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Well, That Happened. Pirates 4, Reds 0.

2013-06-19T02:21:09Z

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Umm...

Well...

Shin-Soo Choo was 1 for 3 with a single and a HBP, and Joey Votto was 2 for 4 with a double...

Reds pitchers struck out 17 Pirates batters...

Yep. It was simply one of those games. Manny Parra was OK, I guess.

Dang.

Key Plays

The Pirates got off the the start they wanted in the Top of the 1st, as Starling Marte led off with a triple (narrowly making it into 3B after a nice relay throw by Brandon Phillips). Russell Martin then reached on an infield single that scored Marte, and Martin then stole 2B despite replay suggesting that Zack Cozart had his glove on Martin's hand as it came off the bag. Those two close plays would haunt Mat Latos, as a jam-shot by Pedro Alvarez after consecutive walks would score two more. Reds trailed, 3-0.
The Reds...yeah, that's about that.
In the Top of the 7th, Marte singled to center that scored Johnny Mercer, who had walked and moved to 2B on a sacrifice. The Reds...yeah, they didn't do anything. Reds lose, 4-0.

Remarkably Uneventful Disappointing FanGraph Section

Source: FanGraphs

Other Notes

I feel bad for the fans that showed up to this one. I don't feel bad for them because the Reds lost; I feel bad for them because this was, quite possibly, the least eventful game in recent memory.
Shin-Soo Choo and Xavier Paul both were hit by pitches from Pirates' pitchers, and nobody cared.
Mat Latos was saddled with a loss for the first time in 22 starts, and for just the 2nd time in his last 38 starts. Pitcher wins and losses blah blah blah blah, but that's still pretty dang impressive.
Between birthdays and anniversarys, half of RR is celebrating tonight. Pat yourselves on the back, because it's probably your special day!
Tunes? Tunes!
Want more tunes? Click here and listen to this entire album if you've got the time. If you don't at least check out track 10. Well, I know Howie will like 'em, at least.

Reds vs. Pirates, Game 2: Preview/Prediction Thread

2013-06-18T21:00:05Z

Next Game

Pittsburgh Pirates
@ Cincinnati Reds

Tuesday, Jun 18, 2013, 7:10 PM EDT
Great American Ball Park

Charlie Morton vs Mat Latos

Mostly cloudy,rain. Winds blowing in from left field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 80.

Complete Coverage >

One down, three to go. It's absolutely imperative that the Reds take 3 of 4 this week, so they've put themselves in a position to do just that. They'll have their ace Mat Latos on the hill for this one. He's got a 2.88 ERA against the Buccos in 2 starts at PNC, but the bullpen blew both of his leads. Bummer.

For the Bucs, they have Charlie Morton going, who's making his second big league start following Tommy John surgery. He got knocked around a bit his last time out, giving up 4 runs in 5 innings. He has a 4.27 career ERA against the Reds.

With the welcomed addition of Cingrani, the bullpen did its job last night. Let's hope Latos can bring them most of the way, though.

Go Reds!

Bullpen Log

Reliever	6/13	6/14	6/15	6/16	6/17	5 day totals
Aroldis Chapman		1.0, 10p			1.0, 20p	2.0 IP, 30 pitches
Tony Cingrani					0.2, 17p	0.2 IP, 17 pitches
Sam LeCure	1.0, 21p	0.1, 4p			0.1, 8p	2.1 IP, 33 pitches
J.J. Hoover	1.0, 20p		1.0, 11p			2.0 IP, 31 pitches
Curtis Partch	4.0, 53p					4.0 IP, 53 pitches
Manny Parra	0.1, 6p		1.0, 15p			1.1 IP, 21 pitches
Alfredo Simon	0.2, 12p	1.0, 12p		3.0, 37p		4.2 IP, 61 pitches

This Day in Reds History: Blackwell blanks the Braves

2013-06-18T19:00:05Z

On this day in 1939, former Red Art Jacobs made his first and last major league appearance. The 36-year old rookie allowed one run in one inning of work on two hits and a walk to the Boston Bees in the first game of a doubleheader at Crosley Field. Despite the rocky outing, Jacobs closed the door for the Reds as Cincinnati won, 12-6.

On this day in 1947, Reds Hall of Famer Ewell Blackwell struck out three and walked four, but managed to no-hit the Braves at Crosley Field. Babe Young homered twice for the CIncinnati while Frank Baumholtz went four-for-five with two runs as the Reds won, 6-0.

On this day in 1975, former Red Felix Heredia was born in Barahona, Barahona, Dominican Republic. The lefty reliever played for six teams in his 10-year career. He hurled 72 innings of 3.00 ERA (138 ERA+) ball for CIncinnati in 2003.

On this day in 1996, the Reds released Vince Coleman.

On this day in 1999, Greg Vaughn walloped one over the wall to lead the Reds to a 7-1 rout of the Brewers. Eddie Taubensee doubled twice and Barry Larkin added another two-bagger to contribute to the cause.

On this day in 2002, former Red Kirk Saarloos made his major league debut with the Oakland A's. Saarloos spent the 2007 season in Cincinnati, but he struggled with his control, walking four batters per nine innings. He posted a 7.17 ERA (65 ERA+) in only 42.2 innings.

Red Reposter - Rousing Rabble

2013-06-18T17:35:38Z

Bill Brink of the Post Gazette recapped last night's game for Pittsburgh readers. It's interesting that he starts the article with "The Cincinnati Reds are built for their ballpark, and they proved that Monday night." What does that mean? They're built to have their 5th starter allow zero home runs and be a dominant ground ball force? They're built to hit home runs so far into the 2nd deck that they've officially petitioned Bud Selig to score them as two runs? I'm not sure how acknowledging that Zack Cozart, the 7th hitter last night with quite possibly the least pop in the lineup (Mike Leake included), hitting a 437 foot bomb proves that the Reds are built for GABP. Whatever. At least he didn't make a fuss about beanball and headhunting. That word has already gotten old.

Oh, wait...nevermind, he mentioned it. This whole "situation" comes off like there's a team that wants to punch the other team so bad that they'll create endless scenarios that allow them to claim that the other team threw the first punch. I just don't get it. Was Mike Leake throwing at McCutchen? No. Hell no. Did Aroldis Chapman hit Neil Walker? No, he didn't. He actually struck him out. Feel free to read the comments section on that post to get a glimpse into what the third layer of hell looks like. People, man...they sure do suck sometimes.

I'm sure that John Fay must have written extensively about the ruckus and fracas and inevitable melee. Oh, wait...no he didn't, because there's nothing to write about. Perhaps this is just some big publicity stunt by Pittsburgh media in a "look at me! look at me!" attention grab. Apparently, that's not the case in Cincinnati, as it shouldn't be.

C. Trent detailed the emergence of Cingrani-Face. This was brought up last night, and it's completely awesome. Also, is anyone else worried that Cingrani will be so good in the bullpen that he'll never get used as a starter again? Cingrani for closer, Chapman for starter! Also included in this is a GIF of Aroldis-gate, and it does a pretty good job of showing Neil Walker getting not-hit closer to his hands than getting not-hit closer to his head. Remember when a pitch actually got closer to hitting Joey Votto in the head against the Nationals early this season? No, I don't either, because it was and still is a non-story.

Eno Sarris took a look at Mike Leake's season over at RotoGraphs. So yeah, it's somewhat from a fantasy angle, but it still details exactly what has given Leake the edge this season. Check it out, and then tweet Eno with beer jokes.

Here's some more insight on who, exactly, the Pirates are targeting for their retribution tonight.

Farmers Only: Life is Full of Sorrows, Heartaches and Pain.

2013-06-18T13:00:10Z

Louisville got stampeded by the Durham Bulls on Monday, falling 16-3. Shit got Villarreal early, as Pedro gave up 8 runs in just 1.2 innings on 8 hits, a wanger and a walk before the Riggler brought out the hook. Things got so out of hand this game that Corky Miller was tasked to pitch the final two innings, giving up 4 runs on 3 hits, with a walk and a strikeout. Chris Heisey (2-4, 1 R, 1 K) made his first rehab start with the Bats after re-injuring himself in a rehab appearance in Pensacola last month. Hank Rod had the only Bats XBH, going 2-4 with a double. Up Next: Yohan Pino "Noir" (1-3, 2.25 ERA) takes Tony Cingrani's spot in the rotation tonight at 7:05 PM ET.

Pensacola fell victim to the beatemdown as well as well, losing 11-1. The Wahoos were still within slam range when Josh Smith (6 IP, 4 ER, 7 H, 5 K, 3 BB) left the game, but a 7 run bullpen meltdown courtesy of Jamie Walzcak and Josh Ravin put the game out of reach. Travis Mattair had the Wahoos' only hit, and scored the only run on a solo home run in the 2nd inning. Up Next: Off day.

Bakersfield and Dayton were both off. Leaving us here at Farmers Only HQ alone and stoned.

Reds Bats Bash, Umpshow Crashes. Reds 4, Pirates 1.

2013-06-18T02:33:28Z

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Mike Leake, as he should, gets the nod again tonight after his 7 inning, 1 run performance. Leake moved to 7-3 on the season, which means nothing, of course, but becomes slightly relevant at this point of the season if you care at all about All-Star game performance. Leake's 2.64 ERA now ranks him not just at the top of the Reds staff, but also puts him on the cusp of being in the Top 10 in the NL. Couple that with his 7 wins being in the Top 10 of the NL also, and you suddenly realize the opportunity for Leake to gain an NL All-Star spot as a realistic one. Fortunately for the bottom line, Leake doesn't have a clause in his contract with bonuses for All-Star performances, but all props to him for putting himself in the mix for a spot in the rotation. Good on ya, Michael.

Honorable Mentions are due to Joey Votto (duh) for going 2 for 4 with a HR, as well as Zack Cozart, Jay Bruce, and Todd Frazier for hitting the solo moonballs that were the difference in the game.

Cozart, for what it's worth, is now out-slugging Devin Mesoraco on the season.

Key Plays

After three innings of impeccable pitching by both Mike Leake and Francisco Liriano, the Reds broke the seal in the Bottom of the 4th. Zack Cozart, famed 2nd hole hitter who has been incapable of hitting 7th in the lineup, thumpjam'd a hanging Lirianoderp off the face of the 2nd deck. Reds led, 1-0.
The Pirates leveled in the Top of the 6th when they threatened to threaten, but threatening with small ball was spare change in this battle tonight. Alex Presley singled but was out at 2nd on an Andrew McCutchen grounder, and McCutchen later scored on a Russell Martin double that Jay Bruce couldn't come up with cleanly off a slide. Game tied, 1-1.
From there, the big boy bats in the Reds' lineup took over. Todd Frazier flew yet another one to the moon and let it play among the stars in the Bottom of the 6th, and in the Bottom of the 8th, big boppers Joey Votto and Jay Bruce both went all opposmash off of Pirates' reliever Bryan Morris to extend the lead to 4-1. After Sam LeCure and Tony Cingrani combined to shut doown the 'rates in the 8th, Aroldis Chapman AroldisChapman'd the 9th, and that was that. Reds win, 4-1!

Solo-Job Driven FanGraph Section

Source: FanGraphs

Other Notes

The HRs hit by Cozart and Frazier were the first allowed by Pirates pitcher Francisco Lirano all season.
Chris Conroy had as bad of a game calling balls and strikes as I've seen all year. Perhaps the destroyed bullpen situation made my eyes slightly more aware, but he missed no fewer than 3 very evident 3rd strike calls tonight. Dang.
Today marks my totally kick-ass Dad's 66th birthday, and therefore I'm listening to some tunes he totally enjoys and, thankfully, taught me to enjoy at an early age.
Mas Papa KMiB tunes!
And again!
One more Papa KMiB tune for the road. Happy birthday, Dad!

Reds vs. Pirates, Game 1: Preview/Prediction Thread

2013-06-17T21:00:05Z

Next Game

Pittsburgh Pirates
@ Cincinnati Reds

Monday, Jun 17, 2013, 7:10 PM EDT
Great American Ball Park

Francisco Liriano vs Mike Leake

Partly cloudy,rain. Winds blowing out to left field at 5-10 m.p.h. Game time temperature around 80.

Complete Coverage >

This weekend puts the Reds still 2.5 games back on St. Louis, but they can provide themselves with some separation against the Pirates with this YET ANOTHER series against an in-division team. The Pirates don't look like the big bad Pirates we saw earlier this year, and considering this is the third series the Reds have played them, that's good news.

Unfortunately, our boys face Francisco Liriano tonight, who's been one of their best pitchers to this point in the year. He's pitched to the tune of a 2.36 ERA, and if you remember, was out-dueled by this same Mike Leake despite striking out 11 Redlegs. Let's hope he isn't bitter about it.

Speaking of Leake, this'll be the third time he's faced the Pirates, and we're only in June. He gave up 5 runs in a loss his first time, but bounced back to give up no runs in 6 innings his last time out. This'll be the first time this year he's faced them at home.

Thanks to that "save" from Simon yesterday, the bullpen looks pretty rested.

Go Reds! They're my favorite team!

Bullpen Log

Reliever	6/12	6/13	6/14	6/15	6/16	5 day totals
Aroldis Chapman	1.0, 8p		1.0, 10p			2.0 IP, 18 pitches
Pedro Villarreal						0.0 IP, 0 pitches
Sam LeCure		1.0, 21p	0.1, 4p			1.1 IP, 25 pitches
J.J. Hoover		1.0, 20p		1.0, 11p		2.0 IP, 31 pitches
Curtis Partch		4.0, 53p				4.0 IP, 53 pitches
Manny Parra		0.1, 6p		1.0, 15p		1.1 IP, 21 pitches
Alfredo Simon		0.2, 12p	1.0, 12p		3.0, 37p	4.2 IP, 61 pitches

Farmers Only Weekend Harvest

2013-06-17T20:00:09Z

Louisville took Norfolk by storm this weekend, winning 4 games in 3 days. The Bats kicked off the weekend, sweeping a doubleheader on Friday night. In game one, the Bats beat the Tides 5-3 on the heels of a Daniel Corcino start, where he wasn't terrible for a change (5 IP, 3 E, 3 H, 3 BB, 4 K). The walks are still troubling, and he did give up a long ball, but baby steps in the right direction, I guess. Denis "The System" Phipps led the offense, driving in 2 on a 2-3 night with 2 doubles. In the nightcap, the Bats squeaked out a 1-0 victory thanks to yet another solid effort from Armando Gallaraga (5 IP, 3 H, 5 K, 2 BB). Jair "LOL jch" Jurrjens held the Bats to only one hit, a double from Jason Donald in the 6th, who was small ball'd in on consecutive sacrifices for the the only run of the game. Newly acquired Zach "Marma" Duke got the save. Louisville kept the party going on Saturday, beating the Tides 2-1. Despite allowing 11 base runners (8 H, 3 BB), Greg "Sweet Dee" Reynolds, held Norfolk to only one run over 6 innings. Cool Papa Billy went 1-4 with a double and a stolen base, and Corky Miller did the same, just without the stolen base. The weekend sweep was completed on Sunday, with the Bats holding on to a 1-0 win. The game started off with a bang, when Billy Hamilton, who went 2-4 with another stolen base, honked a leadoff wanger. And that was it as far as run production is concerned. Chad Reineke struck out 4 and walked 3 in 6 shutout innings, before four bullpeners covered the remaining 3 innings to lock down the victory. Up Next: Pedro "Yo-Yo" Villarreal (1-4, 5.12 ERA) and the Bats head to Durham to take on the Bulls at 7:05 PM ET.

Pensacola dropped 2 of 3 over the weekend. The Wahoos lost on Friday, falling 3-1 to the Mobile Bay Bears. Ryan Dennick spun a gem, striking out 8 in 7 innings with just 2 walks, scattering 6 hits and allowing 2 runs. Unfortunately, the offense. Devin "the Dude" Lohman drove in the only run on a 2-4 night, and Tucker Barnhardt had the only XBH, knocking a double in the 6th. The Wahoos dropped Saturday's tilt as well, losing 6-2. Daniel "Walks Will Haunt" Renken couldn't find the plate, walking 6 in 3 innings, while striking out only 1 batter, and subsequently coughed up 4 runs. The bats were quiet, with the exception of Moose Mattair, who went 3-4 with 2 doubles and and RBI. Pensacola salvaged the series on Sunday, shutting out the Bad News Bears 4-0. Shaun "Perry" Ellis threw 6.1 innings, allowing 4 hits, a walk, and striking out 2. There weren't really any standouts on offense, as no Wahoo had an XBH or multi-hit game, but a few well placed singles and sacrifices got the job done. Up Next: The Battle of the Bay continues tonight at 8 PM ET, with Josh Smith (5-5, 3.45 ERA) taking the hill.

Bakersfield took 2 out of 3 in Modesto. The Blaze busted the Nuts on Friday, winning 5-3. "Trinidad" James Allen gave up 2 in 7 innings on 5 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 5. Juan "High Ho" Silverio led the charge, driving in 3 runs on a 2-4 night with a double. Our Man Yorman went 1-3 with walk and scored 2 runs. Bakersfield didn't fare as well on Saturday, losing 6-4 in Modesto. The Other Juan (Silva), went 2-4 with a double and an RBI. Yorman also knocked a double, and drove in 2 runs on a 1-4 night. Mike Dennhardt got tagged with the loss, allowing 6 runs (4 earned), while striking out 5 and walking none. The Blaze lit up Modesto, with a 12-3 victory on Sunday. Juan Silverio went nuts on the Nuts, honking two honkers and driving in 6 runs on a 3-5 night. Yorman Rodriguez kept up his hot streak, going 2-4 with a double, a triple and a walk. He's OPS'ing 1.140 over the last 10 games, and is inching ever closer to .800 on the season. Up Next: All-Star Break! The best of the Carolina League takes on the California League on Tuesday. The Prophet El'Hajj and Carlos Contreras were both selected, but neither will play.

Dayton had a winning weekend as well. The Dragons came out on top in a wangerfest on Friday, winning 7-4. Jesse Winker, Seth Mejias-Brean, and Junior Arias all went yard, while Sammy Diaz "Jr." went 3-4 with a run scored and an RBI. Nick Travieso made his 3rd start of the year, and looked good, throwing 5 innings of 1-run ball with 2 K and 2 BB. Dayton lost a heartbreaker in South Bend on Saturday, falling 5-4. Drew Cisco went 6 innings, allowing 4 runs 8 hits and 2 walks, while striking out 4. Seth Mejias-Brean honked his second wanger in as many games, with a 3-bean casserole in the 1st inning. The Dragons took the rubber match on Sunday, winning 2-0. Ismael Guillon threw what was easily his best start of the season, hurling 6 scoreless innings, striking out 7 batters and walking just 2. Hopefully he figured something out and he can continue to right the ship. Up Next: It's the Midwest League Al-Star Break as well. Jesse Winker, Zach Vincej, Drew Cisco, Sal Romano, and Robert Stephenson were all selected to represent the Eastern division. I assume Bob Steves will sit this out as he's still recovering from a sore hammy.