Yonder Alonso blows!

...bubbles.  He's a man of many talents! And really good at baseball.

Syracuse, NY (June 9, 2011) - I missed the first inning of this game.  It was "Education Day" at Alliance Bank Stadium.  I've been to Education Days at Scranton, and they're pretty quiet affairs.  I expected it to be similar in Syracuse.  Boy, was I wrong.  There was a massive traffic jam - and not enough people directing traffic.  Crazy lines everywhere. And a sea of yellow school buses as far as the eye could see.  If you ever go to an Education Day game in Syracuse, plan to arrive at least an hour early.

One reason for the popularity was that it was "Dollar Day" at the ballpark.  Many seats were only one dollar, and you could also buy soda, hot dogs, peanuts, popcorn, ice cream, etc. for just one dollar an item.  I was going to get a soda, but the lines were so long I didn't bother.  The $1 parking was nice, though (regularly $5).

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This is the picture that shows up when I GIS'd "Schierholz." Makes sense.

It was a tug-of-war throughout the game. And much like tug-of-war, it wasn't too entertaining until you see the one side fall, flung into the mud. It was a tight game; well defended by the Reds, well-pitched by the Giants. Never more than a run separated the two, but in the end, that run mattered. Giants win on a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth, bases loaded, two outs.

Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Brandon Phillips went 3-5 with a run scored and an ultimately irrelevant error. Hanigan is an honorable mention, going 2-4 with an RBI. Wood pitched 8 nervy innings, with 10 hits, 3 walks, and 4 k's. Sergio Romo had killer facial hair and a genocidal slider, striking out the side for the bad guys.

Key Plays

But unfortunately, the first inning. Old man Miggie hit a double with one out and was driven in by a Cody Ross single. Cody was thrown out trying to stretch into a double, but blood was drawn. Giants up 1-0.

The Reds' second inning started strange. After Rolen flew out, Heisey reached safely on an error and Hanigan reached on an infield single. The universe corrected itself as Paul Janish hit into a double play. He is now only 5 GIDP's behind Joey Votto. 

The top of the fourth was more promising. Scott Rolen is triple into "triple alley" started the inning. So seriously, guys. You can put a fence in an arc. It will still be a nice ballpark. Chris Heisey then walked, and Jocko Hanigan singled in Rolen. Janish, Wood, and Stubbs then got locked in an argument over who was more redneck. The country boys didn't survive, but the score was tied 1-1.

The 5th tried to make a pattern of two. Brandon Phillips singled up the middle (all three of his hits were ground balls within 5 feet of second base), during which Freddy Sanchez dove and "made an appointment with Dr. Kremchek" if you follow my drift. Votto walked and then Jay Bruce singled to load the bases. Scott Rolen struck out, but Heisey grounded into a clutch productive out. After the dust settled, the Reds were up 2-1 when they had the bases loaded and no out. It was that sort of game.

In the bottom of the 5th, Chris Stewart, the catcher, hit a bunt single. It was that sort of game. Miguel Tejada hit another double to tie it at two. 

The Giants brought out their top three arms for innings 7-8-9 and whew. Affeldt struck out two in the 7th. Sergio Romo threw 11 pitches in the 8th. 4 called strikes, 5 swinging strikes, and 2 foul balls. I have no clue how the Reds managed to foul two off. Brian Wilson only struck out one while looking nervously as Romo stole his shtick. 

Wood pitched 8 innings, and while he was no Cueto, he generally kept the ball on the ground and played to the defense. It was more than his bullpen could do. While the Giants K'ed 6 through 3, the Reds managed to walk 3 in one inning pitched. Arredondo walked Torres, then got Burris to sacrifice him over. He then (wisely, I think) intentionally walked Miguel Tejada to bring up the rookie shortstop Brandon Crawford. Billy Bray came in to face the lefty, and mule kicked him with a slider. Two out, two on. Logan Ondrusek then came on to face the righty Cody Ross. He of DeLuise mein and a .289/.351/.591 career line against lefties. He walked. Up came left handed hitting Nate Schierholtz, who has managed playing rightfield for 5 years with a .713 OPS. BBRef includes Alex Ochoa and a certain Bevo LeBourveau as comps. He then singled between Rolen and Phillips for the game winning single, Giants win 3-2.

via www.fangraphs.com

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I recently contacted the Yuengling brewing company to inquire when their fine product would be available for purchase in the Buckeye state.  My intention was purely selfish, I wanted to buy a shit ton of Yuengling brands and service them for an event I have planned in early September.  I also wanted to ask where the closest Distributor was to Great American Ball Park juuuuuuuuust in case I have to make a road trip to secure said nectar of the gods.  

It looks like Ohio is on tap for later this year, but probably not before fall.  Kentucky is scheduled to join the madness next year.  Shit salad, that doesnt help!  Looks like Huntington WV is the closest city with a distributor who sells Y.  Naturally when i attempted to call said distributor the phones were unanswered on their end each dial.  Par for the course.   (tip:  Lord Chesterfield Ale is jch's "MAB&G burger", very overrated!) 

1) Why does Yuengling sell two different types of light beer, one 98 calorie per bottle and one 99 calories?  I haven't tried all their product...i'd love to get some feedback on their different brands.  

2) I'm going to stock the bar with one beer that Red Reporter itself nominates.   (must be under $10/six pack)  What beer would you recommend?  Remember, it has to be sold in the I275 loop.  Or in Huntington WV. 

(AP Photo/Pat Sullivan)

I'll preface this by saying I'm a Phillies fan, but follow Reds prospects pretty frequently, as I live 10 minutes from Five County Stadium. I honestly, probably see more Reds prospects than actual Phillies games during a season. I was excited to hear that Aroldis Chapman was doing some rehab work with the Carolina Mudcats, so I made sure to get to last night's game, as it was likely an on day for his rehab assignment.

It was hot, but not ungodly last night (it's all relative, as what constitutes hot here, may be equivalent to your Kitchen's convection oven), with virtually no wind and fairly low humidity. Chapman came on to pitch the 6th and part of the 7th inning.

Aroldis started off with a Rick "Wild Thing" Vaughn impersonation. He was throwing very hard, though some pitches were only slightly closer to home plate than I was. His first 3 batters he hit 100, 101, 101, 105 on the radar gun (stadium gun, so maybe a little hot). That was very exciting. Unfortunately he also threw a ball into the opposing bullpen (a pickoff attempt, clearly intended for Rick Smits), wild pitch, a few balls in the dirt, two walks (including one in which ball 4 traveled 105 mph and nearly decapitated the lefty hitter (I forget who, as I didn't have a scorecard on me)). He gave up a few hits as well, but most of them were of the seeing eye variety, and I wouldn't say anyone made solid contact on him.

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Why does this man not want people to have free tacos?

Syracuse, NY (June 8, 2011) - The Syracuse Chiefs have a long-standing promotion in partnership with Taco Bell.  They choose one player on the opposing team: the K-Man of the Night (or Day, if it's a day game).  If that player strikes out during the game, everyone in the stands gets a free taco.  (There's a charming story here about a game in 2002 when Brandon Phillips was the K-Man.)

Yesterday, Jeremy Hermida was the K-Man.  That seemed grossly unfair.  The guy's batting .350 and OPSing .950.  Not surprisingly, he did not provide the good people of Syracuse with any tacos. 

They don't always pick players unlikely to strike out.  Drew Stubbs was the K-Man once a couple of years ago, and yes, the result was free tacos for all.  Today's K-Man was Juan Francisco.  He's been hitting almost as well as Hermida, but, being the free-swinger that he is, strikes out more.  The taco forecast was looking up.

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   Thanks to all who read the draft coverage the last few weeks, particularly the last three days as the selections unfolded. I am ever appreciative to BK, nycredsfan,Kidd2Petrovic,  pack_fan and others who helped make this possible. With MLB’s Draft Tracker going haywire and Baseball America’s tracker operating several rounds behind, there was no way to do this in timely fashion without these guys. Kudos, my friends.

   Today we offer a wrapup of the Reds draft, selection by selection. I’ll post players individually, then a "Turtle’s Take" in the comments, so these are easier for you to read and comment on.

   Overall, I’m pleased. Robert Stephenson was a strong pick at No. 27. I like the Ryan Wright selection a lot. Amir Garrett could be a tremendous selection. Sean Buckley is legitimate.

   For me, the Reds went a bit reliever heavy, with four, maybe five, of the top 10 selections being bullpen arms. I’d liked to have seen more starting pitching acquired. Quick-moving relievers, though, make good trade bait if nothing else. The Reds drafted a lot of athletes. I like that. Those players come with risk, but their potential to improve and develop as baseball players is high. Cincinnati took some college outfielders with some pop. I like that, too.

   The Reds didn’t draft anyone from Marshall, but eight Thundering Herd players were selected. I know, you don’t care, but what the heck., I’m including it anyway.

   Here’s a look at the picks 1 through 50:

Zack Cozart puts the game away with a triple off Collin Balester.

Syracuse, NY (June 7, 2011) - The Bats brought the good wood (and no, I don't mean Travis) to Syracuse on Tuesday.  The game started out something of a pitchers' duel. A pitchers' duel with a lot of hitting.  When the dust settled, the Bats had 17 hits (including a triple and a home run), 9 runs, and a decisive victory.

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Hot as hell at the ball park today. It seems the Reds were doing it all right... 

misting stations

extra medical staff

giving out sun lotion

other ameneties

movies

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   Did you know Mike Piazza was a 62nd-round draft pick? Keith Hernandez went in the 42nd round. Plenty of other players selected in round 30 or later have reached the big leagues.

   Tim Lincecum was drafted in the 43rd round out of high school, but the Indians refused to meet his $1 million price tag and the Cy Young winner to be went to the University of Washington before becoming a first-rounder with the Giants in 2006.

   While today doesn't hold the excitement of Day 1 or even the appeal of Day 2, the third day of the MLB draft offers an opportunity to acquire some players who can contribute or even be stars. Let's hope the Reds land a few of those today. I'll be following the draft as it unfolds, offering commentary on each player the Reds select. I hope you'll be along for the ride.

   On Thursday, I'll have a wrapup of all the Reds picks, including a "Turtle's Take" on what I think of the pick.

first the standings ...

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