SCOTT ROLEN HITS
HIS 300TH HOMER AGAINST THE TEAM THAT INTRODUCED HIM TO THE MAJORS
6.29.10 BY:MEH THREE HUNDRED FOR ROLEN
SCOTT
ROLEN HITS HIS 300TH HOMER AGAINST THE TEAM THAT INTRODUCED HIM TO THE
MAJORS Scott Bruce Rolen
made his major league debut for the Philadelphia Phillies on August 1, 1996.
Rolen hit 150 home runs for his former team during seven seasons. Like Babe
Ruth did with the Yankees against Boston, Rolen hit his 300th home run of
his career against the team that gave him his first gig in the major
leagues.
During the fourth inning of Monday's game against the Phillies at Great
American Ballpark, Scott Rolen
belted a Kyle Kendrick pitch to left field. As the baseball bounced off
the foul pole and back onto the grass, Rolen rounded the bases for the 17th
time this season and the 300th time of his career. Rolen's two-run shot
broke open the scoreless game and led the Reds to a
7-3 victory over the Phillies.
"Everybody was pulling for him." Dusty
Baker said.
"Everybody was saying 'hit the foul pole, hit the foul pole!' because it
looked like that ball was going to go foul. That's a tremendous feat for a
player and man. So we're all very happy for Scotty."
At 35 years of age, Rolen is on his way to have his best season since 2004
in St. Louis (34 homeruns, 32 doubles, 124 RBI, .314 average) when he led
the Cardinals to a 105-win season. Rolen currently leads the Reds in home
runs (17), is second in RBI (53), and third in doubles (17) and average
(.301). Rolen has accomplished all this while playing in less games (70)
than any other everyday player.
Like Ken Griffey Junior's 500th career home run on Father's Day 2004, Scott
Rolen's 300th was also on a special occasion. Rolen's entire family was in
town to celebrate his parent's 45th wedding anniversary.
"We didn't talk about it at dinner,"
Rolen said.
"My parents had their 45th wedding anniversary. That's the most important
thing. That achievement is bigger than this one, so let's leave that one to
itself. I was able to do it tonight."
Rolen's 300th home run was also
the fastest trot of the day
according to Wezen-Ball.com's
Tater Trot Tracker. At 18.29 seconds, Rolen took little time to enjoy his
modest milestone as he rarely does. Six of his seventeen homeruns this
season have been the speediest trot of the day.
Rolen's 300 career jacks tie him with hall-of-famer
Chuck Klein
for 127th on the all-time career home run list. Honorable names Rolen has
surpassed on the list include Rickey Henderson (297), Craig Biggio (291),
Will Clark (284), Eric Davis (282), Paul O'Neill (281), Ted Kluszewski
(279), and Roger Maris (275) among many others.
Scott Rolen has undeniably been a massive factor in the Reds' league leading
defense and offense this season. His experience and leadership has lifted
the Cincinnati Reds to the top of their division. Whether it's his seven
Gold Gloves (3rd all-time for third basemen), or his 300 career homeruns,
Scott Rolen and the Cincinnati Reds are a force to be reckoned with in the
National League.
FOR A FEW
DAYS AT LEAST, THE REDS HAVE AMPLE LEFTIES FACING PHILLIES
6.27.10 BY:MEH BACK IN RED; BILL BRAY
FOR A FEW DAYS AT LEAST,
THE REDS HAVE AMPLE LEFTIES FACING PHILLIES
Left-handed reliever Bill Bray's last appearance wearing a Reds uniform was
during their final game of the 2008 season. Bray missed the entire next
season rehabbing Tommy John surgery he received on May 19, 2009. After over
thirteen months of recovery, Mr. Bray is back in the Reds bullpen.
“I think this is better than when I was called up to the majors for the
first time,"
Bray said.
"Things have been going good for me, I feel good. I’ve been bouncing back
good, been able to go back-to-back days, pitch three times in four days, so
I can do what is expected of me here.”
In 10.1 innings pitched between A Lynchburg and AAA Louisville this season,
Bray struck out sixteen batters, walked three, allowed three hits, and
failed to let up a run. Sam LeCure (1-4, 4.86)
was sent down to AAA make room for Bray on the Reds' roster.
“(Bray) seemed to understand,”
Baker said.
“He understood why we were doing it. I told him that he can
pitch here in the big leagues. Just go down there and perfect his stuff even
more and there’s a good chance he’ll be back. Learn from whatever experience
he had here.”
The move leaves the Reds will only four starting pitchers, but one will not
be needed until after their three game series with the Philadelphia Phillies
this week. The Phillies are loaded with left-handed hitters and Dusty Baker
likes the idea of having three lefty relievers available while playing the
2008 World Series Champions.
Left-hander Travis Wood (5-6, 3.12) struck out nine batters during eight
innings of shutout baseball
on Friday for Louisville. Sam LeCure's former spot in the Reds' rotation
will fall on Thursday while Wood's falls on Wednesday for Louisville. Wood
could easily be pushed back a day to start against Carlos Silva (8-2, 3.01)
and the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley field on Thursday making his major league
debut.
A coinciding move will need to made when the Reds decide on a starter.
Expect Bill Bray to remain with the Reds. Bray has pitched very effectively
while rehabbing in the minors and has a track record in the majors since
2006 (8-7, 3.86). With Jordan Smith's sound transition into the majors (6.2
innings, 1.35 ERA) and great improvement from Nick Masset and Logan
Ondrusek, left-hander Danny Herrera (1-3. 4.09) may become temporarily out
of the mix. In the meantime, we will enjoy the extra left-handed manpower
against the Phillies.
“Sometimes when you are trying to win a pennant,"
Dusty Baker said.
"You have to make these temporary, auxiliary moves."
For those who reside under rocks (not that there's anything wrong with
that), the Reds signed Gary Matthews Jr. to a minor league deal and he
reported to Louisville on Thursday night. Matthews Jr. started for the Bats
against Norfolk on Saturday and Sunday with mixed results. On Saturday
Matthews Jr. struck out five times and went 3-5 with a double and a run on
Sunday.
Matthews Jr. was released on June 15 by the Mets after batting .190 in 65
plate appearances. The Mets acquired Matthews Jr. from the Angels prior to
the 2009 season. After an All-Star season with the Texas Rangers during 2006
(.313, 19HR, 79RBI), Matthews Jr. signed a 5-year $50 million contract with
the Angels. Through '07-'09 Matthews Jr. batted .248, hit 30 homeruns, and
drove in 168 runs. Matthews Jr. will become the everyday centerfielder at
Louisville.
"In the past, he
showed that if he plays a lot, he's a better player,"
general manager Walt Jocketty said.
"He hasn't had that opportunity with the Angels or Mets the last couple of
years. Hopefully, if he can get back, at some point he can help us at the
Major League level. This is a very inexpensive option to add depth, but we
think he's going to take a little while."
The Reds will begin a three-game series against the Philadelphia Phillies at
Great American Ballpark on Monday. Go Reds!!!
MON: Jonny Cueto (7-2, 3.97) vs. Kyle Kendrick (4-2, 4.71)
TUE: Mike Leake (5-1, 2.92) vs. Joe Blanton (3-5, 6.53)
WED: Aaron Harang (6-7, 5.07) vs. Roy Halladay (9-6, 2.29)
*Update-Bill
Bray pitched the ninth inning for the Reds on Monday against the Phillies.
With the Reds leading 7-1 after Johnny Cueto pitched eight innings of one
run ball, Bray stepped onto a major league mound for the first time in
almost two years. Bray allowed two runs on two hits, but secured the win for
the Reds.
Lance McAlister speculated a interesting move for the Reds on his 700wlw
show Monday. Lance proposed the idea that Aaron Harang should be moved back
to start on Thursday against the Cubs at Wrigley allowing Travis Wood to
pitch on Wednesday. The move would not only give Harang an extra day of
rest, but would keep Wood on his regular pitching schedule. The left-handed
Wood would face the Phillies' lefty-stacked lineup (instead of a Cubs' that
prefers hitting lefties) and he would comfortably make his major league
debut at home.
EDINSON VOLQUEZ WILL JOIN
THE REDS' ROTATION, CHAPMAN TO PEN
6.25.10 BY:MEH HERE COMES THE HEAT
EDINSON VOLQUEZ WILL JOIN
THE REDS' ROTATION, CHAPMAN TO PEN
We're almost half way through the 2010 season and the Reds have
proved that they are contenders. They are currently half a game ahead of the
St. Louis Cardinals in the NL Central and have an offense that leads the
National League in most categories.
The Reds have had their fair share of skids so far, but have flaunted their
resiliency by ending them quickly without internal breakdown. Prior to the
Reds winning their last four games in a row, they were swept by the
last-place Seattle Mariners and were held to only one run during the entire
series. The Reds bounced back by sweeping the Oakland Athletics and winning
their first game back home against the Indians 10-3. Questions of an insufficient
offense were left out to dry.
The obvious inadequacy the Reds have this year is relief pitching. Aside
from Sir Arthur Rhodes (0.29 ERA), no one in the Reds' pen is getting the
job done consistently. Rookie Jordan Smith has done a good job in four
appearances (1.93 ERA), but is not Cincinnati's savior for 2010.
Teams currently in contention with similar needs are probably panicking
right now, but not the Cincinnati Reds. They have All-Star Edinson Volquez
just weeks away from returning to the starting rotation barring setback and
are currently experimenting with Aroldis Chapman (5-5, 4.12) as a reliever.
Chapman will eventually be in the Reds' rotation, but could end up assisting
the pen in 2010.
On Wednesday, Chapman followed an Edinson Volquez rehab start in Louisville.
Volquez went five innings allowing one run on five hits while Chapman went
two innings and allowed a run on two hits. Volquez hit 98mph on the radar
and Chapman was hitting his typical triple digits.
"We still see (Chapman) as a starter,"
Reds' general manager Walt Jocketty said.
"But we feel this season he can help us as a reliever."
During the next two weeks, Edinson Volquez will make at least two more rehab
starts in Louisville and the Aroldis Chapman bullpen experiment will
continue. Both pitchers could be wearing a Reds uniform before the All-Star
game. Bob Castellini may want to invest in a new radar gun at GABP.
REDS' OUTFIELDER
DREW STUBBS IS AMONG NL LEADERS IN STRIKEOUTS, BUT IS LACKING IN OTHER AREAS
6.23.10 BY:MEH FEAR AND LOATHING IN CENTER
FIELD
REDS' OUTFIELDER DREW
STUBBS IS AMONG NL LEADERS IN STRIKEOUTS, BUT IS LACKING IN OTHER AREAS When the Cincinnati
Reds selected Drew Stubbs during the first round (eighth overall) of the
2006 amateur entry draft, they knew what kind of player they had just
landed. During Stubbs' three years ('04-'06) as a Texas Longhorn, he posted
some pretty serious numbers. His Freshman year, Stubbs played in 71 games
for the Longhorns and hit a respectable .301 in 266 at-bats. Driving in 47
runs along with 26 stolen bases, scoring 51 times, and hitting sixteen doubles, Stubbs
was on his way to becoming the next Longhorn star.
Through '05 and '06, Stubbs increased his numbers significantly. At twenty
years of age during his sophomore season at Texas, Stubbs raised his
average to .311 while driving in 46 runs. In 72 games, Stubbs increased his
doubles (20), stolen bases (32), walks (32), and homerun (11) totals from
his previous season. Stubbs was developing very nicely.
In Drew Stubbs' final season as a Texas Longhorn, he was named co-MVP of the
squad and was also tagged as the Big 12 co-Player of the Year. The
three-time All-American had a fantastic Junior season batting .342 in 62
games. Stubbs scored 65 runs, hit 12 homers, and stole 26 bases in 2006 for
the Longhorns. While playing superb defense, Stubbs' showcased his five-tool
talent and secured a spot among baseball's top prospects.
Now that we've praised Drew Stubbs' baseball ability and discussed the
reasoning behind his first-round selection, we will digress. Not to
downgrade or minimize Drew Stubbs' capability, or to disrespect the Reds
organization, but to simply point out one thing.... strikeouts.
Here's where it gets interesting. During Stubbs freshman season at Texas, he
struck out 28% of the time, but brought it down to 25% as a sophomore and
junior. During '04-'06 while Stubbs was playing at Texas, former Longhorn
quarterback Adam Dunn (hated by many Reds fans for his K's) led the NL in
strikeouts (195, 168, 194) while playing for Cincinnati.
During Dunn's three
year strikeout fest, he struck out 33% of the time. Obviously Dunn's
strikeout total was repulsive (557) during '04-'06, but he made up for it
with his offensive production. Posting a .249 average throughout the three
years Dunn hit 126 homers, 93 doubles, scored 311 runs, drove in 295 runs,
and walked 334 times all while missing only five games. Strikeouts are
acceptable when a player composes such statistics.
After leaving the Big 12, Drew Stubbs became substantially prone to striking
out. Playing 56 games for the Billings Mustangs in 2006, Stubbs whiffed 64
times in 210 at-bats (30%) while posting a .252 average. His first full
season in the Reds organization was with the Dayton Dragons during 2007.
Stubbs struck out 29% of the time and scored 93 runs in '07, but drove in a
measly 43 runs as his average modestly increased (.270).
Stubbs climbed the minor league ladder during 2008, and seemed to be
developing attractively, as he cut down his strikeouts. In 131 games with
Sarasota, Chattanooga, and Louisville Stubbs batted .290 and struck out only
26% of the time but was still struggling offensively. He drove in 57 runs
and homered only seven times. Stubbs was consistently rabid when he was on
base scoring 75 times and stealing 33 bags (led Reds minor leagues), but it
was not often enough with his .373 OBP.
Before making his major league debut on August 19, 2009, Stubbs spent most
of the year in Louisville. He played 107 games for the Bats in '09, hit
.268, homered three times, and drove in 39 runs as he represented the Reds
in the 2009 All-Star Futures Game. Stubbs cut down his strikeout percentage
to .250 and was considered the Reds' third best prospect behind Yonder
Alonso and Todd Frazier. After being called up to the big leagues, Stubbs
showed reasonable promise in only 42 games. He struck out 27% of the time
but scored 27 runs, hit eight homeruns, and drove in seventeen runs
finishing the season with the Reds.
The year is 2010. Drew Stubbs made the Opening Day roster for the Reds.
Hitting first and seventh in the Reds' lineup, Stubbs currently has a .231
average, 15 stolen bases, 31 RBI, 36 runs scored, seven doubles, and seven
homeruns in 69 games. His .306 OBP has kept his deadly speed off the base
paths.
Stubbs' 74 strikeouts currently tie him for seventh in the NL. Justin Upton,
Rickie Weeks, David Wright, Adam Dunn, Adam LaRoche, Ryan Howard, and Dan
Uggla are impressive players who also share the top ten strikeout list with
Stubbs, but they all set them selves apart from him with their offense.
All ten have AT LEAST ten homers, ten doubles, 38 RBI, and 38 runs scored
except Stubbs. He has the second worse average among them with the third
worse being .254 (Uggla). Remember Adam Dunn's 33% strikeout rate during
2004-'06? Drew Stubbs' is 31% so far in 2010. Strikeouts are acceptable when
a player produces other quality statistics. At 25 years old, Drew Stubbs is
not compensating.
Drew, we like you. We really do. We're aware that your development in the
minor leagues peaked and it's time for the majors, but we need more from
you. Your speed and agility in the outfield are priceless along with your
cannon of an arm. When you reach, you are arguably the best base runner on
the team, but it needs to happen more frequently.
JOEY VOTTO AND
SCOTT ROLEN HELP THE REDS' THREE-GAME LOSING STREAK COME TO AN END
6.22.10 BY:MEH REDS
STOP SKID, BEAT A'S IN TEN
JOEY VOTTO AND SCOTT
ROLEN HELP THE REDS' THREE-GAME LOSING STREAK COME TO AN END
(Photo:
Ben Margot/AP)
After being swept by the worst
team in the AL West and losing seven of their last nine games, the
Cincinnati Reds needed a win, bad. They slid 1.5 games behind the St. Louis
Cardinals and despite quality pitching against Seattle, their top notch
offense had gone stale.
Joey Votto doubled in Brandon Phillips during the first inning of Monday's
game against the Oakland A's, but after that the Reds allowed another
mediocre pitcher to appear as a Cy Young candidate. After the first inning,
Gio Gonzales settled in for Oakland and pitched seven innings allowing just
one run on four hits while striking out nine. With 96 pitches, Mike
"Godzilla" Leake kept his team in the game hurling six innings (1ER, 5H) and
rebounded nicely after his first major league loss on
June 16 against the Dodgers.
During the top of the ninth
inning with the game tied at one, Jay Bruce came off the bench to drive in a
run with two outs. Leading off the bottom of the ninth, Kevin Kouzmanoff
drilled the first pitch he saw from Reds' closer Francisco Cordero into the
right-field seats of Oakland Coliseum tying the game at two. It was
Cordero's fifth blown save this season in 22 chances. Cordero finished the
inning without any further damage ant sent the game into extras.
Something then woke up the Reds' offense. Ramon Hernandez led off the tenth
inning with a homerun off the left-field foul pole. Brandon Phillips
followed with a single and Paul Janish bunted him to second. Joey Votto and
Scott Rolen then hit their fifteenth homeruns of the season, back-to-back.
"It seems like when your bats are sick, everybody's bats are sick,"
Dusty Baker said.
"When your bats get well, it seems like everybody's bats get well at the
same time."
Just to make the game interesting, Dusty Baker sent Francisco Cordero back
to the mound in the bottom of the tenth with a comfortable 6-2 lead. The
Shaky Cordero walked the first two batters he faced and was quickly yanked.
Danny Herrera replaced Cordero and retired one, but allowed a run to score
before rookie Jordan Smith took over. With one out, Smith got Kevin
Kouzmanoff to groundout to Paul Janish as Conor Jackson scored from third.
Smith then struck out Jack Cust to end the game as the Reds
defeated the A's 6-4.
Jordan Smith received his first major league save and for the second time
this season, Francisco Cordero blew a save while receiving the win.
Bronson Arroyo (6-3, 4.53) will face Dallas Braden (4-6, 3.78) and the
Athletics at 10:05pm on Tuesday.
AFTER LOSING
SEVEN OF THEIR LAST TEN, CAN SCOTT ROLEN'S REDS BEAT THE COLD?
6.20.10 BY:MEH GET YOUR SH#T TOGETHER!!!
AFTER LOSING SEVEN OF
THEIR LAST TEN, CAN SCOTT ROLEN'S REDS BEAT THE COLD? Aaron Harang did
everything he could to help the Reds avoid a sweep by the Seattle Mariners
on Sunday. Harang went six innings for the Reds allowing only one run on
three hits. Aside from Harang's start against Houston on
May 29 (7IP, 1ER, 4H) when his team supported him with twelve runs, it
was his best game of the season. Harang received the loss as his team's
offense remained cramped in Seattle. On Sunday, the Reds
lost 1-0 to the Mariners for the second time in three days. Only one run
was scored by the Reds during their three day stay in Seattle.
“It was a nightmare weekend,”
Dusty Baker said.
“We couldn’t buy a run. It was a tough weekend, a very tough weekend.”
On Friday against the Mariners, Johnny Cueto also pitched well enough to
receive the victory. Cueto pitched only 5.2 innings, but allowed just one
run on four hits. Once again, the Reds' offense failed to score as Cliff Lee
pitched a complete-game shutout (6H, 7K)
to defeat the Reds 1-0.
Sam LeCure started for the Reds on Saturday. Outside of
one ugly pitch that propelled a four-run sixth, LeCure pitched dutiful.
Scoring their only run of the series in the fourth inning, the Reds' offense
failed to supply Lecure with an anchor. Felix Hernandez hurled a
complete-game (5H, 9K) as the Mariners
beat the Reds 5-1.
During their three game series with the Mariners, the Reds stuck out 23
times and collected only 14 hits. Joey Votto and Scott Rolen combined for
half of the Reds' hits against the Mariners as Brandon Phillips, Jonny
Gomes, Jay Bruce, and Orlando Cabrera only had one hit a piece the entire
series.
There is no bright side of being swept by the worst team in the AL West and
falling 1.5 games behind the St. Louis Cardinals, but the performance of the
Reds' pitching staff over the weekend was nothing short of concrete. The
Reds' bullpen set aside their recent struggles and combined for 8.1
scoreless innings of relief allowing only three hits. A Reds' offense that
currently leads the NL in runs (337), hits (650), homeruns (83), RBI (327),
slugging percentage (.449), and average (.276) should have capitalized, but
didn't. The Reds' pistons have trouble when it comes to collective firing.
"It was a tough
series to swallow,"
said Aaron Harang.
"We have to look forward to going down to Oakland and turning things
around."
The Reds have lost six of their last seven games inspiring some of
their followers to remember Junes of the past. The next three games in
Oakland will be a true test for the Cincinnati Reds. They have played hot,
and stayed hot, many times this season. It is the reason they are five games
above .500 and only 1.5 games out of first place. Teams will always go cold
during a tedious 162-game season, but only the good teams rise to the
occasion and stop the bleeding. The leadership and determination of Scott
Rolen, Joey Votto, and Brandon Phillips will be closely monitored as they
attempt to overcome. Go Reds!
MONDAY: Mike Leake (5-1, 3.02) vs. Gio Gonzales (6-5, 4.21) at 10:05pm
TUESDAY: Bronson Arroyo (6-3, 4.53) vs. Dallas Braden (4-6, 3.78) at 10:05pm
WEDNESDAY: Johnny Cueto (6-2, 4.30) vs. Vin Mazzaro (2-1, 5.22) at 3:35pm
6.18.10 BY:MEH #GOMESFACTS
CHUCK NORRIS HAS NOTHING
ON #31
Bronson Arroyo and the Cincinnati Reds won only their fourth game of their
last ten on Thursday
beating the Dodgers 7-1. During the Reds' three-game losing streak
against Kansas City and Los Angeles, the reds were outscored 25-5.
Arroyo
admittedly had no command of his pitches on Thursday. The only pitch
that was cooperating with Arroyo was his sinker as he used it to entice
three 3-6-1 double plays in which he assisted. Aside from a career high six
walks during his seven innings of work, Arroyo gave the Reds an early 3-1
lead with a three-run jack during the second inning. It was Arroyo's fifth
career homerun and first since 2008.
“I’m just glad Bronson stopped the leak,”
Dusty Baker said.
“These guys don’t get too high when they win or too low when they lose.”
The Reds are now headed to the West Coast for six games against Seattle
(25-41) and Oakland (33-35) beginning Friday. During the past four years the
Reds are 13-32 out west.
“One good thing, it’ll probably be cool out there,”
Dusty Baker said.
“You can get your strength back.”
During the Reds ten game home-stand, Jonny Gomes remained solid going
10-32 with 12 RBI (including a career-high
6RBI game against the Royals).
Gomes owns a weak .205 average in thirteen career games against the
Mariners, but has far superior numbers against the Athletics (.308AVG and
12RBI in 17G). With the Reds leaving Cincinnati after a disappointing ten
days to explore Western America, expect Gomes to manhandle his former league
over the next week and ignite the Reds' offense. Here are some interesting
#gomesfacts
collected from the world wide web. Enjoy.
Jonny Gomes once went on the 15 day DL, just
to see what it felt like to be mortal.
MLB is considering putting Jonny Gomes DNA on the list of banned substances.
Jonny Gomes can throw a one-hopper from the warning track to home at GABP.
He can do this while playing in Pittsburg.
Chuck Norris won't fight Jonny Gomes.
On a scale of 1 to 10, Jonny Gomes is awesome.
Johnny Gomes blows bubbles with peanut butter.
Jonny Gomes' bat is the cause of global warming.
When taking the SAT, write "Jonny Gomes" for every answer. You will score
over 8,000.
When Jonny Gomes puts on Chris Sabo's RecSpecs, he can see the future.
Jonny Gomes' Gmail account exceeds 1GB.
Jonny Gomesonce
took one of Dusty Baker's toothpicks to the plate as a bat, and got an
intentional walk.
Jonny Gomes doesn't sleep........he waits.
Jonny Gomes even hits pitches thrown by used car salesmen.
When Jonny Gomes falls in water, he doesn't get wet. Water gets Jonny Gomes.
Jonny Gomes doesn't mow his lawn. He begs it to grow.
Jonny Gomes' mom has a tattoo that says "son."
Jonny Gomes was what Willis was talkin'
about.
The G in OMGreds stands for "Gomes."
Superman wears Jonny Gomes pajamas to bed.
Jonny Gomes can eat more ice cream than Jeff Brantley. Barely.
Jonny Gomes once left Marty Brennaman speechless.
Jonny Gomes can touch MC Hammer.
For Jonny Gomes, the warning track isn't there to warn him, it's there to
warn the wall.
Johnny Cueto (6-1, 4.50) will face Cliff Lee
(4-3, 2.88) and the Mariners at 10:10pm on Friday.
DUSTY BAKER AND
SCOTT ROLEN BOTH TOSSED FROM WEDNESDAY'S GAME AGAINST THE DODGERS
6.17.10 BY:MEH "THERE'S A LONG WAY TO GO."
DUSTY BAKER AND SCOTT ROLEN BOTH
TOSSED FROM WEDNESDAY'S GAME AGAINST THE DODGERS
Reds' manager Dusty Baker has not been thrown out of a game since April 25,
2009 when he was ejected along with Jerry Hairston. Known for his collected
composure, Scott Rolen has only been ejected two times during his major
league career prior to Wednesday. Both men exploded when umpire Hunter Wendelstedt
called a full-count fastball from Clayton Kershaw a strike during the sixth
inning of the Reds' loss to the Dodgers on Wednesday.
After attempting a stroll to first, Rolen argued with Wendelstedt concerning the location of the pitch. Rolen
must have said the magic word as Wendelstedt
ejected him faster than a bat
out of hell. Dusty Baker then emerged from the Reds' dugout continuing Rolen's dispute, and was also
briskly tossed. On AM radio, both Marty Brennaman and Jeff Brantley
concurred that the pitch was an obvious makeup call from a previous
Wendelstedt blunder during the same at-bat. The pitch should have
been ball four, sending Rolen to first, and loading the bases for Jonny
Gomes with no one out.
“I was upset,”
Rolen said.
“I thought that was a big at-bat, a game-changing at-bat, possibly. I
reacted to that.”
“I saw it the same way Scott saw it,”
Baker said.
“That was a big call in the game. They’re human, too, but you don’t have to
like it.”
The Reds went on to
lose the game 6-2. Mike Leake received his first major league loss (5-1,
3.02) in a disappointing start (6IP, 9H, 5ER) for the Reds. The Reds have
lost three straight games and five of their last eight. Somehow they have
managed to remain tied for first place with the St. Louis Cardinals in the
NL Central.
“Don’t panic,”
Baker said.
“You’re going to go through periods like this. There’s a long way to go, and
you go hot and cold sometimes.”
Sound familiar? Dusty Baker's mentality is currently identical to
one month ago,
when the Reds initially emerged atop the NL Central.
Bronson Arroyo (5-3, 4.80) will
attempt to salvage a win against John Ely (3-3, 3.38) and the Dodgers at
12:35pm on Thursday.
REDS FALL TO
DODGERS AFTER A 2 1/2 HOUR RAIN DELAY
6.16.10 BY:MEH "FORGET THIS GAME."
REDS FALL TO DODGERS
AFTER A 2 1/2 HOUR RAIN DELAY
The only Cincinnati Red who will want to remember Tuesday's
12-0 loss to the Dodgers is rookie Jordan Smith. During the ninth inning
of the Reds' debacle, Smith made his major league debut. He pitched one
scoreless inning. Enerio Del Rosario
was sent down to Louisville to make room for Jordan Smith on the Reds'
roster. Del Rosario allowed seven of his last nine inherited runners to
score.
Before joining the Reds on Tuesday, Jordan Smith was pitching at Double-A
Carolina. In 27 appearances there, Smith went 1-3 posting a 5.08 ERA. The
Reds' sixth round pick in 2006 was a starter in the Reds' organization with
74 straight minor league starts (30-22) prior to this season. During spring
training this year, Smith was assigned to the reliever role, and began
closing games for Carolina. The young right-hander seemed to be
accommodating his new gig of late. During his last six appearances for the
Mudcats, Smith allowed only one run and posted a 1.13 ERA in eight innings.
“I had to adjust my pitches, certain pitches at certain times,”
Smith said.
“I was a bit bullheaded, trying to be too aggressive with my fastball at
certain points. But a couple of weeks ago it started to click and I got into
a nice rhythm.”
Hopefully, Smith's rhythm will transcend into the big leagues.
His nasty sinker could be deadly with a Gold Glove defense behind him.
“I’m just going to keep doing what I was doing down there,"
Smith said.
"Attacking the zone and using my sinker to let ‘em beat it into the ground.”
According to
John Fay, the promotion of Jordan Smith may be the first of several
moves involving the Reds' pitching staff. Travis Wood and Matt Maloney's
have been speculated to become bullpen help
and have statistics superior to Smith's, but both Louisville left-handers
have only four combined relief appearances in the minors. A healthy Homer
Bailey, or Sam LeCure, could also be converted to assist the Reds' feeble
bullpen.
“You hate to have anyone do anything for the first time in
the big leagues,”
Dusty Baker said.
“A couple of guys have done it in the minor leagues. That’s help to get
some basis for fact if this guy can do it.
We still in the fact-finding mode. You wish you have
everything perfectly in order but it’s not.”
Middle relief has been the downfall of the Cincinnati Reds this season.
Besides Arthur Rhodes (0.32) and *Enerio Del Rosario (2.08), no reliever for
the Reds has an ERA under 3.00 this year. Take closer Francisco Cordero
(3.77) who has four blown saves out of the equation, and the remaining
relievers are all above 4.00 this season. The Reds' relief corps currently
ranks 13th in the National League with a 4.96 ERA.
*Carlos Fisher: 9.82 ERA
Logan Ondrusek: 8.10 ERA
*Mike Lincoln: 7.32 ERA
Nick Masset: 7.07 ERA
Micah Owings: 5.27 ERA
Danny Herrera: 4.26 ERA *Not
on the Reds' active roster
The Reds have lost four of their last seven games and have
let the St. Louis Cardinals slide back into a tie for first place in the NL
Central. At this point, any bullpen assistance is welcomed. Jordan Smith, we
wish you the best and are sorry that your major league debut occurred during
the game
we
don't speak of. Dusty Baker does:
"We just have to forget this game. We need a good pitched game tomorrow,
definitely. We used Micah for a lot of pitches from the bullpen tonight and
used Daniel for a lot of pitches. Hopefully we can jump on Kershaw
tomorrow."
Mike "Godzilla" Leake (5-0, 2.68) will face Clayton Kershaw (6-3, 3.13) and
the Dodgers at 7:10pm on Wednesday.
