March 3, 2007
Spring Training Game Thread 3/3 Twins vs Reds at Sarasota
By
Amanda
Posted at 2:07 pm
We get our first look at Aaron Harang this spring training today as he goes up against the visiting Twins. Now that Kyle Lohse has taken Torii Hunter out of the picture, this ought to be easy, right?
Speaking of Lohse, they said that he came out of yesterday's game with a mild hamstring strain, not emotional shaken-upness like I first thought. Either way, here's hoping he's OK.
Thom Brennaman plus Jeff Brantley in the booth equals me thinking I was listening to the Twins feed. This is confusing. :confused:
LOL! Me, too. 🙂
So Brandon Phillips has a nice play and Freel lets one drop in second to pick off the runner at second. Quick top of the inning.
Lead-off double: go Freel!
How long till he steals third?
Tuned in late… here is the lineup:
Freel CF
Hatteberg DH
Encarnacion 3B
Dunn LF
Philips 2B
Hamilton RF
AGON SS
Bellhorn 1B
Ross C
Pitcher = Harang
Freel leads off with a double
Now Hatteberg HOMERS!
2-0 REDS
Homer by Hatte! Go Reds. Reds up early 2-0 in the first inning.
Any idea why they’re playing with a DH in Sarasota?
No need to steal…
Brantley: Hattberg wil lull you to sleep by taking a lot of pitches… then if you groove him a fastball he’ll hammer it.
Welcome, smartelf. Hope you don’t mind that we got started without you.
I guess that Freel will have to wait until next time to steal third. Darn 2-run homers! 😛
Sometimes both teams we’ll agree to use a DH in ST… Just to get more ABs for players…
Brantley wants to see Griffey at 1B. I’m NOT the only one!
Dunn doubles on a pitch Brantley says he would take 9 times out of 10… nice!
Boof Bonzer had his name legally changed to that a couple of years ago? Dude, some people have too much money and too much time.
Phillips base hit to CF, Dunn scores!
Phillips knocks in Dunn to make it a 3-0 game in the bottom of the first. w00t!
I almost forgot about this game.. I woke up early to check out the Power Packs on sale at the website… terrible seats, I had to take a pass (plus I am pretty broke right now)… I would have bought bleacher seats but they were horrible seats.
Hamilton drives one to the wall, bounces over the wall, ground rule double!
Can Bonser survive the 2 games he was slated for?
I meant the two innings he was slated for. Doesn’t look like he’ll last past this inning.
3-2 count to AGON, man on 2nd and 2rd.
Pop out to the SS…Bellhorn at the plate. Let’s see if he can prove me wrong again.
Strikeout. 2 runners stranded in scoring position.
3-0 Reds lead after 1 inning.
It sounds like Bellhorn is hobbled, but he’s still getting the ABs. You must love that part, eh, smartelf?
Dude, Freel let another one drop. What the heck?
Drat, back-to-back doubles in the top of the second cut the Reds’ lead to 3-1. Harang must be trying some stuff out.
I am guessing Bellhorn is getting a chance to prove himself because we don’t have much depth at 1B… just Hatteberg and Conine and Maybe Valentin… but if they go with 2 catchers they probably need another guy who can play 1B… so Bellhorn is being considered as a utility infielder is my guess.
Strike 3…located the fastball. Caught looking.
Brantley has nothing but praise for Harang right now..apparently he is in form already.
John Fay said Conine has some kind of injury. So maybe Bellhorn’s getting playing time Conine would have been getting.
Broken bat bloop single to CF.
Yea Bubba, but Hatteberg is playing DH instead of 1B…so I am thinking they want to get a look at Bellhorn at 1B, which is not his natural position…know what I mean?
Unless Conine was a late scratch and jerry is just too lazy to make two changes to the lineup card… I guess that is a possibility.
harang gets out of the inning with no further damage.
3-1 Reds lead.
Bonser didn’t survive to see the 2nd, Randy Choate now pitching. Ross at-bat.
Ross strikes out on 3 pitches.
Conine was injured before the first spring training game.
He listed as playing 1B in the original lineup for that first game, but was scratched. Bellhorn took his place in the lineup.
Freel htis a bouncing ball that had eyes, it gets through the middle.
Yes Bubba I know that…so in that instance maybe there was no thought about Bellhorn’s position, he was just a 1 for 1 substitution… but today, it seems like they wanted him to play 1B instead of hatteberg…that is what makes me think he is in the mix for a utility position..otherwise you let Hatteberg play 1B instead of DH under normal circumstances.
Hatteberg base hit.
Yeek. Choate was a Yankee for years.
Bubba Crosby in to run for Hatteberg.
CATCHER interference… Encarnacion is awarded 1B.
Bases loaded for Dunn!
Dunn strikes out on back to back fastballs right down the pipe. BOO! Brantley is somewhat disgusted.
Hoo, boy. Dunn lets two fastballs down Main St. go by. Now he’s going to get it…
Dunn didn’t offer at either fat pitch. What are you looking for, asks Brantley. Are you waiting for a breaking ball?
Phillips grounder to 2B… Reds strand 3 runners.
Brantley sounded quite upset about Dunn there.
It does make you wonder why he didn’t swing. This is Spring Training, after all. What better time to try out new things? Instead, it seems he stuck with the same old same old.
Livingston now pitching for the Reds.
Exactly… and you know pitchers aren’t pitching around guys in spring training. Dunn just isn’t very smart. He is trying to think while at-bat and he doesn’t have that bright a bulb…its a bad combination. He’d be better off just hacking like most sluggers in the league.
Great inning by Livingston… Strikes out LeCroy.
Hamilton doubles in the gap!
I already have more faith with AGON with two strikes on him than I do for Dunn.
Ground single by AGON with strikes on him. Nice job!