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Apr 11,
2007
2007
Avoiding the Brooms
By Amanda
The CTS found a cheap laptop today at Best Buy, so suddenly I have a computer to tap away on during the game, even though the CTS is also tapping away at his computer. He's editing photos from our vacation, by the way. There's me holding a big, blue parrot. This is quality family time, I tell you.
The chemistry of the commentators seems to be working better tonight, at least through the top of the first. Hopefully this game won't be as painful to listen to as last nights, nor as painful to look at the line score.
two on for the Diamondbacks in the bottom of the first. Do they have the runner-stranding skills that the Reds have demonstrated this series? Only time will tell.
April 11th, 2007 at 9:57 pm
Nope.
April 11th, 2007 at 10:01 pm
Cool catch by Freel in CF to end the inning with the Dbacks scoring but 1. That Freel is quite the fielder.
April 11th, 2007 at 10:04 pm
I see the bleepin’ Snakes are already up a run.
Maybe we should call Bellhorn up. He’s been pretty clutch. Hit a three-run homer tonight that proved to be the go-ahead and the game-winner.
April 11th, 2007 at 10:09 pm
So, while I’m sitting here talking to myself seems like a good time to think about what exactly has been coming up short for the Reds these last few games.
The pitching hasn’t been spectacular, of course, but it seems like it’s been pretty OK, really. Especially compared to years past.
The defense is pretty much the same: not really noteworthy either way, but certainly serviceable.
It seems to be the offense. They just can’t get the runs across the plate. Adam “Mr. April” Dunn is doing his thing and Conine’s been better than I expected, but the pistons just aren’t all firing yet.
Maybe the Diamondbacks are just that good this year. They could be. Who knows?
The Reds have already been up and down since I started writing this. Edwin Encarnación is out of the game, apparently as a punitive action for not legging out a pop-up in the top of the inning. Chris Welsh thinks it’s a good thing.
April 11th, 2007 at 10:13 pm
Hey, BubbaFan. Maybe they ought to bring up Bubba. Not that the outfield has been doing poorly or anything, but I’m sure he brings the mojo wherever he goes.
April 11th, 2007 at 10:15 pm
The extremely annoying Arizona announcers are also talking about EE getting yanked for not running out the popup. They showed the replay. He didn’t even think about running. Did he think it was foul?
April 11th, 2007 at 10:16 pm
Well, Bubba would set a good example for the kids, that’s for sure. He always runs hard out of the box.
And they haven’t been using him in Louisville much lately. He’s been out of the lineup the past couple of days. I’m not sure why. You’d think with only three OFers on the roster, he’d get some playing time…
April 11th, 2007 at 10:19 pm
It’s possible that he didn’t know it was fair, but that doesn’t seem like it should have gotten him yanked from the game.
April 11th, 2007 at 10:20 pm
This game sucks.
That *is* weird that Bubba’s not getting playing time. I don’t see anything to save him up for.
April 11th, 2007 at 10:21 pm
Here we are again tonight, with our starting pitcher looking solid and our offense failing to come through. I hate to think that Belisle giving up one run in the first would be enough to get him the L.
I’ll tell you what we need: a brawl. That would really spice things up.
April 11th, 2007 at 10:29 pm
A brawl would be great. I think that’s what baseball’s been missing for some time. Ever since MLB cracked down on it.
Now all we get is [url=http://graphics.boston.com/bonzai-fba/Globe_Photo/2007/04/10/1176243925_0015.jpg]this[/url] from the Red Sox/Mariners game last night. It was started by former Red and all-around nice-guy Jose Guillen.
April 11th, 2007 at 10:35 pm
Man, Dunn looks great. He’s lost weight, his defense is better, he’s hitting like we’ve never seen before (even into a couple double plays). I hope that the shitty performance of his team doesn’t sap his motivation.
April 11th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
A brawl? In that case, call Wilkerson up!
Another GIDP. Grrr.
And these Arizona announcers are annoying beyond belief. They are such wicked homers. Maybe worse than the Rangers announcers, which I would have thought was impossible.
April 11th, 2007 at 10:36 pm
I like Guillen. He’s a firecracker. He seems like strange fit for the Mariners; he fit in so well with the Nats.
April 11th, 2007 at 10:39 pm
All right, the Reds have a runner on second with 0 outs. Let’s go guys!
April 11th, 2007 at 10:45 pm
A-Gon moves him over. C’mon, boys!
April 11th, 2007 at 10:48 pm
And Ross strikes out on three pitches.
April 11th, 2007 at 10:49 pm
Dude, now there are two outs, and Phillips is only on third. Ross looked like crap at the plate. Thom is ready to award Gonzalez the Nobel Prize for sacrificing, despite the fact that he had a part to play in Belisle being the last hope this inning for tying the game.
Ugh!
April 11th, 2007 at 10:50 pm
Wow. Am I really staying up for this?
April 11th, 2007 at 10:51 pm
They don’t quite have that “manufacturing runs” thing down yet, do they?
April 11th, 2007 at 10:52 pm
Ross has yet to show anything, even the slightest glimmer, that last year wasn’t a fluke. I hope he’s actually in a slump and that he breaks out of it at some point, instead of my fear that he’s returning to normality.
April 11th, 2007 at 10:52 pm
Not so much, and Kriv-dawg doesn’t seem to have noticed that it’s a sore spot for the team yet.
April 11th, 2007 at 10:53 pm
Ross sure looked clueless in that last AB.
April 11th, 2007 at 10:54 pm
I feel like I’m being way too negative here. There has to be a bright point here somewhere…
At least the game isn’t snowed out!
April 11th, 2007 at 10:55 pm
Belisle. Don’t be forgetting Belisle. Dude looks great for the second start in a row.
April 11th, 2007 at 10:57 pm
Oh, and Chris Welsh’ ability to simply talk while broadcasting instead of putting on a fake broadcaster’s voice like Thom.
Wait, I went negative, too, didn’t I?
April 11th, 2007 at 10:58 pm
Did you hear about Keisler coming through for the Cards? WTF? Was he just not challenged enough in Cincy? Or was yesterday a fluke?
April 11th, 2007 at 10:58 pm
Come one now…that could be his real voice! :laugh:
April 11th, 2007 at 10:59 pm
Keisle came through for the Reds once or twice. I would guess it’s a fluke, but the Cardinals have turned polished crap from the Reds before.
April 11th, 2007 at 11:00 pm
OK, this is it. The Reds tie it up this inning or I go to bed. Girlfriend needs her sleep.
April 11th, 2007 at 11:00 pm
Freel, I think is just in a slump. But Ross and Phillips…you have to wonder if last year was just a fluke, and they’ll return to the mean this year.
I feel the same way about the Yanks’ Melky Cabrera. He had a terrible spring. He’s “on the interstate” now. He’s a better hitter than that, but I’m not sure he’s as good a hitter as he looked last season.
April 11th, 2007 at 11:00 pm
Go Freel.
April 11th, 2007 at 11:01 pm
Foul ball sends Freel back to first after a steal attempt. I watched the replay, and I think he would have been under the tag if it had mattered.
April 11th, 2007 at 11:05 pm
Freel almost got thrown out there again.
April 11th, 2007 at 11:06 pm
Is Freel in a slump? He’s doing OK tonight. If so, though, he probably just needs a day off. That’s the way Freel rolls.
Ross has been ugly, but Phillips? He’s been doing OK, hasn’t he?
April 11th, 2007 at 11:07 pm
I don’t know how any of the players are doing. It feels like I haven’t seen them play in forever thanks to these night games.
At least they’re getting them one of the western trips out of the way early.
April 11th, 2007 at 11:09 pm
Before this game, Freel was batting .222 and Phillips was batting .200.
April 11th, 2007 at 11:10 pm
I’m not looking it up, but I didn’t think Phillips ever hit much for average. He does have two homers and three walks already. And he *is* the second baseman, after all.
Well, that does it; I’m getting some sleep. Thanks for coming by, everyone who came by! <3
April 11th, 2007 at 11:13 pm
Hopefully I’ll wake up to see that they won. It’s not looking good so far, although that was a nice double-play by Phillips and Gonzalez.
Go Reds!
April 11th, 2007 at 11:17 pm
Phillips last season (AVG OBP SLG)
.276 .324 .427
This year, so far:
.200 .286 .400
April 11th, 2007 at 11:20 pm
We win !!!!!
April 12th, 2007 at 12:40 am
Very sweet victory. I went to bed, but was watching it in bed.
It was close, but they pulled it out (thanks in part to another dinger by the Hammer).
The closer situation is a bit worrisome, though. Weathers was very lucky to get out of that last inning.
April 12th, 2007 at 6:45 am