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Boom, boom, out went the Reds on Opening Day

Aaron Harang, the starting pitcher for the Reds, towels off after being taken out of the Opening Day game Monday, April 5, 2010. The Cincinnati Reds were defeated by the St. Louis Cardinals, 11-6.

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By Tom Archdeacon, Staff Writer Updated 7:55 AM Tuesday, April 6, 2010

CINCINNATI — St. Louis starting pitcher Chris Carpenter thought the baseballs might have been sabotaged — “I don’t know if they’re doing this on purpose here ... but someone’s going to get hurt” — yet just a few dressing stalls away, teammate Albert Pujols had no such problem:

“I’m not a pitcher, man ... I liked them just fine.”

Regardless, there was an Opening Day casualty at Great American Ball Park, Monday, April 5, and it was all Pujols’ fault.

The three-time National League MVP — showing why he is the best player in baseball — hit two home runs, went 4-for-5 and, in part, was responsible for teammate Yadier Molina’s grand slam as the Cards ruined the Reds opener, 11-6.

“There is nobody better playing the game than him,” Cards manager Tony La Russa said. “... You got another example.”

With the Findlay Market Parade, pregame concerts, the flyover of F-16s, nobody does Opening Day better than Cincinnati. And Monday — with 78-degree sunshine, the fifth-largest crowd in GABP history and Reds starter Aaron Harang striking out the first two Cards he faced — everything seemed perfect.

Then Harang threw a fastball out over the plate and Pujols slammed it 410 feet into the left-center field seats.

Several Cards said the plan was to get Harang out of the game and get into the Cincinnati bullpen, which they didn’t seem to respect much. And after Reds relievers Mike Lincoln and Nick Masset gave up seven earned runs in two innings — that perception didn’t change.

Neither did one other: Both clubhouses praised Pujols.

“I don’t know if you’ll ever see someone as good as him again,” gushed Carpenter, who said his team feeds off him.

Molina — whose ninth-inning slam put the game out of reach — agreed. Before he stepped to the plate, he said Pujols gave him a tip about Masset:

“He’s got a lot more at-bats against him. He told me to look for the ball up. And I was looking up, and he gave me that pitch. ... Everything was just right.”

Not everything, said Carpenter, who claimed several baseballs he was given during his six innings felt like they’d come straight out of the box. He said they were slick and hadn’t first been rubbed down with mud as is the usual practice:

“I’ve been pitching 15 years in the big leagues and I’ve never had baseballs like this. There’s absolutely no question I got balls that didn’t have anything on them.

“I don’t know if they do it intentionally ... but if they are, it’s unprofessional. I respect everybody over there ... but we had an issue here last year, too.”

“Maybe the (Reds) who pitch with them all the time are used to them, but the worst thing that could happen is you come in here and throw the ball up there and it gets away and one of their guys gets hurt. ... Someone gets hit in the head.

“The Reds could end up getting hurt here.”

For other reasons — thanks to Pujols — they already have.

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