Rus Livingood
April 13, 2013 – Reds @ Pirates – 7:10pm – Fox Sports Cincinnati
Reds Record (5 – 5)
Away Record (1 – 3)
Pirates Record (4 – 6)
Home Record (2 – 2)
Starters: Cueto (1 – 0) vs. Locke (0 – 1)
The Setting: At The Union Pub & Grill as I cater a party in our banquet room. I’ll watch snippets of the game when I can, and after an hour or so into the game I will be done. They break will be short-lived, though, because I am catering another event at noon tomorrow, so I will have to get started on that prep as soon as I can. Maybe I should set a goal of being able to watch a full inning?
The Game and Analysis:
The game gets started while I am most likely putting some wings in the fryer baskets in The Union’s kitchen. We’ve already set out a large fruit/cheese/cracker tray, and a couple of trays of 80 chicken salad croissants that are halved. They wanted that set out at 7pm. By 7:30pm, they want 120 wings, 80 chicken tenders, 80 mozzarella/parmesan cheese shots, and 10 orders of chips and salsa or salsa con queso. Needless to say, we are knee deep in it when the first pitch is thrown.
I peek out at about 7:35pm to see that it is scoreless. Until 8:30pm, we are checking to see if any sauces need to be topped off, if everyone has enough napkins, etc. Oh, and we also have to make three pizzas.
I miss the Zach Cozart home run that put the Reds up 1 – 0. I do hear someone clapping when it happened, but I couldn’t even get to the replay. One of the patrons tells me Cueto has looked pretty good.
At 8:30pm, I leave the party in the more than capable hands of my longest-tenured employee. We were only paid to watch over the party through 8:30pm, but he says he will stick around just in case because he doesn’t have anything else going on. I have to get to the store and buy some last minute items for the event tomorrow.
I get home around 9pm and find the announcers talking about Cueto leaving with a triceps/shoulder/lat issue. That’s just fantastic. I put the chicken on to boil, which is going to buy me about 45 minutes worth of game-watching. It takes a long time for a 20 quart stock pot to reach the boiling temperature, and then the chicken itself to boil in the water and Italian dressing mixture. The score is 1 – 1 at this point in the game.
Almost immediately, though, the Pirates go up 2 – 1. I mean, we’re talking about me walking through the door, hearing the announcers talking about Cueto as I start filling up the pot, and then they score a run. That’s not how I envisioned my actual game-watching to kick off.
A seemingly botched hit and run by Cesar Izturis has Ryan Hanigan thrown out trying to steal second in the sixth inning. At least that’s what I think happened. I find it hard to believe that Hanigan just had a straight steal sign. That could be costly. Hard to tell what would have happened if Izturis actually swung at the ball (or bunted or whatever), but he follows with a single and so does pitcher Alfredo Simon for his first major league hit. I can’t help but get the feeling we wasted an opportunity there, but you never know how an inning would have played out if one play were different. The entire strategy changes at that point from both sides.
In the Top of the seventh, Zach Cozart leads off with a double and Joey Votto walks. Then the next three guys fail to get anyone in. Cozart reached third on a sac fly from Jay Bruce, but this is one of those nights where the Reds offense is barely sputtering.
The Pirates add another run in the bottom of the seventh, and I start transferring the chicken into a roasting pan and get a second batch on to boil. I haven’t decided if I am going to make a bunch of this food tonight or hop up early in the morning to do it like I did for today’s event. I have been up since 5:30am, and I am running on fumes.
Over the final two innings, the Reds barely get a base runner as Joey Votto walks and went to second on defensive indifference. The final score ends at 3 – 1 Pirates, and the Reds have lost four in a row.
If you are wondering, I chop up the chicken roughly and decide to shred it finely in the morning. I have a bunch of other stuff to do in the morning, too, and decide to get up at 6am and grab a shower and just finish all the prep work at The Union. I get in bed around 11:30pm after getting everything wrapped up and refrigerated or cleaned and put away. It’s going to be another long day tomorrow, and losses do not help.
What Worked: The Reds pitching wasn’t terrible, as they gave up seven hits and three runs. Zach Cozart had a big game. It seems like every game that he has a home run, he also laces another extra base hit or two and has a great night at the plate. He should just hit a home run every game.
What Didn’t Work: The Reds’ offense besides Cozart was not much. The rest of the team went 4 – 27 and left 21 on base. They did draw seven walks, but every one of them were stranded. Johnny Cueto’s injury is hopefully just some spasms or tightness that doesn’t have him missing any time.
Where They Stand: The Reds are now 5 – 6 and trail the Cardinals by two games in the NL Central. They are also tied with the Pirates.
Overall Thoughts: I really hope Cueto is okay. We also have to be more consistent with our hitting. I’m not giving up on the team, but they can’t win playing like this. Four game slides happen, but this road trip has been horrible so far.
Up Next: The Reds finish the road trip with the last game against the Pirates tomorrow. I will be catering an event and then have to immediately get in a suit and tie for an awards banquet. This will be another tough game to try and watch.
