Game Notes 7/7/07

by Gray on Jul 7, 2007 10:47 PM EDT

Gleaned from wire reports, all emphasis mine:

Reds rookie Homer Bailey looked like he belonged in the big leagues during his five innings, allowing only one run. The 21-year-old pitcher looked like an overmatched rookie in his last two times out, giving up 13 runs, 13 hits and eight walks in only 5 1-3 innings of resounding losses.
After the last pounding, he watched video of his performance and detected a small flaw in his delivery. With the problem fixed, he looked like a top prospect again.

Also:

With their rare rally, the Reds improved to 4-1 under interim manager Pete Mackanin. They've won back-to-back series for the first time since they opened the season by going 4-2 against the Cubs and Pirates.

And oh yeah, about Hobbs:

A sprained wrist forced Cincinnati Reds outfielder Josh Hamilton to leave for a pinch-hitter in the third inning of a game against Arizona on Saturday night.
Hamilton hit a grounder to Stephen Drew in the first inning, reaching safely on the shortstop's fielding error. He winced after he crossed the base but stayed in the game.
When it came time to bat again, he headed for the trainer's room instead. The Reds said he'd have a cast put on the wrist, and it will be examined again during the All-Star break.

Update [2007-7-7 23:0:54 by Gray]:
Also, from The Blog That Shall Not Be Named:

Mackanin said he'd like to try to get Valentin about three starts a week behind the plate. Javy said his defense and confidence was hurt when Jerry Narron said he wasn't going to use him much as a catcher. He said now he feels like he's back at spring training. He was out before the game working and has been doing extra workouts before the game since Monday.

and:

Josh Hamilton left the game with a sprained right wrist suffered while swinging a bat in the on-deck circle. He will wear a cast until Thursday, when he will be examined in New York by Kremchek.

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Comments

If Jerry might have been right on one thing..

it was that Javier is not a good defensive catcher. I don't mind him in the pinch hit role, but starting him 3 days a week is not a very good idea at all.

Nobody listens to Andrew. Wayne... You're Next !

by nlt-andrew68 on Jul 7, 2007 11:30 PM EDT reply actions

Yeah

I love the LLM, but I don't think he's a very good catcher.

Someone said that was why Narron didn't use him as catcher much. Narron being a former catcher himself and all. Supposedly, the way Javy calls a game drives Narron bananas.

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Jul 7, 2007 11:34 PM EDT up reply actions

My guess...

..is that P-Mac is just trying to get the Love Machine some of his mojo back after having spent the last three months as Jerry's whipping boy.

Also, if JV's not good at anything but switch-hitting from one side of the plate, what better time to get him some work on the other aspects of his game then when the team is 90 GBs in the NL Wild Card race?

by Fat Vegas Alan on Jul 7, 2007 11:49 PM EDT up reply actions

what exactlty does GBs mean ???

I'm sure chandratHan doesn't get it either .

Nobody listens to Andrew. Wayne... You're Next !

by nlt-andrew68 on Jul 7, 2007 11:52 PM EDT up reply actions

GBs = Games Behind Summed

Check out this page and scroll down to the first entry in the glossary (at the bottom of the page... down there... yes, way down there... below the Reds).

It's not really anything revolutionary or sabermetri-sexy at all. It's just a number that tells Yankee fans that while they may see their boys only 8.5 games back of the Indians for a shot at the post-season, they'd have to "leap frog" not just the Indians but also the Mariners and the Twins and the A's and the Blue Jays in order to justify the costs of their ridiculous purchases.

by Fat Vegas Alan on Jul 8, 2007 12:15 AM EDT up reply actions

I missed the game..

..and the game thread so I'll contribute what little I have right here:

An unimportant detail: I think that the FSN crew said that Hamilton will be examined Thursday (presumably sometime before the 7pm game at Shea).

Secondly-- another unimportant detail-- the Reds held serve with their fellow cellar-dwellin' Washington Nationals who saw Austin Kearnes knock in two in the fifth and then Felipe Lopez drive in another with a double in the seventh on their way to a 5-4 win.

And lastly (the important news)...

Didja guys know that on September 26, 1979 at old Veterans Stadium, Steve Carlton and the Philadelphia Phillies were leading the St Louis Cardinals 10-1 in the bottom of the eighth? Pete Rose had just lined out to third for the first out of the inning when up stepped Dallas Green's late-inning defensive substitution (1 put-out and 3 assists that day) batting in Larry Bowa's #2 slot in the lineup...

Yup, a home run to (let's call it) deep left-center field.

by Fat Vegas Alan on Jul 7, 2007 11:38 PM EDT reply actions

photo caption, please?

or is that just baby steps?

Marty may have a shirt on, but Billy Beane just ripped his off and is squeezing his nipples. - Brendan's ukkah

by boobs on Jul 7, 2007 11:40 PM EDT up reply actions

Baby steps, baby. Baby steps.

Damn, do you need me to hold your hand and give you hugs and crackers as encouragement?

by Fat Vegas Alan on Jul 7, 2007 11:51 PM EDT up reply actions

i was hoping

that was your baby and hot wife.

Marty may have a shirt on, but Billy Beane just ripped his off and is squeezing his nipples. - Brendan's ukkah

by boobs on Jul 7, 2007 11:55 PM EDT up reply actions

Gotcha.

Tommy is nine months old and not yet taking his first baby steps. He's currently working out at the living room combine and shaving seconds off his time in the 40-foot "military crawl."

He can stand up and hold onto a coffee table like no baby I've seen since, well, his older brother in December '05.

And by the way, my wife is blonder and hotter.

Thanks for asking.

How are you and yours these days?

by Fat Vegas Alan on Jul 8, 2007 12:03 AM EDT up reply actions

me

and mine

Marty may have a shirt on, but Billy Beane just ripped his off and is squeezing his nipples. - Brendan's ukkah

by boobs on Jul 8, 2007 12:13 AM EDT up reply actions

Holy shit

You just woke my wife up because I was laughing so hard.

"Karma - there it was. The meaning of life, straight from Carson Daly's lips to my morphine-laced ears." -Earl Hickey

by BLee2525 on Jul 8, 2007 12:17 AM EDT up reply actions

I don't remember the circumstances...

..(I'm sure it had something to do with Jerry's misuse of the bullpen) but I almost posted Obese Woman on a Bench back in mid-May but I thought that it would surely lead to my banishment from Red Reporter.

Boobs, you are this blogger's Robert Mapplethorpe. (I'll not provide a link here.)

by Fat Vegas Alan on Jul 8, 2007 12:21 AM EDT up reply actions

that must be an 8th inning reaction

Hope Springs Eternal! Go Reds

by Caleb on Jul 8, 2007 9:07 AM EDT up reply actions

You know you still want to...

by Gray on Jul 8, 2007 9:31 AM EDT up reply actions

Let's see, in order

yes, no

chandrathan has come out of the darkness and has seen a great light!

by Slyde on Jul 8, 2007 10:43 AM EDT up reply actions

Nice - I still prefer the original by Renoir

"Just take the ball and throw it where you want to. Throw strikes. Home plate don't move." Satchel Paige

by Madville on Jul 8, 2007 10:42 AM EDT up reply actions

Actually I stand corrected by my wife:

The painting is by Paul Cezanne. It is in the curatorial archives at the Chicago Institute of Art. Title:
'La Petit Juenne Fille dans la Chaise a la Hurl

"Just take the ball and throw it where you want to. Throw strikes. Home plate don't move." Satchel Paige

by Madville on Jul 8, 2007 11:37 AM EDT up reply actions

Game comments

I honestly didn't think Homer threw all that well tonight. Yes, I saw his line. But it just looked like he was all over the place again. And thinking back, he was saved at least twice by line drives being hit right at Gonzalez and Griffey with runners on base.

I don't mean to start rating Homer or anything, but I think we may start hearing a little too much "dominance" talk by the lazy media in the next few days.

by Brian B on Jul 8, 2007 3:23 AM EDT reply actions

Someone else...

...said the same thing. Aaron at RHM was at the game, and felt Bailey was more lucky than good last night. He can throw faster than 93-94 mph, but when he does, he's wild. And the fastball is the only pitch that he can reliably throw for strikes.

However, he was impressed with Stanton. Maybe the guy just needed some rest. He was pitching every day for awhile there. At his age, that can't be good.

All Things Bubba: Because how can you not love a baseball player named Bubba?

by BubbaFan on Jul 8, 2007 6:48 AM EDT up reply actions

Homer Bailey

was having, or so it seemed, a little problem locating pitches. When he left them up he was very hittable. But, it is all baby steps with him this season.

Did anyone else catch Welsh say that he thout Cueto could pitch an eighth inning last night?

Hope Springs Eternal! Go Reds

by Caleb on Jul 8, 2007 9:09 AM EDT up reply actions

Cueto

yup, caught that... He was impressed by the high K rate. Didn't he then go on to say that he's a potential closer?

"428 feet of man." ~ Jim Day, creepily reliving a Chris Duncan home run.

by Ash on Jul 8, 2007 10:21 AM EDT up reply actions

Rarely

do veteran pitchers win without their best stuff, so I'll take it with Homer. Maybe he was fortunate, but I'll take that, too, for now.

That a rookie can hang in without his best command and still pitch effectively says something about Homer's composure. That bodes well for the future.

I also liked it that he was removed from the game when he was. That he pitched well for five innings had to be a boost for his confidence.

We Are ... Marshall!

by Thundering Turtle on Jul 8, 2007 10:45 AM EDT up reply actions

NoHo -better lucky than good

Great photo in the Enquirer today, at least the online version, that shows NoHo got that game winning hit with his eyes closed. That should make Geki feel better.

Quick! Somebody make a Cincinnati loves Ken Griffey Jr. too! video

by TheC on Jul 8, 2007 10:28 AM EDT reply actions

speaking of luck

one note: we're still 5 games off our pythag record. even though we wont make some miraculous playoff run, our record should still improve down the stretch. (According to pythag, we should have a .457 winning percentage, or about 40 wins now.)

Marty may have a shirt on, but Billy Beane just ripped his off and is squeezing his nipples. - Brendan's ukkah

by boobs on Jul 8, 2007 10:41 AM EDT up reply actions

Homer to AAA

Pedro Lopez up form Louisville

"428 feet of man." ~ Jim Day, creepily reliving a Chris Duncan home run.

by Ash on Jul 8, 2007 11:04 AM EDT reply actions

Yay!

More singles hitters. Doesn't anybody in this organization not already in the Majors have any power?

chandrathan has come out of the darkness and has seen a great light!

by Slyde on Jul 8, 2007 11:14 AM EDT up reply actions

Maybe I'm not getting the Game Threads dialog

I thought homers were bad, singles (especially with men on base in innings 7 or later) are good. And I was all ready to declare NoHo my new favorite player. Griffey??.... pffft!

Quick! Somebody make a Cincinnati loves Ken Griffey Jr. too! video

by TheC on Jul 8, 2007 11:31 AM EDT up reply actions

Reds-Brewers Rumor

Anyone else hear the most recent development on the trade rumor front from Marty last night?? Griffey to the Brewers for 2 top prospects??

When I heard this I immediately thought of Yovanni Gallardo, but then thought they couldnt possiblely dangling him....anyone with any more info about this??

Griffey is God.

by tidel144 on Jul 8, 2007 1:57 PM EDT reply actions

two things

the least important - yovani gallardo? Man, I'm not sure I wouldn't do a griffey-gallardo trade straight up. Ok, I wouldn't, but I would be tempted.

More importantly - if griffey leaves, what are we going to do with the home run counter under the pepsi stacks? Ryan Freel concussions? Juan Castro defensive gems? Adam Dunn prank phone calls?

Everybody's a jerk. You. Me. This jerk.

by andromache on Jul 9, 2007 9:56 AM EDT up reply actions