Rus Livingood
May 3, 2013 – Reds @ Cubs – 2:20pm – Radio – MLB Gameday – Fox Sports Cincinnati
Reds Record (15 – 14)
Away Record (3 – 10)
Cubs Record (11 – 17)
Home Record (5 – 7)
Starters: Leake (1 – 1) vs. Villanueva (1 – 1)
The Setting: At work for the first hour and a half, then home for a bit to pack up for a weekend trip. I’m not sure how much I will watch at home before hitting the road, but it should be near the end of the game.
Storylines: The Reds sorely need a good series against the Cubs. They have had trouble scoring recently, and have not played well on the road. This trip could end on a positive note or get worse quickly. We’ll see what happened.
The Game and Analysis:
•Oh my. Let me just start by telling you a little bit about the overall viewing of this game, and then move into what happened to us as we left for our two hour drive. I listened to the game on the radio until 4pm when I left work. When I got home minutes later, the Cubs scored a couple of runs to make it 4 – 2 Reds as we moved into the seventh inning. I watched the Reds score a couple of runs by the time I left (top of the eighth inning), and then climbed in the car to head back to where I grew up to visit my parents. I decided to take a two lane road for a large portion of the trip as there is construction on the interstate. We made it about 25 minutes down this curvy road when my 19 month old daughter threw up all over herself, her car seat, the backseat, and my wife as my wife tried to make sure the baby didn’t choke as she was throwing up. This stuff was rancid, and I could not find a place to pull over quick enough. This was a mess. We’re talking 10 gallons of crap in a five gallon bucket level of mess. I guess she got car sick on the curvy road.
•At the same time as we are having a meltdown in and beside the car, Aroldis Chapman was having one of his own on the mound. I had the car shut off as we were changing the baby, giving her a bath with wipes, and trying to clean the car seat and backseat of this chunky puke. Not being able to hear what is transpiring, I just check my phone. My daughter likes to look at things on the phone anyway, so I occupied her with that while we cleaned.
•Chapman gave up three singles to start the bottom of the ninth. I hear this part of the game. He gets the next two batters out, and that is when all hell broke loose for the Livingoods. My phone shows me a five pitch walk scored a run for the Cubs, and it is now 6 – 3. The next batter singled to drive another two runs in, and my world cannot get any worse. The stench coming from the backseat of our car makes me wonder if a homeless person died back there. Chapman walks another batter, loading the bases. He is removed for J. J. Hoover, who strikes out Darwin Barney on four pitches to mercifully end this game at 6 – 5 Reds. Unfortunately, I have another hour and a half or longer to travel in the car, and I have no idea if the kid is going to get sick again.
•The Reds did well on the offensive side of things in this game. Seven of the eight position players got hits, and all of them were on base. Four of the runs scored came on two out RBIs.
•Shin-Soo Choo got a couple of hits and an RBI, and he is hopefully putting a rough stretch behind him. Joey Votto went 2 – 3 and scored a couple of runs. Both were amongst the four Reds with a two out RBI.
•Mike Leake was pitching well until getting into a jam in the sixth inning. After allowing a couple of runs, Sam LeCure came in and threw one pitch to get out of the inning. This was just after I got home from work, and I had just told my wife that LeCure is the guy you can bring in to put out fires. He is the unsung hero of this bullpen.
•Chapman’s ERA jumped from 0.68 to 2.57 after giving up the three runs in 2/3 of an inning. After the game, manager Dusty Baker was asked about Chapman coming into the game in a non-save situation. Dusty responded by saying that Chapman had not pitched in three games and they wanted to give him some work. He said that people can second-guess and say that you’re pitching a guy too much or not enough but sometimes guys just can’t gets the outs they need and this was one of those instances. I couldn’t agree more.
What Worked: When you are getting two out hits and RBIs throughout the game, things are going well. The bats looked better and the pitching was pretty good except for Chapman in the ninth. On the Cubs’ side, they sent four pinch-hitters to the plate in the bottom of the ninth and all four reached base. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that before.
What Didn’t Work: Chapman wasn’t the Terminator like he normally is, and that is bound to happen occasionally.
Where They Stand: The Reds are 16 – 14 and trail the Cardinals and the Pirates in the NL Central.
Overall Thoughts: I am relieved that The Reds escaped with the win. The Livingoods also survived the smelly car, and my daughter slept most of the rest of the trip. Sometimes your dependable closer gets hit, and sometimes your baby throws up in the car. The Reds kicked off the series with a win, and I kicked off my trip with a good story to tell me daughter when she is older.
Up Next: Game two of the series is tomorrow afternoon, and I will be watching the game with my dad.
