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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 > 22 > Entry
Hairston fills the bill
The Jerry Hairston Jr. experiment as the team’s leadoff hitter and center fielder seemed to be a Double Disaster before the game was three innings old Tuesday.
After perpetrating a couple of boneheads, Hairston recovered to be in the middle of things the rest of the night during an 8-1 victory over the Los Angeles Dodgers, contributing four hits and driving in three runs.
Hairston led the bottom of the first with a single. Good start. But when Jeff Keppinger lined one directly at center fielder Matt Kemp, Hairston was at second base when Kemp caught the ball.
Kemp’s throw to first doubled off Hairston. Bad form.
Now it is the top of the third and opposing pitcher Hong Chih-Kuo ripped a double. Rafael Furcal lined one toward center field and Hairston came charging in - about five steps. Alas, the ball was out, not in. It roared over his head for a run-scoring double.
The opposition has scored first in seven straight games and in 13 of Cincinnati’s last 15.
Before the game, manager Dusty Baker said about the early scoring: “The other team scoring first all the time can wear on you. Getting down by a lot early really wears you down. The only people than can do anything about it is us.”
They did something about it. Something big and beautiful.
Hairston made up for his two faux pas in the third with a two-out double that sent Joey Votto to third and Votto scored when Jeff Keppinger lined one off the pitcher for a run-scoring single.
Then came the fouorth inning and Adam Dunn’s OPPOSITE FIELD home run into the left field seats. The Reds went on to score four runs in the inning, the last two scoring on Hairston’s line single to center, his third hit in three at-bats
And it turned into a rare Reds slugfest. Joey Votto had three hits. Dunn had two hits. Brandon Phillips homered, his first since the second game of the season.
It should be evident by now that the Reds will score a plethora of runs when Edinson Volquez pitches. In his four starts (he is 3-0) they have scored 24 runs. Meanwhile, he held the Dodgers to three hits for his seven innings and his first pitch of the game grabbed quick attention of the Dodgers - a 94 miles an hour fastball for strike one.
Uh, his 100th pitch was 94 miles an hour, too.
So, hey, on this night Baker knew exactly what he was doing by putting Hairston where he put him.
Heard & Overheard:
A scout told me today that the Reds were thisclose to trading Joey Votto and another minor-league players to the Philadelphia Phillies two years ago for pitcher Jon Lieber. Scouts talked the front office out of it at the last moment. If they had called me, which they never would, I would have screamed, “DON’T DO IT!!!”
Juan Castro, the infielder the Reds designated for assignment Monday, most likely will end up with the Dodgers. That’s great for him. It’s a good team, a good fit and it is close to his Phoenix home.
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By null
April 23, 2008 9:56 PM | Link to this
Perhaps Mr. Baseball could be our hitting coach?
By Mike
April 23, 2008 12:06 PM | Link to this
Prior to Hairston’s starting debut yesterday..all the talk was getting some “right handed POP ” in the lineup..not specifically at lead off..but the lack of a right handed hitter to prey on left handed pitchers. Names & rumors like Piazza,Thomas began to surface. Alas..as of this morning..a FORMER Red from last season..( a right handed hitter! ) who now plays 3rd for the Marlins named Jorge Cantu was 3-4 with 2RBI in last night’s game vs the Pirates. He is batting 5th in the Marlin’s line-up..and hitting .338. Glad that Hairston future looks bright after his first start and given his AAA success with the Bats, looks like a real propect. But,Cantu looks like another one the Reds could have certainly used. Remember Paul Konerko?
By Steve T.
April 23, 2008 11:58 AM | Link to this
Man what a difference hitting the ball to the OPPOSITE FIELD makes in major league baseball. Up until yesterday the Reds looked like a major league Softball team trying to pull for the downs on every at bat. Lets hope that small sybolance of little ball mixed with the occasional tater continues for the rest of the season.
By Steve
April 23, 2008 11:11 AM | Link to this
Hairston’s first game was impressive and gives a little wind to my sail. Hopefully he can provide a spark this team seems to need. Other guys are starting to come around and with a little consistency, the Reds can be a good team. On a sidenote, Mr. Baseball needs to stop writing comments and start coaching. It seems he has all the answers.
By Deaner
April 23, 2008 9:55 AM | Link to this
Yeah great to see someone come alive in the leadoff spot. I don’t want to be pessimistic (too many people are in this world) but I got a hunch that Hairston’s not going to be a long term answer and although I’d like to see Bruce at some point too, I don’t think he’s ready to leadoff either.
By Mike
April 23, 2008 9:54 AM | Link to this
Don’t expect Griffey and Dunn to move to the lower part of the batting order…stats etc are academic..they will stay there because salary dictates so..as well as desired reputation. Besides, if Dusty posted a lineup with Griffey (5th or lower ) and Dunn at #7…this would not set well with either one and would generate a visit to Dusty’s office asking “what are you doing to me??? “…as far as Hairston being the answer at leadoff in most repects..as of this am he is at .667. Check 30 days from now and THEN evaluate his worth as leadoff .
By Cait
April 23, 2008 9:51 AM | Link to this
I would carry 3 catchers for now. Valentin can play 1st base, too, and is a switch hitter. So I keep him. With Votto hot, maybe it’s time to shop Hatteberg. Throw in Patterson for the best deal you can get (which won’t be much). I hear Hairston can play SS, but it concerns me that we don’t have a true backup other than Phillips. Finally, can someone edit “Mr. Baseball”? Dude, that’s two long rants this week which said the same thing.
By Broadway
April 23, 2008 9:44 AM | Link to this
You have it exactly right, Y-City; and did you read Mr.Baseball? Even in disguise, he is a really clever prognosticator.
By Mr. Baseball
April 23, 2008 8:51 AM | Link to this
Mr. Baseball was quite impressed with Hairston’s first start as a Red. Granted, he made a couple of mistakes early on, but they were mistakes attributable to trying to be aggressive and impress in his first game. Hairston will add the solid right-handed hitting the team needs more of, good speed, and defensive versatility. Mr. Baseball thinks he should stay in the leadoff spot against both right- and left-handed hitting while his bat is hot, but he is not the long-term solution in the leadoff spot. He can better help the team by serving in a left field platoon with Adam Dunn, batting seventh in the lineup. He would greatly improve the Reds’ attack against left-handed pitching over Dunn who is woefully inept against a quality left-hander. And, of course, our outfield defense would improve on days when Hairston started in left field. On the subject of the lineup, Mr. baseball thinks it is time for a changing of the guard among the top three left-handed hitters in the lineup. Currently, Dusty spaces out his top three left-handed hitters, batting Griffey third, Dunn fifth, and Votto seventh. From the time he was a little jasper, Mr. Baseball was taught that the third place hitter is supposed to be the best hitter for average on the team. Right now (and probably throughout the season) Joey Votto is the best hitter. (One could make a case that Keppinger is the best hitter. Average-wise, he will give Joey a run for his money, but Kep is better situated as a number two hitter. He’s the best contact hitter on the team. He hits a lot, he can hit behind the runner, and when he makes outs with runners on base, they are generally prioductive outs. Keep Kep batting #2, Dusty, and stop batting him sixth to provide protection for Dunn.) Back to the main story line, Mr. Baseball believes that Dusty should switch Votto to third, Griffey to fifth, and Dunn to seventh. Dusty is probably exercising due caution by keeping the youngster Votto in the bottom of the lineup, but Mr. Baseball has seen enough of this young man to see that he can rake. Votto would provide better protection for Keppinger than Griffey, and Griffey would provide better protection for Phillips than Dunn. And, ironically, Dunn would also provide better protection for Encarnacion than Votto. By the way, Mr. Baseball was impressed with the way Dunn went to left field twice last night. If he would do this a bit more consistently, he might convince Mr. Baseball that he deserves to stay in the fifth spot. Perhaps Dunner has been reading Mr. Baseball’s blogs and realizes that a platoon situation with Hairston might be in the offing if he doesn’t start diversifying his portfolio. On another note, Mr. Baseball believes that Javy Valentin might be the next former Red. Ross is ready to come off the DL and the prospect of a true right- and left-handed platoon situation at catcher (Bako and Ross) with two catchers that are better defensively than Valentin might be too much for Dusty to resist. The Reds should not revert to the Jerry Narron philosophy of carrying three catchers (who does that any more?), and Hatteberg will fill in capably as the go-to left-handed pinch hitter. The Reds may carry three catchers for a short time as a hedge against the possibility that Ross is not fully recovered, but it won’t be long before Javy is gone. Thanks for all those sweet pinch hits over the past couple seasons, Javy. It was good while it lasted.
By Florida Buckeye
April 23, 2008 8:01 AM | Link to this
I worry about the lack of fundamentals on this team: baserunning, bunting, throwing to the right bases, even hustling it out to first base…combine these with a penchant for costly ‘errors’ and we’re giving up too many runs…
By Y-City Jim
April 22, 2008 10:23 PM | Link to this
Still waiting for Bruce to get the call-up. That’s when this offense will really ignite from top to bottom.