Mike Leake's sprint to victory turned into a 13-inning marathon for the Reds. It was frustrating to watch, but worth it in the end.
The heroes:
1) Mike Leake. One mistake pitch to Bryan LaHair, resulting in a 2-run homer with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th to tie things up, meant Leake would not get his much-deserved 2-hit shutout. After a single by Alfonso Soriano in the second (he was erased the very next batter on a Marlon Byrd GIDP), Leake didn't give up a hit again until a cheap infield single in the bottom of the 9th. In between, only two guys reached base - Darwin Barney on catcher's interference, and Soriano on an HBP (Byrd again doubled him up in the 8th). This was true domination by Leake, and everyone in Reds country was disappointed for him when LaHair's blast sailed out to right field.
2) Joey Votto. If not for Leake's gem, this guy would be the clear #1. He provided two of the three RBIs on the night (Mesoraco's GIDP means no RBI for the second of the four runs). Both came on doubles to drive in Dave Sappelt - one in the sixth to put the Reds ahead 1-0, one in the thirteenth to put the Reds ahead 3-2. Both times he broke a long-standing offensive malaise.
3) Dave Sappelt. He got on base 4 of 6 times, and was the key star other than Votto in a manner similar to the Alonso/Sappelt comeback game in Miami. Two doubles, 1 single and a walk. Scored both go-ahead runs on Votto doubles, motoring around the bases like a madman.
4) Sam LeCure. He pitched to one batter, but I'll admit I thought things were over in the bottom of the 10th. The Cubs had all the momentum, and thanks to Nick Masset, they had built a scary situation - bases loaded, 1 out. Enter LeCure to face Jeff Baker. GIDP, inning over.
Honorable mention to Francisco Cordero (1-2-3 for the save in the 13th) and Aroldis Chapman (1.1 scoreless, got the Reds out of Arredondo's mess in the 11th, got the win).
No Red LOBsters worth mentioning...in fact, the Reds went 5 for 13 with RISP so I can't complain.
Tomorrow for all the marbles and a potential fourth straight road series win, it's ace Johnny Cueto vs the often-irritating Ryan Dempster at 8:05 ET. There are some subplots to this one. Can Cueto maintain his lead in the ERA "race" and finally get to 10 wins? If the Reds don't break through against Dempster, can they do so against a quartet of Cub relievers who have given them fits in 2011? In 27 combined innings against Samardzija, Wood, Marmol and Marshall, the Reds have scored only 6 earned runs (2.00 ERA) and struck out 33 times. Finally, the ever-present questions about the youngsters - which ones will play, and which ones will make the most of their opportunities? So far, everyone has contributed but everyone has also shown weaknesses or inconsistencies in some aspect of the game. There is definitely reason for hope in 2012 but the lineup for next year (other than the obvious mainstays) is still completely TBD.
Mr. Redlegs is watching you. Always.
Showing posts with label dave sappelt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dave sappelt. Show all posts
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Reds 8 Marlins 6: The men behind the win 8/23/11
Let's get all the bad news out of the way first:
- Cueto wasn't sharp: he gave up 6 walks for only the third time ever, and as his pitch count mounted he finally melted down in the 5th after some admirable escapes. Still have to love the guy, he's amazing.
- Hernandez and Janish combined for 10 LOB (co-Red LOBsters of the night), 6 of those in one hideous inning (the 6th) where the Reds loaded 'em up with nobody out and didn't score.
- LeCure AND Masset continued their August struggles, getting tagged for 3 more runs in relief.
Gee, with all that it sounds like a loss, but it wasn't. So on to the heroes:
1) None other than Yonder Alonso. He was given a chance to start in his return to Miami, and made the most of it with 3 hits (1B, 2B, HR) and 4 RBI including the 2 that provided the final margin in the Reds' awesome rally in the top of the 9th. For the second straight game, the Reds rallied by making mincemeat of a usually-tough closer (Hanrahan Sunday, Nunez tonight).
2) Another youngster, Dave Sappelt. Unlike Alonso, he had been shaky since his call-up...but tonight was fantastic. 3 hits, including the 2-run double that tied it in the 9th to set the stage for Alonso. If he can give us more nights like this, he'll solidify his spot in the outfield for 2012.
3) Francisco Cordero. He was horrendous in the Milwaukee series right before the break, but consider his stats since then: 14 appearances (15 IP) with only 1 run allowed, and 10 for 10 in save opportunities. Tonight was another shutdown performance to end the slugfest.
4) Jay Bruce. His 2-run blast in the top of the 7th came in an inning that had felt dead (until Sappelt's infield single with 2 outs), and with the Reds' chances for a win fading. That cut the Marlins' lead to 5-4 and the rest is history.
Honorable mention to BP, who continues to rake this month and has his average all the way up to .294. He's been a beast since moving to the leadoff spot.
- Cueto wasn't sharp: he gave up 6 walks for only the third time ever, and as his pitch count mounted he finally melted down in the 5th after some admirable escapes. Still have to love the guy, he's amazing.
- Hernandez and Janish combined for 10 LOB (co-Red LOBsters of the night), 6 of those in one hideous inning (the 6th) where the Reds loaded 'em up with nobody out and didn't score.
- LeCure AND Masset continued their August struggles, getting tagged for 3 more runs in relief.
Gee, with all that it sounds like a loss, but it wasn't. So on to the heroes:
1) None other than Yonder Alonso. He was given a chance to start in his return to Miami, and made the most of it with 3 hits (1B, 2B, HR) and 4 RBI including the 2 that provided the final margin in the Reds' awesome rally in the top of the 9th. For the second straight game, the Reds rallied by making mincemeat of a usually-tough closer (Hanrahan Sunday, Nunez tonight).
2) Another youngster, Dave Sappelt. Unlike Alonso, he had been shaky since his call-up...but tonight was fantastic. 3 hits, including the 2-run double that tied it in the 9th to set the stage for Alonso. If he can give us more nights like this, he'll solidify his spot in the outfield for 2012.
3) Francisco Cordero. He was horrendous in the Milwaukee series right before the break, but consider his stats since then: 14 appearances (15 IP) with only 1 run allowed, and 10 for 10 in save opportunities. Tonight was another shutdown performance to end the slugfest.
4) Jay Bruce. His 2-run blast in the top of the 7th came in an inning that had felt dead (until Sappelt's infield single with 2 outs), and with the Reds' chances for a win fading. That cut the Marlins' lead to 5-4 and the rest is history.
Honorable mention to BP, who continues to rake this month and has his average all the way up to .294. He's been a beast since moving to the leadoff spot.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Leadoff Hitters and First Inning Offense
I mentioned in the previous post that Stubbs' OBP was insufficient for a leadoff man. While certainly not ideal, he's a long way from being the worst choice out there.
In fact, among the past 20 World Series winners (beginning with the Reds, ending with the Giants) five had equal or worse leadoff batter OBPs. Not that it's Hall of Fame company - Dan Gladden, Andres Torres, Luis Castillo, Devon White and Marquis Grissom.
In looking at these statistics I happened upon one other comparison between the current Reds and past champions, which is less favorable. All of the recent champions have been strong offensively in the first inning, scoring an average of 12.68% of their runs in that frame.
The lowest percentage, and only one under 10%, belonged to the 1996 New York Yankees (9.64%). Checking in at a whopping 17.84% were the 1997 Marlins - curiously so, considering their poor leadoff performance that season.
Our beloved Redlegs have been slow starters in 2011. After posting a respectable first inning run total in 2010, only 8.99% of their runs (34 of 378) have come in the opening inning this year.
As an inevitable result, the opposition has scored first in 62% of the games (48 of 78) and the Reds are 22-26 in those contests, only achieving such a decent record because of their late inning heroics.
Want specific players to blame? Among the three players with the most first inning at-bats, only Brandon Phillips hits well (.308 BA). Stubbs is an abysmal .177 and Votto an uncharacteristic .262 (but his OBP is still .395).
Guys like Jay Bruce (.292) and Scott Rolen (.267) likely have their statistics skewed upward by the fact they would only bat in the first if the Reds are succeeding against the pitcher.
In conclusion, we're still searching for our man at leadoff. Heisey may have hit pretty well now for a few games, but he's still only 2 for 11 in the first inning.
I've long thought that we should give Fred Lewis a shot now and then, as he does boast a career leadoff average higher than his overall average, and if I recall correctly he is the ONLY player on the Reds' roster with such a statistic.
This may (hopefully) become moot, with the (hopefully) imminent arrival of Dave Sappelt. Zack Cozart is another player with potential to give the Reds' inconsistent offense a shot in the arm, but that's a discussion for another day.
In fact, among the past 20 World Series winners (beginning with the Reds, ending with the Giants) five had equal or worse leadoff batter OBPs. Not that it's Hall of Fame company - Dan Gladden, Andres Torres, Luis Castillo, Devon White and Marquis Grissom.
In looking at these statistics I happened upon one other comparison between the current Reds and past champions, which is less favorable. All of the recent champions have been strong offensively in the first inning, scoring an average of 12.68% of their runs in that frame.
The lowest percentage, and only one under 10%, belonged to the 1996 New York Yankees (9.64%). Checking in at a whopping 17.84% were the 1997 Marlins - curiously so, considering their poor leadoff performance that season.
Our beloved Redlegs have been slow starters in 2011. After posting a respectable first inning run total in 2010, only 8.99% of their runs (34 of 378) have come in the opening inning this year.
As an inevitable result, the opposition has scored first in 62% of the games (48 of 78) and the Reds are 22-26 in those contests, only achieving such a decent record because of their late inning heroics.
Want specific players to blame? Among the three players with the most first inning at-bats, only Brandon Phillips hits well (.308 BA). Stubbs is an abysmal .177 and Votto an uncharacteristic .262 (but his OBP is still .395).
Guys like Jay Bruce (.292) and Scott Rolen (.267) likely have their statistics skewed upward by the fact they would only bat in the first if the Reds are succeeding against the pitcher.
In conclusion, we're still searching for our man at leadoff. Heisey may have hit pretty well now for a few games, but he's still only 2 for 11 in the first inning.
I've long thought that we should give Fred Lewis a shot now and then, as he does boast a career leadoff average higher than his overall average, and if I recall correctly he is the ONLY player on the Reds' roster with such a statistic.
This may (hopefully) become moot, with the (hopefully) imminent arrival of Dave Sappelt. Zack Cozart is another player with potential to give the Reds' inconsistent offense a shot in the arm, but that's a discussion for another day.
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