Home of the Week
Madison graduation 2012
Warren County CC graduation
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 > 2008 > April > 20 > Entry
He who laughs last
Those of us with humor aforethought - and that includes about every card-carrying baseball writer in America - knew why it was taking Edwin Encarnacion so long in the shower.
“He keeps dropping the soap,” somebody said.
OK, OK, so I said it - transferring his penchant for dropping baseballs to a same propensity with the soap in the shower. Except they don’t give errors for soap fumbled in the shower and your team doesn’t lose baseball games.
Edwin almost lost another one for the Cincinnati Reds Sunday, but survived to smile about it when he and his buddies rescued the game, 4-3, in 10 innings.
Encarnacion’s home run in the fifth was the Reds’ only run as the game rumbled into the 10th. Suddenly, with runners on first and second with one out, Milwaukee’s Jason Kendall rolled one right at Encarnacion. He scooped it up and stepped toward third, hoping to step on the bag and throw to first for the double play that would end the inning at 1-1.
Instead the ball trickled from his glove and rolled into foul territory - an error, bases loaded, one out. Of course, Milwaukee scored twice to take a 3-1 lead. Another ball bounced off Encarnacion’s body in that inning, but a compassionated official scorer ruled that one a hit - and it probably was.
Fans assaulted Encarnacion’s ears when he was first up in the bottom of the inning and he quickly turned it to cheers by drilling his second homer of the game. Oh, yeah, he also has a 10-game streak - that’s a hitting streak, not an error streak.
Paul Bako followed with a home run to tie it. Scott Hatteberg walked. Brandon Phillips, 2 for 21 at the time. rolled one in the grass toward short for an infield hit. Ken Griffey Jr. hit one over the right fielder’s head.
Game over, Encarnacion exonerated.
I’m sitting in the press box, it is raining and chilly, my nose is running and I’m finding it difficult to breathe up here high above the field as this came ambles onward.
Why am I torturing myself - other than I love baseball, I love paychecks and my boss says, “Go.”
Maybe sinus drippage, depressing weather and chilly fingers makes me cranky. Or maybe it is watching the dreadful Reds come up with different ways every day to draw boos from their dwindling fans.
At least on this day they gave the fans courageous enough to stay something to take home other than gloom and doom.
Aaron Harang gave up a home run in the fourth to J.J. Hardy and the Reds were facing a guy making his first start, Yovani Gallardo. And of course they couldn’t hit him. They didn’t have a hit until two outs in the fourth inning.
That’s when Jeff Keppinger put together an 11-pitch at-bat - the guys uses a baseball bat like a surgical instrument - then lined a double left center. Adam Dunn was on first and tried to score.
The ball beat him and catcher Jason Kendall waited patiently. Did the 6-7, 275-pound Dunn tried to bowl him over? No. Did he try to slide? No. What was he was trying to be was the world’s biggest ballet dancer, Barishnikoff maybe? He tried to tippy-toe around Kendall as if sneaking up on a dog dish.
He was out and an American League scout, seated in the press box asked, “Don’t they slide any more in the National League?”
Encarnacion continued his Recovery Act at the plate (if he could only do it afield), banging a home run in the fifth to tie it, 1-1, extending his batting streak to 10, tying his career best.
Keppinger, moved to fifth in the order to give Dunn some protection, apparently cares not where he hits, as long as he is in there somewhere. With two outs in the sixth he doubled up the left-center gap but was left afloat when Joey Votto flied to the warning track in left.
OK, so they won. Something continues to trouble me. Why is Corey Patterson sitll batting leadoff. Why is Corey Patterson still playing.
He is 0 for 20 and 1 for 28, dropping his batting average from .323 to .186. He came up to bat in the 10th inning with no outs, the game tied, and a runner on first. His mission: bunt.
He fouled two off, then struck out. All through spring training manager Dusty Baker talked about how Patterson never knew how to bunt until he got to the majors. He still pretty flimsy at it. Why wasn’t Norris Hopper, the team’s best bunter, up at the plate at that juncture.
Oh, well. Thanks to an infield single by Phillips (2 for 21 at the time) and Griffey’s single, the Reds still won it.
But now, a game’s end, I have a full-fledged cold, the sneezes and the runny nose. But at least I got to witness and write about a win.
Permalink | Comments (25) | Post your comment |
Tweet
Comments
By WrobirorieRer
July 14, 2008 8:39 AM | Link to this
so I try to get it as much as I can hehe. sumptuously adult friend finder If not one is to hand I recompense for do with what present.
By slate
April 21, 2008 11:42 AM | Link to this
Hal says: Kendall waited “patiently” for Dunn at the plate. I would contest this is not true. Its pretty hard to wait “patiently” when you have to dive 3 feet back to the right laying out to make the tag. The ball did beat Dunn by a mile, but it was way off the plate. It actually was a pretty good play by Kendall. BTW…can we get him? He’s good.
By Tom
April 21, 2008 11:30 AM | Link to this
Ryan, I did read the article and I don’t remember seeing anything concerning Adam Dunn’s base running. It seems that most of the blog could have been condensed, leave in the jokes and opinions and his illness and I still would have been curious about why Dunn did it the way he did. There wasn’t a wrong way but, for those that wanted a slide or a collision, maybe next time. Everyone has an opinion so, I say sign number 44 to a long-term deal.
By slate
April 21, 2008 11:29 AM | Link to this
First of all, Dunn was dogging it rounding 3rd. When they cut to him, I thought he was going to pull up. The third base coach was dreaming that Dunn could beat the throw. 2nd, Kendall was way off the plate. He couldn’t run him over. Sliding was an automatic out as well. The only path was over the tag. Kendall couldn’t reach up, only over to tag. If Dunn Jumps (with that massive vert of his all 2”), he would have been safe.
By slate
April 21, 2008 11:29 AM | Link to this
First of all, Dunn was dogging it rounding 3rd. When they cut to him, I thought he was going to pull up. The third base coach was dreaming that Dunn could beat the throw. 2nd, Kendall was way off the plate. He couldn’t run him over. Sliding was an automatic out as well. The only path was over the tag. Kendall couldn’t reach up, only over to tag. If Dunn Jumps (with that massive vert of his all 2”), he would have been safe.
By ShockMonkey
April 21, 2008 11:06 AM | Link to this
Bruce’s long-term home will be a corner, but he’s young and fast enough to hold down center for a few years in the mean time. Get rid of Dunn…now! Trade him an AL team where he can be a DH. Gawd, it’s so simple. Move EE to LF, Bruce in CF, Kepp moves to 3B when Gonzo returns. Solves so many issues!
By Ryan
April 21, 2008 10:13 AM | Link to this
Tom, This is Hal’s blog page and therefore is an opinion piece. His piece for the beat can be found here: http://www.daytondailynews.com/s/content/oh/story/sports/pro/reds/2008/04/20/ddn042108spredsweb.html Go Reds!
By Michael
April 21, 2008 10:10 AM | Link to this
This has to be the funniest comment ever posted; Q: “By david April 20, 2008 8:22 PM Why isn’t Jay Bruce in center field? Why doesn’t Jockety take over? If you add up the cost of Krivsky’s bust moves-Cormier,Stanton,Coffey and Freel’s extensions and now Patterson you could have signed a $13 mil free agent!” A: If there was someone descent available as a free agent we wouldn’t have Patterson signed at the last minute. What’s more why do you want to trade a guy who has led the team three years in stolen bases, one of the best bunters in the majors with one of the higest .OBP? It’s not Freel’s fault he’s sitting on the bench. It’s the guy making out the line up card looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It was those little infield hits, with runners on, that won the game, not the long ball this time.
By Michael
April 21, 2008 10:09 AM | Link to this
This has to be the funniest comment ever posted; Q: “By david April 20, 2008 8:22 PM Why isn’t Jay Bruce in center field? Why doesn’t Jockety take over? If you add up the cost of Krivsky’s bust moves-Cormier,Stanton,Coffey and Freel’s extensions and now Patterson you could have signed a $13 mil free agent!” A: If there was someone descent available as a free agent we wouldn’t have Patterson signed at the last minute. What’s more why do you want to trade a guy who has led the team three years in stolen bases, one of the best bunters in the majors with one of the higest .OBP? It’s not Freel’s fault he’s sitting on the bench. It’s the guy making out the line up card looking for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. It was those liile infield hits, with runners on, that won the game, not the long ball this time.
By Max
April 21, 2008 10:07 AM | Link to this
Keith… B-o-o. H-o-o. Dunn is in the majors but he plays like he’s in a beer league. With the money he makes he should not be as lazy or as bad at the play. There are about 11 other players who have a better batting average than Dunn and two of them are pitchers. And Gary Maloy… sure, Encarnacion isn’t afraid to make mistakes because he’s quite good at it. He leads the Reds in errors and is tied for the league lead with Lugo. EE needs some AAA.
By Max
April 21, 2008 10:06 AM | Link to this
Keith… B-o-o. H-o-o. Dunn is in the majors but he plays like he’s in a beer league. With the money he makes he should not be as lazy or as bad at the play. There are about 11 other players who have a better batting average than Dunn and two of them are pitchers. And Gary Maloy… sure, Encarnacion isn’t afraid to make mistakes because he’s quite good at it. He leads the Reds in errors and is tied for the league lead with Lugo. EE needs some AAA.
By Mike
April 21, 2008 10:05 AM | Link to this
Dunn..as he was running home…made a decision based on what he saw..too bad he didn’t have the grit to put 275 lbs into the catcher,thus putting all the pressure on the catcher to recieve the ball and make a tag on a semi truck bearing down on him creating a distraction of catching the ball. It’s simple funda mentals that should have been executed especially at the professional level. But he chose to do what 10 year old do in LL, and hopefully ballet his way into scoring. The bat was behind home plate in the grass and wouldn’t have been involved in the play. The 3rd base coach Berry made the correct call…an excellent chance to score..don’t fault him. If you want perspective ..ask yourself..What would Pete have done?? !
By Tom
April 21, 2008 10:05 AM | Link to this
I was just messing with Hal for bringing up his personal problems. There were 4 things Adam could have “Dunn”, from my angle I would have held him at third but, the play turned out closer than I had thought and I thought his foot was slipping on the plate when Kendall tagged him. As it turned out, he did trip over the bat so, Dunn did end up with a little dirt ( wasn’t the best playing conditions ).
By Keith
April 21, 2008 9:40 AM | Link to this
Dunn sure is taking a beating considering he had been running wind sprints for the previous 5 or 6 pitches. Sure, he’s a professional and should be in better shape, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t get tired from sprinting all the time. I think the 3rd base coach deserves a fair share of the blame, as well as Dunn.
By Tom
April 21, 2008 9:25 AM | Link to this
I know Hal tries to be funny but, was this meant to be written by a beat writer reporting on the game or an opinion piece? Did Dunn know there was a play at the plate? Did he try to sidestep the tag? Did he? Looked pretty close. Was Votto in the proper line site to see the play and let Dunn see him? What about the bat lying there? Guess Hal had better things to do than to ask the players, probably more important to get to dinner. An error wouldn’t have necessarily lost the game, wait…they didn’t lose.
By Deaner
April 21, 2008 8:15 AM | Link to this
Great leadoff with the EE soap comment. I literally laughed out loud when I read that. I had no idea that EE had a 10-game hit streak. I am definitely disappointed that Dunn didn’t slide at the plate. Although this is no excuse, was the batter on deck signaling for a slide?
By Y-City Jim
April 20, 2008 10:12 PM | Link to this
Patterson lasts in the starting line-up maybe two more weeks. In the meanwhile, he needs to drop to the seven spot in the order.
By Bill
April 20, 2008 9:35 PM | Link to this
Thanks Harry the Horse! I guess we could have predicted that from “Mr. Condescending”.He might get away with that with his son—“The Cowboy” may stick a spur where the sun don’t shine!
By Lee
April 20, 2008 9:28 PM | Link to this
A win is a win, so we’ll take it. I like Dunn, but he needed to slide or run Kendall over. Norris Hopper needs to be the starter in CF (until Bruce is called up) not Corey Patterson. Aaron Harang pitched a gem today. Jeff Keppinger is a ball-player. PERIOD! The man can hit & he is mentally in the game at all times. Wonder what we could get in return for: Josh Fogg, Corey Patterson, & Alex Gonzalez/Edwin Encarnacion?
By Harry the Horse
April 20, 2008 8:24 PM | Link to this
The first inning of yesterday’s game Marty called a pitch a ball. Brantley interjected Strike. Marty turned off his mike but you could hear on Brantley’s mike Brenemann saying ” You think I’m bleeping stupid don’t you?” And then said ” Don’t you ever do that to me again!”
By david
April 20, 2008 8:22 PM | Link to this
Why isn’t Jay Bruce in center field? Why doesn’t Jockety take over? If you add up the cost of Krivsky’s bust moves-Cormier,Stanton,Coffey and Freel’s extensions and now Patterson you could have signed a $13 mil free agent!
By Bill
April 20, 2008 7:51 PM | Link to this
Harry the Horse—what happened? I missed it.
By Harry the Horse
April 20, 2008 7:23 PM | Link to this
I’m surprised Hal has not mentioned the on air confrontation between Marty Brenemann and Jeff Brantley. That has been the talk of the town for the last 24 hours. I guess Hal was unaware what happened.
By Gary Maloy Jr.
April 20, 2008 7:09 PM | Link to this
I had planned on listening to the game on the ‘net. 7:10 pm start (in Europe, that is). But my wife had the gall to invite friends and family in to celebrate her birthday… Imagine the audacity of European women who don’t understand that a mid-April baseball game is more important than her 43rd birthday…hmmmf… (Irony, people, irony.) Anyway, I checked out the game vids on the Reds website. I have to say that for all the miscues Encarnacion makes defensively, the barehanded pick and throw was impressive. A play like that shows that he’s not afraid of making mistakes, anyway. I just wish he was more consistent. It’s sad to say, but I believe that if he were traded he would be a better defensive player. Having the booing of the Reds faithful in his ears all the time can’t be easy for him to handle. At least he’s hitting again. As long as he provides for more runs than he coughs up, I’m happy.
By Mike
April 20, 2008 6:39 PM | Link to this
These 3 observations for todays game…. Dunn not sliding reflects on Baker..(remember he jumped all over Phillips for not hustling a few weeks ago )..Plus Dunn apparently has no pride, no appetite for winning, he doesn’t like dirt and mud on his uniform..or…maybe the catcher growled at him… and worse than anything..no fear of reprimand…. ( despite getting paid like a king of a foreign country! ) (2 ) Patterson is playing because Dusty “likes” him and he has been annointed…bad news for Hopper…but end of story…get used to #23..he ain’t going anywhere! (3) Finally..looked like Jeff Piecoro of FSN tried to get Griffey’s comments for his game winning hit, but he visibly turned him down..Harang was better anyway…Like to think a game like this can turn things around..it did a few years ago! Go Reds!!