ByBefore the Beach Boys’ took the stage that was constructed for them, the Reds funatics unleashed an uncountable number of beach balls upon the crowd. When they were all bouncing, it was quite mesmerizing.
By| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cubs (19-30) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 1 |
| Reds (31-19) | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
Panoramic shot from the sun deck.
Johnny Cueto started the game, and I felt fairly confident that the Reds would both sweep the hapless Cubs and provide us with the 11 strikeouts for the free LaRosa’s pizzas. Sadly, neither of those things happened, thanks to a bullpen meltdown by the Reds.
Perhaps due to the fact that it was my first in-person game of the season, I went a little photo happy. The best of them are available below.
By
If Joey Votto puts his mind to it, he can accomplish anything.
A person has 100% to give to something at any given moment. Anything more than that is not something that a person is capable of.
Except for maybe Joey Votto. The more I read about him and his approach to the game of baseball, the more I think he could do anything he set his mind to, even breaking the laws of mathematics. I mean, just look at one of the finer points of Pete Rose’s that he’s taken to heart.
“Early in my career, Pete kept an eye on me,” Votto said, “and the one piece of advice he gave me was, ‘When you get the second hit, get the third hit. And when you get the third hit, get the fourth hit. And when you get the fourth hit, get the fifth hit.’ That really stuck with me, because it’s a genuine challenge when you’re tired, or you’re sick, or the score is mismatched, or you’re facing a tough pitcher, or you’re not in a good mood that day. Whatever it is.
“What I took away from Pete’s advice is, ‘You’re playing for yourself. You’re competing for your team. You’re doing the best you can every day to get the most out of your abilities.’ So when I have that at-bat when the score is 10-0, yeah, I usually check in with myself and make sure I’m in a prime place to hit and I’m ready to go and I’m not about to give away this at-bat. I’ll take my time before the at-bat or call timeout so there’s no excuses and nothing I can look back and regret.”
It’s the epitome of never giving up an at-bat, no matter the situation. And it appears to be rubbing off on other Reds. Shin-Soo Choo is an obvious example. Choo has seen his on-base percentage explode so far this year compared to his career percentage. While that could still come down to earth, it may not, and Choo’s already crediting Votto for his smooth transition to the National League.
Choo has used Votto as a major resource in his acclimation to the National League. If he’s not picking Votto’s brain on the pitcher he’s about to face, he’s eyeballing Votto’s at-bats from the dugout or the basepaths for subtle tips on how to approach different situations.
Even Xavier Paul is getting in on the not making outs train. His on-base percentage is third on the team. As he said to John Fay, “To me, on-base percentage is lot more impressive than batting average.” Obviously, hits are a component of getting on base, but the growing realization among Reds players about the value of each out is refreshing to see. Hopefully, the manager will one day see that, as well.
All in all, Joey Votto is awesome. We all already knew that, except maybe for a certain micro-processing fart funnel. But it’s always nice to see stories outside of Cincinnati reflect that.
ByLast game
Mike Leake, fresh off the worries of being demoted to the minors for some up-start rookie, dominated the New York Mets last night, shutting them out for 7 innings, while allowing only 3 hits. The offense used a game plan that I think should be repeated in the future and scored all the runs the team needed in the first. Sure some of it was due to the Mets pretending to be the Cubs, but the results still had the Reds up 3-0 before any Met ever picked up a bat.
Next game
The Reds have won the 3-game series against the Mets and are going for the sweep today. Despite it still being the Mets and the Reds sending out Mat Latos, the win will still be difficult. Yes, the Mets have one good starting pitcher who has almost 1/3 of the team’s wins in Matt Harvey. The Reds will see how good he is today at 1:10pm.
Jeremy Affeldt’s memoirs: To Stir a Movement: Life, Justice, and Major League Baseball.
“I didn’t leave my hotel room when we came to play the Giants or A’s. I didn’t want to go out or see anyone,” he said. “There was a profession of being wrong. I’ve come to that from a deep angle. I’ll probably get a lot of flak from the church for it, but I believe I’m right.”
It sounds like Affeldt didn’t like the person he was and actively sought out the Bay area when he become a free agent after his year with Cincinnati. In his time with the Giants–this is his fifth year with them–he’s overcome his phobia and now admits he was wrong to judge like he did before.
This is encouraging to hear from a baseball player. The response to the first openly gay NBA player was positive, and when a baseball player comes out, I’d love for it to not be a big deal. The progression of Affeldt’s judgmental conservative Christian beliefs to one of tolerance and acceptance is a good sign.
What to say to sound smart at the water cooler
With yesterday’s win, the Reds increased their road record to 12-12, the first time this season they’ve been at .500.
By| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reds (24-16) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 11 | 0 |
| Marlins (11-29) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11 | 0 |
You have no chance to get him out make your time.
Choo, who’s looking more and more like the best acquisition of the off-season of any team anywhere, was 4-5 on the game, and was involved in 3 of the Reds’ 4 runs. In the first inning, Choo scored the first and only run the Reds would need following a single when Brandon Phillips doubled him in. Then in the fourth, Choo hit a solo home run, his eighth of the year, to make it 2-0. Finally, in the sixth, Choo hit his ninth home run of the year, another solo shot, to score the Reds’ fourth run of the game.
It was an amazing show by Choo yesterday, and for the entire season. The stats he’s accumulating are likely to make him in high demand after 2013 is over, but I hope the Reds can make an offer.
Choo wasn’t the only highlight, though. The Reds pitching staff did shutout the morose Marlins. Mike Leake started and threw 6 2/3 shutout innings, despite allowing nine hits and one walk. After getting into some trouble in the seventh, the bullpen relieved him and the combination of Sean Marshall, Sam LeCure, and Aroldis Chapman secured the shutout and the win.
