Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy has retired from the Dayton Daily News after covering the Cincinnati Reds for 37 years. Hal's blog, though, will continue to be a must-read for Reds fans. He'll share his thoughts on the team this season and will file updates from Great American Ball Park. You also can catch Hal in print every Sunday in his popular Ask Hal columnHome > Blogs > The Real McCoy | Cincinnati Reds baseball news > Archives > 2011 > September > 15
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Bruce saves the night with Cueto in limbo
CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Reds hadn’t seen any of this b.s. since before the All-Star break — b.s. as in blown saves.
Coco Cordero was 16 for 16 in save situations since the break, but that ended Thursday night against the Chicago Cubs when he failed to preserve a two-run lead and preserve a victory for Homer Bailey in the ninth inning.
A 6-4 lead evaporated into a 6-6 tie and the Cubs’ rally was torched by a leadoff single by Springboro’s Tony Campana, who lined a pinch-hit single to left center to start the ninth.
The first inning was torture for Reds starter Homer Bailey. And it didn’t feel so good for the rest of the Reds, either.
Bailey gave up a pair of two-run home runs by Carlos Pena and Marlon Byrd in the first inning and fell behind, 4-0.
Then he shut it down. No himself, the Cubs. They didn’t score off him again and the Reds began pecking away — a home run by Brandon Phillips in the third and a home run by Chris Heisey in the fourth to draw the Reds within 4-2.
THEN THEY SCORED three in the fifth to take a 5-4 lead and enable Bailey to escape defeat and nearly claim a victory for his eventful five innings of four-run, six-hit, three-walk, nine-strikeout evening.
But Cordero fractured that possibility in the ninth and Bailey was deprived of his career-best ninth victory.
Aroldis Chapman walked two in the 10th and gave up two rockets that were caught on the run in deep center by Drew Stubbs that helped Chapman evade disaster.
Joey Votto and Jay Bruce saved it all in the 11th when Votto cracked a one-out, one-hop double off the left field wall and Bruce pulled his 31st home run on the frst pitch over the right field fence for an 8-6 victory.
It took more than four hours to accomplish it (thank you, Coco), but the Reds once again pulled with two games of .500 after taking three of four from the Cubs.
JOHNNY CUETO probably won’t pitch again this season. Then again, he might.
Depends.
Cueto was still in pain Thursday afternoon when he chatted with the media, mostly through a translator, after leaving his Wednesday start in the third inning with a strained lat.
Asked by a writer if he would make another start this year, Cueto said in clear English, “No, I don’t think so.”
Before he could say another word, several teammates and a club official said, “Johnny, wait for a translator. Get a translator.”
SO SOMEBODY fetched his regular translator, Tomas Vera, and the story changed a tad.
“I don’t know if I’ll pitch again at this point,” said Cueto through Vera. “I want to throw but it hurts and I feel sore and it is painful right now. The doctor today told me I will lose the next outing and we’ll see how it progresses to see if I can pitch one more time.”
Cueto’s next turn would be Monday against Houston and that’s a definite no-go.
AND IS THERE any benefit to Cueto making one more start when it might be better to shut it down and heal completely?
“I don’t know of any benefit and I don’t want to push and get any medication (cortisone) in my shoulder just to pitch one more time,” he said. “I just want to see if I feel OK to pitch one more time and if not I just have to get healthy and be ready for next year.”
Cueto could finish with the lowest earned run average in the National League, but needs six more innings (162) to qualify. He is head-to-head with LA’s Clayton Kershaw, trailing 2.30 to 2.31 and Philly’s Roy Halladay is not far behind Cueto at 2.34.
“I would like to have kept going the way I was pitching and I was battling for the title, but if God decides something different there is nothing you can do,” he said.
There is no tangible award for having the lowest ERA and Cueto signed a long-term contract before this season, so it is not a salary push.
MANAGER DUSTY Baker is astride a fence, too, awaiting medical magic and Mother Nature.
“I don’t at this point know what is best, but he is going to skip a start,” said Baker. “That gives him nine or ten days in between, so we’ll see. It depends on how he feels. If he feels OK, then possibly. The key word is possibly. If he doesn’t feel good, then definitely not.”
Asked if there is any reason to send him out again, Baker said, “The ERA title is some consideration, but if he doesn’t have a chance to win it by then we’ll talk to him and talk to the doctor and do what’s best for him.”
Baker has a couple of extra starters in Travis Wood and Matt Maloney for Monday’s start and said, “Maloney is probably a little more stretched out than Wood right now. Or we could go with a bullpen day, too — somebody three innings, somebody else three innings, then one, one and one, depending upon the condition of our bullpen when the time comes.”
AS PROMISED, Brandon Phillips’ younger brother, P.J. Phillips, an outfielder in the Angels system, showed up in the clubhouse Thursday.
His attire was, uh, interesting. He wore a black t-shirt with Charlie Hustle on the front and a picture of Pete Rose.
LOST IN SWIRL of Johnny Cueto’s injury Wednesday night was an unbelievable play in the ninth inning by third baseman Juan Francisco.
With one out in the ninth inning, Chicago’s Marlon Byrd scorched one over the third base bag, a sure-fire double. But Francisco ran to the line, backhanded the ball about eight feet behind the bag, whirled and threw a line drive to first base for the out.
“That was Brooks Robinson stuff right there,” said Baker. “He threw that ball like a taut rope to first bae on the fly. He is getting better and better, improving every day.”
DREW STUBBS isn’t the only member of the Reds with lots of ‘Ks’ associated with his name. Stubbs entered Thursday’s game with 191 strikeouts, four shy of Adam Dunn’s club record. But Jay Bruce had 145 whiffs and Joey Votto 113.
Stubbs struck out 168 times last year and Bruce fanned 136 times, so both have already surpassed last year’s totals. Votto is on abou the same pace after striking out 113 times last year.
Amazingly, the Reds have 1,126 strikeouts, but there are five teams in the league with more.
JAY BRUCE is the Reds’ nominee this year for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award. Although Bruce was born 15 years after Clemente died in a plane crash en route to Nicaragua to aid earthquake victims, Bruce knows all about the Hall of Fame right fielder.
“I know he was one of the best, on and off the field in everything,” said Bruce. “He helped many different communities and countries, not just his own. I know he died right after he got 3,000 hits, on the nose.”
When told Clemente had an arm much like his, Bruce smiled and said, “I think his might have been a little better than mine. And what did he win, 12 Gold Gloves? He was the best at what he did for when he was here and it is a shame it got cut short.”
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TweetMaybe, maybe not for another Cueto start
CINCINNATI — Johnny Cueto probably won’t pitch again this season. Then again, he might.
Depends.
Cueto was still in pain Thursday afternoon when he chatted with the media, mostly through a translator, after leaving his Wednesday start in the third inning with a strained lat.
Asked by a writer if he would make another start this year, Cueto said in clear English, “No, I don’t think so.”
Before he could say another word, several teammates and a club official said, “Johnny, wait for a translator. Get a translator.”
SO SOMEBODY fetched his regular translator, Tomas Vera, and the story changed a tad.
“I don’t know if I’ll pitch again at this point,” said Cueto through Vera. “I want to throw but it hurts and I feel sore and it is painful right now. The doctor today told me I will lose the next outing and we’ll see how it progresses to see if I can pitch one more time.”
Cueto’s next turn would be Monday against Houston and that’s a definite no-go.
AND IS THERE any benefit to Cueto making one more start when it might be better to shut it down and heal completely?
“I don’t know of any benefit and I don’t want to push and get any medication (cortisone) in my shoulder just to pitch one more time,” he said. “I just want to see if I feel OK to pitch one more time and if not I just have to get healthy and be ready for next year.”
Cueto could finish with the lowest earned run average in the National League, but needs six more innings (162) to qualify. He is head-to-head with LA’s Clayton Kershaw, trailing 2.30 to 2.31 and Philly’s Roy Halladay is not far behind Cueto at 2.34.
“I would like to have kept going the way I was pitching and I was battling for the title, but if God decides something different there is nothing you can do,” he said.
There is no tangible award for having the lowest ERA and Cueto signed a long-term contract before this season, so it is not a salary push.
MANAGER DUSTY Baker is astride a fence, too, awaiting medical magic and Mother Nature.
“I don’t at this point know what is best, but he is going to skip a start,” said Baker. “That gives him nine or ten days in between, so we’ll see. It depends on how he feels. If he feels OK, then possibly. The key word is possibly. If he doesn’t feel good, then definitely not.”
Asked if there is any reason to send him out again, Baker said, “The ERA title is some consideration, but if he doesn’t have a chance to win it by then we’ll talk to him and talk to the doctor and do what’s best for him.”
Baker has a couple of extra starters in Travis Wood and Matt Maloney for Monday’s start and said, “Maloney is probably a little more stretched out than Wood right now. Or we could go with a bullpen day, too — somebody three innings, somebody else three innings, then one, one and one, depending upon the condition of our bullpen when the time comes.”
AS PROMISED, Brandon Phillips’ younger brother, P.J. Phillips, an outfielder in the Angels system, showed up in the clubhouse Thursday.
His attire was, uh, interesting. He wore a black t-shirt with Charlie Hustle on the front and a picture of Pete Rose.
LOST IN SWIRL of Johnny Cueto’s injury Wednesday night was an unbelievable play in the ninth inning by third baseman Juan Francisco.
With one out in the ninth inning, Chicago’s Marlon Byrd scorched one over the third base bag, a sure-fire double. But Francisco ran to the line, backhanded the ball about eight feet behind the bag, whirled and threw a line drive to first base for the out.
“That was Brooks Robinson stuff right there,” said Baker. “He threw that ball like a taut rope to first bae on the fly. He is getting better and better, improving every day.”
DREW STUBBS isn’t the only member of the Reds with lots of ‘Ks’ associated with his name. Stubbs entered Thursday’s game with 191 strikeouts, four shy of Adam Dunn’s club record. But Jay Bruce had 145 whiffs and Joey Votto 113.
Stubbs struck out 168 times last year and Bruce fanned 136 times, so both have already surpassed last year’s totals. Votto is on abou the same pace after striking out 113 times last year.
Amazingly, the Reds have 1,126 strikeouts, but there are five teams in the league with more.
JAY BRUCE is the Reds’ nominee this year for the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award. Although Bruce was born 15 years after Clemente died in a plane crash en route to Nicaragua to aid earthquake victims, Bruce knows all about the Hall of Fame right fielder.
“I know he was one of the best, on and off the field in everything,” said Bruce. “He helped many different communities and countries, not just his own. I know he died right after he got 3,000 hits, on the nose.”
When told Clemente had an arm much like his, Bruce smiled and said, “I think his might have been a little better than mine. And what did he win, 12 Gold Gloves? He was the best at what he did for when he was here and it is a shame it got cut short.”
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