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 > 2012 > May > 02 > Entry
Samardzija: Can’t spell him, can’t hit him
CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Reds could neither spell Samardzija nor hit him Wednesday night in Great American Ball Park.
Jeff Samardzija, a former All-American wide receiver at Notre Dame, now pitches for the Chicago Cubs and on Wednesday he had the Reds begging to buy a vowel during a 3-1 Cubs victory during which the Reds scraped together only one run and three hits off him in 7 2/3 innings.
Bronson Arroyo used up 99 pitches to travel seven innings and only gave up three runs on nine hits, but two of those hits left the playing area — solo home runs by Bryan LaHair and Ian Stewart.
The Reds had only six baserunners and only two reached second base — Joey Votto, who struck and reached first on a wild pitch, then scored the team’s only run and Jay Bruce, who doubled.
Down 3-1 in the ninth against Cubs closer Carlos Marmol, The Reds went down meekly and mildly as Drew Stubbs took a called third strike on 3-and-2, Joey Votto flied to the wall in left field and Brandon Phillips took a called third strike for the second time in the game, both times disputing umpire Dana DeMuth.
“That’s the best (pitching) we’ve seen against us this year,” said manager Dusty Baker. “Usually he doesn’t have that kind of control. But he was 95 and 98 all night and when he left he was 96 and 98. It wasn’t us tonight, it was him.”
Of Arroyo, Baker said, “He just missed location (on the two home run pitches), the only two mistakes he made all night. When a guy is dealing against you like that, you can’t give up much and he didn’t. It was just all Samardzija tonight.”
Easy for you to say.
So the Reds’ flirtation with 500 sunk one below again, down to 11-12 and 4 ½ games behind the division-leading St. Louis Cardinals.
WHEN IT COMES to baseball bats, Louisville Slugger is the begin-all and end-all for most players.
Most.
Ever hear of Marucci bats? Me neither — not until I read a piece in Men’s Journal this month.
A few years ago, Jack Marucci’s young son wanted a wooden bat to use in Little League instead of one of those aluminum things that go ‘ping’ in the night. He wanted real wood, like the big leaguers use.
Marucci searched and searched for a wooden bat that his son could use, but couldn’t find one. So he went to his garage in Baton Rouge, La., and made one.
Soon he was making them for his son’s teammates and it began getting out of hand so he began charging $15, what it cost for him to make them. Then it became a hobby.
One day he mentioned it to a friend, who happened to be Eduardo Perez, a former Cincinnati Reds infielder and a son of Hall of Famer Tony Perez. Eduardo asked Marucci to make him one, so he did. Then Marucci was stunned to turn on the TV one night and see Perez using his bat.
A monster was born. Now more than 300 major leaguers, about one-third of them, use Marucci bats — including Albert Pujols.
Three Reds players use Marucci — Todd Frazier, Miguel Cairo, Willie Harris.
Frazier pulled his model out of his locker Wednesday, a black beauty with ‘M’ on the barrel.
“When you get to big-league camp for the first time you are allowed to pick out 12 free bats,” said Frazier. “I decided I wanted to try something new so I got on-line and found Marucci. They are sweet bats, man, really hard wood.”
Marucci’s wood comes from Pennsylvania and its quality was so good that he bought the mill that supplies him. He claims a solid Marucci bat can add 12 to 15 feet on hard-hit balls, “Maybe the difference in five home runs.”
When told that, Frazier said, “Oh, yeah? I’ll take that.”
WHEN THE REDS and Cubs were rained out Tuesday, there was consideration for the teams to play a doubleheader Thursday instead of just the scheduled 12:35 game.
Instead it was decided to play a doubleheader in August when the Cubs come back to Cincinnati.
And Reds manager Dusty Baker was so happy he could have jumped and clicked his heels without losing the toothpick out of his mouth. Why? A doubleheader would have messed up his pitching rotation.
BRONSON ARROYO WAS scheduled to pitch Tuesday, but he came back Wednesday night with an extra day of rest.
Baker was asked if an extra day for Arroyo was good, bad or indifferent, Baker said, “It’s good for Bronson at this point in time of the year. He has been having a little problem with his lower back again and this gave him an extra day of treatment.”
But had the Reds have to play a doubleheader Thursday, Baker’s rotation would be a mess.
He would have had to pitch Homer Bailey and Mike Leake on Thursday, “And that really would have messed up our rotation. Then we would have had to get somebody in here for Friday in Pittsburgh (from Class AAA Louisville) and send somebody out we didn’t want to send out. Some guys would then have been off almost a week.”
When the Cubs return and play a doubleheader, the Reds will be in the midst of playing 17 games in 16 days, another way to shred a rotation. But Baker said, “We’ll be in good shape by then with our pitchers.”
BAKER WOULDN’T BITE when it was mentioned that Jay Bruce is coming up on 2,000 at-bats and he is only 25 years old, so his figures to put up big, big numbers.
“You don’t know,” said Baker “A lot of water has to go under that bridge They thought Bob Horner was going to break all of Hank Aaron’s records, too. Never happened. You just have to live and play. Nobody can predict or project anything.
“That fact that he has 2,000 at-bats at 25 just means he got here quicker,” said Baker.
SOMEBODY ASKED Baker if he was aware of what shortstop Billy Hamilton is doing at high Class A Bakersfield — 29 steals in 23 games, .398, 18 strikeouts, 14 walks.
“Yep, I’m glad for him,” said Baker. “Keep progressing, keep progressing on his total game, not just the highlights, the stolen bases. The total game. He is a great kid and he is playing great. You want him to stay healthy and he is doing a lot of running.
“He’s like a little kid — how do you stop him from running,” Baker added. “Remember when you were a kid and your mom told you, ‘Stop running, boy,’ and you don’t until you bump your heard on a corner of table. But… .run while you can run.”
A JOHNNY ROCKETS restaurant across the street from Great American Ball Park is selling a Dusty’s Bacon Burger in honor of Dusty Baker, but it isn’t held together by a toothpick nor does it come wrapped in wrist bands.
QUOTE OF THE DAY — “I was told a long time ago that staying in the majors is a lot harder than getting to the majors. My rookie year I was standing on first base and Ron Fairly told me that. I thought I was going pretty good and I didn’t know what the hell he was talking about until three or four years later. I thought I’d be here forever.”
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By slag
May 4, 2012 9:19 AM | Link to this
LMAO when Marty said “great AB by Harris” when he walked..Are you freakin’ kidding me??? Is that what it’s become?? A little league player should know better when facing a hack like Marmol than to swing at his pitches… Baker IS NOT the guy to lead this team ..He’s a .500 manager here, at best, and any person that says, as he did a couple years ago, “walks just clog the bases” instills just a bad vibe and philosophy into his team….Dusty’s philosophy is “swing early and swing hard” and that will continually lead to the same type games where we struggle to hit, move runners, and allow most pitchers to have lean pitch counts going into 6th/7th innings of games..I’ve said this alot : 2,4,3,5,2,13,4,3,3,4,5,1,15,etc…These are typical, year-in and year-out, scoring lines of reds games…..The “13” and the “15” scored are the reason that they remain in the top 5-6 every year in the NL in scoring…It’s all those other games they look like unapathetic hacks that kill this franchise……. Baker just can’t get out of his own way..Rather than accepting the fact Stubbs is NOT a lead-off hitter, Baker just waits for him to get on a decent streak and then he moves him back there…It just takes a real imbecile to look at things like that…Get BP back to leadoff since he’s swinging from his heels in the 4 spot and not doing anything, get Cozart or even Stubbs (as he was actually showing real consistency for 5-6 games) at 2, get Bruce to 4 to both protect Votto AND to help this team win games…
By WilmingtonGary
May 3, 2012 5:32 PM | Link to this
The pitching today was again outstanding. The relief pitching is fantastic. We needed this come from behinder. Just lucky that Cubs manager outdumbed Dusty by going beyond 3 batters with Marmol.
By jim t
May 3, 2012 4:17 PM | Link to this
WilmingtonGary all joking aside.If the reds could find a left handed hitter that has the versitility that Harris has they would let him go. There is no one. If as you say we should have brought up Janish a RH hitting infielder that is a out at the plate isn’t the answer either. The better option until a better move can be made is to sit tight until a good move can be made or Harris heats up and performs more to his norm.The guy has been around the league a long time. Some baseball people must think he has value. If I remember correctly Cairo was just as bad at first and he turned out alright.
By DD
May 3, 2012 4:04 PM | Link to this
Showed a little life in the 9th, huh Gary? UGLY win but when they count them up at the end of the year they don’t ask how you got there! I’m getting more and more convinced we need to get Phillips back in the leadoff position - unless his hamstring is still bothering him and his speed. Votto can’t do much when no one gets on in front of him. Heisey given a chance today and he fails ala Cozart and Stubbs. Let’s keep the ball rolling in our favor in Pukesburgh!
By jim t
May 3, 2012 3:50 PM | Link to this
As I perdicted the reds win LOL!! Harris draws the leadoff walk in 9th that starts the rally.
By WilmingtonGary
May 3, 2012 3:14 PM | Link to this
If I had had my way Janish would have been up a couple of weeks ago and he wouldn’t have a broken wrist. Just because I want things shaken up doesn’t mean I don’t see the bigger picture. This team has no life, no excitement. They have taken on Dusty’s personality and attitude. I’ve read Dusty’s comments and it sounds more like his goal is playing .500 ball.
By hbc
May 3, 2012 1:50 PM | Link to this
In the posts about limited choices to PH, there were actually 5 choices, unless Ludwick was unavailable for some reason.
By Kyle
May 3, 2012 1:43 PM | Link to this
Jim, I am with you, no understanding how the Reds compete with a lineup of Heisey, Harris, and Valzdez. Its the lineup that should be used if we had already won the first two games.
By jim t
May 3, 2012 12:29 PM | Link to this
DD, couldn’t agree more. Some people just don’t see the big picture. No manager in the history of the game could do better with the way the offense is producing. Check the match ups today. Stubbs and Rolen have been horrible against Dempster. Cozart is hitting 194 in his last 8 games. Stubbs is 4-for-21 against Dempster, Rolen is 6-for-34. Harris is 3-7 against him. We may be seeing a competition for who goes between Harris and Valdez when Cairo comes back. not alot of offensive options for Dusty. All that said, I still think they win today.
By jim m.
May 3, 2012 11:40 AM | Link to this
Dusty is playing his “B” lineup this afternoon against the Cubs. Bet Dempster is smiling. Glad I dont have to waste my time going. No Frazier, but play the non hitting Harris?? what a joke!!
By DD
May 3, 2012 11:15 AM | Link to this
No need to panic. Samardzija was on fire. Sitting behind home plate, I noticed he had 5 balls thru the first 3 innings. Impressive. Although I can’t stand him, I have no problem with playing Harris in that spot. Like someone else mentioned, he’s on the roster and you really only have 3 bench guys when you don’t count the catcher. Can’t use Frazier there - who would want to see Harris or Valdez pinch hitting in the 8th or 9th if we were able to close the gap? Not me. And, the last time I checked the Reds do have a GM who has final say on personnel decisions. Tough to blame Dusty when it’s Jocketty’s (who is a proven GM) call. He has plans for the roster that none of us know of. I am a big believer that this season is dependent on one of three guys: Rolen, Ludwick or Heisey. One of them MUST start hitting. Neither Cozart nor Stubbs can handle the leadoff spot. Phillips must fill that role which leaves cleanup open. Until we see one of these three starting to hit the ball consistently with some power, I’d like to see Bruce moved up to 4. Not ideal to have lefties back-to-back, but what other options do we have? Thoughts?
By jim t
May 3, 2012 11:10 AM | Link to this
WilmingtonGary, love your passion for the home team but I perfer you as a fan rather than a decison maker.Carry the extra bull pen arm is a neccessity nowadays. Pitchers unfortunately rarely go nine anymore. you also haven’t told me who you would have WALT replace Harris with. Is it really fair of Walt to make Dusty manage shorthanded. I mean in your mind Dusty should never use Harris. Wouldn’t that put us at a competitive disadvantage as well. The team is 4.5 games out of first. 23 games into the season. Dusty makes 3.5 mil. Yes, my all means lets send him home and pay him because the next guy in will not play Harris and this we’ll vault the reds into first place.All Bob C has to do is eat the 3.5 mil and pay the new guy. You want to help the reds buy a ticket and hope Rolen finds the fountain of youth.
By WilmingtonGary
May 3, 2012 10:43 AM | Link to this
Come on Jim T., anytime you use Harris it’s a problem. He’s nothing but dead weight. Would rather have 4 Rh’ers on the bench, can’t be worse against RH pitchers than Harris. How about going with 11 pitchers and 5 bench positions. When the status quo is not working, get creative, change things. Don’t be afraid of change and don’t let fear of the worst outcome, keep you undecisive. We need to be bold, show we have some balls, and make changes. And yes, I would get rid of Harris and Dusty.
By jim t
May 3, 2012 10:18 AM | Link to this
batting harris in that spot is not a issue. With Ml teams carry 12 pitchers these days that leaves you 4 bench spots. One of them is your back up catcher, so he is only going to hit in a emergency. that leaves you 3 PH’s. Frazier who batted later, Valdez and Harris. harris is a lefty and Pitcher was a righty. No problem hitting him in that spot. Arroyo could have walked him and pitched to the pitcher. My guess is he was pitching to him but was trying to let him expand his zone and get himself out. Arroyo missed his spot and Soto made him pay. Hardly Dusty’s fault.
By WilmingtonGary
May 3, 2012 10:09 AM | Link to this
Slag. “If ifs and buts were candy and nuts, oh what a season it would be.”
By Lineup
May 3, 2012 9:08 AM | Link to this
Everyone needs to just relax. Samardzija was on fire last night. He was far better than Lohse or anyone the Nationals threw at the ‘nati so far this season. Firing 97-98 in the 7th inning, he has the opportunity to be a very good starting pitcher. I have said this all year, the Reds are going to be just fine. Quit freaking out because they got beat after two days off facing a very good starting pitcher. They will wake up a bit against Dempster and then have a get-healthy series with the Doc’s Pirates Who Suck.
By Swept to the curb
May 3, 2012 8:20 AM | Link to this
Takes offense and defense. Just like football.
By Ron
May 3, 2012 8:08 AM | Link to this
The way this team is playing Dusty isn’t going to make it to the break. It is going to be interesting to see what they do with Todd Frazier when Cairo comes off the DL. If they keep Harris on this roster and send Frazier back down that might just do it for me. I can hear Dusty now, “we need a left handed bat off the bench”. I bet Frazier can turn around and bat left handed and have a better BA than Harris has. Go Reds, don’t get swept by Chicago at home.
By slag
May 3, 2012 8:01 AM | Link to this
Not a Baker fan here but you guys are killing him here..There are boat loads of PH’s in MLB that have rotten averages just as there are boat loads of players starting not even hitting less than .200 right now…The whole agenda of getting the PH up there is for the match-up and the way the Cubs pitcher was throwing that slider it was pretty lean that another RH pinch hitter was going to hit him.What if Harris had hit a high chopper to 3rd and beaten it out??Would you feel better? Would it have been a good move by DB to bat him?? After all, it would have been a hit, correct? Well, you’d probably still hate him but he would be 1-1 last night with a judy- type, candy a*s of a hit.Yes, Harris has been bad but remember folks, it’s baseball and his next 2 hits raises the average 50 points…The point is it’s a “fine line” type of game and to lay the blame at DB every freakin’, single time a guy blows a smelly fart is just wrong. Yes,I did not agree with letting Arroyo pitch to Soto because there ain’t a pitch that BA throws that actually gets by hitters which means lots of balls hit bats so then anything can happen.And if you’re going to pull Arroyo for a hitter in the bottom of the inning then why let him even pitch to Soto at any cost?
By mark
May 3, 2012 7:50 AM | Link to this
Who’s the quote of the day by?
By dale
May 3, 2012 5:46 AM | Link to this
I think i will pass on the LaRussa burger . It has a bun filled with hot air, and aside dish of B.S and served with a glass of whine.
By glass insulators
May 3, 2012 12:54 AM | Link to this
Acabo de libro marcó su blog www.daytondailynews.com en Digg y Technorati. Me gusta leer tus comentarios.
By WilmingtonGary
May 3, 2012 12:46 AM | Link to this
Dusty said “That’s the best (pitching) we’ve seen against us this year,”. Excuse me Dusty ! I think you forgot about Lohse, The Nationals, etc. And if it was the best why in the world would you send Willie Harris to pinch hit. You have several RH hitters that can outhit Harris against RH pitching. Dusty ball is alive and well in Cincinnati.
By Bob
May 3, 2012 12:46 AM | Link to this
Whenever this team has a night off you can expect very little to talk about after the next day’s game; and when they have TWO NIGHTS off, you can count on a nine-man- coma…make that ten{Baker}, plus the bench, coma! This group hasn’t enough maturity to impress after vacation days. Pitiful. Just ONCE play small ball you moron. MAKE STUBBS BUNT FOR A HIT! AND, Don’t let him swing at a pitch ever again, until he lays down three perfect bunts. The next time he takes a third strike…TRADE HIM for a ball bag. Any manager who needs something to happen in a game like tonight, and can think of nothing better than to pinch hit Willy Harris, should be run out of the country! And, what are they paying this big waste of oxygen? To think that some idiots praise this poor excuse for a manager…
By Randyman1956
May 3, 2012 12:12 AM | Link to this
I think I’ll hold off for the LaRussa Burger.
By bobmc
May 2, 2012 10:57 PM | Link to this
Has there ever been a manager in mlb that would pinch hit Willie Harris over and over; he with the .100 BA? Arroyo is hitting .200. Even if you are not pitching him in the next inning, wouldn’t it be better for Bronston to bat? Harris is a career .208 pinch hitter. Additionally, why didn’t he order him to walk Soto; even though he ‘s a poor hitter to pitch to the pitcher? I have never seen a more lifeless team in my life while Dusty waits for lightning to strike. How can any of upper mgt. be pleased with this mess after all the money thye’ve spent. Oh, by the way, while the Reds gained so much leadership from Rolen, Double E hit his 9th homer tonite.