Rus Livingood
June 4, 2013 – Rockies @ Reds – 7:10pm – Fox Sports Cincinnati
Reds Record (36 – 22)
Home Record (21 – 7)
Rockies Record (30 – 28)
Away Record (12 – 16)
Starters: Nicasio (4 – 2) vs. Bailey (3 – 4)
The Setting: I am sitting in my recliner on the couch in front of my television. This is real life.
The Game and Analysis:
•I didn’t see that coming. When the Reds had the lead and the ball was given to Sam LeCure, I was already looking ahead to Aroldis Chapman coming in for the save unless the Reds padded their run total in the bottom of the eighth. But the Rockies came back and stole one from the Reds 5 – 4. Here’s how it transpired.
•The Reds stranded Shin-Soo Choo after a leadoff double in their half of the first inning. We’ve been seeing Zack Cozart bunt runners over more often, but he struck out on three pitches. Joey Votto and Jay Bruce were retired, and the Reds were quickly 0 – 3 with runners in scoring position.
•Homer Bailey gave up three runs in the top of the second to fall behind the Rockies early. Michael Cuddyer hit a single, and then with one out Yorvit Torrealba hit a ground rule double down the right field line. It was a break for the Reds as it prevented the run from scoring, but now they had runners on second and third with one out. Jonathan Herrera doubled in both runners in the next at bat to make the score 2 – 0. Dexter Fowler would later single in Herrera for the 3 – 0 Rockies lead.
•The Reds started chipping back, as Todd Frazier doubled in the second inning, moved to third on a groundout, and then scored on a groundout by Ryan Hanigan. That is why I always argue with the Sabermetrics gurus that say a strikeout is just the same as any other out. Clearly it is not. Cozart struck out in the first and Choo stayed put on second base. It is hard to move runners when you don’t put the ball in play. You also bring up the possibilities of errors, which can lead to much bigger things. Anyway, the score was 3 – 1 after two innings.
•It would stay that way until the fourth inning when Frazier doubled in Votto, who had singled to open the inning. Hanigan would double him in, and it was now tied 3 – 3. Now let’s revisit the Rockies’ three run inning for a second. With one out and runners on second and third, the pitcher was on deck. The Reds pitched to Herrera, and he hit the two run double. An intentional walk would have put an extra runner on, but would have brought up a force out at home or the possibility of a double play. Back to this inning for the Reds, and Hanigan is on second with two outs. The Rockies intentionally walked light-hitting Cesar Izturis to get to Bailey, and he grounded out to end the inning. Should the Reds have employed a similar strategy earlier, even though it was different circumstances? The power of hindsight tells me yes!
•The Rockies threatened in the seventh inning, as Todd Helton singled to lead off. Torrealba successfully bunted him to second and a single by Herrera moved him to third. The Rockies brought in pinch hitter Jordan Pacheco to bat for the pitcher, but Bailey got him to ground into a 5-4-3 double play to end the inning.
•In the bottom of the seventh, a mental lapse allowed the Reds to take the lead. Xavier Paul hit a pinch hit double (batting for Bailey) with one out. Choo singled to follow him, but Paul was held at third. Pitcher Edgmer Escalona then tried the old “fake to third, step off the mound and then throw to first” move, which is no longer allowed and is a balk. That moved the runners up, scoring Paul to make the score 4 – 3. The Reds would further threaten to add to their lead, as Zack Cozart walked, but Votto and Bruce both struck out swinging.
•And that brought on Sam LeCure to pitch the eighth inning. The eighth inning has been Jonathan Broxton’s inning, and the big guy was coming off the Pirates game where he allowed the tying home run and blew the hold. LeCure has been the best reliever in the bullpen all year, and is seriously undervalued when people talk about the Reds bullpen. He is very reliable and I was relieved when I saw him come into the game. As mentioned, I was already looking to Chapman in the ninth. But a funny thing happened on the way to my dream scenario, as Carlos Gonzalez drew a two out walk, and then Troy Tulowitzki lined a two run homer to left-centerfield. Well, technically it was ruled a ground rule double by one of the umps on the field but it was quickly—and correctly—reversed to a home run after video review. The Rockies were now up 5 – 4, which was the final score.
•The final six batters for the Reds were retired in order, and the Rockies came away with the victory.
What Worked: Bailey settled down and pitched well after the three run inning. At one point, he retired 13 batters in a row. The Reds battled back to tie the game and then take the lead. Frazier picked up two hits for the fourth consecutive game, and has a five game hitting streak. It was also good to see Choo pick up a couple of hits, including the leadoff double.
What Didn’t Work: The Reds were 2 – 13 with runners in scoring position, and wasted several prime opportunities to score. The strategies employed in a couple of key scenarios were questionable, but as I said I had the power of hindsight on my side. I still think Cozart should have bunted Choo to third in the first inning to put a man at third with one out. A lot can happen in that scenario to score a runner, and one run made the difference in this game.
Where They Stand: The Reds are 36 – 23 and are 2.5 games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central. They are 1.0 game ahead of the Pirates.
Overall Thoughts: I hate it when the Reds lose, but I hate it even more when they should have won. This game and the Pirates game from Sunday frustrate me because the team was in prime position to win and let the game slip away. Such is life. At least the Cardinals lost, too.
Up Next: The final game of this series is tomorrow.
