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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 > July > 06
Sunday, July 6, 2008
Volquez yes, Griffey no
It is unusual, but not unheard of, for teams to take batting practice on a day game after a night game — unless you are as bad as the Washington Nationals. Then it is pretty much mandatory.
The Reds also took batting practice Sunday and actually have taken it a lot.
When Ken Griffey Jr. saw that the Reds were taking batting practice Sunday morning in the draining heat and humidity, after a night game, he said, “We’re 10 back in the standings, but we’re 12 ahead of everybody in batting practice taken.”
Then he should be immensely happy right now. He DIDN’T — that’s DIDN’T — make the All-Star team, beaten out at the last moment by a flurry of votes for Milwaukee’s Ryan Braun.
No batting practice in Yankee Stadium for Griffey. He can now happily take his family to the Bahamas during the All-Star break — which he prefers. He knows he didn’t deserve it this year anyway, other than fans wanting to see a future Hall of Fame superstar.
He has been an All-Star 13 times.
Edinson Volquez has never been an All-Star. He is now. He was named to the team, despite a slowdown in his production over his last four starts, a slowdown that could have cost him the spot.
Amazingly, Kyle Lohse (10-2), did not make it.
Volquez and manager Dusty Baker discussed the possibility that he might not make the team.
With three mediocre starts before Sunday’s bad start-good finish appearance, Volquez could feel the All-Star game slipping through the fingers that throw that devastating change-up.
He was not good at all Sunday in the early going against the pathetic Washington Nationals and manager Dusty Baker has noticed slippage in his last three starts.
Volquez gave up three runs and five hits over six innings. but in the early going he put his team down, 3-0, with an awful third innings — three runs, two hits, three walks and a hit batter.
After Adam Dunn’s three-run homer tied it, Volquez retired the last nine Nationals — an All-Star performance after an All-Awful start. And the Reds scored a couple more before he left for a pinch-hitter and made Volquez the winner. He’s now 11-3.
“We have to watch Volquez,” said Baker. “He hasn’t thrown quite as good over his last four starts. This is new territory for him. What’s the most innings he has thrown in the big leagues?”
Volquez pitched 34 big-league innings at Texas last season, but 179 combined innings in the majors and minors.
“Yes, he threw more in the minors, but that’s not as much intensity, not as stressful inning as they are up here.”
So what if Volquez didn’t make the All-Star team after folks were saying a month ago that he was the possible All-Star starting pitcher?
“I talked to him about it and he told he isn’t worried about it,” said Baker. “He told me he is not worried about it because he just wants to win.”
Now he doesn’t have to worry about it. But how about Brandon Phillips?
“When you are a second-division team, which we are right now, your odds of having a bunch of guys on the All-Star team aren’t good. That’s just how it is. If we had a bunch of All-Stars, we wouldn’t be in second division,” Baker added.
Volquez, 25, is pitching in his first full year in the majors and was beaming after the game.
“This is great because I’ve got my mom here and I’m going to take her to the All-Star game. I’m excited because it is my first full season in the big leagues and I made the All-Star game.”
There is a question whether he could start the All-Star game, depending on what Baker does. He said they may push Volquez back a day, “And then he probably wouldn’t be able to start, but if we keep him on his regular schedule (Friday in Milwaukee), he could start (Tuesday in Yankee Stadium).”
Volquez, of course, would love to start, “If they give me the opportunity, I would. Everybody talks about me maybe facing Josh Hamilton (for whom Volquez was traded from Texas). I don’t know what can happen because he is a great hitter and a great player. I’ll throw my best stuff to him.”
Baker, though, believes it is important to save Volquez’s arm. But he knows the importance of an All-Star win for the NL, too.
No argument there whatsoever. But Phillips belong on that team — for his defense alone. He hasn’t made an error in 77 games and only one all season, making fabulous and head-turning plays nearly every game.
And his offense lately has been All-Star quality. If he played in New York, they’d be talking about him and Madonna instead of A-Rod and Madonna.
Phillips had two more hits and a walk Sunday and has hit safely in 13 of his last 15 games and is creeping back toward .300.
“It’s all good,” said Phillips. “I don’t worry about it. It is what is, man, it is what it is.”
It is a pile of horse pucky, is what it is.
And Griffey?
“If you can’t hit a lefthander, you bunt,” he said. “If you can’t hit a righthander, you bunt. If you can’t go to the All-Star game, you go to the Bahamas.”
Permit me to leave you with one other Griffey-ism Sunday morning.
“I tell my pitchers I’m good for two sprints a game in the outfield to chase down balls. That’s it, no more. Just two.”
He’s kidding, he’s kidding. But he isn’t kidding about being on a boat in the Bahamas when they play that game in Yankee Stadium a week from Tuesday. And I’ll be in Aruba myself. Happy All-Star-ring, y’all.
By the way, Washington’s Wily Mo Pena didn’t make it, either. I can remember so many fans ripping on me when he played for the Reds and I wrote he would never be a good player and should be traded.
Now I just broke my arm patting myself on the back.
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