Live blog: Reds @ Cards – game 12
By
Amanda
Posted at 5:21 pm
Notice that Scott “Still hasn’t quite gotten” Rolen–he of the .179 OBP–has been replaced in the clean-up spot tonight.
Instead, playing the role of Joey-Votto-shield will be…Brandon Phillips? He of the .231 OBP and ouchie hamstring? That’s sure to put the fear into ’em.
Replacing Phillips in the lead-off spot is Zack Cozart, which is a move I can entirely get behind. Baker can occasionally *do* sensible things; he just can’t ever *say* them. Hopefully the stress doesn’t get to young Cozart. It can be a lot of pressure to be the first guy left on base.
Mat Latos takes the mound for the Reds tonight, looking to bring down that 5.59 ERA. While that number certainly belies the skill of Mat Latos (but not the skill of Matt Belisle), it occurs to me that at this point in the season it’s pretty impressive that it’s almost the highest ERA that the Reds’ pitchers have. Ah, I remember those gaudy Eric Milton days, back when triple digit ERAs to start the season would only cost you a nickel. Nowadays, pitchers can’t even afford both Ts for their names. It’s a crying shame, I tell you!
Can you tell I’ve just woken up from a nap? The verbal meandering is getting entirely out of hand. And so is the Cardinals’ early season hot streak. Let’s see what our Cincinnati boys can do about that tonight.
You know who I bet would like to play? Todd Frazier. I wonder if that’s going to happen for him tonight.
Watching this segment on Reds live about signing Votto and Phillips for some reason has me thinking that building a baseball team is like playing Monopoly:
* Guys you draft are like the properties you land on and get to buy for a decent price from the bank.
* Guys you trade for are like the properties you buy at a high premium from your competitors to try to put together a monopoly.
* Someone always seems to have way more money than everyone else for no apparent reason.
* The game isn’t over until someone goes bankrupt, unless they get bought by Magic Johnson.
The analogy does break down a little.
Love it when the other team throws the first pitch for a ball.
Well, as long as my guy doesn’t swing. Four-pitch walk to Cozart? This new line-up is working already!
They’re showing Berkman a lot during all those pick-off attempts to first. He could use some Just for Men.
Stubbs struck out? I can’t believe it! But at least it wasn’t one of those embarrassing strike outs.
Aw man! GIDP? That’s like a total waste of the lead-off walk.
Oh no, Fox Sports messed up. This is a rerun. I’ve seen this episode before.
Thom: “No scoring decision yet, but that has GOT to be a base hit.”
Chris (totally deadpan): “Why?”
I have a deep appreciation of Chris Welsh saying the things to Thom Brennaman that I’m thinking (well, actually, what I’m usually thinking is, “shut up, Thom” but Chris never says that).
When Thom first joined the team and started saying over-the-top things there would just be this awkward silence in the booth. It’s better now.
End of the first inning and the Reds are only down by three. At this rate, they’ll only lose by 24, which feels more optimistic than this game right now.
Bruce finally gets a hit in the top of the second. I guess it snaps a 0-for-19 stretch.
The trick is, the Reds have to get more than one hit. Like, maybe as many as four. In the same inning. They’re stretch of not doing that feels like it’s been going on forever.
Thom says the Cards have scored 64 this year to the Reds 32. And then says that the Pirates have only scored 24, and therefore “no matter how bad you have it, there’s always someone worse.”
Honestly. Is that supposed to make me feel better? The Pirates didn’t just tie up a few hundred million dollars for their 24 runs.
Just did the no-screen-time thing as part of the bedtime routine and am happy to see that things have calmed down a little while we were busy drinking peppermint tea. Reds scored and Latos is still in…even had a perfect inning.
And now Votto is up. So, the view is nice.
I’m no fan of Yadier Molina as a person, but he does look good after dropping some weight.
Tomorrow morning I’m helping out with spring picture day at the local elementary school. Then, there’s a keg tapping event happening over lunch at my favorite pub. Then, my favorite (for some reason) team will be on t.v., and I’ll actually be at home to watch it.
Self-employment is da bomb, if I can ever find time to actually make money.
Jeez, Drew Stubbs is fast as ass. I’d like to see him come up with more actual catches, though.
Sam LeCure again, huh? Why can Sam LeCure pitch two nights in a row, and Chapman wasn’t put in the game yesterday because he’d pitched Sunday?
1-8 Cardinals at the end of the sixth. It’s sort of morbid.
The trick for me is to remember how to enjoy making fun of my terrible, terrible team. I think it was maybe more fun when it wasn’t such an expensive team, or such a team that *should* be good. I mean, a lot of people have high expectations for the Dunn/Kearns years, but really, looking back, I think everyone can agree that Wily Mo Pena was never really going to be a bearer of a pennant.
There was a time, last season I think, when I had a notion that Dusty Baker should be required to run all his managerial decisions pasty any row of Reds fan in the stadium to see what they think. If every single one of them, even the drunk girl, is against the idea, he shouldn’t be allowed to do it.
Speaking of that drunk girl, she was sitting next to me at Opening Night. Highlights from that evening include:
1. Her repeatedly hitting me while doing things like putting on her sweatshirt, and then hugging me to say sorry.
2. Her dropping her diamong-encrusted engagement ring among the peanut shells and then telling me she was glad she left the wedding ring “which is bigger” at home.
3. Her telling me that she was out with her husband and his best friend and that, “it was going to be a long night. *wink*” Whaddya think that means?
So, the “Girls Night Out” at the Reds game will be sponsored by laundry detergent? What, were no girdle companies who wanted it?
Brandon Phillips gets a hit into left field in the top of the eighth. I wonder if Thom will shut the fuck up about him for a second.
Not saying BP shouldn’t be healing up. Just saying Thom’s an idiot.
1-10 in the bottom of the 8th. This has gotten kind of macabre.
1-11 in the top of the 9th. I think the Reds are going to come back.
Harris is up to bat. What is up with all the Harris love?
Amazingly, the Reds did not fight back in the top of the 9th.
It’s certainly to the Reds disadvantage that they’re running so frequently in to the Cards when they’re in buzzsaw mode. But if it can be the kick in the pants to wake this organization up, maybe it’ll turn out to be a good thing.
I’d prefer to fail fast and make the necessary adjustments than have another just-a-little-too-successful-to-really-change-anything season.
whats the app that you are using for the lineup card? looks pretty cool
@Marty – I stole that off Twitter. If you click the graphic, it should take you to the tweet I swiped it from.
Sweet deal, thanks!!!