Rus Livingood
April 4, 2013 – Angels @ Reds – 12:35pm – Gameday on Reds.com and 107.1 on the Radio
Reds Record (1 – 1)
Home Record (1 – 1)
Angels Record (1 – 1)
Away Record (1 – 1)
Starters: Blanton (0 – 0) vs. Arroyo (0 – 0)
Storylines:
The Reds walked off with a win last night, and are looking to take the rubber game in the series today. As I have mentioned, these teams match up well and have played at each others’ level so far. Each team is hoping to get its sluggers going, but Joey Votto was able to get a game winning hit last night after not getting a hit up to that point.
The Setting: At Work in Huntington, WV
Today is a Thursday day game, which the Reds seem to play 15 times per season. That means I am watching via the Gameday link on reds.com, which has a cartoon-like view of the stadium and a couple of players, and shows a wealth of information about the pitches.
Most of the time, this doesn’t match the radio, of which I am also listening to. Marty Brenneman and Jeff Brantley are holding the mics today. While I’m at work, work comes first, so I will be missing even more of the game to answer the phone, deal with customers, and all the other tasks I am responsible for.
This dynamic creates an atmosphere where I feel like I am barely getting information at all at times, but that is the hand I am dealt.
The Game and Analysis:
•I get to turn the radio on as soon as Shin-Soo Choo hits his first homer as a Red. I have no idea what kind of pitch it was, as I was plugging our old CD player/radio in so I could listen to the game.
•Todd Frazier busts out a solo shot to lead off the Reds half of the second inning, giving the Reds a 2 – 0 lead.
•I have fielded 85,000 phone calls—most of which are not for my department—since the game came on. At least that is how it feels. It was dead for several hours before the game came on.
•Bronson Arroyo starts getting in a bit of trouble the second time through the lineup, and Josh Hamilton knocks in two runs with a single. Or does he? Choo’s throw to the plate was apparently on target and in time. Brantley tells us that catcher Ryan Hanigan tagged Albert Pujols for the out, and for some reason went to tag him a second time. At that point, the ball comes out and umpire C. B. Bucknor ruled him safe. C.B. Bucknor is my least favorite umpire, and that includes Country Joe West. 2 – 2 tie.
•A couple of customers came in and heard the Reds game was on and they shot the baseball breeze with us for a while. If you have to be interrupted, it is nice to have it be by Reds fans.
•Frazier launched another drive to the wall, but it hit the yellow line and came back into the field of play for a double. Frazier took third after a bobble by Mike Trout. Dusty Baker argued the call, but video evidence confirmed the ump’s call of a double.
•At this point, people decided to deluge my phone with calls. The other manager was out to lunch, and I missed all kinds of plays. Hanigan scored Frazier on a sacrifice fly, and the Angels answered in the next frame with a sac fly by Pujols that scored Frazier. The Reds answered quickly with a two run home run be Chris Heisey, and the Reds go up 5 – 3.
•Suddenly, I have to leave work and pick up one of my drivers, so the game listening venture went mobile. Alfredo Simon came in for the Reds and had a rough way of it. From the sounds of it, Mike Trout turned a single into a double on a hit to center by blazing around the bases. Josh Hamilton was held up at third later in the inning by a hustling Jay Bruce and his strong throw to the relay man. The Angels keep answering the Reds, but the Reds are holding a 5 – 4 lead.
•Back at work, I’m hopefully going to get to listen to the last couple of innings. I keep coming back to the thought that these two teams have been neck and neck the whole series.
•The announcers are commenting on C. B. Bucknor and his questionable calls behind the plate. They’re lucky they aren’t getting thrown out of the booth by ol’ Quick Trigger Bucknor.
•Sam LeCure is “The Man” in the Reds bullpen. He is very versatile and always seems to do a good job of painting the corners. He strikes out the side.
•After three up/three down in the bottom of the eighth, Aroldis Chapman comes in for the save with a 5 – 4 lead. Trout leads off with a single, and then Erick Aybar lays down a sacrifice bunt. Chapman bobbles it but throws a missile to first to get the out. Pujols lined out on a sharp liner to Jay Bruce, and the Reds have one out left.
It’s against Hamilton, who struck out against Chapman in the first game on a sick slider. Two fastballs put the count at 0 – 2, and I’m guessing slider. Trout had third stolen easily, but it was a foul tip.
…Swing and a miss, and THIS ONE BELONGS TO THE REDS!
•Chapman is very tough on lefties, and Hamilton would undoubtedly agree with that right now. Great win by the Reds!
What Worked: Shin-Soo Choo setting the table or putting runs on the board. He continues to look like a tremendous pickup, even though it is early in the season.
Chris Heisey has filled in nicely for the injured Ryan Ludwick so far, and his home run ultimately won the game for the Reds today.
The hustle and strong throws by the Reds defense saved at least one run today, and could have saved more if C.B. Bucknor would have been watching the same game. Defense builds a winner, and sometimes it is as simple as not allowing the runners to take that extra base. The Reds have already taken an extra base from second to third on small mishandlings after long doubles in back to back games, and that runner scored both times.
In one run games, that is huge.
What Didn’t Work: Keeping a lead. The Reds let the Angels back in it a couple of times, just like last night. This is nitpicking, though, as this Angels team is going to do that all year long.
There might be a lot more that could be written here, but the “viewing” and listening of the game was very disjointed today.
Overall Thoughts: Winning two out of three over the Angels to start the season was terrific. Either team could have swept the other, and each game came down to only one play, pretty much. At scores of 3 – 1; 5 – 4; and 5 – 4; both teams scored 11 runs in the series. Both teams have seen their sluggers leave the series with low batting averages, though every star on the teams made impacts.
Once these teams heat up, you are looking at two playoff teams and possible World Series contenders. Another thought is that I need to install a TV and a phone-free lounge at work so I can fully enjoy these Thursday day games.
Up Next: The Nationals come to town tomorrow for a weekend series, and the Reds will be tested again. They are a very good club and many have picked them to win it all this year. Should be a great series with some awesome weather.
I smell my first Reds cookout of the year!
