Beat me in St. Louis. Reds lose, 4-1.
by Brendanukkah on Aug 10, 2009 11:35 PM EDT
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Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game
Matt Holliday. The subject of much coveting from Red Reporters went 1-3 with a triple, a run scored, and an RBI.
Key Plays
- The Reds started the game off uncharacteristically, with Willy Taveras hitting the ball out of the infield for a double. Alex Gonzalez laid down a sacrifice bunt to move him to third, and Brandon Phillips drove him in with a sacrifice fly. Dusty was clearly playing for one run, and that's what he get. Why he insists on sacrifice bunting to advance Taveras when Willy's biggest asset is his base-stealing ability is baffling. Particularly in light of the fact that Gonzalez got two hits later in the game.
- The Reds couldn't keep the lead as their natual proclivity to give up first inning runs was on display yet again. In a mirror of the top of the inning, Skip Schumaker, the leadoff man, doubled and moved to third on a sac fly. After Cueto walked Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday hit a sacrifice fly and the game was tied at 1.
- After batting in the third inning, Cueto left the game with a tight left hip flexor.
- Kip Wells made his Reds debut and struck out Pujols looking. Roxorz!
- After two effective innings in relief, Wells ran into trouble in the fifth. Yadier Molina singled and Brendan Ryan drew a walk. Kyle Lohse laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance the runners, and with two outs, Wells walked Schumaker and Ryan back to back. That forced in a run and brought Pujols to the plate with the bases loaded. Jared Burton, who had just rejoined the team earlier in the day, came in and got Prince Albert to fly out. Phew. Only one run surrendered.
- You can never feel proud of the Reds for too long, though. In the sixth inning, Burton gave up a long fly ball to Matt Holliday. Taveras went crashing into the wall, but couldn't come up with the ball, and Holliday was on third with a leadoff triple. Khalil Greene hit a one out double to bring him around, and two batters later, Brendan Ryan doubled to score Greene. 4-1 Cardinals, and that's how it stayed.
Other Notes
- The Reds have no chance to win 100 games.
- How lucky were the Reds to not let Pujols drive in any runs when he came to bat with the bases full? Well, in 11 at bats this season with the bases loaded, Pujols has 8 hits, including 5 home runs, and 27 RBI. The Cardinals seem to do things right, but there's no mistaking that having the best player in the world on their team is the engine that makes them go.
- When the wheels came off for Wells in the fifth, he threw 27 pitches, but only 9 of them for strikes.
- Ryan Franklin continues to be an effective closer, which makes us all want to throw up. But looking at guys like Franklin, and Todd Coffey, and Ryan Dempster who were just terrible in Cincinnati and went on to become excellent pitchers elsewhere... well, I'm just going to reiterate that I hate our coaching staff and leave it at that.
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When Pujols didn't hit a grand slam,
It was a huge moral victory that will propel the Reds into the playoffs.
Hey! I was 4 guys to the left of that fella in the picture!
also, I thought the song link for Cueto was going to be this.
Eyewitness report to come in a few moments…
Another game, same crap
Taveras sucks at balls over his head (heh). Willy and AGon should not be hitting 1 and 2. Kip Wells, Taveras, and AGon don’t belong on a major league roster. Dusty should be fired for incompetence.
"Even if he is average, I’d still take him over Willyevergetonbase Taveras." - Randy in Chatt on redsminorleagues.com
Tough nite for the good guys.
Too bad dusty didn’t have any one ready to bail Wells out. He was doing OK considering he’s not pitched in like 3 weeks.
So Burton comes out to pitch half warmed up gets hit hard and will probably be on the DL by the end of the week.
Well imitation is supposedly the sincerest for of flattery…maybe..more likely it is just a lazy way to get attention…
So here’s the final edition of the FAoftheG.
One of my Favs – Heather…
<img <img 
src=“http://www.heathermitts.com/images/press3.jpg”/>src=“http://www.heathermitts.com/homepageimages/side3.jpg”/>
http://www.topnews.ru/upload/photo/d606ffa1/6694a.jpg
NEXT WEEK I START FARM TRACTOR OF THE GAME
One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.
George Carlin
Does Lohse count in that group?
I guess Duncan is just a wizard, but the Reds would never have wrung a season out of him like his ‘08. The coaching staff is tops on my list for culpability this year. The Rolen trade was bad, but the thousand little deaths this team has died on account of coaching/training failures has outweighed Jocketty’s miscues in my mind.
I’m afraid of the dereliction that’s taking place with Votto right now. Imagine Bruce and he slumping through September while Cueto comes back from hip flexor issues only to blow out his arm. Shut him down already – we all know he’s on the brink of disaster. Playas gonna play, the coaches job is to have a bird’s eye view. I think Dusty & Co. have the perspective of a single cell organism.
by RijoSaboCaseyWKRP on Aug 11, 2009 12:28 AM EDT reply actions
I am pretty fucking jealous of the Cardinals
On top of Pujols, they made two trades this year we wish the Reds could be in a position to make. They’ve got Colby Rasmus (Jay Bruce potential + good coaching) and Dave Duncan. Losing a #1 starter or closer doesn’t seem as catastrophic when you’ve got him maximizing potential from seemingly mediocre material.
by RijoSaboCaseyWKRP on Aug 11, 2009 12:35 AM EDT up reply actions
see (speaking of beating a dead horse), that's because for the last 15 years they properly identify their real prospects
and deal the over-hyped ones. Brett Wallace can hit, but he’s a better organizational asset as a tool to flip for other established talent. Jocketty caught hell for trading their “farm system” from Cardinals fans. What they didn’t see to notice was rather than attempt to win 100 games three years into the future, the Cardinals put a team on the field which can win now.
Not sure what lesson I suggest we can learn from that….
they also traded for players in their prime
not for aging veterans or overused/injured relievers. It’s not so simple as just saying they don’t wait for prospects. They’ve made mistakes there too.
"It seems like we're not hitting because we're not getting hits." - Dusty being Dusty
You mean like dealing Dan Haren for Mark Mulder?
The Cardinals made some gutsy trades under Jocketty. Some didn’t work out (Mulder), but enough of them did (Polanco for Rolen, Adam Kennedy for Edmonds) to allow management surround Pujols and Carpenter with a decent supporting cast. We’ll see if Jocketty can repeat those results here.
Here, Jock is a lot more dependent on guys that are yet to develop.
He needs Bruce to fulfill his Manny Ramirez top-end bat potential, Joey Votto to improve his K/9, and Cueto and Volquez to carry the rotation into the future. Not much of that looks too probable.
Lohse was pretty solid in Cincinnati
Cincinnati: 194 2/3 IP, , 4.58 ERA, ERA+ of 102.
St. Louis: 281 IP, 4.00 ERA, ERA+ 106.
True those numbers and a little depressed from an injury, but he had an ERA+ of 113 last year, and I think it was just a career year. He wasn’t terrible in Cincinnati.
Bloop
by justin007000 on Aug 11, 2009 12:36 AM EDT up reply actions
I guess I was just cherry-picking his '08
He’s been better in almost 100 more IP in St. Louis than he was in Cincinnati and a lot better in ‘08 than his previous years with Minnesota, Cincinnati and Philly would have suggested. There’s gotta be a Dave Duncan bump.
Lohse probably doesn’t qualify in the group Brendan listed, but who have the Reds molded? I’d be tempted to list Volquez.
by RijoSaboCaseyWKRP on Aug 11, 2009 12:45 AM EDT up reply actions
Harang certainly belongs on that list
Masset and maybe Arroyo, too.
St. Louis’ management of pitchers is exceptional, but I don’t know if Cincinnati’s is worse than most teams. Pitching is unpredictable and often guys just need a change of scenery (Lohse from MIN to CIN; Ryan Franklin) to succeed.
i'll take Duncan...
it’s funny that the fireside chats with ass.GM always address Dusty’s future. doesn’t anyone have the balls to ask about Jacoby’s future? i want somebody else…
they should dl cueto regardless
if he makes his next start it is simply wreck less , this is a lost season but Cueto can be a factor through 2013. I want him to go on the DL, and if he is ready to come back before August ends, I want him to make one start in Louisville before coming back to Cincinnati.
Bloop
Pick the least common-sensical move you can imagine
And then be pleasantly surprised when they do something a little less foolish.
by RijoSaboCaseyWKRP on Aug 11, 2009 12:31 AM EDT up reply actions
Actually no
And not just because I don’t wish harm on players. I think if he were injured, mgmt would applaud effort, hide behind the injury excuse and let that paper over the rest of his miserable season, allowing.
I’m disappointed that he was signed, continues to start, bat leadoff and be the presumptive starter in 2010.
by RijoSaboCaseyWKRP on Aug 11, 2009 12:52 AM EDT up reply actions
...and because that would mean Nix playing CF
my firefox just crashed, causing me to lose a half-finished eyewitness report. FthatS, I’m just gonna do it tomorrow.
by Cy Schourek on Aug 11, 2009 12:53 AM EDT up reply actions
SBNation autosaves draft FanPosts
If you were writing it as a FanPost. It should be in your editing queue.
If you were writing it as a comment, you’re out of luck.
All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?
Nix would be fine in CF as if we have anyone else on the 25 man available
One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.
George Carlin
Don't count on it
Since he’s not a veteran, he’ll need to be “eased back into game action” which means he’ll ride the bench until someone gets hurt/Balentein has one bad game.
Taveras’ job is as safe as Dusty’s
Baseball must be a great game to survive the fools who run it.— Bill Terry
I thought he had knocked himself cold a la...
First time I shot her, I shot her in the side.
Hard to watch her suffer, but with the second shot she died...
An alternate caption:
Rolen ponders what part of the ice cream cone to sign.
He sits alone...Reds are not home.
by Gapper on Aug 11, 2009 3:10 AM EDT reply actions 1 recs
Taveras/Gonzalez
What was so surprising about Willy’s hit in the first inning was that it was to the left side of second base. Dude’s either got a real problem pulling the ball or Jacoby is, well, something.
As for the sacrifice, your rationale is that Gonzalez is too good to be bunting?? I woulda stopped at IT’S THE FIRST INNING.
by Brian B on Aug 11, 2009 8:49 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
It was just interesting to note that he seemed to have it going last night
Obviously it’s not something you can predict, nor should you have predicted given his history. Of course, given his history, you shouldn’t have been batting him second. Bunting in the first inning is dumb. Bunting to advance Willy Taveras is dumb (I’m starting to think he’s not going to get his hundred steals). But it seemed that all the dumb decisions were magnified because Sea Bass was actually hitting last night.
by Brendanukkah on Aug 11, 2009 9:41 AM EDT up reply actions 1 recs
bunting a runner to third with no outs is dumb too
especially when your two best hitters in the lineup are coming up. Your fastest runner is already in scoring position. There is no real risk of a normal double play. This team has shown time and again this year that they are only likely to score in one, maybe 2 innings each game. There really is no justifiable reason for playing for one run in the first inning. Yet there are, I’m guessing, at least 10 reason NOT to do it.
"It seems like we're not hitting because we're not getting hits." - Dusty being Dusty
so, so right
bunting a guy to second irritates me, but, whatever, there’s times to do it. Bunting a guy with any kind of speed from second to third with no outs in the 1st inning is beyond stupid, even if it is Gonzalez at the plate.
Will you stop it with the vegetables
by Man Mountain on Aug 11, 2009 4:04 PM EDT up reply actions
rec'd
George Grande kept banging on about how the Cards did the same thing, except that they did not, Rasmus was trying to crush the ball not hit a sac fly. Playing for one run is dumb. Put a four spot on the board and you knock Loshe out early. Instead, Dusty plays this like it the College World Series of Fast pitch Softball
Can we recap Reds injuries this year?
SP – Harang healthy
SP – Arroyo needs surgery
SP – Volquez got Tommy John
SP – Cueto’s likely been hurt, or tired
SP – Owings has missed 3-4 starts
Bullpen has stayed relatively injury free…
Burton – Missed significant time
Lincoln – Season
C – Hernandez is missing significant time
1B – Votto missed a ton of time
2B- Phillips broke his finger
SS – A-Gon has missed a lot of time
3B – Our starting 3Bs have played about 10% of our games at 3B it seems
RF – Bruce broke his arm
CF – Taveras has been oft-injured in addition to sucking
LF – Dickerson, if he counts here, has been hurt
Minors
Top prospect Alonso broke his hand
I guess injuries have been pretty bad this year. Feel free to correct me, this was off the top of my head.
Lincoln, Richar, Volquez all on the 15 day DL
There is NO excuse for not calling guys up when the time comes. Get Frazier, Stubbs, and Heisey on the 40 man and let them play in September.
Bench Gonzo, put Frazier at 2B and move BP to short. Bench the Virus, put Stubbs in CF, and play Heisey in LF and Wlad in RF until Bruce comes back, then figure it out from there.
Baseball must be a great game to survive the fools who run it.— Bill Terry
We kind of have a glut of OF..
Dickerson, Bruce, Heisey, Wlad, Gomes, Taveras, Wladamir, Juan Francisco is going to be an LF, Stubbs, Votto may have to move out there…
What’s Wlad’s future then? Do they expect him to be awesome so they can deal Heisey and hang onto Stubbs to play CF?
Could keep: Bruce, Stubbs, Balentien (if he is good) / Francisco, Dickerson as OF4, Gomes as OF5?
Then Votto/Alonso don’t have a place.
Can only blame Dusty for this loss...again.
Kip Wells can’t find the plate in a 1-1 game and Baker waits until the bases are loaded to get someone up in the bullpen? He was treating the game like it was a blowout and he couldn’t waste anymore pitchers. And then he decides Jared Burton? Burton got lucky with Pujols but showed his true colors the next inning distancing the Cards froms us.
How much longer til Dusty's gone?
by in_Votto_We_Trust on Aug 11, 2009 11:10 AM EDT reply actions
Burton did not have a great of time to warm up either
So,,,he’ll be hurt again before you know it.
One tequila, two tequila, three tequila, floor.
George Carlin
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