03/22/11 Tuesday Reds-Athletics

Dusty is running out his Opening Day regulars (maybe Hernandez gets the nod over Hanigan).

Stubbs CF
Phillips 2B
Votto 1B
Rolen 3B
Gomes LF
Bruce RF
Hanigan C
Janish SS
Leake P

Leake getting blasted. So far in 2 1/3 Leake has given up 6 hits 4 walks, 2 homers and 7 runs. Whither Matt Maloney?

Nick Christiani on for Leake in the third. Who is this Christiani anyway? He just pitched the other day.

Jay Bruce with the only hit (a double) on the day for the Reds. He is now up to .361 and batting behind Jonny Gomes. I can't say that I agree with that.

Janish leads off the third with a single. Sac bunt moves him up to second. Stubbs strikes out for the second straight time. He now has 18 Ks in 39 PA this spring. Excellent leadoff batter numbers. Stubbs says he doesn't like to lead off, so where do they stick him?

Phillips knocks in Janish with a two-out single which cuts the lead to 7-1. A balk moves BPhil to second. Votto stands at the plate. Votto! Gone! 7-3. A blast to left-center field. Rolen bounces to the shortstop.

End of 3: 7-3

Top of the fourth. Christiani still on the mound.

Crisp works a leadoff walk. Crisp steals second.
Barton doubles into the right field corner. Crisp scores. 8-3.
DeJesus singles in the hole between third and short. Barton moves to third.
Willingham lines a single into left. Barton scores. DeJesus moves to second. 9-3.
(Ramon Hernandez has a sore elbow.)
Sweeney hits into a 4-6-3 DP. Two down. DeJesus moves to third.
Suzuki walks.
Ellis pops out to end the top of the fourth. 9-3 Them.

***********NOTE***** Marty thinks Hermida makes the squad over Lewis (mainly because can he hit one out).
***********NOTE***** Reds announcers feel Arredondo opens the season on the DL.

On to the bottom of the fourth.

Bruce strikes out.
Hanigan hits a looping liner caught in right. Two down.
Janish bounces the first pitch to third. Easy half inning for the As. 9-3 Them.

NOTE: My bad. I missed a batter and it just happened to be a bomb by Jonny Gomes. 9-4 Them.

Cordero on in the fifth. Cordero has pitched well this spring to date. He has had 4 straight 1-2-3 innings.

A bullet off the foot of Cordero that bounced all the way to Brandon Phillips. Infield single.
Strike out, stolen base. One out runner on second.
Crisp lines a single to center, runner holds at third.
Connor Jackson playing first now is coming up to bat. Jackson Ks looking. Two down.
DeJesus walks to load the bases.
Cordero strikes out Willingham to escape the inning. 9-4 Them.

****NOTE**** Marty feels the chances of Sappelt sticking are somewhere between slim and none.

Heisey PHing for Cordero to start the bottom of the fifth.

Heisey hits a rocket to the third baseman who throws him out at first.
Stubbs strikes out for the third straight time. Maybe they should consider dropping him back down in the lineup.
Phillips grounds to short.

End of five. 9-4 Them.

Nick Masset on to pitch the top of the sixth.

Sweeney bounces to Votto.
Suzuki bounces to Rolen.
Ellis bounces to Janish.

First 1-2-3 inning for a Reds pitcher today. 9-4 Them.

Hard to believe we got Masset for a washed up Junior. Great job by Jocketty.

Votto leads off the bottom of the sixth with a double.
Rolen skies one for the first out. Votto tags and moves to third.
Gomes bounces to the mound. Votto holds at third.
Bruce grounds to short to end the inning. 9-4 Them.

***Marty ragging on Chris Carpenter. LOL. Chris Carpenter is a Grade-A Jackwagon. Nix triples off Carpenter in the fourth and then comes up in the fifth and CC loses control of one that winds up hitting Nix in the back. I am guessing Nix ran the bases in a contemptuous manner. And Carpenter was just sending a friendly reminder that that is not how a professional runs the bases, since he is the self-appointed keeper of the baseball flame. Yeah, right.***

Chapman takes the bump.

He strikes out Kouzmanoff for the first out.
Swing and a miss as Pennington grabs some pine.
Matt Carson works a full-count walk.
Someone flied out to end the top of the 7th. 9-4 Them.

Seventh inning stretch.

New pitcher on for Oakland. A lefty. Craig Breslow.

Hanigan leading off. Full count. Hanigan has some great at-bats. Carson makes a nice running catch and bounces off the wall while hanging on for the first out in the seventh.
Janish with a hump-backed single to left-center.
Dave Chappell, err, Sappelt pinch-hitting for Chapman. Yet another single for Sappelt. Janish stops at second. Sappelt now hitting .545.
Stubbs with an infield single. Janish scores on the throw. Sappelt moves to third. 9-5 Them.
Valaika up for Phillips. He flies to right. Sappelt tags and scores. 9-6 Them.
Votto flies deep to center but it is hauled in to end the inning.

After 7 full. 9-6 Oakland.

Joseph Krebs pitching for the MIR. Men in Red.

Lazy liner to Votto(?) for the first out.
Rocket flagged down by Rolen for out number two.
Two-out walk.
Krebs strikes out Landon Powell to end the top half of the 8th. 9-6 Them.

Jerry Blevins, a lefty, now pitching for Oakland.

4-5-6 for the Reds. Rolen, Gomes, and Bruce if things don't change.

Rolen sends a high fly to center. One out.
Gomes draws a free pass.
Jay Bruce to face a lefty with one on and one out.
Bruce grounds to second. Runner advances and there are two out.
Count runs full to Hanigan. Hanigan pops ball four up on the infield.

End of 8. 9-6 Athletics.

****Note**** Brad Pitt will portray Billy Beane in the movie, "Moneyball". Johnny Depp may be in it as well.

Scott Gaffney on for the Reds.

A walk and steal by Mitchell followed by a single by Andy Laroche plate one run. 10-6 Them.
Liner to second for the first out.
1-6-3 double play.

End of 9th. 10-6 Oakland heading into the bottom of the 9th.

****NOTE**** More Moneyball talk. No Johnny Depp.

Michael Wuertz on to close things out.

Janish has two hits in three at-bats so far. Janish hits sharply to third. He reaches first. They are calling it an error on the third baseman.
Hermida loops one to left for a single. Bad play by the left fielder. Runners on first and second with nobody down.
Stubbs down quickly 0-2. Not good. Strike three called. 4 punchouts on the day for Drew.
Valaika flies to the warning track. Janish tags and moves to third. Two away.
Votto striding plateward. He ropes one to right and two runs will score. 10-8. Them.
Hermida scores from first on a single with two down.
Votto moves up to second on fielder's indifference.
Rolen brandishing some lumber. Rolen Ks. Game over.

10-8 Oakland.