Reds' Arroyo shelled early in setback

After stellar pitching on road by Reds, hurler struggles from start as Brewers welcome Cincy home with a beating.

Cincinnati Reds starter Bronson Arroyo (61) talks with catcher Ryan Hanigan, left, and pitching coach Dick Pole in the second inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Wednesday, May 6, 2009, in Cincinnati.

AP Photo/Al Behrman Cincinnati Reds starter Bronson Arroyo (61) talks with catcher Ryan Hanigan, left, and pitching coach Dick Pole in the second inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Wednesday, May 6, 2009, in Cincinnati.

Cincinnati Reds' Paul Janish pitches the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Wednesday, May 6, 2009, in Cincinnati. Janish gave up five runs in the inning as Milwaukee won the game 15-3.

AP Photo/Al Behrman Cincinnati Reds' Paul Janish pitches the ninth inning of a baseball game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Wednesday, May 6, 2009, in Cincinnati. Janish gave up five runs in the inning as Milwaukee won the game 15-3.

Baker cautious about recent performances by Reds pitchers

Rollins gets big shots to fall
4:05 p.m.
Reds pitcher Chapman prepares for starting rotation
1:30 p.m.
UD women conclude home slate vs. Xavier
1:27 p.m.
Dayton Christian ends third-seeded Indians' season
1:14 p.m.
RedHawks hold off Kent State
9:43 a.m.
> More sports headlines

By Sean McClelland, Staff Writer Updated 1:28 AM Thursday, May 7, 2009

CINCINNATI — It ended with an infielder on the mound, which is never a good sign.

"First time I've done that in my career," Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker said of his decision to have shortstop Paul Janish pitch the ninth inning Wednesday, May 6, in a 15-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers at Great American Ball Park.

Considering the state of the bullpen and what lies ahead, it wasn't the best night for starter Bronson Arroyo to face 12 batters over the first two innings, have 10 of them reach base and nine score.

Eventually, not wanting to waste an actual reliever, Baker turned to Janish, who gave up five earned runs, but not before delighting the remnants of a small crowd (10,982) by touching 92 mph on the radar gun and striking out J.J. Hardy, who had homered off Arroyo.

Janish, who last pitched in 2003 for Rice University, became the first Reds position player to toe the rubber since Lenny Harris in 1998, which at least provided a light moment where otherwise there would have been none on a night that included a 46-minute rain delay at the start.

If nothing else, perhaps Janish's mound dabbling took the players' minds off the fact that they suddenly can't win at home. The Reds lead the majors with 10 road wins but are now 4-8 in GABP with another game against the Brewers and three with the NL Central-leading St. Louis Cardinals still to come on this short homestand.

Fittingly on a night when he had no answer for the Brewers, Arroyo was at a loss to explain the road-home disparity, although he tried.

"It's like walking into a casino, man," Arroyo said. "You win one night, but that don't mean you're going to win the next night. ... It just so happens we're playing good on the road. Honestly, there's nothing different around here. It's about as arbitrary as saying the dietician took all the bad food out of here and that's why we're losing. I have no idea, man."

Whatever the case, the Reds entered play with the best collective earned-run average in the majors, sending archivists rummaging through record books in search of the last time anything like this had occurred. Then Arroyo burst the bubble by bringing little more than his glove to the mound, giving up five runs in the first inning and four in the second when Ryan Braun (career-high six RBIs) blasted a grand slam.

Arroyo then departed, but not before his ERA had blossomed from an already pregnant 4.91 to 7.14.

It's been feast or famine for the musically inclined right-hander lately. In his last three starts, he has given up nine earned runs in 5 2/3 innings against the Braves, zero runs in eight innings against the Pirates and nine earned in an inning-plus against the Brewers.

"The two times I've felt like a monster coming out of the pen were this game and the Atlanta game and I've given up a total of 18 runs in those two games," Arroyo said. "Crazy. Pittsburgh, I felt terrible coming out of the pen and I put eight zeros on the board.

"It doesn't jibe, man. Guess that's why you play the game."

Good pitching news for the Reds was confined to three scoreless relief innings from Daniel Herrera and David Weathers tying Cy Young for 19th place all-time with his 906th career appearance.

And, of course, there was Janish.

"I'm our emergency pitcher," he said. "We joked about it in Houston. A scout there, Ralph Garr, is good friends with Dusty and he saw me pitch in college. Dusty asked me. I said, 'Whatever.' Our backs were against the wall."

Arroyo's implosion made it an easy night for Brewers lefty Manny Parra, who had been 0-4 with a 5.33 ERA. Brandon Phillips parked a long home run into the left-field bleachers in the fifth, but Parra muddled through six, giving up two runs and eight hits while throwing 119 pitches.

Jay Bruce homered in the seventh off Jorge Julio, delighting the remaining diehards.

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2408 or smcclelland@DaytonDailyNews.com.

Share this article