8/16/2011 Reds at Nats

[cumberlandreds]

Alonso making his triumphant return to LF tonight. Back to Stubbs leading off.

Stubbs 8, Renteria 6, Votto 3, Phillips 4, Bruce 9, Hernandez 2, Alonso 7, Frazier 5, Leake RHP

[lollipopcurve]

Good to see Alonso back in the lineup. Would like to see him get regular ABs for awhile -- especially in GAB, where his swing fits perfectly and there's less ground to cover in LF. (Too bad Dusty skunked him on the last homestand.)

[PuffyPig]

Sappelt has been useless leading off. A bit of time on the bench might make him a bit more selective.

[edabbs44]

I hope Jonny is in left tonight. Yonder vs Jonny.

[mth123]

Good to see Alonso back in the lineup. Would like to see him get regular ABs for awhile -- especially in GAB, where his swing fits perfectly and there's less ground to cover in LF. (Too bad Dusty skunked him on the last homestand.)

Am I the only one who wonders if Alonso's "benching" might have come from Bob. Its not hard to imagine the owner telling his Management Team that they don't want to put little league caliber baseball in front of the paying customers. Now they are back on the road and Alonso is back in there.

The Reds were botching a lot of plays as a team there for a while. I'd guess if they wanted to restore some order and professionalism, benching Yonder would be the first move. Alonso's bat needs to be in this line-up every day IMO, but I can see how it projects poorly to have a sub-professional caliber defender out there. We've seen a no range Griffey, a clutzy Dunn, an overzealous Freel, an inadequate EdE, Wrong Way Willy, subpar Gomes, a run of catchers who can't catch the ball and a string of over the hill, injured, lack of concentration or complete lack of range guys at SS over the last 5 years, but Alonso has a chance to be the worst defender of them all if he isn't playing 1B. I can see why a management team that is trying to convince the customers that all of that has changed wouldn't want him out there in front of the home town fans who are shelling out the bucks to see major league baseball. I'm the first guy to understand that the rest of the year is basically best used as a try out camp, but the avergage Joe isn't paying his money to see that.

[Blitz Dorsey]

Are the Reds TRYING to make me not watch their games? First the losing ... and now even MORE George Grande? I thought I was done with him for the rest of the season. He's like a rash that won't go away.

*Never thought he'd be missing Jim Day*

[Blitz Dorsey]

Is it me or does Davey Johnson not look good? I know he's getting old, but he looks bad. Hope everything is OK with him. Always one of my favorites. (I would never get rid of him and replace him with Ray Knight. But that's just me.)

[Blitz Dorsey]

Sappelt has been useless leading off. A bit of time on the bench might make him a bit more selective.

Yep, pretty big sample size there. Good call. [Sarcasm off.]

[Captain Hook]

Nice start for the Reds tonight.

2-0 with the Nats coming up in the first.

[Captain Hook]

Bruce and Razor both with 2 out rbi to account for the scoring for those interested.

[Captain Hook]

The ball is finding Alonso out in LF tonight.So far he's 1-2.

[PuffyPig]

Yep, pretty big sample size there. Good call. [Sarcasm off.]

It's a fact, he has been useless and he's swinging at everything in sight.

I little time off might do him good, make him a little more selective.

Sappelt won't stay in the majors playing this way.

He has to play a little more small ball to be effective.

Small sample size or not, his current approach will fail 100% of the time. A little time on the bench may give him a chance to figure that out.

This is not a slump, this is an improper approach to his game.

BTW, a little more constructive comment might have helped other than "small sample size". That tells me nothing. My comments were relevant regardless of the sample size.

[dougdirt]

The ball is finding Alonso out in LF tonight.So far he's 1-2.

Eh. I don't think that first one was getting caught by most left fielders. Sappelt probably gets it. Carl Crawford probably gets it. Heisey probably gets it. Most left fielders probably don't.

[Captain Hook]

Eh. I don't think that first one was getting caught by most left fielders. Sappelt probably gets it. Carl Crawford probably gets it. Heisey probably gets it. Most left fielders probably don't.

I can't disagree completely but that ball did seem to stay in the air for a long time.

[dougdirt]

It's a fact, he has been useless and he's swinging at everything in sight.

I little time off might do him good, make him a little more selective.

Sappelt won't stay in the majors playing this way.

He has to play a little more small ball to be effective.

Small sample size or not, his current approach will fail 100% of the time. A little time on the bench may give him a chance to figure that out.

This is not a slump, this is an improper approach to his game.

Sappelt has swung at pitches outside the zone 29% of the time. That is not really some crazy number of zone expansion. It is right in line with Bruce this year and with Votto in 2010. The difference is, Sappelt is actually making a high rate of contact (93%) with those pitches, where as most don't. He is making contact on 97% of the pitches he swings at within the strikezone. Both of those numbers are going to drop because no one does those things at such a high rate. Right now, he is simply dealing with a small sample size.

[Tom Servo]

lame

[Mario-Rijo]

Renteria's play stinks!

[Captain Hook]

Sure seems like some of if not all of those rune could've been prevented.

3-2 Nats after 1

[Guacarock]

Sure seems like some of if not all of those rune could've been prevented.

Maybe, but Leake isn't fooling anyone either. Wonder if he's hitting the glass ceiling again after pitching close to 130 innings this season.

[PuffyPig]

Sappelt has swung at pitches outside the zone 29% of the time. That is not really some crazy number of zone expansion. It is right in line with Bruce this year and with Votto in 2010. The difference is, Sappelt is actually making a high rate of contact (93%) with those pitches, where as most don't. He is making contact on 97% of the pitches he swings at within the strikezone. Both of those numbers are going to drop because no one does those things at such a high rate. Right now, he is simply dealing with a small sample size.

That's good information.

But Sappelt is a player that needs to take more pitches to be successful.

He doesn't have Votto's and Bruce's power and shouldn't pretend he does.

But I agree his approach hasn't been as bad as I thought it was.

[mbgrayson]

Maybe, but Leake isn't fooling anyone either. Wonder if he's hitting the glass ceiling again after pitching close to 130 innings this season.

One weak play in left, then two for Renteria. Give moat teams six outs they will score.

[mbgrayson]

BTW, why is Renteria playing? There is zero chance he comes back next year, right?

[Captain Hook]

That's good information.

But Sappelt is a player that needs to take more pitches to be successful.

He doesn't have Votto's and Bruce's power and shouldn't pretend he does.

But I agree his approach hasn't been as bad as I thought it was.

I agree but I would also say that maybe Sappelt shouldn't be swinging at as many ball out of the zone as Votto and Bruce are.Either way I agreed with your first post until numbers proved otherwise.

[Captain Hook]

Sappelt has swung at pitches outside the zone 29% of the time. That is not really some crazy number of zone expansion. It is right in line with Bruce this year and with Votto in 2010. The difference is, Sappelt is actually making a high rate of contact (93%) with those pitches, where as most don't. He is making contact on 97% of the pitches he swings at within the strikezone. Both of those numbers are going to drop because no one does those things at such a high rate. Right now, he is simply dealing with a small sample size.

Is this a tendency Sappelt had in the minors as well?

[Captain Hook]

1-2-3 second inning for Leake.I'd say he was fooling people that inning.

[Guacarock]

1-2-3 second inning for Leake.I'd say he was fooling people that inning.

Yeah, he could have fooled me.

[Captain Hook]

Yeah, he could have fooled me.

I would hope so.

[PuffyPig]

BTW, Carpenter just gives up a 3 run HR, after Skippy boots a certain inning ending DP ball.

He's not going to be happy with Skippy.

[Captain Hook]

BTW, Carpenter just gives up a 3 run HR, after Skippy boots a certain inning ending DP ball.

He's not going to be happy with Skippy.

He's going to have to blame someone just so it's a little easier later tonight when he has to explain it to his son.That's just how he does it.

[Captain Hook]

What's up with that thing Morris does when he comes to the plate?

[Captain Hook]

I guess it works.

4-2 Nats

[Tom Servo]

Morse is a Morse, of course of course.

[Captain Hook]

Morse is a Morse, of course of course.

:laugh:

[mbgrayson]

Morse was suspended for steroids when he was with Seattle, as I recall...

[dougdirt]

Is this a tendency Sappelt had in the minors as well?

Sappelt is probably pretty average in terms of swinging at pitches out of the zone. He is a high contact guy though. Not as high as he has been, because as I noted, no one makes 97 and 93% contact on baseballs.

[Guacarock]

OK, Reds. Time to take a page off Howlin' Wolf and dang doodle Wang.

[Tom Servo]

Morse was suspended for steroids when he was with Seattle, as I recall...
Yeah that's how I remember him, being a really tall shortstop and never getting many at-bats in Seattle. And then traded to Washington for the immortal Ryan Langerhans.

[Guacarock]

That was quick. No dang doodle, just a dang noodle.

[Tom Servo]

well this game is just no fun to watch

[Guacarock]

Error by Votto allows fifth Nats run. Banish him to left field.

[Guacarock]

Nothing doing in the fifth for the Reds. Time to summon Flash Gordon to awaken our slumbering bats with his holy mantra: "Your power is fading Ming."

[Kc61]

Reds in one of those "we scored two, no real urgency to score anymore" stretches.

[CTA513]

Sappelt would fit in with tonights approach against Wang.

[Guacarock]

Unleash the bore worms! Now 6-2 Nats on the back of Zimmerman's solo HR.

[Guacarock]

Joey Votto strikes back with a double to right. Dive, Hawkmen, dive.

[Guacarock]

Wish Jay had jacked it, but his groundout does score Joey to tighten the game to 6-3.

[Guacarock]

The Hawkmen arise -- Hernandez and Alonso on base for Frazier.

[Guacarock]

The Emperor Ming slips out of the jam to battle another inning.

[Guacarock]

Who will save the virtue of Dale Arden?

[Guacarock]

Lewis fires a volley to right. Dispatch war rocket Ajax!

[Guacarock]

Renteria with a double, scoring Lewis. Ajax on target. Now 6-4. Janish running for Renteria.

[Guacarock]

Phillips whiffs to strand his fourth runner of the night and end the Reds' rally in the top of the seventh.

[Guacarock]

Arredondo swats the Nats 1-2-3 in the bottom of the seventh.

[Guacarock]

Due up for the Reds -- Bruce, Hernandez and Alonso. Can one of these upright dudes send the ball out yonder?

[Guacarock]

Renteria out of the game with an injured groin.

[Guacarock]

Up to Yonder. Bruce and Hernandez fall to the sheer force of Clippard.

[Guacarock]

Yo, Yonder on first with a single. Frazier at bat.

[Guacarock]

Clippard escapes. Still 6-4, in favor of the pesky Nats.

[Guacarock]

Bray into pitch. The mighty Sappelt replaces Alonso in LF.

[CTA513]

battle of bad defense tonight

[Guacarock]

Down to our skivvies. Last frame. Sappelt, Stubbs and Janish to the rescue.

[Guacarock]

Storen vanquishes Stubbs in an epic Drew vs. Drew showdown.

[Guacarock]

It's over. 6-4. Another day...

[WVRedsFan]

:barf:

[SirFelixCat]

:barf:

:thumbup: