Category Archives: Baseball
Rounding third and halfway home on 2010
As half of the 2010 season is in the books for the first-place Cincinnati Reds (sounds weird, doesn’t it?), BtBS is going to take a look at the big wins, losses, plays, and what needs to be done to stay ahead of those dreaded Cardinals to clinch a playoff birth for the first time since 1995.
Best Wins of the 1st half:
May 18th: Reds 5, Brewers 4- Dreading the 9th inning against all-time saves leader Trevor Hoffman, the Reds find the rally at the perfect time, retaining at the time a short-lived stint as the NL Central leader. Janish led off the 9th inning with a double, and was knocked in as Rolen hit a blast into the left field seats (the deck below where we had been sitting in the bleachers). Hoffman crumbled under the pressure by giving up a double, walk, and Joey Votto ended the game with a long single that allowed Heisey to come around to score the winning run, capping the comeback that seemed impossible when Cincy trailed 4-1 in the bottom of the 8th, and before Votto’s 8th inning blast, 9 reds had been retired in a row.
April 8th: Reds 2, Cardinals 1- A rough start by dropping the first two night games of the 2010 campaign were erased with one swing of the bat by none other than Jonny Gomes, who hit a walk-off blast into the left field seats to cap off win #1 of 2010. Bronson Arroyo worked his day game magic in the victory, going 8 strong with only 4 hits and 1 ER. This helped Cincy avoid a dreaded sweep by St. Louis, keeping the Reds around for the time being (see below).
May 16th: Reds 7, Cardinals 2- Another big win over the Cards to take over first place in the central for the first time all season. Scott Rolen was the big man of the night, going 2 for 4 with a big blast in the first inning to help the Reds jump on STL and Brad Penny early. Bronson worked his magic again, going the distance, giving up only 2 ER and 7 hits, en route to his 3rd win on the season.
Rough moments of the 1st half:
5 game slide/Swept in Pittsburgh (April 14th-18th): Moments to forget from this stretch include: 30-160 (.188 BA) from the plate, 2 terrible bullpen appearances in the 9th inning in consecutive games (Masset on Friday, Cordero on Saturday). Add to the batting part with amazing run outputs of: 3,2,3,4,3. Yikes. At this point, I think about how finishing anything better than 5th or 6th would quite an accomplishment.
The collapse in Atlanta: Up 6 runs going to the 9th. Single, single, single, single, walk, error, strikeout, grand slam. That’s all for that one.
The collapse in Philly: Up 6 runs going to the 9th. Double, flyout, single, single, home run, flyball, walk, home run. Lost in 10th. ‘Nuff said, again.
For the Reds to win the division/wild card, they must…
- Not have any more meltdowns in the 9th inning. Those two games in Philly and Atlanta are games you will look back on at the end of the year and realize how they could have changed the season if they fall short.
- Take care of business against the teams they should take 2 of 3 or sweep with ease. They get Houston for 9, Pittsburgh for 6, and the Brewers for 9 as well.
- Have Nick Masset figure out which Nick Masset he wants to be, whether it be 2009 or 2010 Masset, he needs to decide so the bullpen can get more stability.
- Figure out Coco Cordero, and every save cannot be a “thrill a minute” as Marty goes on and on about. It’s just not what we need. Some of those thrills turn into BS’s and L’s in the stat column.
If the Reds don’t make the playoffs, it will be because…
- Teams figure out the rookie core of pitchers and we get rocked night in and night out. I don’t see this happening though. They are too strong and capable to adjust on the fly. This is the future of the Reds right here.
- The bats all of a sudden come to a halt. There have been spurts of this during the season, and it scares me a little bit, if in a big series against STL this would somehow happen.
- They choke on the infamous west coast swing. We have not been able to win on the west coast at all, example being the debacles in Seattle.
Prediction- This team has the right mix of everything. The batting has been amazing at times, pitching off the charts, and the core of young players don’t have a lot of September expierence, but i feel like they can make the playoffs and dethrone the Cardinals. A new decade calls for a new leader of the division, and the NL Central will belong to the Cincinnati Reds.
Let’s get him back too.
Sports are…
To some like me, sports are everything. You learn a lot from organized sports. For example:
-how to play the game the right way
-how to play fair, with rules
-how to interact with others and be a helping hand towards a greater cause
-how to grow as a person
-how to deal with the situation your forced with
-how to make your teammates that much better
-and lastly, MOST importantly,
Cano making early case for MVP honors
In an almighty New York Yankee lineup, one that leads all of baseball in batting average, home runs and RBIs, the majority of the production is coming from an unlikely source. Through 54 games this season, Robinson Cano has hit .373 with 12 HRs and 43 RBI’s, easily in the top ten in the American League in all three categories, with his average being tops in the AL. Coming into Thursday’s victory against the Baltimore Orioles, Cano had a 16 game hitting streak which he extended to 17 games with a double in the first inning, bringing home Derek Jeter. More impressive is the defensive work Cano has put in this season, as the slick fielding second baseman has only committed one error this season on over 270 chances. Also on his resume for 2010 is the fact that Cano leads the Yankees in EVERY offensive category, sporting a very impressive 1.046 OPS, good for fourth in the league.
When Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez get most of the credit for the danger that comes with the Yankee lineup, Cano has been the reason that the New York offense has been so good this season. When people talk about the best second basemen in baseball, Dustin Pedroia, Chase Utley and Brandon Phillips are usually the first names mentioned. But so far this season, Cano has easily distinguished himself as the best at his position, as he not only has produced at the plate but has been magnificent on defense. Most suprising is the power that Cano has showed early on. Hitting a career high 25 long balls in 2009, the 27 year old Dominican is easily on pace to collipse that mark with over 100 games remaining on the schedule. Although the Yankees trail the Tampa Bay Rays by 2.5 games in the East, things look bright in the Bronx. With Curtis Granderson and Jorge Posada on the way back from injury, the additions of their bats will only add protection for Cano, A-Rod, and the struggling Mark Teixeira. Traveling to Toronto to face the division rival Blue Jays, Cano looks to extend his hot streak against a team whom the Bronx Bombers have yet to play this season.
Sports tidbits for this week
In a crazy week of sports that involves championship weeekend in the NFL, Cavs-Lakers in the NBA and arbitration in Major League Baseball, here a few interesting facts that are products of this week.
In three team deal, Phillies finally acquire Halladay
On the first day of free agency for Major League Baseball, the NL’s best team traded for one of the best pitchers in the league but also took a risk in the process. After failing to acquire Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay before the trade deadline, the Philadelphia Phillies finally completed a deal with the Seattle Mariners and the Toronto Blue Jays just minutes ago. According to SI.com, Philadelphia dealt the dominant Cliff Lee to Seattle and it is rumored that Halladay will sign an extension in the coming days after indicating his interest in Philadelphia.
After 2010, MLB Legend Bobby Cox Will Retire
News that has just come from Atlanta is saying that Braves’ manager Bobby Cox has signed a one year extension, keeping him in the dugout through next season. “While I have decided that 2010 will be my last s
Chula Vista Hopes to Bring Title back to California
Led by the powerful bats of Luke Ramirez and Kiko Garcia, the Chula Vista Little League baseball team from Southern California, is in tight contention for the crown at the 2009 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Following a harsh defeat to San Antonio, Texas on Tuesday, Chula Vista looks to upset the #1 seed Warner Robins, Georgia team tonight at Lamade Stadium.
Put Baseball Aside, Cape Cod Suffers Major Loss
Always being known for one of the funniest, most outgoing and athletic guys around, Team Cape Cod and the rest of the cape will miss AJ Passalugo, a great kid whose life ended suddenly on August 20th.
Cardinals/Mariners Add Another Player To Help Cause
After Brett Favre signed with the Vikes on Tuesday, another old-timer signed a contract, this time in baseball however. John Smoltz signed a deal with the NL-Central leading St. Louis Cardinals, after being with the Red Sox for the beginning of the year, going 2-5 with an 8.33 ERA. “He had very little demands,” Cards GM John Mozeliak said about
Clock Doesn’t Strike Midnight on Strasburg and Nationals
After demanding a signing bonus reaching $30 million, the Washington Nationals and Steven Strasburg finally reached a deal just before the midnight deadline. To many, it seemed the two parties wouldn’t be able to reach a deal but according to ESPN’s Pedro Gomez, the last place Nationals and Strasburg reached a deal at the deadline including a $15 million dollar signing bonus.
