Rus Livingood
May 30, 2013 – Reds @ Indians – 7:05pm – Fox Sports Cincinnati
Reds Record (33 – 20)
Away Record (13 – 13)
Indians Record (28 – 24)
Home Record (16 – 10)
Starters: Bailey (3 – 3) vs. Kazmir (2 – 2)
The Setting: At The Union Pub & Grill (cheap plug: if you are ever in Huntignton, WV, stop in and buy some food!) for the start of a game for a meeting, then home for the remainder of the game.
The Game and Analysis:
•You know those games where you immediately want to turn the game off because your team is getting blown out, but you can’t because you are writing a blog about your watching/following every single game they play during the season? Yeah, this was one of those games. The Indians scored seven times in the fourth inning on their way to destroying the Reds 7 – 1. Read on to see if I tried to take a bath with a toaster.
•Well, a friend and I were watching the Reds game at bar and grill that I own a portion of (the kitchen of the establishment), as we discussed budgetary issues. Not much was happening besides a double by Jay Bruce in the second, and three singles in the third by the Reds that didn’t produce a run (more on that later). The Indians got a walk and a hit in their half of the third inning, but Homer Bailey was cruising for the most part. Then, the fourth inning came along.
• After the Reds went down in order, the Indians came to the plate. Here is how the inning unfolded:
1. Asdrubal Cabrera was hit by a pitch.
2. Nick Swisher struck out looking.
3. Carlos Santana hit a single that moved Cabrera to second.
4. Mark Reynolds struck swinging.
5. Michael Brantley singles in Cabrera (1 – 0) and Santana goes to third on the play. Brantley was nearly half way to second and was close to being thrown out at first, but Joey Votto got back to the bag around the same time as Brantley and there was no relay throw.
6. Yan Gomes singled in Santana (2 – 0), and Brantley moved to second. Brantley stole third during the next at bat to put runners on the corners.
7. Ryan Raburn doubled in Brantley (3 – 0), with Gomes holding at third. Pitching Coach Bryan Price comes out to talk to Bailey.
8. Michael Bourn doubled in Gomes and Raburn (5 – 0) on a fly ball that landed just inside the foul line in left field.
9. Jason Kipnis singled in Bourn (6 – 0) and Bailey is taken out of the game for reliever Alfredo Simon.
10. Cabrera, batting for the second time in the inning, doubles in Kipnis (7 – 0).
11. Nick Swisher mercifully ends the inning by flying out.
•The Indians came up with six consecutive hits with two outs in the inning, three of them doubles. Eight men reached base in the inning, seven via hits and one via hit by pitch. Swisher made two of the three outs. It was just the nightmare that would not end for Reds fans. I left the bar as soon as the inning was over, and headed toward home. One of my buddies (Braves fan) messaged me and said that “Y’all (the Reds) are getting scalped.” All I could do is laugh.
•The Reds lone run came on a Bruce single in the 6th inning, scoring Brandon Phillips who had just doubled. Bruce went 2 – 4 on the night with a double and an RBI. The Reds had multiple innings of getting runners in scoring position with one or no outs, but could not get the runners across the plate.
•Derrick Robinson went 2 – 3 for the Reds as he started in left field. Hindsight is 20/20, but I was saying before the game that Robinson might be better served in the second slot rather than Cesar Izturis. Would it have made a difference? Of course not. However, I question why Izturis is batting second in Cozart’s stead, when his average and on base percentage is so low. The speedy Robinson is also a switch hitter, and is a much better fit there.
•Although it did not result in an out, Phillips’ play at second in the seventh inning was one of the more impressive defensive plays you will see. The ball was chopped up the middle, and Phillips was heading that way to field the ball. The ball hit the bag and shot up in the air toward where Phillips had just come from. He instinctively leaped up and stretched out with his glove to field the ball and transferred it to his throwing hand in one motion while in the air. He was in his throwing motion as he hit the ground with his left foot, and he immediately fired to first. The batter beat the throw by a step, or otherwise you would be seeing this on every top play list for the year. In my opinion, it should be there anyway.
What Worked: Uh, the Indians only scored in one inning? Actually, that is something to say, all joking aside. The Reds held the Indians in check with the exception of that fourth inning. Now that sounds ridiculous because they exploded for seven runs in that inning, but if Brantley would have been thrown out retreating to first base, this could have been a pitchers’ duel.
What Didn’t Work: Nearly everything. The Reds could not produce runs in their several innings of chances. Bailey couldn’t get that final out in the fourth, and the Indians hit him hard.
Where They Stand: The Reds are 33 – 21 and trail the Cardinals by 2.5 games and the Pirates by 1.0 game in the NL Central.
Overall Thoughts: I did not take a toaster bath.
Up Next: The Reds travel to Pittsburgh for a big series with the Pirates. They are two of the best teams in baseball, and the Reds will have a prime opportunity to retake their position of second in their division, or they could drop considerably depending on the results.
