ST: Reds vs. Ms 3/20 Tues.

[texasdave]

Play some ball!!

Kawasaki bunts to Rolen at third and motors down the line safely.
Rodriguez pops to the left side and it falls for a single. Kawasaki stops at second.
Francis gets the pitcher's best friend, a 6-4-3 double play.
Jesus Montero caught looking.
I wonder if Pettitte announces that he is coming back sooner if the Yankees let Montero go?

0-0. Nobody.

[texasdave]

Millwood hurling for the Mariners.

2-0 cripple smacked into left by DatDude.
Phillips tests Montero's arm and Montero's arm aces the test. Brandon trots back to the dugout.
Cozart is out, sending the ball deep to Peguero in right.
Votto sends a routine fly ball to right-center that doesn't have a ghost of a chance of falling in as Casper Wells hauls it in.

0-0. Nobody.

[texasdave]

Kyle Saeger gets a fortuitous hop over the glove of the diving Joey Votto and cruises into second.
Liddi bounces to the Francis who stares the runner back to second and then throws to Votto for the first out.+
(Madsen and Bray worked simulated games and look like they are ready to comeback.Used all their pitches. Close to 100%. Should throw a minor league game on Friday and then in a ML game on Monday. Barring anything negative popping up.)
Catricala flies to Ludwick in left. Two down.
Grounder to Votto who takes it to the bag himself to retire Seattle in the top of the second.

0-0. Nobody.

[texasdave]

Rolen waves at one and then makes a left turn into the home dugout.
Bruce strike three called and he too grabs some pine.
Ludwick with a major league pop up to short left that is handled by the Mariners' shortstop.

0-0. Nobody.

[texasdave]

Cueto throwing against minor leaguers today.

Wells bounces to short. Cozart fields and throws. One out.
Francis gets his second strikeout, whiffing Kawasaki.
Rodriguez strokes a two-out single to center.
High flyball to right measure by Jay Bruce.

0-0. Nobody.

[texasdave]

Travis Wood with a 25+ ERA so far in Cubs count.

Stubbs Ks. Yawn. Looking this time. Rounding into mid-season form. 4 Ks in his last 5 trips to the dish. It's nice to have something you can count on.
Hanigan with a routine grounder to third.
Francis tries to hold up but can't. K.

0-0. Nobody.

[malcontent]

Originally Posted by texasdave

Stubbs Ks. Yawn. Looking this time. Rounding into mid-season form. 4 Ks in his last 5 trips to the dish. It's nice to have something you can count on.

Baker wishes everyone would get off his case...just focus on the positive.

I don't think anyone really expects the guy to develop real plate discipline...but continuing to ignore his total lack of it is just contributing to the problem.

And if you noticed, Stubbs' quotes at the start of ST were heavy on excuses and short on any plan to improve his approach.

I smell another 200+ K season brewing.

[texasdave]

Francis out for a fourth inning of work.

Hard knock to the third baseman Scott Rolen who scoops and fires to first to retire Montero.
Saeger sends one Ludwick's way in shallow left and is retired for the second out.
Liddi waves at something off-speed. K.

0-0. Nobody.

[texasdave]

Brantley says the key to pitching is to keep the batter off-balance since very few pitchers can simply overpower major league hitters.

Phillips with his second hit of the game, going the other way and pushing one through the right side.
Runner going and Cozart shoots a double down the left-field line. Phillips comes all the way around to break this scoreless tie. It was a hit and run and Cozart got a fastball up around his jaw and managed to make contact and send it down the line.
Brantley jocking someone big-time. I didn't catch the name. But wow. Brantley made him sound so good I almost want to marry him.
Votto with a big swing connects with nothing but air. Millwood just threw a high cheesy porkchop past a hungry wolf. Brantley amazed Millwood still has the ability to reach back and throw with such velocity.
Rolen lines hard to the rightfielder. Two down.
Bruce in an 0-2 hole. Rolls to the first baseman who tosses to Millwood.

1-0. Reds.

[LeDoux]

I've done the math and Votto is 182% of the offence. When he struggles runs are hard to come by.

[texasdave]

Catricala bloops one to short right to reach. (Gameday shows it being caught but Kelch and Cowboy disagree)
That was a loud crack of the bat. Bruce just turns and watches as the ball flies out to right. That lead lasted all of two batters. 1-1.
Wells swings and misses. 1 down.
Kawasaki sends a humpbacked liner to center that finds grass.
Francis throws wildly to first and Kawasaki scoots over to third.
Rodriguez flies to short center.
Kawasaki tags and jusssst beats the throw to the plate. 3-1.
Carps strikes out swinging. 5th K for Francis.

3-1. Ms.

[texasdave]

Ludwick lines hard up the middle to reach.
Stubbs fouling them off. Stubbs goes from down 0-2 to working a full count. Ball hit into shallow right and the second baseman flags it down.
Hit and run and Hanigan taps to the right side. 2 down. Ludwick stands on second.
Broken-bat flare run down by the shortstop Kawasaki. Pinch hitter Juan Francisco retired.

3-1. Ms.

[texasdave]

Sean Marshall on the mound.

Montero Kd on a breaking pitch at the knees.
Seagar waves at a breaking pitch and he too grabs some pine.
Liddi pounds a double off the right-field wall at the 380 mark.
Wild pitch moves the runner up 90 feet.
Catricala can't pull the string on a full-count breaking pitch. K.

3-1. Ms.

[texasdave]

And if you noticed, Stubbs' quotes at the start of ST were heavy on excuses and short on any plan to improve his approach.

When you put up the numbers Stubbs did in 2011 - 200+ Ks sub .700 OPS - you don't want to change a thing. Let the pitchers adjust to you. LOL.

[texasdave]

Valaika, spelling Phillips, will face a new Ms hurler. Iwakuma.

Valaika sends one into the hole at short for an infield hit.
Janish in for Cozart. Flies deep to left-center but it is hauled in by the center fielder. Valaika fakes a tag and then heads back to first.
Votto sends an easy fly ball to left. Two down.
Frazier, fooled on the pitch, still muscles the ball safely into left. Two runners on with two away.
Bruce bounces out to the second baseman on the first pitch. Rally over.

3-1. Ms.