 PM EDT up reply actions
A good thing?
I’m guessing we won’t ever see Bruce make that mistake again. Better it happened today than in a game that mattered.
Hey, the Pirates and Reds are bad..
..but make no mistake- that game mattered. L for us. W for them.
Let me clarify my “good stuff” comment: I was commenting on it as a storyline, not as commentary on how far along Old Man Fundamentals should have his young top draft choice outfielder after nearly a year of coaching him. I guess the good news for Reds fans is (as you point out) we might assume that it’s not going to happen again.
"What wrath, Daddy?"
by Fat Vegas Alan on Apr 11, 2009 8:18 PM EDT up reply actions
Clarification
Agreed that all the games the matter, including those against arguably inferior opponents. I meant that it’s better it happened with two outs in the ninth when we’re down by 8 instead in a close game, which I didn’t say very artfully.
I gotcha.
I was just kinda bustin’ your mutton ’cuz you had kinda busted mine.
"What wrath, Daddy?"
by Fat Vegas Alan on Apr 11, 2009 9:16 PM EDT up reply actions
It's all good
My post was intended to continue Bubbafan’s thought — no chop busting was intended, although I see it came off that way
you can both go blow madville, you polite prix
if you do it right, you’ll get him to artfully bust his mutton.
And for the record, I wish there was a way I could rec Gray and FVA for the past month in its entirety. I’m a fan.
"I have discovered in 20 years of moving around a ballpark, that the knowledge of the game is usually in inverse proportion to the price of the seats." - Bill Veeck
by PeteyHendrix on Apr 12, 2009 12:25 AM EDT up reply actions
...you mean in a game Jay plays for another team?
...because there's already someone posing as Jacob Brumfield
I know
a baseball game is never over until the last out is recorded.
But seriously…9th inning, 10-2. I really can’t see the Reds winning this one, even if Bruce didn’t screw up.
All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?
No mention of Phillips's bonehead move?
I was shouting at my radio when he ran through the stop sign at 3rd down 9 runs in the 9th. In that situation, your run is absolutely meaningless. You take no chances on the basepaths. I turned my radio off after that, so I missed Bruce’s DP, but Phillips’s baserunning there was the epitome of the “selfish stat padding” that people used to blame Dunn for.
"Karma - there it was. The meaning of life, straight from Carson Daly's lips to my morphine-laced ears." -Earl Hickey
34.71???
If only Mike Lincoln’s ERA was a typo.
by coocooforcocoapuffs on Apr 11, 2009 7:53 PM EDT reply actions
That's not Lincoln's ERA....
That’s the average bust size of all those party favors from Bronson’s love boat.
by Highlifeman21 on Apr 11, 2009 10:33 PM EDT up reply actions
Game 1
is over in Louisville.
Matt Maloney pitched all 7 innings. 1 R, 1 ER, 2 SO. 1.29 ERA.
Rosales 2 for 3 with a double.
Bankston 2 for 3 with a homer.
Havoc report: Hopper with a stolen base, Stubbs caught stealing.
All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?
second game
Tied 4-4 in the 6th. (The game will be only 7 innings. Unless they go to extras.)
Hopper is 3 for 3 with a stolen base.
All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?
This is going to be a long year
if the Reds pitchers keep allowing over 6 runs (on average) a game. I guess our defense is to blame a bit too but still…
Just got in from Bogotá to read about the game, sounds like we got Maholmed pretty good, and the Pirates went all John Wilkes Booth on Mike in the ninth.
Columbia is an incredibly beautiful police state:
Your tax dollars at work.
Tanzen!
by Verka Serduchka on Apr 11, 2009 9:27 PM EDT reply actions
Ah, Plan Colombia.
If you throw enough weaponry at a problem, it will go away!
Afghanistan wins for prettiest client state, but Israel, Colombia, and Uzbekistan probably receive votes.
...because there's already someone posing as Jacob Brumfield
by Cy Schourek on Apr 12, 2009 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Ah, Plan Colombia.
If you throw enough weaponry at a problem, it will go away!
Afghanistan wins for prettiest client state, but Israel, Colombia, and Uzbekistan probably receive votes.
...because there's already someone posing as Jacob Brumfield
by Cy Schourek on Apr 12, 2009 12:39 PM EDT up reply actions
Glad I missed this game!
I mean, is it any wonder this team plays like it’s in AAA? Let’s look at the guys who arguably would be in AAA if they were in an organization like New York’s or Boston’s:
Johnny Cueto
Micah Owings
Mike Lincoln
Lefty Smurf
Nick Masset
Ryan Hanigan
Paul Janish
Darnell McDonald
Jay Bruce
Laynce Nix
Chris Dickerson
When 11 of your 25 would be AAAers on a championship caliber organization, you know you’re in for a loooong season.
hey now
while i agree with the sentiment of your post, i disagree that Cueto and Bruce (and too a lesser extent, Owings and Dickerson) are minor leaguers on a better team. but yeah, this team is just a big ol’ bucket o’ mediocre talent.
My millions are unconventional!
by Charlie Scrabbles on Apr 11, 2009 10:09 PM EDT up reply actions
I would go so far to say that Hanigan and Dickerson aren't being given a shot.
Owings is fine. He’s ready.
Owings, Cueto and Bruce
ridiculous. they’re on any mlb roster.
"I've actually never had a drink before, tonight I might try it out. We'll see."
—Dodgers pitcher Clayton Kershaw, on turning 21
Although to be fair, Ownings was a pretty last minute addition to our roster... Bailey had plenty of opportunity to beat him out and just never capitalized.
People Don't Kill People. Burning Couches Kill People.
I don't think that's right.
Bailey pitched 20.2 innings in spring, and a 2.61 ERA with 4BB/20K and 2 HR allowed. He was pretty damn good. Problem is, Owings was really good too. 23.2IP, 1.52 ERA, 10BB/24K, 0HR. Owings really didn’t give him opportunities. If he did, Homer’s performance was certainly good enough to “capitalize.”
The way you wrote it sounds like Owings pitched poorly to open the door for Homer, and Homer missed his opportunity by pitching even worse.
"Karma - there it was. The meaning of life, straight from Carson Daly's lips to my morphine-laced ears." -Earl Hickey
Just trying to stir things up
Seriously, do you think Owings would make the Yankees or Red Sox rotation? No way. His ceiling is 4th or 5th starter, and his bat would be useless in the AL.
I honestly do think Bruce could use some more seasoning in the minors. He has a gigantic hole in his swing and by his own admission his defense is not good. He has the potential to be a complete, star player, but he’s not there yet. My thought exercise was to think of what the Yankees or Red Sox would be doing with him, and there’s no doubt he’d be in the minors.
Cueto, yeah, I think I’m probably off on that. I do fear that his extreme flyball tendencies will prevent him from ever being dominant, but he’s got room to improve that.
Again, I wasn’t trying to argue that all these guys have minor league talent, just that they probably wouldn’t have the central roles on a championship caliber club that they do here. And as Charlie Scrabbles mentioned, the real point of it is just to show that the bottom half of the roster is filled with replacement players. Thank goodness most of them are cheap.
This ain't the year....
Let these guys play and work on their weaknesses at the MLB level where they are challenged. With hard work and his exceptional talent Jay Bruce will be cruising by the end of 2009.
Its probably going to happen - bend over
The good news is . . .
Gonzalez played nine innings today! Woo Hooo!!!!! All in all, I think today was a victory.
-Dusty
And you have to love EdE's late-inning productive out!
"I have discovered in 20 years of moving around a ballpark, that the knowledge of the game is usually in inverse proportion to the price of the seats." - Bill Veeck
by PeteyHendrix on Apr 12, 2009 12:27 AM EDT up reply actions
There's Your Pitching and Defense for You...
….no doubt, we’ll get to hear about how great the bullpen is going to be next.
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