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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 > 2010 > July > 25 > Entry
A Dirty Dozen: Reds shut out 12th time
UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS while sitting in The Man Cave flip-flopping channels while watch the Cincinnati Reds-Houston Astros and the NASCAR Brickyard 400 - and the person who invented the TV remote control should be awarded a Nobel Peace Prize.
On this day, watching Jamie McMurray win the Brickyard 500 was more exciting than watching the Reds stir the breeze without much bat contact Sunday during a 4-0 loss.
Another shutout? Can anybody answer me as to how the National League’s best offensive team can be shut out 12 times, most in the league? It’s an anomaly, isn’t it? An enigma? A mystery? For certain it is frustrating.
Joey Votto had a two-out single in the first innng against left-hander Wandy Rodriguez, who began the game 7-11 with a 5.11 ERA, and didn’t get another hit off him through seven innings. They had two walks and seven strikeouts.
Over the last two innings they managed two more hits off the Astros’ bullpen but couldn’t score a run, advancing their strikeout total to 10.
ONCE AGAIN the unfortunate pitcher for the Reds was rookie Mike Leake, who has pitched well enough to be 11-1 but is 7-2.
Leake gave up a lead-off home run to Hunter Pence (don’t you love that name?) in the fourth and it stayed 1-0 until the Astros’ seventh. With one out, Houston third baseman Chris Johnson hit one on top of the viaduct in left field and the ball bounced off the railroad tracks on top of the viaduct for a 2-0 lead.
MINUTE MAID Park is on the site of the former Houston Union Station and the Astros kept the railroad motiff with the viaduct and the railroad tracks atop it. And when the Astros score, a loud train whistle rattles the windows.
There was more window-rattling to come in the seventh after the Johnson home run. Leake gave up a single and a double and his day was done. Left-hander Arthur Rhodes came on to face left-hander Michael Bourne and the count went to 3-and-2 before Bourne displayed some big-league hitting. Rhodes threw him an outside pitch and Bourne reached out to slap it to left field for a two-run double and a 4-0 lead that stood the test of the final two innings.
THERE WAS ONE strategy question that leaped out. It was in the fifth inning when the Astros led, 1-0, and Miguel Cairo led the inning with a walk. Doesn’t that call for a sacrifice bunt by Drew Stubbs? One run loomed large in this game, especially the way Rodriguez was scything his way through the Reds lineup.
And wasn’t that Stubbs working on his bunting before every home game on the last homestand. Yes, it was.
No bunt was attempted. And you can guess what happened, can’t you? Stubbs struck out on three pitches, taking a called third. Ryan Hanigan then lined one to deep, deep center, about 410 feet away for an out and Leake grounded out to second.
The closest the Reds came to scoring was on Leake’s first at-bat when he drilled a foul ball that would have been a home run had it been fair.
Third base coach Mark Berry was like a Native American scout, standing at his post shielding his eyes with his right hand, wondering where everybody was. Not a single Reds reached third base.
So the Reds won two of three in Houston and begin a three-game series in Milwaukee Monday night. After a three-game series at home next weekend against Atlanta, they are back on the road for three in Pittsburgh and three in Chicago.
As for Sunday? Jamie McMurray was worth watching in his No. 1 Chevrolet Impala after also winning this year’s Daytona 500.
BACK in the 1960s, I covered auto racing and covered five Dayton 500s, back in the days of Richard Petty, David Pearson, Cale Yarborough, LeeRoy Yarbrough, Donnie Allison and Bobby Allison. Those guys raced in thin fire-retardant suits on top of t-shirts and helmets that were little more than football helmets.
Nowadays, NASCAR driverd look as if they are going to fly the space shuttle with their modern driver’s suits and space-age helmets. I rode around Charlotte Motor Speedway once with Rusty Wallace a few years ago and while he wasn’t close to race speed, he was flying low and close to the rail and for about 1 1/2 seconds I actually had my eyes open.
Sometimes you wonder if the Reds have their eyes open when they try to hit on days they get shut out. Twelve times? Geez.
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By David
July 27, 2010 1:32 PM | Link to this
Hal, you must realize by now that Dusty isn’t big on that “strategy thing”. He prefers to let baseball games win themselves. He doesn’t like to suggest anything to his players - thinks it might hurt their confidence.
By You LIED Grumpy
July 27, 2010 12:34 AM | Link to this
By grumpy July 19, 2010 10:28 AM Bruce this, Bruce that. Forget about Bruce, he will be just fine.
By Believe It TB
July 27, 2010 12:08 AM | Link to this
Arroyo gives up THREE hits and cannot win—and Heisey and others will never play regularly!Support of this insanity, takes a mere moron.
By Worn Cleat
July 26, 2010 10:37 PM | Link to this
Sorry if I hurt your feelings,Grumpy; but here again, you spelled three words wrong, and I spelled two of them correctly for you.So what should I call you for that, ‘well-written’?Fun season’s’ are played well and Managed well—we are at 30% on that one,because we have a stubborn leader who continues to play people who do not contribute offensively. There is no argument about that,period. And as to your comment about ‘quiet’ when Stubbs does well—when exactly has that occurred? Not very often. And, I for one would be wondering why he can’t do it more than once a month! As they say tonight, great pitching performances have been wasted; because there is a lack of offense! Two of those to blame are in the outfield every night and day! They should not be-Heisey and Nix, and soon {I hope}Dickerson should be playing no less than half of the time, for the remainder of this season. IMO, playing the hot hands, instead of Dusty’s stupid ‘matchups’would be more likely to get wins instead of tonights 3-2 loss! I don’t care what you blog cops say.If you don’t want reaction, don’t play blog cop! And I say again,you might want to define”does well” for your description of Drew Stubbs play.
By Tb
July 26, 2010 10:15 PM | Link to this
More rantings from the ever more insane Worn Cleat. Fittingly worn cleats are never too sharp.
By grumpy
July 26, 2010 7:56 PM | Link to this
What’s the matter worn cleat? Did I yank your chain? You have a lot of IF’S thrown in that last garble. You will notice I did not say Stubbs was a success, I said when he does well his name is never mentioned on here. Agree? I never once mentioned Jay Bruce. Now, you called me stupid, arrogent unintellegent. Not once did I call you anything of the sort. We agree to disagree and you start trying to degrade people. If that’s the game you chose to play, then so be it.
By Worn Cleat
July 26, 2010 3:56 PM | Link to this
By Bruce July 21, 2010 2:27 PM Wherein lies the common sense: Watching Stubbs and Bruce strikeout two or more times per game—now going past 1/2 of a season; or playing Heisey and Nix, AT LEAST, half of the time, since the ball seems to make contact with their bats, more often then not????
By Worn Cleat
July 26, 2010 3:41 PM | Link to this
Hey Grump: Your problem is you don’t understand what good, acceptable baseball is. You are a blind follower of the way baseball shouldn’t be played; and when it is pointed out to you, all you can do is complain about someone else having a better idea…in other words, you are arrogantly and stupidly grumpy. If you think Stubbs is a success-you are stupidly ignorant and unintelligently Grumpy! If you think Stubbs and Bruce have put the Reds into first place, I have lots of other descriptions for your blabbering nonsense. I enjoy GOOD baseball, with GOOD fundamentals and GOOD managing and acceptable outcomes…You I am afraid are satisfied with mediocrity, as long as it stays close to the rest of the mediocre teams in the battle! That ranks up there with eating tonight’s meal from the River running under the downtown bridges! Try saying something intelligent for a change.Some of these comments were initially stated by Hal McCoy, Hall of Famer—I guess you know more than he does about baseball, too? You are just another know-nothing blog cop.
By Y-City Jim
July 26, 2010 3:20 PM | Link to this
Matthews is gone. He opted out of his contract because Walt wasn’t going to call him up. His numbers were pretty mediocre for a 35-year-old vet MLB player against AAA pitching especially when Dickerson was smoking them at a .400 plus clip.
By AP-FLORIDA
July 26, 2010 2:56 PM | Link to this
Hal, do you know if dusty was in agreement w/ Walt about mathews?
By tb
July 26, 2010 2:02 PM | Link to this
I have to question “for the love of’s..“‘s comment about poor situational hitting. Reds are 3rd with RISP w/ 2 Outs and 7th with RISP. Definitely not too bad.
By put it in play/for the love of mike
July 26, 2010 1:44 PM | Link to this
Will start by saying that this is an interesting,compelling Reds team..Still in the mix facing August with 2 front line starters on the DL most fans would take that as a positive especially given the team’s historically average pitching. There are things to worry about and the shutout dilemma is one.IMO the other is the durability of a couple key players ,notably Rolen and Rhodes, down the stretch.The biggest concern is the poor situational hitting throughout the lineup and bunting effectively is part of that.Unfortunately we’re having to watch Stubbs play daily while he should be working some issues out in AAA.. No doubt he’s got the physical tools , but isn’t quite there yet as a daily offensive contributor..THE biggest problem is situational hitting, better than in the awful Kearns-Dunn-Griffey wifforama, but still lacking..As a veteran middle infielder you wish Phillips would watch the plate discipline of the 70’s era players instead of thinking he’s got big pop..Love to see these guys grow, but both Bruce and Stubbs need to acquire the ability to waste pitches and learn the strike zone..Statitiscally the Reds rank just ahead of the Pirates who are dead last with runners in scoring position..the 3 players cited are the main culprits. MLB doesn’t carry these stats,but Yahoo sports points to the issue well.
By grumpy
July 26, 2010 9:39 AM | Link to this
If you don’t like the message, don’t kill the messenger. At any advanced level of baseball you are told to bunt or not to bunt, steal or not to steal. It’s amazing how silent it get’s on here when Stubbs does well, no one mentions his name. Reds are in a virtual tie for first place and to read some of these comments you would think they were in last place. Someone, somewhere is doing a decent job I would say. At the risk of sounding like a “blog cop”, Worn Cleat, your bleating is getting really old. This has been a really fun season so far, why don’t you put your general manager title aside the second half and enjoy baseball.
By Florida Buckeye
July 26, 2010 9:08 AM | Link to this
Hey All: it seems to me what the Reds are lacking on days like this is focus. It’s almost like losing a lead late in a game that you already have decided you’ve won; or, after winning the first two games in a series, assuming that you’re gonna win the third…It’s a young team: Focus, and consistency are gonna be weak points from time to time. I do wish they would try to manufacture more runs on days like yesterday though…Go Reds!
By Dr Zap
July 26, 2010 9:06 AM | Link to this
As I posted on another blog - this team needs a everyday bat in the outfield…either left field or right field. Gomes is not George Foster and Jay Bruce is not Ken Griffey. I don’t care if you hurt the feelings of one of them. Make a trade (if you can) and get a consistent eeveryday hitter in the outfield. Now. Twelve shutouts (four in the last two weeks) is pathetic.
By Kyle
July 26, 2010 7:38 AM | Link to this
Rob, let me say this for 99% of the readers of this blog. Shut up. Seriously, if you had read a little farther, you would have seen the correct score. If you want the box score, go to MLB.com. This is comments and analysis. Sorry, Hal. I know you can handle yourself. Just had to jump in.
By Brian
July 26, 2010 7:35 AM | Link to this
I was wondering the same thing Sam@gtown, I looked this stat up last monday and wondered why the Reds can’t win on Sunday’s. I thought it might be a day game thing but they were an even .500 when I looked so if you take away the Sunday games it was a decent record during the day. So I think someone needs to start talking about the lack of playing baseball on Sundays. We are pretty much giving away a win a week.
By Sam@gtown
July 26, 2010 6:56 AM | Link to this
Hal, Of the 12 shutouts, 6 are on Sunday. Also, the day game @ Washington last week was a zero. How many others are day games? Their record on Sundays is 6 - 10. Sounds like these guys need to get called out for some 7 am batting practice on day games.
By Aaron B.
July 25, 2010 11:41 PM | Link to this
Dusty “ain’t no front-runner” and so he don’t play the hot hands. He’s been consistent in that regard. Guys can be red hot and they sit if they aren’t the so-called starter, and ice-cold starters who are aching get penciled in day in and day out unless it is their pre-ordained day of scheduled rest. Its one of Dusty’s trademarks and I think its a weakness when you have a bunch of guys with similiar talent levels. Sure Bruce is superior to Heisey in the long run, but day-to-day it varies.
By Rob
July 25, 2010 11:38 PM | Link to this
Yeah, Hal, I’ve heard of typographical errors. But it’s probably best if a professional journalist doesn’t make one in a really important part of the story.
By The Real McCoy
July 25, 2010 11:33 PM | Link to this
Hey, Rob: I like you, too, “pretty well,” but have you ever heard of typographical errors? I made one on the score. I fixed. Thanks.
By Hopalong
July 25, 2010 11:31 PM | Link to this
So much for Dusty’s lefty/righty BS.Votto deep into the game,had the lone hit, as a lefty vs a Lefty pitcher. None of the righty’s had a hit, to that point. Great game by Nix yesterday and he’s benched. Bad game yesterday by Stubbs{what’s new?}and he plays. Homerun yesterday by Heisey, and he’s taken out in favor of Bruce the Whiff! Nonsense.Play the hot hands!
By Rob
July 25, 2010 8:29 PM | Link to this
I like Hal pretty well but I wish he would focus on accuracy a little more. Wasn’t it a 4-0 loss, not a 7-0 loss?
By bob
July 25, 2010 7:37 PM | Link to this
Stubbs has speed. Where do he use it? Is he the first on the plane? Last week he led off 3 innings, no steal attempts. 50 yrs ago the Reds would lose to “Stu Miller” type pitchers, still do. Can’t the hitting coach or someone advise hitters not to break their backs swinging wildly? Philips is not close to looking like the batter of last year. Today batters took the fast ball and swung at everything else. Hey coach, please help me!
By Worn Cleat
July 25, 2010 7:14 PM | Link to this
“It was in the fifth inning when the Astros led, 1-0, and Miguel Cairo led the inning with a walk. Doesn’t that call for a sacrifice bunt by Drew Stubbs? One run loomed large in this game, especially the way Rodriguez was scything his way through the Reds lineup.”-Hal McCoy “And wasn’t that Stubbs working on his bunting before every home game on the last homestand. Yes, it was.”-Hal McCoy Yep, Hal, you are so correct. I forgot to add this one to my “How the Reds can be improved” post. Isn’t it seen, as easily possible, for some of the country’s best pro athletes to be able to utilize ST to accomplish the correct techniques for sacrificing runners{not to mention drag and push bunting}? Spring Training, and then on top of that, 100 additional games during the season, in which Dusty promised they were working real hard on bunting with Mr. Stubbs! This is quite embarrassing. At the risk of being accused of being negative by the ‘blog cops’; it is nice to see that the Hall of Famer is pointing to things I have previously said!