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Chart for 2010 New! |
Actual .489 | Variance | Skip .049 | Ken .056 | Jim .062 |
9/28/2011 - Game 162 Mets 3 Reds 0 - The Reds bats ended the season before the players did. Managing only two hits today the Mets beat their visitors by a shutout score of 3-0. Volquez didn't pitch badly but Batista pitched a complete game with 5 strikeouts and 2 walks.
By most accounts the Reds end a disappointing season not managing at least a break-even record and finishing well back in the pennant and wild-card chases.
Ken said - Perhaps the Reds got their seasons mixed up, They started out like a lion with a walk-off homer on opening day (the start of a five-game win streak) and went out like a lamb with a 3-0 loss on closing day. Once again, they managed only two hits, one in the first, one in the second. They were shut out for the ninth time this season and the loss left their record at 79-83, down 12 victories from last year.
The Mets' Jose Reyes led off the gam with a bunt single, then was pulled for a pinch runner, ostensibly to protect his slight lead over Milwaukee's Ryan Braun for the NL batting title. Reyes is at .337 and change while Braun sits at .334 and plays tonight. The stat guys say Braun can overtake Reyes by going three for four. There will be a lot of scoreboard watching tonight because of their drama and the two wild card races which could go until tomorrow if everybody involved wins.
Happy post season, I'm out!
In the 13th the Reds get a triple from Francisco and a squeeze bunt by Stubbs to get the one run lead. After Cordero nearly melts down with 4 walks in the 13th a bad running play and a infield line drive double play ended the drama. Cordero didn't deserve it but he got the save.
Ken said - On this penultimate day of the 2011 season, the Reds grew a collective pair and (literally) "squeezed" out a 5-4 win over the New York Mets in 13 innings. Trailing 4-3 in the ninth with two outs the Reds had two singles and a Juan Francisco double to pull even, but they left two men on. They blew opportunities in the 10th and 11th, leaving the bases loaded both times. In the 13th with one out, that man Francisco TRIPLED (you could time him with an hour glass) and Drew Stubbs (he of the 205 strikeouts), put down a perfectly executed "squeeze" bunt to go ahead by one.
The game was far from over, however. Francisco Cordero came in and walked the first four batters he faced. Fortunately the first one tried to steal and was thrown out. With the baes loaded, the next batter lined to the second baseman, who stepped on second for a double play...game over.
The Reds' pitchers have practically handed the NL batting title to Jose Reyes. He was tied with Ryan Braun of Milwaukee and has had six hits in 10 at bats in the two games, including two home runs tonight. Brandon had to leave the game in the sixth inning with a strained quad. He is batting an even .300, so don't look for him to play tomorrow.
With three consecutive one run victories the Reds push their season total of one run decisions to 29-33. Amazing.
Ken said -
New York's eighth was weird; they had a one-out RBI double by Jose Reyes but he overran second and was tagged out scrambling back; he probably would have scored when the next batter singled. That runner, Ruben Tejada, was then tagged out trying to steal.
It still looked bad in the bottom of the ninth for the Reds as the first Met doubled and the next was hit by a pitch. With runners on first and second and no outs, the Mets tried a sacrifice bunt which backfired when Francisco Cordero fielded the ball and threw to third for the force out. He then induced the next batter to hit into a double play...game over.
So, even though the Reds won, most of this recap is about the Mets' futility instead of the Reds', I'm glad to say.
I was glad to see Dontrell Willis get a victory and help his own cause with a couple RBI's and a batting average at .400.
Ken said - The Reds stopped the bleeding temporarily as they beat the Pirates 5-4 Sunday afternoon. Dontrelle Willis earned his first win in seven decisions. He drove in the deciding runs with a double with the scored tied at 3-3 in the sixth inning. Francisco Cordero gave up a run in the bottom of the ninth, but managed to close it out.
Maybe the Reds were lucky that Josh Harrison, the Pittsburgh third baseman went hitless today as opposed to yesterday when he had four hits and contributed greatly to the Reds' defeat. Another J. Harrison from Pittsburgh (James of the Steelers) routinely runs roughshod over Cincinnati's Bengals. The Harrison Hex lives! I'm just saying.
The Reds at the end of today have two more losses than the Washington Nationals. If you had told me earlier that the Reds will probably wind up with a worse record than Washington, I'd have laughed and bet you money to the contrary. On to New York!
The Reds are 6 games below .500 which is exactly the place they were after 158 games in 2009 where they finished the season the same 6 games under. Considering that they were 20 under 122 game mark in 2009 they managed to finish the season strongly compared to this years mediocre late season performance.
Ken said - Well, the Cincinnati Reds made it official Saturday night; with a 4-3 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates (their 82nd), they can no longer have a break-even season. Just as they did Friday night (and so many times during the season) they rallied then lost by one run. By my count, that's 32 one-run losses over the year. If they had won half of those games, they'd be 92-66 instead of 76-82 and leading the NL wild card race.
Speaking of the wild card race, I'm going to focus my attention on the Cards and try to hex them enough to keep them from edging out Atlanta's Braves. This is not due to a preference for Atlanta, rather to a profound dislike for St. Louis manager, Tony LaRussa. Once that is settled, I'll probably turn to football for entertainment. I hardly ever watch the baseball post-season if my team is not participating. I will tune in a deciding game (4, 5, 6 or 7) on occasion.
After getting down by three runs the Reds chip away with single runs in the 5th, 6th, and 9th to tie the game and lift the spirits of the Reds faithful. The last run was an RBI by Frazier that he probably wished could have come differently as he was hit in the wrist/hand area while the bases were loaded and Phillips crossed the plate as the result.
The Reds announcer on MLB said that the loss assured a losing season for the Reds. He is probably correct that the Reds will have a losing season but the loss puts the Reds at 81 so 'technically' the could have a break-even season. Picky? Maybe. Or maybe the fix is in and he had a slip of the tongue.
Ken said - The Pirates beat the Reds on walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth, 4-3. The Reds were mathematically eliminated from having a winning season, having lost their 81st game. Enough said!
The shutout is the first the Reds have achieved since July 31 when they defeated the Giants 9-0. The heads-up season series with the Astros ended in the Reds favor 9-6.
The last two season series the Reds have are three gamers between the Pirates and the Mets. The Reds have a better record than both of those clubs and look to do some damage against them. it's hard to tell how determined either team will be given they are going nowhere this season. Given the fact that the Reds are better than either team percentage wise it bears mentioning that the Reds are a combined 4-12 against them. The Red have not beat the Mets this year in 4 tries.
Ken said -This was a simple one today. Bronson Arroyo was on his game for the Reds, pitching a six-hit shutout over the Houston Astros, 2-0. He had one bump during the game when in the eighth inning he allowed two singles around an out, putting runners at first and third. He proceeded to strike out the next two batters and retired the side in order in the ninth. I must make you aware that Arroyo's fast ball tops out at about 88 MPH, which is probably why he leads the league in giving up homers. But he mixed in some nasty change-ups and curves to baffle the Astros, especially in that eighth inning.
Chris Heisey singled in a run in the first and Miguel Cairo (MC Hammer) hit a solo home run in the second to account for the Reds' scoring.
Ken said -The Reds came off their four game skid on Tuesday night. With 14 hits and only seven strikeouts they managed to hold off the Houston Astros 6-4. Devin Mesorasco (2) and Brandon Phillips (18) had home runs for the home team and Homer Bailey won his ninth game. Joey Votto hit into another double play and extended a zero-for-14 hitless streak until singling in the eighth. Drew Stubbs struck out to become only the second batter in major league history to reach the 200 K mark in a season. The home victory brought the Reds to 41-39 at Great American Ball Park guaranteeing them, with one game to go, a winning record at home for the season. After a 12:35 game tomorrow and a day off Thursday, the Reds head to Pittsburgh for three and then wrap up the season with three in New York.
After Saturdays game I said that the "probability" of the Reds was "0 percent" of having a winning season. I know that was not technically correct but logically a certainty. That certainty had been more than solidified with their performance the last few games.
Ken said -The Reds and Astros did battle Monday night and Houston prevailed 3-2. The Reds scored single runs in the first and second innings to go ahead 2-0, but an error opened the door in the sixth and Houston drew even. The Reds' setup man, Nick Masset, gave up a home run in the eighth and the Reds could not counter.
Joey Votto, one of the best players in baseball had a horrible night, striking out twice and grounding into two double plays when the team could have rallied. After getting two hits in each of the last two games against Milwaukee, the Reds managed four tonight. It's not surprising their output is putrid: you can't hit what you can't see (the Reds averaged exactly 11 strikeouts a game over the Brewers' three game series and matched that tonight).
The Reds' "tragic" number is one. One more loss and they can only finish at .500 at best.
9/18/2011 - Game 153 Brewers 8 Reds 1 - I have come up with an acronym for my least favorite team. BREWERS - Beats Reds Even When Evidently Reds Surrender. Three game series favor the Brew Crew 3-0. Runs scored 24-5 in favor of the Milwaukee Suds Contingent. Can you say "Rolled over"?
Ken said -Another day, another autopsy. Let's see, the Reds have no heart and no guts. Perhaps that's why they could muster only two hits in succumbing to the Milwaukee Brewers, 8-1, on Sunday afternoon. Reds' starter Matt Maloney began by giving up two two-run homers in the first inning for a 4-0 lead the Brewers never relinquished. Juan Francisco and Devin Mesoraco singled in the fifth to provide the Reds' only hits and run.
The Reds were 74-76 when Milwaukee came into town. After the Brewers' sweep, the Reds must now go at worst 8-1 in their pursuit of a winning season. I doubt they can do it without a pulse.
By the numbers
0 | Percent probability of having a winning season |
1 | The runs the Reds scored tonight |
2 | The number of hits the Reds managed tonight |
3 | Reds runners reaching base on a walk |
4 | Games below the .500 mark |
5 | Tonight's strikeouts divided by walks (15/3) |
6 | Number of games on the road to finish the season |
7 | Wins needed to be at least .500 for the year |
8 | Number of pitchers in tonight's contest (4&4) |
9 | More games lost than the Cards this season |
10 | The runs the Brewers scored and the hits obtained tonight |
The Reds need to win 7 of 11 (.636) to break even for the season. Things look rather ominous for that feat.
Side note: Drew Stubbs did have three hits tonight but struck out two more times (once looking). Heisey hit his 17th home run as if to say, "How can you keep me on the bench?".
With the Reds' three wins in the four game series, Cincinnati will not be the site of Milwaukee's clinching the NL Central pennant even if the Reds lose all three games this weekend.
9/14/2011 - Game 149 Reds 7 Cubs 2
The Reds' elation was tempered by the fact that Johnny Cueto, the starting pitcher, was removed from the game with a 5-0 lead after 3 1/3 innings due to a strained lat behind his right (throwing) arm. Cueto, who is fighting for the NL ERA title, may be out for the season. Further tests and examinations tomorrow will determine that. As I mentioned earlier this year, a pitcher must have as many innings pitched as the number of games his team has played to qualify for the honor. Cueto left with exactly 156 innings pitched and was supposed to have two more starts. If he doesn't get them he will not reach 162 and will miss out on the bragging rights (and possible bonus) that would accrue to him.
And then there's the Heisey issue. He hit his 16th home run tonight which surpasses the total of Drew Stubbs, the starting center fielder. The thing is, he's done in half the at-bats because he gets so little playing time. Granted, Stubbs does play a great outfield and has 33 stolen bases, but he is well on the way to striking out 200 times this year (I think he's at 190 after tonight). I'm probably exaggerating, but I'd swear that more than half of those have been called third strikes. Swing at something! You never know what might happen! If the Reds can trade him during the off season, they should and put Heisey in center.
Cubs 2-1. Mike Leake improved his record to 12-9 but will be held out the rest of the year to rest his arm. Francisco Cordero continued his hot relief by retiring the side 1-2-3 in the ninth inning (the 20th time this year he has done so in 33 saves).
Brandon Phillips provided the first run by leading off the Reds' first with his third home run in two nights. Edgar Renteria had three hits and drove in the other run in the fifth.
9/12/2011 - Game 147 Cubs 12 Reds 8
Ken said -
Well, three more night games with the Cubs on this last home stand of the season for the Reds covering 10 games (three more with Milwaukee and three more with Houston). The Reds then hit the road for the final six games of the season (three each with Pittsburgh and New York).
W71 L76.
Ken said -
The Reds veterans look listless and lethargic to me. The organization should throw the recent call-ups on the field and get this season over. Their incentive of catching the Cardinals for second place has passed as they now trail St. Louis by eight games. They are five games ahead of Pittsburgh for third.
Oh well, maybe some home cooking tomorrow against the Cubs will help.
Ken said -
Ken said -
As one who has ragged on Cordero most of the year, I must give him his due. His save was his 15th straight since the All-Star break and brought him to 32 out of 37 opportunities this season (he did have a couple of appearances that were in non-save situations).
On his first two trips to the plate, with the bases empty, Juan Francisco blasted balls to the deepest parts of Coors Field where the center fielder caught them against the wall. On his next at-bat, with a man at third and one out, he struck out, swinging wildly at three pitches. A fly ball in that situation would have scored a run, but nooo, he fell into the same mode as most of the Reds this year.
9/8/2011 - No game today. Reds vs Rockies in Colorado on 9/9/2011
It took the Reds four additional innings but doubles by Sappelt, Votto, and a single by Cairo would give the Reds 2 runs and the eventual 13 inning 4-2 victory.
Ken said -
In the 13th, Cincinnati got back-to-back doubles from Dave Sappelt and Joey Votto leading off to produce one run then had a two-out single from Miguel Cairo to produce the final score of 4-2.
Francisco Cordero came on in the bottom of the 13th to ring up his 14th straight save, tying him with his mentor, Jose Mesa, who retired with 321.
It's nerve-wracking when you're rooting for the road team in extra innings because you know if they don't score in their half of the inning, they've got to get six outs from the home team before they can win. Two wit, when the Reds didn't score in the 12th, they had to get Chicago out in their half and the 13th to possibly win.
9/5/2011 - Game 141 Cubs 4 Reds 3 - The Cubs Garza pitched 7 2/3 innings of six hit ball to help defeat the Reds. One bright spot in the offensive arsenal has been Yonder Alonso who managed to get 2 of the 6 hits the Reds could muster in the game.
Ken said - I've given up on Dontrelle "D-Train" Willis. I think he pitched himself off the Reds' roster for next year today. After the Reds staked him to a 1-0 lead and he pitched three perfect innings, he started walking guys and in the fourth and fifth the Cubs went ahead 4-1. The Reds scored single runs in the seventh and eighth but went silently in the ninth on three ground balls. The Cubs win 4-3.
When Juan Francisco came up to lead off the ninth, he was hitless and after getting four hits yesterday seemed ready to strike. I put too much faith in him. I left my heart with Juan Francisco.
Oh well, maybe tomorrow night.
9/4/2011 - Game 140 Reds 3 Cardinals 2 - Bronson Arroyo scattered 10 hits over 8 innings with a minimum amount of damage as the Reds defeat the Cardinals in a one extra inning affair. Cordero got his 30th save pitching the 10th inning retiring Pujols, Holliday, and Patterson, three up and three down.
The Reds take the rubber match from the Cards ending their play against the second place Central foe for the 2011 season.
Ken said - The Reds beat the Cards in 10 innings Sunday, 3-2. They jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first on a two-run homer by Edgar Renteria. John Jay narrowed it to 2-1 with a solo homer in the bottom of the inning and a single and triple tied the score at two in the fourth. Both teams squandered opportunities until the Reds' 10th (the Reds left 11 men on base, while the Cards had 9). With two outs and nobody on, Yonder Alonso singled, Drew Stubbs walked and then Juan Francisco singled in the deciding run. Francisco Cordero put down the Cards in order (Albert Pujols, Matt Holliday and Corey Patterson) to record his 30th save of the season and 320th of his career...game over.
Alonso and Francisco are among some recent call-ups who have sparked the Reds (Alonso was 2-5 today and Francisco went 4-5). Another, who has not had a start yet, catcher Devin Mesoraco, hit the only pitch he has ever seen in the bigs for a double. He should start tomorrow. All three of them are considered phenoms who may replace some veterans next year. Remember you heard it here first.
Ken also said -
9/3/2011 - Game 139 Cardinals 6 Runs 4 - Homer Bailey lasted only 3 innings allowing 5 runs, 4 of which were earned. The Cards even the current series at 1 apiece with the rubber match to be played tomorrow.
Ken said - Briefly stated, the Reds blew a 2-0 lead to fall behind 6-2. A Jay Bruce two-run homer drew it to 6-4 and the game ended that way.
Homer Bailey didn't allow any homers today. However, again I ask, who names a pitcher, "Homer"?
The season's finale with the Cards is tomorrow.
9/2/2011 - Game 138 Reds 11 Cardinals 8 -Homeruns were the event du jour as 6 were tallied by the two combatants. Fortunately, the Reds got a huge lift from Juan Francisco's 9th inning 3 run dinger to put the game out of reach for the Cardinals. Nursing a 1 run lead the Reds watched Stubbs strikeout (yawn) for the 2nd out in the 9th before Francisco's heroics. The Cards did manage a run in their half of the 9th but the lead was insurmountable at that point.
Ken said -
The Reds are 8-5 against the Cards this year but remain five games behind them in the "race" for second place.
The game between the two teams Saturday will be seen in much of the nation on FOX's game of the week at 4:15.
Ken said -
The Reds scored some runs finally after being shutout for two games in a row. They embark on a 10-day, nine-game road trip tomorrow, play three in St Louis, Chicago, and Colorado.
Ken said -
The Philadelphia Phillies throttled the Cincinnati Reds again Wednesday night, 3-0. It was not an offensive show like the previous night, but the pitching was just as brilliant. Cliff Lee pitched into the ninth inning, retiring the first two batters. But a double, a walk and hit batter loaded the bases and the closer was brought in; he retired pinch-hitter Yonder Alonso on a pop to third.
The final game of four will be played tomorrow afternoon when the Reds will face a pitcher who is just 9-1 this year.
My prediction of a 3-1 Reds series victory is shattered in 2 games. My brothers prediction of a Phillies sweep may come to fruition.
Ken said -
This was mostly a story of four Philadelphia home runs (two by Ryan Howard) and lousy pitching by the Reds' starter Bronson Arroyo and two relievers.
Philadelphia has now beaten the Reds 28 out of the last 30 games between them. Cincinnati's prospects look dim for tomorrow with Cliff Lee going for the Phillies.
8/31/2011 - Game 136 Phillies 3 Reds 0 - Back to back shutouts! Neither team knocked the cover off the ball but the Phillies made the most of their 8 hits while the Reds did zip with their 6 hits. Phillies 3 Reds 0 for the game and the series so far.
Ken said - This will be short and bitter.
The Philadelphia Phillies throttled the Cincinnati Reds again Wednesday night, 3-0. It was not an offensive show like the previous night, but the pitching was just as brilliant. Cliff Lee pitched into the ninth inning, retiring the first two batters. But a double, a walk and hit batter loaded the bases and the closer was brought in; he retired pinch-hitter Yonder Alonso on a pop to third.
The final game of four will be played tomorrow afternoon when the Reds will face a pitcher who is just 9-1 this year. W67 L69.
8/30/2011 - Game 135 Phillies 9 Reds 0 - Yikes! There's always a positive in every situation (I'm told). The Reds committed 11 strikeouts in the game and Stubbs wasn't one of them. Nine of those strikeouts were delivered by Halladay. The Reds season record is now below .500 again and looking dim with the Phillies in town for two more games.
My prediction of a 3-1 Reds series victory is shattered in 2 games. My brothers prediction of a Phillies sweep may come to fruition.
Ken said - The Phillies dominated the Reds Tuesday night, 9-0. The only way the Reds could have sucked more would have been to bat with vacuum hoses. Roy Halladay mowed them down like duckpins. At least they got two hits off him, which is two more than they got in the playoffs last year.
This was mostly a story of four Philadelphia home runs (two by Ryan Howard) and lousy pitching by the Reds' starter Bronson Arroyo and two relievers.
Philadelphia has now beaten the Reds 28 out of the last 30 games between them. Cincinnati's prospects look dim for tomorrow with Cliff Lee going for the Phillies. W67 L68.
8/29/2011 - Game 134 Phillies 3 Reds 2 - The four game winning streak is halted but not without a fight. The Phillies edged the Reds by scoring 2 runs in the 8th to eke out the victory in game one of the four game series. In hind-sight Bailey may have been out of gas in the 8th when he allowed the two earned runs to score and make the difference in the game.
I told my brothers that the Reds would take 3 of 4 from the Phillies so my back is up against the wall as the Reds need to win the next three for my prediction to be true. On the other hand my brother Ken mentioned (I don't think he predicted) that the Reds would lose 4 straight to the Phillies.
Ken said - The Reds came up short against the Phillies Monday night, falling to the 2010 NL East Champions, 3-2. Once again, Homer Bailey pitched well and deep into the game (7+ innings) then gave up a homer (a two-run shot by Shane Victorino) which put Philly ahead 3-1. The Reds scored one in the eighth and had the tying run on second in the ninth but couldn't push it across.
Well, they found a spot for Yonder Alonso after all. He started tonight's game at third base. Ironically, he went 0 for 4 and did not field a ball all night (by my count).
The Reds had won seven of their last eight one-run games, but fall back to even in wins and losses. W67 L67.
8/28/2011 - Game 133 Reds 5 Nationals 4 - The Reds prevail in an extra inning see-saw affair where neither team could muster more than one run in any inning. There were 4 lead changes in the game with neither team being ahead by more than one run. In the 14th inning Joey Votto lead off with his second homerun of the game, his 26th for the season.
The victory pushed the Reds to an overall winning record for the season to date, something they hadn't accomplished since July 3rd.
Ken said - Well, at this rate, they'll be screaming, "Break up the Reds!". The Reds go 14 innings to defeat the Nationals 5-4 on a lead-off, walk-off home run by Joey Votto. It was his second round-tripper of the game. Cincinnati is near the top the league in last at-bat wins and is 9-5 in extra inning games.
The two teams exchanged single runs through eight, tying 3-3, until Washington scored a run in the ninth. Then the Reds got a lead-off pinch-hit home run from phenom Yonder Alonso in the bottom of the ninth. Both teams squandered opportunities in the next four-and-a-half innings until Votto ended it.
Johnny Cueto left the game after seven innings with a 3-2 lead but Aroldis Chapman blew the save and nearly lost the game.
This last of four straight wins leaves the Reds with more wins than losses, unfamiliar territory for them.
In case you're not familiar with Yonder Alonso, he is a rookie batting a legitimate .467 (14 hits in 30 at-bats) since he's been called up. But he can't crack the lineup because he's strictly a first baseman and that position just happens to be manned by the NL's reigning MVP and All-Star(Votto). Alonso will definitely be learning a position in winter ball this year.
Well, I think I predicted this earlier: the Reds will be facing Philadelphia for four straight starting Monday night, so their current win streak could very well be matched by four losses. W67 L66.
8/27/2011 - Game 132 Reds 6 Nationals 3
Ken said - The Reds scored a 6-3 victory over the Nationals Saturday night. Half of their runs were plated by sacrifice flies. Three make quite an accomplishment considering that the Reds could have tied or won several games this season with just one. All of Washington's runs came on solo home runs.
The win brings the Reds record to 66-66 the first time they have been even since climbing to 44-44 back on July sixth.
With two hits tonight, Brandon Phillips has hit in all 10 games since he volunteered to take over as the lead-off batter. This after batting second and fourth all year. Kudos to him. W66 L66.
8/26/2011 - Game 131 Reds 4 Nationals 3 - Willis pitched 7 innings of 6 hit ball, had 3 hits but did not score or get a decision in the game. Phillips had 2 hits in 4 at bats along with 2 RBI's and had another highlight type game in the field at second base.
The winning run was scored in the bottom of the 9th with three consecutive singles by Stubbs, Frazier, and the final by Cairo to seal the deal.
The win puts the Reds at 1 game below .500, the best showing since July 24th.
Ken said - The Reds pulled off another last at-bat victory on Friday night, beating the Nationals 4-3. They jumped out in front 1-0, but Dontrelle "D-Train" Willis gave up a three-run homer and the Reds trailed 3-1. With single runs in the sixth and seventh innings, the Reds tied it up.
Cincinnati had a chance to go ahead in the bottom of the eighth, but in keeping with most of the game came up short in the clutch. The lead-off batter walked, Phillips sacrificed him to second and Edgar Renteria, pinch-hitting, singled to left. The ball looked like it would be caught so the runner was held at third. So, there they were, runners on first and third, one out and Votto and Bruce coming up. The former struck looking and the latter struck swinging. The Reds left a whopping 15 (fifteen!) runners on base, meaning they had ample opportunities to break open the game.
With one out in the ninth the Reds had three straight singles, capped by Miguel Cairo's walk-off.
Interestingly, the game had a chance to called on account of darkness. A complete bank of lights went out in the top of the eighth and after the umpires conferred, play was resumed. But then another bank went out, too, and there was a 17 minute delay while staff worked to restore both banks. W65 L66.
8/25/2011 - No game today. The doubleheader yesterday erased the need for the Florida game today giving deference to hurricane Irene. Friday sees the Nationals paying a visit to the Boys from The Queen City.
W64 L66.
8/24/2011 - Game 2 Game 130 Reds 3 Marlins 2 - Arroyo pitched 8 shutout innings for the victory for the first time since June 25, stopping a personal 4 game losing streak. Cordero made it interesting by allowing 2 runs on the bottom of the 9th but the Marlins come up one run short.
Ken said - The Reds held on in the ninth inning of the second game to split the hastily-called double-header on Wednesday afternoon/night, 3-2. They lost the first game 6-5 despite another late rally.
Ironically, the Reds were down three runs in the ninth and scored two to come up one short. The Marlins were down three in the ninth and did likewise.
Joey Votto hit a home run in both games. Bronson Arroyo pitched eight strong shutout innings in the nightcap before giving way to Francisco Cordero who gave up the two runs, albeit one was unearned.
The Reds are off Thursday and take on the Nationals for three single games in Cincinnati starting Friday. W64 L66.
8/24/2011 - Game 1 Game 129 Marlins 6 Reds 5 The Reds score 2 runs in two different innings but the Marlins score 3 runs in two different inngs to hold on for the win in the first game of two in Florida. See below for and explanation of the double header. W63 L66.
8/23/2011 - Game 128 Reds 8 Marlins 6
Ken said - I don't know if you've heard but the Thursday game has been canceled and rescheduled as part of a double header tomorrow due to fears that hurricane Irene will be coming through the area.
Well, I was all set to describe the Reds' loss. But they have become the ninth inning wonders of late; their last three victories including tonight's have been due to rallies in their last at-bat. Tonight, trailing 6-4, they punched across four runs to take an 8-6 lead. Francisco Cordero came in and retired the Marlins 1-2-3...game over.
The four runs were knocked in with two-run doubles by two rookies (OF Dave Sappelt and 1B Yonder Alonso). Both had three hits. Alonso was playing in place of Joey Votto who was being rested. Ironically though, Votto started the rally by drawing a walk on a 3-2 pitch while pinch-hitting.
***FLASH***It's now being said that Irene not only will miss Florida, but may bypass the US altogether. The double header is still on but it seems the Marlins may have been guilty of premature cancellation. W63 L65.
8/22/2011 - No game today. The Reds travel to Florida and play the Marlins on Tuesday.
8/21/2011 - Game 127 Reds 5 Pirates 4
Ken said - After blowing a 3-2 lead and falling behind 4-3, the Reds rally for two in the ninth and win 5-4. Francisco Cordero saved it, but typically there was drama. He gave up a lead-off hit and the pinch-runner was thrown out trying to steal. The Pirates manager, Clint Hurdle, was ejected for arguing the call at second. The next batter doubled to left so the tying run would have scored. The next two batters were retired without incident...game over.
The Reds' pinch-hitters are the best in the NL in avg. (.310), slugging (.550) and hits (30). Consecutive pinch-hitters Ramon Hernandez and Miguel Cairo accounted for the two runs to win the game.
The Reds are 3-3 on the road trip and head to Florida to wrap it up. This will be their last trip to Dolphins stadium which will be replaced next year. The Marlins will also drop their Florida designation and be simply Miami next year. W62 L65.
8/20/2011 - Game 126 Pirates 5 Reds 3 -Two runs in the 7th inning broke the 3-3 game to give the Pirates the final 5-3 victory and to even the three game series which concludes tomorrow in Pittsburgh before the Reds move on to Florida.
The Pirates continue their domination of the The Reds as they push the season series to 8-3 in the Pirates favor. W61 L65.
8/19/2011 - Game 125 Reds 11 Pirates 8
Ken said - After being waylaid in Washington the Reds pounced on Pittsburgh. They righted their ship; they stayed the course; they lowered the boom and made the Pirates walk the plank. But it was far from easy. Leading 8-6 after their half of the eighth inning, the Reds sent reliever Nick Masset to the mound. He proceeded to give up four straight hits and the fifth batter got on by error. The Pirates tied it up 8-8 and should have had more but had two runners thrown out at the plate on outfielder-assisted throws in the inning.
The Reds broke out for three runs in the top of the ninth. Francisco Cordero came on and retired the Pirates 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth...game over, Reds win 11-8. W61 L64.
8/18/2011 - Game 124 Nationals 3 Reds 1 - The Nationals take the rubber match from the Reds played in the our nations capital. If I were a betting man I would say stick a fork in the Reds for the season, they're done.
They difference in the .500 stat for 2010 and this years at the 124 game mark is 24 games to the negative for 2011. W60 L64.
8/17/2011 - Game 123 Reds 2 Nationals 1 - Cueto pitched a great game finishing 8 inning but allowing a homerun in the 9th to Zimmerman for the Nationals only run. Cordero made things interesting by allowing one hit and one base on ball but a double play ended the game giving the victory to the Reds. W60 L63.
8/16/2011 - Game 122 Nationals 6 Reds 4 - The Reds scored first and last but what happened in between was their undoing. The Nationals scored 6 runs on 8 hits as the Reds scored 4 runs on 8 hits. Leake pitched 6 innings with 5 strikeouts but allowed two homeruns helping to account for the 5 earned runs charged against him.
This is the first game of the year versus the Nationals, an inauspicious heads-up start. W59 L63.
8/15/2011 - No Reds game today. Will visit Washington on Tuesday. W59 L62.
8/14/2011 - Game 121 Padres 7 Reds 3 - Bruce gets his 26th homerun today knocking in three runs in a losing cause for the Reds today. The Padres would get the get-away game 7-3. The offensive display from yesterday was no where to be found as the Reds could muster only 4 hits compared to the Padres 10.
The Reds travel to Washington D.C and began a three game series on Tuesday. W59 L62.
Ken said - Well, the "D-Train" was derailed today both literally and figuratively. Dontrelle Willis gave up four runs in one inning during which he had to be removed for a strained left forearm (his pitching side). He is 0-3 now but this is the only one he deserved to lose out of six starts.
The final score was 7-3 San Diego, with the Reds' only runs coming on a homer by Jay Bruce. By my count that means that their last 19 runs have scored via the long ball (last three Friday, all 13 Saturday and all three today).
8/13/2011 - Game 120 Reds 13 Padres 1 - Seven homeruns by the Reds would highlight the offensive barrage as the Reds edge closer to the .500 mark. The Reds would get their 13 runs on 13 hits making the offense very efficient in the second straight win over the Padres. W59 L61.
Ken said - The Reds won going away against the Padres tonight with 13 runs and seven home runs (Ryan Hanigan and Miguel Cairo with two each, and solos by Joey Votto, Jay Bruce and Todd Frazier). In the 13-1 laugher, all 14 runs scored on home runs (Homer Bailey gave up a shot to Kevin Blanks).
Seeing Miguel Cairo a 37 year old utility man playing in place of the injured Brandon Phillips conjured up this headline in my head: "Man, did you see MC hammer?" I'm not ignoring the RH factor, but he's younger.
Hard luck Dontrelle Willis will try to extend the Reds' winning streak to five tomorrow.
8/12/2011 - Game 119 Reds 5 Padres 3 - A big three run 8th inning where the Reds would score as many runs in that inning as the Padres would score in the entire game (I like to say that for my brother's benefit). After Sappelt flies out to left, Hernandez would reach base on a walk and Phillips as a pinch runner would move to second on a Renteria groundout. Votto was walked intentionally and Bruce would wreck the Padres strategic by hitting a homerun over the right field fence.
The Reds win three games in a row for the first time since their sweep of the Giants at GAPB ending on July 31st. W58 L61.
8/11/2011 - Game 118 Reds 2 Rookies 1 - The Reds score two runs in the first inning and hang on for the rest of the game to get the one run victory over the Rockies. The win gave the Reds a 2-2 split to end the four game series. This is the first back to back victory the Reds have been able to muster in the month of August. W57 L61.
Ken said - The Reds were able to "C's" the day, using Cueto, Chapman and Cordero to hold the Rockies at bay, 2-1. Jay Bruce drove in a run and later scored on an error in the first inning for the Reds' scoring. Cueto shut out the opponent through seven and Chapman did likewise for one. Cordero came in and gave up a home run to the first batter he faced in the ninth and I thought, "Here we go again!" But he retired the next three hitters...game over.
Cueto regained the ERA lead by pitching those seven innings. According to the rules, a pitcher has to have thrown at least as many innings as games played by his team (118). He reached that plateau in the fifth. Cueto was out for about a month earlier this season, so he's going have to pitch deep into some games and not miss any starts if he wants to win the season's title.
Earlier in the year I remarked on how the Reds seemed to have an inordinate number of players whose last name ends in "o". With the recent call-up of Yonder Alonso, that makes six (he joins Votto, Arrendondo, Cordero, Cairo and Arroyo). With Scott Rolen on the DL, the Reds' third baseman-in-waiting (Juan Francisco) will join the team, if he can get off the minor league DL himself.
8/10/2011 - Game 117 Reds 3 Rookies 2 - Renteria and Bruce get solo homeruns as Votto accounts for the only other run as the Reds reverse the scoring from yesterdays game to halt the Rockies in game three of the four game series. W56 L61.
8/9/2011 - Game 116 Rockies 3 Reds 2 - The highlight of the game for Reds fans was a second inning triple by D-Train to score Hernandez from first base. That would be their only lead as the Rockies would score in the fourth and would not trail again.
The loss pushes the over/under .500 record to a season low six games, which translates to a 20 game differential compared to last season.
W55 L61.
8/8/2011 - Game 115 Rockies 10 Reds 7 - The balls were flying out of GABP tonight for the Reds. Unfortunately the same can be said for the Rockies. The loss has the Reds touching the 5 games below .500 for the third time this year all in the last ten games. W55 L60.
8/7/2011 - Game 114 Reds 8 Cubs 7 - In a see-saw affair the Reds get two runs across the plate in the 8th inning and hold on for the victory and salvage the final game in the three game series. W55 L59.
8/6/2011 - Game 113 Cubs 11 Reds 4 - A five run fifth inning would give the Cubs all the runs they would need to put a lop-sided victory on the Reds and to make it two straight wins against the Reds in the series.
W54 L59.
8/5/2011 - Game 112 Cubs 4 Reds 3 - The Reds could only muster 6 hits in the game as Leake takes the loss after leaving the game after 6 innings on the short end on the stick at 3-2.
The Cubs got off to the lead in the first inning on an inside the park homerun by Campana with Castro scoring ahead of him. W54 L58.
8/4/2011 - No game today. Will play the Cubs in Chicago tomorrow.
8/3/2011 - Game 111 Astros 5 Reds 4 - Dontrelle Willis turned over the pitching duties to Nick Masset in the 7th inning with a newly found 3-2 lead but the Astros get two runs in their half of the inning on their way to an eventual 5-4 victory. Masset allowed 3 hits and 2 runs and did not retire a batter.
Tomorrow is a travel day as the Reds move on to Wrigley Field for three games with the Cubs beginning on Friday. W54 L 57
Ken said -Well, Dontrelle (D-Train) Willis was derailed again by the Reds' bullpen. Willis is 0-1 in five starts with no- decisions and blown saves littering the way. After pitching six great innings and giving up two runs, he hit a solo home run in the seventh to stake his club to a 3-2 lead and a possible victory for himself. But Houston scored two in the seventh and one in the eighth. The solo home run in the eighth (by a hitter with only one previous dinger all year) was particularly galling since the Reds scored in the ninth only to fall 5-4. And the winning pitcher was 0-6 prior to tonight; the Reds made him look like Tom Seaver, though.
The Reds may find a way to lose on Thursday, even though they don't play.
8/2/2011 - Game 110 Reds 5 Astros 1 - Ken said - In Tuesday night's game between Cincinnati and Houston, the Astros started a left-handed pitcher named Rodriguez and followed him with a right-handed pitcher named Rodriguez. But what they really needed was Alex Rodriguez on the offense as the Reds' Homer Bailey pitched eight strong innings on his way to a 5-1 victory. Edgar Renteria's grand slam in the fifth was all the offense Cincinnati needed, but to the starting pitcher's credit he had given up only one hit to that point.
Brandon Phillips' consecutive hitting streak end at...well, look in the middle of his last name for the number (I wonder about my mind, sometimes).
W54 L 56
8/1/2011 - Game 109 Astros 4 Reds 3 - Can we go back to San Francisco? The Reds lose a 10 inning affair to the Astros in Houston. The Reds had ample opportunities to score a lot of runs but had 23 runners LOB. The Astros were also out hit 9-11 but the number of players that cross the plate officially is all that matters and the Astros were better at that in this contest.
The Reds were an unimpressive 11-15 for the month of July a measly .423 clip. W53 L 56
7/31/2011 - Game 108 Reds 9 Giants 0 - A beautifully pitched shutout game by Cueto, a three hitter completing the sweep against the Giants from San Francisco. The first inning in all three games in this series has been a very productive one for the Reds. They've scored a total of 10 runs combined in the 1st innings of the games. The three game win streak is the longest winning streak the Reds have been able to record since June 15 against the Dodgers in Los Angeles. W53 L 55
Ken said - The Reds completed a three-game sweep of the Giants on Sunday with a 9-0 victory. Johnny Cueto threw a complete game shutout. Cueto had missed the first month of the season with an irritated shoulder, so despite a 1.88 ERA, did not have enough innings pitched to qualify for league stats. With the nine innings today he became eligible and in lowering his ERA to 1.72, became the leader in not only the NL but in all of baseball. Coincidentally, Cueto's previous complete game shutout was also a 9-0 outcome.
The Reds fly to Houston for a three-game set apparently ready to ride out the season without making a trade. Votto homered for the fourth time in six games since sitting out one game; Brandon Phillips extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
7/30/2011 - Game 107 Reds 7 Giants 2 - Five runs in the 1st inning for the Reds would set the tone for this one. Scoring 7 runs seems like a big offensive barrage occurred but the Reds only managed 7 hits and no Reds player had more than one hit. After the 13 inning affair last night the game was a rather long 3 hours and 13 minutes.
The win is ,as of late, a rare back to back win and the opportunity to sweep the series with a victory over the Giants tomorrow. W52 L 55
Ken said - Go figure! The Reds drop four in a row to the Mets and have beaten then reigning world champions in back-to-back games. Mike Leake, the Reds pitcher, who went into the game as the National League's highest run support beneficiary, received five runs from his offense in the first inning. That was all he needed as the Reds went on to win 7-2. His ninth victory topped his career high after he won eight in 2010 as a rookie.
7/29/2011 - Game 106 Reds 4 Giants 3 - With the score tied at 3 going into the bottom of the 10th Joey Votto leads off the inning with a single and then moved immediately to 3rd on a single by Brandon Phillips. Jay Bruce lined out softly to short left freezing the runners at their respective bases. The next batter Miguel Cairo was walked intentionally to load the bases for Todd Frazier. Frazier hits a medium fly ball to left field for the out and Votto was thrown out at the plate to end the inning. Blowing their biggest opportunity to win the game.
Then in the 13th Jay Bruce leads off the inning by getting a walk. Cairo flies out to right and surprisingly Arredondo gets a single to left moving Bruce along to 2nd base. Renteria bullets an off field single allowing Bruce to score the winning run from second. W51 L 55
Ken said - Funny how things work out, huh? For the third time in four starts, retread Dontrelle Willis gets a no-decision when he left the game winning (3-2). The Giants tied the game in the eighth, but were held scoreless through the 13th. In the Reds' half, with super reliever Brian Wilson pitching, Jay Bruce walked on a 3-2 pitch. Miguel Cairo flied out, bringing pitcher Jose Arredondo to the plate for his first major league at-bat. He feebly attempted to bunt, then hit a high hopper over the third baseman for a single; Bruce advanced to second. Then, Edgar Renteria, the MVP of last year's World Series for the Giants, lined a hit to right field off his former teammate that chipped the chalk and Bruce scored. Reds win,4-3, ending a four-game losing streak.
On another note, by the time this series with the Giants ends on Sunday, OF Carlos Beltran will have spent seven consecutive days in Cincinnati. He came in with the New York Mets who played four Monday through Thursday and was traded to San Francisco which came in to play three Friday through Sunday, so he never left town. That means he will have been in town for seven of the Reds' ten game homestand.
7/28/2011 - Game 105 Mets 10 Reds 9 - A bitter loss to the Mets today in a high scoring game that saw the Mets sweep the Reds at home for the first time in a four game series. This game had a dramatic ebb and flow with the Reds closing the score to 9-8 in the 7th only to see the Mets score a single run in the 9th to put the game, apparently, out of reach for the Reds.
The Reds have not been at five games below .500 since the middle of July in 2009 . W50 L 55
7/27/2011 - Game 104 Mets 8 Reds 2 - Pelfey of the Mets pitched a complete game scattering 7 hits and 2 runs including a 4th inning homerun to Votto. The victory gives the Mets three consecutive wins against the Reds in the series and gives them the opportunity for a four game sweep.
The Reds fall to 4 games below .500 for the first time since April 24th last year. W50 L 54
7/26/2011 - Game 103 Mets 8 Reds 6 - The Reds scored 4 more runs today than they did against the Mets yesterday. Unfortunately the Mets scored 4 more runs than they did yesterday against the Reds. The Mets victory assured that they will at least get a split in the 4 game visit to GAPB.
W50 L 53
Ken said - The good news: the Mets could never score more than two runs in an inning; the bad news: they did it four different times en route to routing the Reds 8-6, The Reds had actually taken a 5-4 lead after being outscored 4-0 in the early innings. But Cincinnati's sloppy fielding allowed six unearned runs on the night and the bats couldn't rescue the gloves.
The Reds traded Johnny Gomes today...to Washington. Gomes was one of the best clutch hitters for the club last year but hit under .200 splitting playing time this year. The Reds only received minor league players in return. As a matter of fact, they had to pay Washington some cash to consummate the deal. I have a friend who is his biggest booster (even though she insists on calling him Gomez). Ironically, I had lunch with her today and offhandedly predicted that Gomes would be traded soon, but I didn't see it coming this soon! She almost wept when I told her the news.
7/25/2011 - Game 102 Mets 4 Reds 2 - A four run seventh inning was too much for the Reds to overcome as they fall 4-2 to the Mets. Cairo and Janish had a multi-hit game but neither had an RBI.
Of the 102 games this season the Reds have enjoyed 73 games above .500, 13 games at .500 and 16 games below .500. W50 L 52
7/24/2011 - Game 101 Reds 4 Braves 3 - Brandon Phillips got things started with a 2 run off field homer in the 1st inning. In the 2nd Cairo gets a solo homer and then Atlanta began to peck away and eventually tie the score in the 7th inning.
The top of the 9th provided a scare as the Braves would get the go ahead run on third but with the a Cordero strikeout of Conrad the threat was denied.
The first pitch to Drew Stubbs would allow the ball to be deposited deep into the right field seats as the Reds get the walk-off win against the Braves.
The victory today gives the Reds their first back to back wins since they won their 3rd straight game on June 15th. W50 L 51
7/23/2011 - Game 100 Reds 11 Braves 2 - Seven for seven. That's seven runs in the seventh inning as the Reds bitch slap the Braves today away from the Braves wigwam. The Reds were at risk of going 4 games below .500 (yes Ken, I'm still hung-up on that statistic) for the first time since April of last year. Timely hitting by Renteria, Phillips, and Frazier would do a number on the crew from Atlanta. As of this writing the Reds are still in 4th place 4.5 games behind the division leader Milwaukee, then Pittsburgh and St. Louis. W49 L 51
Ken said - It should be mentioned that two guys who were out of the lineup sick came in to rescue the Reds today. Jay Bruce (inner ear infection) hit a lead-off double. After a Drew Stubbs bunt single, Edgar Renteria (flu-like symptoms) hit a two-run double to put the Reds ahead 3-2. Obviously that was all they needed, but they scored another run on a Brandon Phillips double and, as noted, broke it wide, wide open with seven runs in the seventh.
Renteria by the way, entered the game when starting SS Zack Cozart went down on a play a second base when a sliding runner hit his left arm and hyper-extended Cozart's elbow. His time out is unknown at this point.
The Reds hadn't scored more than ten runs in a game since defeating Pittsburgh by the same score in May.
7/22/2011 - Game 99 Braves 6 Reds 4 - Going into the 9th inning tied at 4 apiece in this home-run derby the Braves score 2 additional runs for the final score. W48 L 51
7/21/2011 - No game today. W48 L50
7/20/2011 - Game 98 Reds 3 Pirates 1 - The Reds scored three more runs in this game then they did in the other two previous Pirates games combined. Actually that was no feat since they were shut-out the previous two games. Cueto pitched 6 innings allowing 4 hits and then Bray, Ondrusek, Chapman, and Cordero come on to hold the Pirates to one hit and no walks the remaining 3 innings.
The Reds leave Pittsburgh and will host the Braves for three games beginning Friday. W48 L50
7/19/2011 - Game 97 Pirates 1 Reds 0 - The Reds are shutout for two consecutive games at the hands of the Pirates. The Reds out-hit the Pirates 6-4 but LOB's are the culprit again in the loss. This is the first time this season that the Reds are held scoreless in back to back games. The Pirates have a 7-1 record versus the Reds this season. W47 L50
7/18/2011 - Game 96 Pirates 2 Reds 0 - The Reds are shutout by the Pirates as the Reds leave 14 runners on base and only get 3 hits in the game. W47 L49 7/17/2011 - Game 95 Reds 3 Cardinals 1 - Ken said - The Reds beat the Cardinals today in an unspectacular game, 3-1. The Reds new shortstop, Zack Cozart, did hit his first major league home run and Homer Bailey pitched seven strong innings. Even Francisco Cordero's 1-2-3 ninth inning for his 18th save was ho-hum, even if unusual. 7/16/2011 - Game 94 Cardinals 4 Reds 1 - Ken said - This one between Cincinnati and St Louis was boring. Albert Pujols hit his usual homer, Chris Carpenter mowed down the Reds hitters as usual, and the result was a 4-1 win for the Cardinals. 7/15/2011 - Game 93 Reds 6 Cardinals 5 - Ken said - The Reds snatched victory from the jaws of defeat on Friday night, beating the Cardinals with a walk-off home run from Brandon Phillips. The final score was 6-5. Chris Heisey hit two solo home runs to put the Reds up 2-0. Johnny Cueto held St Louis in check until they broke out for three runs in the seventh inning. The Reds went up 4-3 in the bottom of the inning. But in the eighth, Albert Pujols, a historic Reds killer, hit a two-run homer to put his team up 5-4. The Reds' recently called-up shortstop, Zack Cozart, singled up the middle (his third hit of the game), but Joey Votto lined out to right for the second out. It was then that Phillips took a 1-0 pitch to left for the second game-winning homer of his career. 7/14/2011 - No Reds game today. 7/13/2011 - No game today due to the All Star break. 7/12/2011 - National League 5 American League 1. 7/11/2011 - No game today due to the All Star break. 7/10/2011 - Game 92 Brewers 4 Reds 3 - Ken said - The Reds led 3-2 due to brilliant pitching from newly-arrived Dontrell Willis and Aroldis Chapman. However, Francisco Cordero gave up two runs in the bottom of the ninth, resulting in a 4-3 win for Milwaukee. The blown save was the third for Cordero on the current road trip. Special Note
Another note on Cozart: he has played in six of the team's seven games since being called up, is hitting .400 (10 for 25), and has played flawlessly at the SS position.
So here's to Mr Cozart,
who's playing smooth as Mozart;
with Phillips, Bruce and Votto,
our Reds may hit the lotto.
With Heisey, Gomes and Stubbs,
the Reds have got the clubs;
but I wouldn't bet the farm
until they get another arm! W47 L48
The Reds continue to fail in run-scoring situations, leaving double-digit runners on base.
The Reds will try to "bounce" back Sunday in the rubber game (even though we generally assume it means the last deciding game of three, the origin of "rubber game" is unknown).
The Reds are 46-48 on the season. W46 L48
The Reds won the opening day game on a walk-off home run, so appropriately, on the "opening day" after the break, they did it again. The victory meant a two-game swing, leaving the Reds three games out of first instead of five. W46 L47
Willis, the former phenom of the Marlins, who languished for three years in Detroit, looked good in his return to the major leagues.
The Reds are 45-47 going into the All-Star break, four games out of first, meaning they have 70 games starting Friday to right their ship.
The Reds finally called up a shortstop (Zack Cozart). He's batting well over .300, much better compared to Paul Janish, who was sent down and Edgar Renteria who should be released. Oh, and Scott Rolen was appointed to the All-Star game due to Chipper Jones' injury. He joins teammates Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce. W45 L47
Ken will be doing the wrap-up from 7/10 thru 7/17 while I am on vacation.
7/8/2011 - Game 90 Brewers 9 Reds 8 - The Reds take a 2 run lead into the 9th only to see the Brewers score 3 runs in the bottom of the ninth to take the second straight game or the 4 game series. This loss marks the first time this season the Reds have been 2 games below .500 and the current .489 is the lowest W/L percentage since May 3rd which was their worst record of the 2011 season. W44 L46
7/7/2011 - Game 89 Brewers 5 Reds 4 - Milwaukee's Rickie Weeks hit a three run homer in the 5th inning to make the score 4-2 and another run in the same inning would be all the scoring they would require to chalk up the victory. The Red scored single runs in the 3rd, 4th, 8th, and 9th as the Brewers would score at least any many runs in that 5th inning as the Reds would score in the entire game. The won loss record so far for July is 2-5 (.286). W44 L45
7/6/2011 - Game 88 Reds 9 Cardinals 8 - Ken did the recap for me. Could not have done it any better. See below. W44 L44
Ken said - Reds go up 8-0 after five. Cards rally with two in the sixth, five in the seventh, and with "CoCo" on the mound trying to protect a one run lead, John Jay hits a solo home run to tie it up. The 10th, 11th and 12th innings were uneventful. In the top of the 13th, the Reds got a two-out, ground rule double with two on by Ramon Hernandez, the last hitter on the bench. One run scored and Aroldis Chapman, the last reliever in the bullpen, came on and got the save.
I stayed up until 12:27 am ET and I am glad I didn't have to send the email I was forming in my mind had the Reds lost.
7/5/2011 - Game 87 Cardinals 8 Reds 1 - Two solo homers in the first inning by the Cardinals would be all the runs they would need to defeat the Reds and push the visiting team below .500 for the season. This is the worst won lost record since May 3rd and only the second time the Reds have been below .500 for the year. Two runs would be all the Cards would need but certainly not all they would score. Holliday had two homers with 4 RBI's to set the pace for the home team. W43 L44.
7/4/2011 - Game 86 Cardinals 1 Reds 0 - A single, a bunt, a fly ball to center, and an infield single. All in the bottom of the eight allowed the Cards to score the only run of the game to defeat the Reds on Americas birthday. Cueto pitched well allowing only 6 hits and 3 base on balls on 8th innings. Back to .500 for the Reds. W43 L43.
7/3/2011 - Game 85 Reds 7 Indians 5 - The Reds scored their 7 runs in the first 5 innings while the Indians had scored only two. The Reds held the status quo for the rest of the game while the Indians would mount a scare to the Queen City hardballers before succumbing to the eventual 7-5 final score. W43 L42.
Ken said - It's nice to be able to comment on a Reds victory. It seems like forever since they had one.
The Reds had a seemingly comfortable 6-2 lead in the fifth and then Edgar Renteria hit a solo home run for the Reds final run. Two milestones were reached with the homer. First, it was the veteran's 900th RBI. Secondly, it was the first home run from the SS position all year (Renteria and Paul Janish). The Reds were the only team in the majors to still have a position without a home run. RHP Josh Judy gave up the hit on what I thought was too good a pitch. But who am I to judge Judy?
The Indians had taken the first two games of the series and had their hopes of taking a Leake. But Leake (Mike) wound up as the winning pitcher, striking out eight in six innings.
Three Reds (Jay Bruce, Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto) were selected by their peers (not the fans) to the NL All-Star team. That means they will be reserves, but have the knowledge that their rivals respect them.
7/2/2011 - Game 84 Indians 3 Reds 1 - Brantley of the Indians and Votto of the Reds both hit homeruns for their teams. The difference was that two men were in base when Brantley got his and Votto's was a solo shot. The loss puts the Reds at .500 for the year. The last time the Reds were at this level was almost a month ago on June 5th. W42 L42.
7/1/2011 - Game 83 Indians 8 Reds 2 - Looking for the positive aspect in tonight's game one would have to praise the bullpen. Other than LeCure the other 3 Red relievers (Chapman, Arredondo, and Masset) no hit the Indians for three innings. Maybe the Tribe was tired after the 6th inning where they had collected 12 hits and 8 runs but did no further damage after the 5th. Phillips did his part offensively and was able to bring his batting average up to .300. W42 L41.
6/30/2011 - No Reds game today. They will play the Indians tomorrow at GAPB . The won lost record for June was 14-12 which equates to .538. W42 L40.
6/29/2011 - Game 82 Reds 4 Devil Rays 3 - Hanigan hit a three run homer in the 4th inning and Lewis had an RBI in the 7th to provide all the scoring on the Reds side of the ledger. The win gave the Reds the edge in the three game series as they leave Florida and head back to GABP continuing their interleague play against the Indians on Friday. W42 L40.
6/28/2011 - Game 81 Devil Rays 4 Reds 3 - This was an "up" day. One up-manship was the order of the day. The Rays went one up on the Reds in the 4th at 1-0. The Reds went one up on the Rays in the 8th at 2-1. In the bottom of the 8th the Rays went one up on the Reds at 3-2. The Reds would tie it up in the top of the 9th but the Rays went one up on the Reds in the bottom of the 9th for the eventual victory at 4-3. All in all one fucked-up day in Florida! The season is half over and the Reds are mediocre at best. W41 L40.
6/27/2011 - Game 80 Reds 5 Devil Rays 0 - Leake pitched six strong innings allowing only four hits while the relief scattered two hits to compliment the starting hurler. Phillips had an outstanding night getting 4 hits in 5 at bats, while Gomes got the only homer of the game. The W/L record for June is 13-11 which equates to .542. W41 L39.
Ken said - For the moment, the Reds left that slippery slope,
and Tampa provided a few "Rays" of hope.
The hitters batted at nearly a .300 clip,
the pitchers allowed nada, zero, zilch, zip.
But who'll show up tomorrow, the men or the mice?
Can they sustain long enough to beat David Price?
I know that the season has a long way to go,
but it sure would be nice to win two in a row!
6/26/2011 - Game 79 Orioles 7 Reds 5 - Poor fielding and LOB's prevented the Reds from taking the deciding game in the three game series. A prediction from my brother earlier proved prophetic about the Reds losing to a cellar dweller. With their tails between their collective legs the Reds travel to Florida to face the Devil Rays. W40 L39.
6/25/2011 - Game 78 Reds 10 Orioles 5 - Votto hit a three run homer in the 3rd and another two run homer in the 5th to power the Reds to a 10-5 victory over the Orioles to tie the series at 1-1. The Reds played long ball today totaling 5 homeruns as a part of their 13 hits. Most encouraging was the combined relief pitching of Bray, Ondrusek, and especially Chapman (three up and three strike-outs) with no walks or hits allowed.. W40 L38.
Ken said - I know you guys know that the Reds beat the Orioles 10-5, but did you know that until Brandon Phillips singled in a run in the eighth inning, all fourteen runs had scored on nine home runs? It went like this: O's Jones (1-0); Reds' Gomes (1-1); Reds' Votto (1-4); O's Markakis (3-4); O's Wieters (4-4); Reds' Votto (4-6); Reds' Rolen (4-8); Reds' Stubbs (4-9); and O's Hardy (5-9).
Aroldis Chapman returned to the majors today. He came in to relieve in the ninth and promptly struck out the side, topping 100 MPH a couple of times. Maybe he learned something from his demotion.
Hmmm...A-R-O-L-D-I-S contains the same letters as R-O-L-A-I-D-S. I hope Dusty Baker doesn't have to use either one too much the rest of the year.
An anecdote about the O's star centerfielder Adam Jones: he was once stopped at the US-Canadian border and detained for a few minutes until it was determined he was not the Adam Jones known as "Pacman" who now cornerbacks for the Cincinnati Bengals. I guess he couldn't "make it rain".
6/24/2011 - Game 77 Orioles 5 Reds 4 - The Reds make-up a 4 run deficit by the 6th inning and force the game into three extra innings before Derrek Lee hit a solo homerun in the 12th to give the Orioles the walk off victory.
The loss reduces the Reds W/L record to one game above .500 which is the exact same position it was after 77 games in 2009 and 8 games below what it was last year. W39 L38.
Ken said before the game - Whether the Reds win or lose, you guys can be assured there will be no attempt to rhyme Jakubauskas (RHP) with anything after tonight's game with the O's. What do you think the Reds chances are against a bottom-of-the barrel team? Historically, slim. Besides, they used up all their runs Wednesday night.
6/23/2011 No Reds game today, travelling to Baltimore for another inter-league game on Friday.
6/22/2011 - Game#2 Game 76 Reds 10 Yankees 2 - Heisey collected three homeruns and five runs batted in the 10-2 down home ass kicking gifted to the Yankees from the Reds. The 10 runs mark the 6th time the Reds have scored 10 or more runs in a game this season. Cueto also pitched a great 7 innings allowing only 2 hits. W39 L37.
6/22/2011 - Game#1 Game 75 Yankees 4 Reds 2 - Both teams combined could muster only 10 hits (Yankees 6, Reds 4) in the first of a day/night doubleheader necessitated by a rain postponement last night. Two runs in the 3rd and two runs in the 6th, trumped the Reds two runs in the 5th. The Reds have not fared well in inter-league play this season with an embarrassing 1-7 record. W38 L37.
6/21/2011 - Game postponed due to rain. A day / night doubleheader is scheduled for tomorrow, 6/22/2011.
6/20/2011 - Game 74 Yankees 5 Reds 3 - A Yankee four run first inning proved insurmountable as the Reds fall to the Yankees at GAPB. The Reds did mount a comeback try in the 9th by getting the tying run to the plate but the rally fizzled for the final 2 run deficit. W38 L36.
Ken said - We lost, this time, thanks,
to those dagnabit Yanks,
who created a four-run first inning;
as they raked Travis Wood,
who was not very good,
and never had a slim chance of winning.
Johnny Cueto is next,
will he also be hexed
by what seems to be Yankee mystique;
or kick New York ass
and have good news to pass
to Arroyo and Volquez and Leake?
6/19/2011 - Game 73 Reds 2 Blue Jays 1- Arroyo pitched 8 strong innings allowing only one run on 5 hits to give the Reds offense the opportunity to put a loss on the Blue Jays today at GAPB. A two out two run homer in the 6th inning by Cairo, his only hit of the day, would be all the runs the Reds would need in this one. Votto scored ahead of Cairo after reaching first base on an off-field single. W38 L35.
6/18/2011 - Game 72 Blue Jays 4 Reds 0 - The Blue Jays make it two straight wins over the Reds at GAPB. Volquez was tagged with all the 4 runs scored in the 5 innings he pitched. The shutout today was the third recorded against the Reds this season. W37 L35.
6/17/2011 - Game 71 Blue Jays 3 Reds 2 - Both the Reds Leake and the Blue Jays Reyes pitched great ball for six innings. Unfortunately for the Reds the wheels came off the wagon for Leake as the Jays score 3 runs in the 7th inning, getting all the runs they would need. The Jays score more runs in one inning as the Reds would score in the entire game. The Reds modest winning streak ends at 3 games. W37 L34.
6/16/2011 - No Reds game today. Host Blue Jays on Friday. W37 L33.
Ken said later pertaining to below - As a matter of fact, Skip, my report about the strikeout may not be correct. Just a little while ago, one of my golfing buddies, who happened to be visiting near Baltimore, called and I began to relate the same story to him. He said the batter in question actually singled just as he turned back on the game (he was switching between the Nationals and the Orioles). I checked the recap of the game just now and sure enough, it says Ryan Zimmerman led off the tenth with a single. Sorry about the misinformation, but, like the umpires,, I calls 'em like I sees 'em.
Ken said - Washington wins 7-4 on a three-run homer in the bottom of the tenth after letting St Louis tie on a homer in the top of the ninth. I was following the game on Yahoo's Game Channel. It reported the Nationals' first batter in the tenth struck out looking, so I was waiting for it to record the corresponding out. It never did and then I saw why; he was on first base. It never did say so but I assumed he reached base when the ball got past the catcher. But if he struck out looking, how in hell did the catcher miss a ball in the strike zone? Anyway the next guy struck out swinging, followed by a hit-by-pitch and then the home run.
The Reds are still two behind the Brewers, as I said earlier, but close in on the Cardinals. That's what I'm talking about. Interleague starts up again tomorrow (Friday). The Blue Jays roll in with the mighty Jose Bautista (actually, he's only 6'0" and 195 lbs., but had 54 home runs last year, 21 so far this year). He may hit 10 in the three games at Great American SMALL Park, otherwise known as the GASP, which is what most pitchers do after chucking and ducking there.
Okay, I was going to let it go, but the year before Bautista had the 54 HR, he had 13. Can anyone spell S-T-E-R-O-I-D? Well, he's probably clean, but suspect nonetheless. The jury is out and so am I. Later.
6/15/2011 - Game 70 Reds 7 Dodgers 2 - The Dodgers drew first and last blood but what happened in between was death by a thousand cuts. Not more so than in the 3rd inning when the Reds scored 4 runs to essentially put the game out of reach. Rolen was the big bat (3 for 5, 3RBI's) along with timely hitting from both Hanigan and Lewis. The win puts the Reds 4 games over .500, the highest since May 21st and completes the sweep of the Dodgers and a 5-2 record for the west coast series which included a 2-2 split with the Giants. W37 L33.
6/14/2011 - Game 69 Reds 3 Dodgers 2 - Both Cueto for the Reds and Kershaw for the Dodgers pitched an excellent seven innings before handing the ball over to the middle-men and closers. The game was in doubt down to the final out in the bottom of the ninth inning as CoCo closed the door on the Dodgers after allowing a single run to make the game very interesting. The Reds move to 3 games over .500 for the first time since May 24th. W36 L33.
6/13/2011 - Game 68 Reds 6 Dodgers 4 - Joey Votto hit a three run homer in the four run seventh inning to propel the Reds over the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Arroyo pitched 7 2/3 inning strong innings giving way to Bray and Cordero who combined to finished the last 1 1/3 inning with no hit ball and each out registered was a strikeout. W35 L33.
6/12/2011 - Game 67 Giants 4 Reds 2 - The seventh inning saw the Giants push two runs across the plate to break the 2-2 tie for the final 4-2 end of game score. A combined thirteen hits and 16 strikeouts along with 33 runners left on base set the tone for the game where either team with more timely hitting could have blown the game wide open. The Reds split series 2-2 and move on to LA where they face the Dodgers for three games. W34 L33.
6/11/2011 - Game 66 Reds10 Giants 2 - Leake pitched a great eight strong innings only allowing 4 hits and no runs before giving way to Fisher who allowed 2 runs on 2 hits in the 9th for the final 10-2 score. W34 L32.
Ken said - Today we, the stalwarts of Cincy-dom,
give thanks to the powers from whence we come.
The Reds beat down the Giants
into abject compliance,
outdueling "The Freak" known as Lincecum*.
*Supposedly, he (Tim) is called "The Freak" because he throws so hard as a 5'11", 170 pound pitcher. I think his freakishly long hair contributes to the description, myself. But, hey, he's won two Cy Young awards, which makes the victory more satisfying.
Anyway, the Reds are 2-1 on this current seven game road trip. That equals the number of wins in all of a recent 10 game trip. Tonight's game is on ESPN at 8:00 ET.
6/10/2011 - Game 65 Giants 3 Reds 2 - The game was tied after 5 innings at 2 apiece until the 9th inning when the Giants scratched a third run across the plate to end the game. The inning started out with a walk, a sacrifice bunt, followed by an intentional walk. A strikeout and another walk followed before the bases loaded soft liner was placed into left field for a single to end the game on a walk-off. The four game series is tied at 1 each. W33 L32.
6/9/2011 - Game 64 Reds 3 Giants 0 - Cueto pitched 7 strong innings allowing only 4 runs as the Reds shutout the Giants and take the first of four games at AT&T Park. Gomes collected 3 hits and one run batted in to help pace the victorious Reds. W33 L31.
6/8/2011 - Game 63 Cubs 4 Reds 1 - The Cubs salvage the third game of the series at GABP with a 4-1 victory over the Reds. Three Cub pitchers combined to limit the Reds to 4 hits in the afternoon game. The Reds travel to the west coast to face the SF Giants on Thursday. W32 L31.
6/7/2011 - Game 62 Reds 8 Cubs 2 - There's a scoring pattern beginning here, what's the odds the Reds will win again tomorrow by the 8-2 score? Miguel Cairo hits a grand slam in the 7th to increase the lead from 4-1 up to 8-1 and dashed any hopes for the Cubs to rally and get back into the game. Both teams would get 10 hits but the Reds made the most of theirs getting 6 more runs in the process. The Reds continue their mastery over the Cubs obtaining a 6-1 heads-up edge. W32 L30.
6/6/2011 - Game 61 Reds 8 Cubs 2 - Gomes provided the power in the 5th inning with a three run homer scoring Votto and Bruce ahead of him. The win prevented the Reds from falling below the .500 mark with they have only one this season at game 29. June's record is 3-2. W31 L30
< style=>6/4/2011 - Game 59 Dodgers 11 Reds 8 - The Dodgers score big in the 8th and again in the 11th inning for the come from behind extra inning victory over the Reds. The Reds had taken a 7-2 lead with the help of a three run blast by Votto in the 6th but Kemp of the Dodgers more than matched Votto with 2 home runs including a grand slam in that pivotal 8th inning. W30 L29
Ken said - UBFLab*
*Un-Be-Fucking-Lieve-A-Ble.
As I type this, I'm still weeping.
'Cause I had visions of a sweeping.
When the Reds went up by seven-two,
I thought they'd win, and didn't you?
But now I sit here devastated,
Because they've been eleven-eighted.
Somewhere the fans are smiling as a batter adjusts his cup.
But there is no joy in Redsland, the mighty home team has fucked up!
6/3/2011 - Game 58 Reds 2 Dodgers 1 - Scott Rolen gets a two out base-loaded single in the 5th to score Stubbs and Votto to give the Reds the victory against the Dodgers. The 5th inning would be the only one in which the Reds would score and the Dodgers could only score in the 4th. This win is the first time the Reds are able to win back to back games since May 14th. The team still lags behind the winning percentage from 2009 or 2010 at the 58 game mark. W30 L28
Ken said - For the second game in a row, the Reds doubled up on their opponents (4-2 Wednesday, 2-1 Friday), scoring as many runs in an inning as the other guys did in the whole game...where have I heard that theory before? This marks the first two game winning streak for the Reds since before they lost six in a row.
Cordero saved the game in 1-2-3 fashion again. Brandon Phillips had an off day for the first time this year. I didn't hear if Dusty was giving him an extra day after Thursday's no-game day or if it was due to his being hit hard on the hand by a pitch Wednesday.
Speaking of Phillips, you guys who don't get to see him everyday like I do are missing a treat. He's unbelievably gifted on defense, routinely appearing on ESPN's Baseball Tonight with highlight plays. I was moved to log on to mlb.com and vote an All-Star ballot. Being from Cincinnati, I of course also voted for Votto and Bruce. But being a baseball fan in general, I also filled out the other positions in both leagues. It's easy and quick...you can vote for as many or few players as you'd like, so check it out.
6/2/2011 - No game today. Host the LA Dodgers on Friday at GAPB.
Ken said - Well, this one is just for laughs. Aroldis Chapman, the Reds fireballing lefty, had an ERA for the month of May at 216.00. That's right, not 2.16, but 216 runs per nine innings. That's based on 8 runs in 1/3 of an inning. He's having a tough time in the minors, too, during his rehab...three outings, seven runs in 4 2/3 innings. The Reds might be getting a little jittery regarding all the millions they paid him to sign.
The longer Jay Bruce stays on his current tear, the more he reminds me of Babe Ruth. Admit it, when you say their names, you can barely hear the difference. Jay Bruce, Babe Ruth. Jay Bruce, Babe Ruth.
MVP last night stood for Mighty Votto Pulverizes. His game winning homer was measured at 439 feet. I can barely hit a golf ball that far with a seven iron, and that ball is not moving towards me at 95 MPH.
6/1/2011 - Game 57 Reds 4 Brewers 3 - The firepower was provided by Jay Bruce with a two run homer in the 7th and then a two run homer by Votto in the 8th. The come from behind win moves the Reds to one game over .500 at W29 L28.
Ken said (about yesterday's game referring to his "key" comments) - The post-game analyst led off with comments about the three names being a tongue-twister. Then the two in-game TV guys weighed in on it. I may have missed my calling.
Ken said (about today's game) - The Reds have now won as many games (2) of the three they played at home as they did on the 10-game road trip. Thursday's an off day, then the Dodgers come into town for three (Saturday is the Fox game of the week).
Cordero saved his tenth of the season and 300th of his career with a 1-2-3 ninth inning. That's considered a milestone (only 21 other pitchers have accomplished it). But he'll have to go a bit to catch the all-time leader, (Trevor Hoffman) who has 601. Of the 22, only Cordero and Mariano Rivera of the Yankees are still active. Rivera with 572 has a chance to catch Hoffman.
Jay Bruce was the NL player of the week and will probably be the player of the month for May.
5/31/2011 - Game 56 Brewers 7 Reds 2 - Four RBI's by the Brewers Hart, including a three run homer in the 3rd was enough to beat the Reds tonight. The loss pushes the Reds a game below .500 for the month of May with a 14-15 record. Game 29 on May 3rd is the only time the Reds have been below .500 but they have flirted with that distinction 8 times by being within one game of .500. W28 L28
Ken said - Tonight's game between the Reds and Brewers features pitchers Reinike (Ryn-ic-key) and Greinke (Grin-key), respectively. One will probably be the "key" to his team's victory. I'm sure that's the first time two pitchers opposed each other whose last name ends in ke. To top it off, the Brewers manager's name is Roenicke.
At this writing, the Reds trail 5-2 in the bottom of the sixth. They have left at least one man on in every inning.
5/30/2011 - Game 55 Reds 7 Brewers 3 - Bruce was the offensive hero in this one with 3 for 4 batting with a homer and 3 runs batted in. Of course the Reds scored more runs in one inning then the Brewers would score in the entire game. The Reds are 14 & 14 for the month of May with one game remaining to determine whether the month is a winner or a loser in wins versus losses. W28 L27
5/29/2011 - Game 54 Braves 2 Reds 1 - OK this is getting a little depressing if you are a Reds fan. The Queen City team jumped out in front with a single run in the 2nd inning and would hold that lead until the 6th when the Braves would score two runs and hold that one run lead the remainder of the game. At the 1/3 season mark the Reds are even-steven at 27 wins on both sides of the ledger. The Reds have lost 10 of twelve and are at the lowest percentage at this first trimester in three years. W27 L27
5/28/2011 - Game 53 Braves 7 Reds 6 - Falling behind 5-0 after 3 innings the Reds tied and eventually went ahead in the 5th at 6-5. The Braves would tie the game in their half of the 5th and won the game in the 12th on a couple walks and a single by Chipper Jones. W27 L26
5/27/2011 - Game 52 Reds 5 Braves 1 - Having lost 8 of 9 games the Reds bounce back against the Braves in Atlanta. The results of the last ten games remains at 2-8. W27 L25
5/26/2011 - Game 51 Phillies 10 Reds 4 - I always look to find some Reds highlight to put in the update page but after last night and then today there was not much positive to write about. Let's just say the Reds lost to the Phillies today 10-4 and by winning the second game of the series did not get swept. W26 L25
5/25/2011 - Game 50 Phillies 5 Reds 4 - This game must be a scorers nightmare and a statisticians dream. A nineteen inning affair which unfortunately for the Reds supporters would be frustrating to say the least. When Ernie Banks answered the question about his feelings that day at Wrigley Field "Let's play two" I don't think he meant the way this one turned out by essentially playing two games in one. W26 L24
Gms | Time | AB | LOB | SO | Pitches | Bonehead Plays |
2.11 | 6h 11m | 135 | 59 | 27 | 600 | 1 (see Ken below) |
Ken said - Well, I stayed up until the bitter end (1:20 AM), only to be gutted by Philly's rally in the 19th inning. Jay Bruce led off the 10th with a home run to make it 4-3. Cordero comes in and gives up a leadoff home run to Ryan Howard, 4-4. Then the stupidest thing happened; Brandon Phillips was hit by the pitch leading off thee 11th. Joey Votto walked, two on no outs. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins engaged Phillips in chatter. Phillips, who is always talking, forgot where he was and the second baseman came in behind Phillips and the pitcher picked him off. The next two batters walked, which would have meant the winning run if it weren't for Mr. Chatterbox.
The Phillies ran out of pitchers and their second baseman pitched the 19th, facing Votto, Rolen and Bruce with no problem.
Today's game is at 1:05 ET
5/24/2011 - Game 49 Reds 6 Phillies 3 - Bruce is the hero in this game with a 3 RBI two out double in the 9th inning to give the Reds the three run victory. The game was tied going into the regulation ending 9th inning as the Reds score the three runs and then Cordero comes on to shutdown the Philly machine 1,2,3 to end the game. The 6 game losing streak, the longest of the season, is halted with the victory. W26 L23
5/23/2011 - Game 48 Phillies 10 Reds 3 - A seven run third inning was all it took for the Phillies to quiet the Reds and to hand them their 6 straight loss. All of the Reds three runs were registered in the third inning and that would be the extent of their scoring offense. Loss streak extends to 6, the longest streak of the year. The loss today pushes the won lost percentage at the 48 game mark to the lowest mark for at least the last three years. W25 L23
5/22/2011 - Game 47 Indians 12 Reds 4 - After winning five games in a row the Reds have now lost five games consecutively. This losing streak matches the longest losing streak the Reds encountered last season on two occasions.
The Indians Cabrera did the most damage with 5 hits (2 homeruns) in 5 at bats while getting 5 RBI's and scoring twice. The rumors that he was selling peanuts in the stands are exaggerated. The Indians sweep the series 3-0. W25 L22
Ken said - The ugly results will no doubt get worse going into Philadelphia for four games. This will be their first meeting since the wipeouts (I mean playoffs) last year. The Phillies will be throwing Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels at the Reds. That staff (referred to in Philly as R2C2) has hardly ever lost a game to the Reds. As I mentioned last year, Oswalt is like 24-3, Halladay no-hit them, and Hamels is 6-0 against them.
I can see a nine game losing streak in the Reds' future.
5/21/2011 - Game 46 Indians 2 Reds 1 - Neither the Indians nor the Reds batted particularly well getting 5 and 4 hits respectively. The Reds pickup their 4 loss in a row as they lose the first two games in the three game series against their inter-league rival. The loss today at the 46 game mark puts the Reds at only 4 games over .500 which is lower than last year or the year before. W25 L21
Ken said - Ironic, isn't it that on the same day the Reds release a guy named Buck from their farm system, they are beaten by a guy named Buck
(home run)? That's my report. The Bucks stop here.
5/20/2011 - Game 45 Indians 5 Reds 4 - A four run Indians 6th inning and the Reds leaving 17 runners stranded doom the southern Ohio team against their upstate rivals. The loss is the third in a row for the Reds and lose temporary state bragging rights. W25 L20
5/19/2011 - Game 44 Pirates 5 Reds 3 -The Pirates score 5 runs again today and the Reds do get a little closer with 3 and matched the Pirates with 9 hits apiece. The pirates could have made the score more lopsided but left a total of 21 runners stranded. W25 L19
Ken said - Damn, pirates from Somalia treat people better than the ones from Pittsburgh treat the Reds. Pittsburgh came off a six game losing streak and took a two game series, bringing their record this year to 5-1 against the Reds. I'm at a loss to understand how the Reds can beat St Louis and Chicago five straight then lose two to the Pirates. They have Cleveland this weekend and the annual battle for the Ohio Cup begins. Circle the wagons and fend off the Indians.
Jay Bruce missed Wednesday night's game due to illness, but he recovered quickly enough to play today. He said he bounced back so fast because of a special chicken soup he concocted. Since he hit two home runs on his return, I can see the whole team getting that recipe and downing chicken soup, sick or well. Hell, I'll take some myself.
5/18/2011 - Game 43 Pirates 5 Reds 0 - With only able being to get 5 hits the Reds 5 game win streak is halted and they were saddled with their second shutout of the year. W25 L18
5/17/2011 - Game 42 Reds 7 Cubs 5 - Scoring 3 runs in the 4th and 4 runs in the 8th help power the Reds to a sweep of the two games series with the Cubs. The victory is the 5th straight and the 11th in the last 13 games for the Reds. Only two of the Reds runs were earned. Even though there were a total of 12 runs scored in the game the two teams combined to leave 38 runners on base while getting only a combined 17 hits. The win pushes the team to a season high 8 games over .500. W25 L17
5/16/2011 - Game 41 Reds 7 Cubs 4 - The Reds scored all their runs in a breakout 6th inning. Trailing 4-0 the Reds scored in a variety of ways. After the first batter, Miguel Cairo, struck out, the Reds get nine batters in a row on base successfully before the second out was recorded. With the 3 run Reds lead the Cubs were not much of a threat the rest of the way.
The Reds are 7 games over .500 (that's for my dear brother) for the first time this season. W24 L17
Ken pointed out (paraphrasing) - Miguel Cairo batted (came to the plate may be more appropo) twice in the big sixth inning. The first time he watches 6 pitches, not taking a swing at any of them and is called out on strikes. The second time around he watches 6 pitches, not taking a swing at any of them (sound familiar?) and is awarded first base because 4 of those pitches were balls. Twelve pitches, no swings, one strike-out, and one walk. Very interesting to say the least!
5/15/2011 - Game 40 Reds 9 Cards 7 - I can't believe I feel more at ease when Codero is pitching rather than Coleman. Aroldis did his best to give the game to the Cards by walking 4 batters and giving up 4 earned runs in the ninth inning. The Reds needed almost all of the seven run buffer they had built up through nine.
On a positive note the Reds sweep the Cards to remain in first place in the Central and push their record to 6 games over .500 for the first time this year.
Again the Reds match their record of last season after 40 games with their 23-17 record. W23 L17
Ken said - Well in a reversal, "Wood Nails Carpenter". The ninth inning got scary, but the Reds prevailed 9-7.
Aroldis Chapman continues to baffle. He walked four of the five men he faced, giving him 21 in 12 innings. It doesn't matter if you throw 200 MPH when you can't locate the plate.
Three times Saturday and Sunday the Cardinals intentionally walked Joey Votto and every time, Brandon Phillips knocked in runs.
The series started with the Reds one and a half back and ended with them one and a half ahead as they swept the Cardinals for the first time since 2004. Reds are season-high six games over.
Ken added - Error on my part...Reds swept Cards last in 2007, not 2004. Sorry for the misinformation.
Error on your part, Skip...Aroldis is Chapman, not Coleman. (Skip says Duh!)
5/14/2011 - Game 39 Reds 7 Cards 3 - The game ball could have gone to several Reds, including Phillips, Hernandez, Cueto, or Stubbs as the Reds wrest first place from the Cards in the Central. The win puts the Reds back to 5 games over .500, tying the high in that category for the year. Eight wins in a ten game period is the season best as well best. W22 L17
5/13/2011 - Game 38 Reds 6 Cards 5 - The Reds get a walk-off single from Votto scoring Renteria with two out in the 10 inning for the victory. Phillips made the eventual victory possible by driving in the tying run in the bottom of the 9th to send the game into the extra inning. The victory gets the Reds to within 1/2 game of the first place Cards. W21 L17
5/12/2011 - No game today. Start series against the Cardinals on Friday the 13th.
5/11/2011 - Game 37 Astros 4 Reds 3 - A walk-off double by Hunter Pence in the bottom of the 9th gave the Astros the run they would need to break the tied game. The Reds modest 3 game winning streak was halted and the Astros slide is stopped. W20 L17
5/10/2011 - Game 36 Reds 7 Astros 3 - If you scratch Chapman's horrible 8th inning the Reds totally dominated this game against the Astros. The win is the third straight and the sixth in seven outings. With three hits and three RBI's Votto may be getting into the groove again. W20 L16
5/9/2011 - Game 35 Reds 6 Astros 1 - A relatively easy game for the Reds. They jumped out to a 5 run lead and coasted to the eventual 6-1 final score. Wood pitched and also batted well staking himself to a three run lead with a homerun with two on in the third to seal the deal. The win gives the Reds 5 victories in the last 6 games.
Ken has finally gotten on the board as the best guesstimator for the first time this year. His .543 guess is dead on at this juncture. W19 L16
5/8/2011 - Game 34 Reds 2 Cubs 0 - Cordero had everyone holding their collective breaths as he comes on in the ninth inning with the Reds up 2-0. He promptly allows what was inches away from a solo homerun to deep center but the wind kept the ball in the park. He went on to get two more straight outs for the final score as noted. Reds take two of three from the Cubs.
W18 L16
5/7/2011 - Game 33 Cubs 3 Reds 2 - The Reds let one get away today, thanks to Cordero's inability to get batters out in the 9th innings as the Cubs score 2 runs and walk with the victory from Wrigley Field today. W17 L16
5/6/2011 - Game 32 Reds 5 Cubs 4 - Despite leaving 10 (compared to Chicago's 23) runners on base and getting out of a tough bases loaded 6th inning with minimal damage the Reds prevail against the Cubs today. This is the third win in a row for the Reds and the first meeting against the Cubbies this season. This three game win streak is the longest since the 5 game streak to start the season. W17 L15
5/5/2011 - Game 31 Reds 10 Astros 4 - The Reds jumped all over the Astros on this Cinco de Mayo diez a cuarto. Unlike so many of the previous games the Reds didn't have to rally in the late innings to put this one away. After all the non back to back wins of late the Reds finally bag two in a row to once again be over the .500 mark.
After my Dolly Parton comment on 5/1, Ken called to tell me the Reds won a "trucker" game today. I couldn't think what that was until he gave me the final 10-4 score. Ken 1 Skip 1. W16 L15
5/4/2011 - Game 30 Reds 3 Astros 2 - The Reds sleepwalk through 8 innings managing only one hit and no runs over that time frame. In the 9th inning the Astros couldn't get a Red out as they push 3 runs across the plate to win the game on a walk-off double by Bruce. The win pulls the Reds back to even for the year in the won/loss column. W15 L15
5/3/2011 - Game 29 Astros 10 Reds 4 - A big six run 4th inning was enough to give the Astros the victory over the Reds. The loss dropped the Reds to below the .500 mark for the first time this year and matches the 29 game won / loss record of 2010. April was a ho-hum month as well as the team had an identical won loss record of 13 & 13. W14 L15
5/2/2011 - No game today due to rain. The Astros game from today has been rescheduled for Thursday May 5th.
5/1/2011 - Game 28 Marlins 9 Reds 5 - Resisting the Dolly Parton reference, the Reds lost to the Marlins today in the rubber match for the three game series. The Floridians tallied a total of 6 runs in the 7th and 8th innings to score all that they would need to defeat the home team. The Reds non-back to back win or loss games now spans 11 games. W14 L14
4/30/2011 - Game 27 Reds 4 Marlins 3 - The Reds fought back with three runs in the 8th to tie the game at 3 apiece. Renteria, the former Marlin World Series hero, gave the Reds the victory in the 10th with a bases loaded two out single for the final score .
The Reds have not won or loss back to back games since April 20, a span of 10 games. W14 L13
4/29/2011 - Game 26 Marlins 7 Reds 6 - The Marlins jumped out quickly in the top of the first inning with 5 runs putting the Reds back on their heels. As a result the Reds played catch up the rest of the game and even scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th only to come up one run short of tying the game. W13 L13
4/28/2011 - No game today.
4/27/2011 - Game 25 Reds 7 Brewers 6 - Four runs in the 1st inning for a big lead did not prevent the game from going into extra innings where Stubbs became the hero with a solo blast in the 10th and then held the Brew Crew scoreless in the bottom of the 10th to win the game. Nice run-on sentence buddy. W13 L12
4/26/2011 - Game 24 Brewers 3 Reds 2 - The Reds were only able to get two hits in the game and one of those was by the pitcher Leake and the other by one of the most consistent team members, Phillips. The Reds have not won back to back games since April 12th. W12 L12
4/25/2011 - Game 23 Reds 9 Brewers 5 - The Reds do a Dolly Parton on the Brewers with a big 6 run inning in the 3rd for the eventual 9-5 win. Stubbs and Phillips account for half of the Reds 12 hits getting 3 each. The nine runs are more than the combined total of the Reds previous 3 games. W12 L11
4/24/2011 - Game 22 Cards 3 Reds 0 - All the scoring took place in the 6th inning. Unfortunately all the runs were by the Cards. The Reds could only garner 4 hits while leaving 14 runners on base. This is the first shutout recorded for or against the Reds this year. W11 L11
Ken said - A correction on Carpenter's record against the Reds. Actually, he is 12-3, but has beaten them 10 in a row since his last loss to them.
4/23/2011 - Game 21 Reds 5 Cards 3 - Trailing 2-0 and then again 3-2, the Reds score 3 big runs in the 8th to defeat the Cards and to regain a share of 1st place in the Central . W11 L10
Ken said - Well, I was all set to write this headline: Carpenter Nails Wood (hah, hah), but neither pitcher figured in the decision. I fell asleep after one out in the eighth, so I missed the Reds' rally initially. But I woke up about a half hour after the end and replayed the innings I missed. The thing that impressed me most was Cordero's performance...a rare 1-2-3 inning.
Carpenter has a 10-0 record against us lifetime so I was not surprised he had a no-hitter going.
I can't believe they got through Friday night's game. Did you guys see those pictures of the St. Louis airport? Amazing! They're saying it may not open up again until Monday.
4/22/2011 - Game 20 Cards 4 Reds 2 - Rain delays and whacky pitching changes may have been the undoing of the Reds in the 4-2 loss to the Cards. The Reds relinquish first place for the first time since mid-August of last season.
In the battle of the Bro's, I (Skip) have done something four times this year that I didn't do at all last year. That is lead in the race for the most accurate guesstimation of the final W/L record. The other 16 games Jim has been the closest and Ken hasn't taken the honors so far this year. It's a long season and last year Ken lead an astonishing 144 games out of a possible 162. The last ten record of 3-7 is disappointing to say the least. W10 L10
4/21/2011 - Game 19 Reds 7 D-Backs 4 - Leake pitched seven strong innings allowing only 4 hits to get the Reds back on the winning track again. Four big runs in the first helped a lot toward the eventual 7-4 score. Concerns were that Leake would try to steal a base but no attempt was made. W10 L9
4/20/2011 - Game 18 D-Backs 3 Reds 1 - After staring the year out with 5 straight victories the Reds have lost 6 of 7 to drop the season total to 9-9. Today the Reds could only get 4 hits, leave 14 runners on base, and drop to a 4 way tie for first as of this writing. W9 L9
4/19/2011 - Game 17 D-Backs 5 Reds 4 - The Reds lose three straight for the first time this season and again look to blame the offense which could only muster 5 hits for the game. The last ten record remains at a so-so 4-6. The W/L percentage is the lowest of the season so far at .529. W9 L8
4/18/2011 - Game 16 Pirates 9 Reds 3 - The Reds bats abandoned them again as the Pirates post a 9-3 victory as the Reds create only 4 hits in the lop-sided loss to the Pirates at home. W9 L7
4/17/2011 - Game 15 Pirates 7 Reds 6 - After trailing 4 to zip after one inning the Reds rally to take the lead at 5-4 in the 5th inning but can't hold on as the Pirates push two runs across in the 6th and then cruise to the eventual 7-6 victory. W9 L6
4/16/2011 - Game 14 Reds 11 Pirates 2 - The answer to my last question was answered when the Reds score seven runs in the 5th inning on their way to a 15 hit 11-2 victory over the Bucs. W9 L5
4/15/2011 - Game 13 Pirates 6 Reds 1 - Where's the vaunted Reds offense? The Pirates hold the Reds to one run on a ninth inning two-out homer by Bruce and the Reds manage only 5 hits for the game. The Pirates Morton pitched a complete game as well to add insult to injury. The last ten games played have resulted in a mediocre 5-5. On the positive side of things the Reds still hold on to first place in the Central. W8 L5
4/14/2011 - No Game today.
4/13/2011 - Game 12 Padres 3 Reds 2 - The Padres win the last game of their home series with the Reds and avoid a mini-sweep. Orlando Hudson managed an opposite field single in the ninth with the bases loaded to give the victory to the West Coasters. W8 L4
4/12/2011 - Game 11 Reds 8 Padres 2 - After being tied 2-2 through 9 innings the Reds come alive in the 11th inning to score 6 runs to bury the Padres for the final score of 8-2. Bruce perhaps saved the game in the ninth with a great run down and catch of a long fly ball to deep right center with two-out and the bases full for the Padres. W8 L3
4/11/2011 - Game 10 Reds 3 Padres 2 - After allowing 2 runs in the 1st inning Volquez settles down to allow only 3 hits over 6 innings and the Reds manage a 3-2 victory with the assistance of 2 2 run homer by Heisey in the 5th inning. W7 L3
4/10/2011 - Game 9 Diamond Backs 10 Reds 8 - The D-Backs score runs in bunches in the 5th and 8th innings to overcome a 5-0 lead held by the Reds. Each team collected 13 hits but the D-Backs make the lost of theirs for the eventual 10-8 victory. W6 L3
4/9/2011 - Game 8 Reds 6 Diamond Backs 1- Holding on to a slim 2-1 lead heading into the 9th inning the Reds bust out with a 4 run eruption and keep the D-Backs scoreless in the bottom of the 9th for the eventual 6-1 final score. The Reds break a two game losing streak to maintain the best early season record in the NL. W6 L2
4/8/2011 - Game 7 Diamond Backs 13 Reds 2 - The Reds managed 8 hits but left 16 runners on base as the Diamond Backs jump all over the Reds especially in the 8th innings when they push 6 runs across the plate. After winning 5 straight to start the season the good guys chalk up their second consecutive loss. W5 L2
4/7/2011 - Game 6 Astros 3 Reds 2 - Neither team could muster more than one run in any inning as the Reds come up a couple runs short in its bid for a 6th straight game victory. The Reds are off to Arizona for the first road trip of the year with three games over the weekend. W5 L1
4/6/2011 - Game 5 Reds 12 Astros 4 - The Astros jumped out to a 4 run lead in the top of the first inning but would not score again for the rest of the game. The Reds would come back to pound the team from Houston with 12 runs of their own for the final score. W5 L0
4/5/2011 - Game 4 Reds 8 Astros 2 - After scoring 7 runs in opening 4 innings the Reds coast to a 8-2 victory over the Astros. Heisey drove in 3 runs to propel the offense as the Reds won for the 4th consecutive time to start the season. W4 L0
4/4/2011 - No game today.
4/3/2011 - Game 3 Reds 12 Brewers 3 - The 4th and 6th innings were huge for the Reds as they score 4 runs in both innings and play long ball against the Brewers to drub the team from Milwaukee 12-3 and sweep the series for a 3 game winning streak to start the season. W3 L0
4/2/2011 - Game 2 Reds 4 Brewers 2 - Scoring 2 runs in the first two innings the Reds do not score again in the game but hold on for a final 4-2 victory. W2 L0
4/1/2011 - No game today.
3/31/2011 - Opening Day - Game 1. Reds 7 Brewers 6 - Before the Reds came to the plate in the bottom half of the 1st inning they were trailing 3-0 aided by back to back homers by the Brewers to start the game. Trailing 6-3 after 7 innings the Reds put a 4 spot on the board in the 9th including a walk off 3 run homer by Hernandez. W1 L0
Predictions for 2011 are as noted below.
Wins | Losses | |
Jim | 89 | 73 |
Ken | 88 | 74 |
Skip | 87 | 75 |
Players ???
Jim, Ken, & Skip
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2011-2012 SCHEDULE |
Date | Opponent / Event | Location | Time / Result |
08/25/11 | vs. Blue-Gold Scrimmage | Davis, Calif. | 7:00 p.m. PT |
09/01/11 | at Arizona State | Tempe, Ariz. | L, 48-14 |
09/10/11 | at Montana State | Bozeman, Mont. | 12:05 p.m. PT |
09/17/11 | vs. San Diego | Davis, Calif. | 6:00 p.m. PT |
09/24/11 | at Hawai'i | Honolulu, Hawaii | 9:00 p.m. PT |
10/08/11 | vs. Humboldt State | Davis, Calif. | 6:00 p.m. PT |
10/15/11 | vs. Univ. of Texas, San Antonio (Homecoming) | Davis, Calif. | 2:00 p.m. PT |
10/22/11 | at South Dakota | Vermillion, S.D. | 2:00 p.m. PT |
10/29/11 | at Southern Utah | Cedar City, Utah | 12:00 p.m. PT |
11/05/11 | vs. Cal Poly (Parents Weekend) | Davis, Calif. | 2:00 p.m. PT |
11/12/11 | vs. North Dakota | Davis, Calif. | 2:00 p.m. PT |
11/19/11 | at Sacramento State (58th annual Causeway Classic) | Sacramento, Calif. | 2:05 p.m. PT |
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Date Opponent / Event Location Time / Result Sat., Sep. 3 vs. Austin Peay Nippert Stadium W, 72-10 Sat., Sep. 10 at Tennessee Knoxville, Tenn. 3:30 p.m. ET Sat., Sep. 17 vs. Akron Nippert Stadium 3:30 p.m. ET Thu., Sep. 22 vs. NC State Nippert Stadium 8:00 p.m. ET Sat., Oct. 1 at Miami (OH) Oxford, Ohio 1:00 p.m. ET Sat., Oct. 15 vs. Louisville * Paul Brown Stadium TBA Sat., Oct. 22 at USF * Tampa, Fla. TBA Sat., Nov. 5 at Pittsburgh * Pittsburgh, Pa. TBA Sat., Nov. 12 vs. West Virginia * Paul Brown Stadium TBA Sat., Nov. 19 at Rutgers * Piscataway, N.J. TBA Sat., Nov. 26 at Syracuse * Syracuse, N.Y. TBA Sat., Dec. 3 vs. Connecticut * Nippert Stadium TBA
Home Event |
Away Event |
Conference Event * |
San Francisco 49'ers 2011 - 2012
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Week | Date | Stadium | Time (ET) | |
1 | Sep 11 | Seattle | Candlestick Park | 4:15 PM |
2 | Sep 18 | Dallas | Candlestick Park | 4:05 PM |
3 | Sep 25 | Cincinnati | Paul Brown Stadium | 1:00 PM |
4 | Oct 02 | Philadelpia | Lincoln Financial Field | 1:00 PM |
5 | Oct 09 | Tampa Bay | Candlestick Park | 4:05 PM |
6 | Oct 16 | Detroit | Ford Field | 1:00 PM |
7 | Bye | |||
8 | Oct 30 | Cleveland | Candlestick Park | 4:15 PM |
9 | Nov 06 | Washington | FedEx Field | 1:00 PM |
10 | Nov 13 | NY Giants | Candlestick Park | 4:15 PM |
11 | Nov 20 | Arizona | Candlestick Park | 4:05 PM |
12 | Nov 24 | Baltimore | M&T Bank Stadium | 8:20 PM |
13 | Dec 04 | St. Louis | Candlestick Park | 4:15 PM |
14 | Dec 11 | Arizona | University of Phoenix Stadium | 4:05 PM |
15 | Dec 19 | Pittsburgh | Candlestick Park | 8:30 PM |
16 | Dec 24 | Seattle | CenturyLink Field | 4:15 PM |
17 | Jan 01 | St. Louis | Edward Jones Dome | 1:00 PM |
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Week | Date | Game | Stadium | Time (ET) |
1 | Sep 11 | Cleveland | Cleveland Browns Stadium | 1:00 PM |
2 | Sep 18 | Denver | Sports Authority Field at Mile High | 4:15 PM |
3 | Sep 25 | San Francisco | Paul Brown Stadium | 1:00 PM |
4 | Oct 02 | Buffalo | Paul Brown Stadium | 1:00 PM |
5 | Oct 09 | Jacksonville | EverBank Field | 1:00 PM |
6 | Oct 16 | Indianapolis | Paul Brown Stadium | 1:00 PM |
7 | Bye | |||
8 | Oct 30 | Seattle | CenturyLink Field | 4:15 PM |
9 | Nov 06 | Tennessee | LP Field | 4:05 PM |
10 | Nov 13 | Pittsburgh | Paul Brown Stadium | 1:00 PM |
11 | Nov 20 | Baltimore | M&T Bank Stadium | 1:00 PM |
12 | Nov 27 | Cleveland | Paul Brown Stadium | 1:00 PM |
13 | Dec 04 | Pittsburg | Heinz Field | 1:00 PM |
14 | Dec 11 | Houston | Paul Brown Stadium | 1:00 PM |
15 | Dec 18 | St. Louis | Edward Jones Dome | 1:00 PM |
16 | Dec 24 | Arizona | Paul Brown Stadium | 1:00 PM |
17 | Jan 01 | Baltimore | Paul Brown Stadium | 1:00 PM |