Once through the Cardinals' lineup on Tuesday, Reds starter Homer Bailey looked in control.
He'd
given up three hits, but had been unscathed -- getting out of the first
inning in just 10 pitches and getting Albert Pujols and Rick Ankiel to
pop up to end the first and then getting a double play ball in the
second.
But with two outs in the third inning and St. Louis
second baseman Brendan Ryan on second, Bailey's good fortune ended.
Ryan Lidwick doubled in a run and then Pujols and Ankiel hit
back-to-back home runs to give St. Louis a 4-0 lead en route to a 7-2
victory in front of 34,234 at Great American Ball Park on Tuesday.
"Tonight
after the first go-around, they could tell he didn't have the feel for
his breaking ball," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "After that they
more or less spit on his breaking ball and started to sit on the
fastball."
Bailey walked another batter and gave up another hit
in the third before getting shortstop Cesar Izturis to ground into a
fielder's choice to end the inning.
The fourth inning followed a
nearly identical pattern to the start of the third. After getting
Cardinals starter Mitchell Boggs, Ryan again got on base, this time
with the walk. Leadoff batter Skip Schumaker flew out to center for the
second out of the inning. Once again, Bailey couldn't get out of the
inning, as Ludwick doubled in Ryan again.
After an intentional walk to Pujols, Baker came to get Bailey, ending his night after 76 pitches.
"All
their runs came with two outs, either I slacked off mentally or tried
not to do enough or tired to do too much with two outs, instead of
finishing off of the inning and getting back in the dugout, I let them
do their damage with two outs," Bailey said. "One of the keys to being
a pitcher is getting out when you have two outs."
Bailey pitched
well in his first start of the season, last Thursday in Philadelphia,
allowing four hits and two earned runs in 6.1 innings, although he was
saddled with the loss.
On Tuesday, he wasn't as sharp. Bailey
walked four in his start against the Phillies and walked three more
(one intentionally) on Tuesday.
"He's still a very young
pitcher," Baker said. "Most pitchers his age do have problems with
walks and location. Like I said, he got bit by the two-out hits
tonight. He gave up two-out home runs, two-out RBIs."
Bailey said he felt good physically, he was just having trouble with his breaking ball and his command.
"If
one breaking ball's working, you have to find a way to find it or use
your changeup," Bailey said. "I threw a couple of good changeups today.
I probably should have had a light bulb go off and use that pitch more
and start locating the fastball better."
Mike Lincoln relieved
Bailey and got Ankiel looking to end the fourth and then worked two
more perfect innings before giving way to David Weathers and Jeremy
Affeldt, who each surrendered a run, both off the bat of Ludwick, who
after striking out in the first had RBIs in each of his final four
at-bats, including his 15th home run of the season in the seventh
inning.
Boggs, in his first big league start, was more
successful than Bailey, allowing four hits and two runs in five
innings, with both runs coming on Joey Votto’s 11th homer of the season.
The
Cardinals, however, may have lost something much bigger than just a
game. In the seventh inning, Pujols had to be helped off the field by
teammates after suffering a strained left calf on a groundout. He will
be reevaluated on Wednesday.
* Word from the Cardinals clubhouse is to expect Pujols to go on the disabled list. He had a preexisting calf injury and this could mean a lengthy stay on the DL.
People are starting to call it “The Curse of Barry Larkin” and saying it will only end (our not having a permanent shortstop since him) until he is back in the organization. Since 2004 ended and Barry was forced out of the organization, 13 people have played shortstop for the Reds…in under 4 years. I say get him back in the organization NOW.
Felipe Lopez (224 games) Alex Gonzalez (103 Games) Jeff Keppinger (85 Games) Rich Aurillia (56 Games) Juan Castro (46 Games) Royce Clayton (43 Games) Jerry Hairston Jr. (22 Games) Paul Janish (19 Games) Pedro Lopez (12 Games) Ray Olmedo (9 Games) Brandon Phillips (4 Games) William Bergolla (1 Game) Enrique Cruz (1 Game)
Well, some would argue Larkin's final contract cursed the Reds more than his departure...
Anyway, I asked Dusty Baker if there was a shortstop curse now that the Reds have played their third different starting shortstop on the disabled list.
"I don't believe in that. I heard enough of that **** in Chicago," Baker said. "There's no curses. Sometimes it's outfielders, sometimes it's pitchers. If that's the case, we were cursed before I got here, because Gonzo was hurt before I got here."
Baker was asked about Brandon Phillips playing shortstop, but doesn't plan on doing that.
"I know everybody says that, he could probably do it, but how many guys do you want out of position?" Baker said. "Do you want one or do you want two or three? What would happen on a double play -- Brandon's not used to doing it and he gets wiped out on a double play, then what? Then you're without Brandon too. It's not that easy.
"It's like football, moving from right tackle to left tackle, it's not that easy. Some guys can do it, some can play left tackle, right tackle, center, guard, but there aren't many. There's not that many guys who can play all over the field in baseball, too. Plus I asked Brandon yesterday, 'I said, hey man, it may come down to you playing shortstop.' He said, 'Not the way things are going at that position.'"
So, it's Jolbert Cabrera up for Jerry Hairston Jr. and Gary Majewski is on bereavement list as his wife Melissa is having a baby. Danny Herrera is up to take his place.
No lineups yet.
* New All-Star voting released today. Ken Griffey Jr. is third among NL outfielders, behind Alfonso Soriano and Kosuke Fukudome and ahead of Carlos Lee. No other Reds is among the top five at any position (or among the 15 outfielders).
* Ah, tons of stuff, but no Reds lineup. I know Jay Bruce is leading off, but didn't write down the rest from the list on Baker's desk, thinking it'd be up here.
Here's the Cards' lineup:
Skip Schumaker lf
Ryan Ludwick rf
Albert Pujols 1b
Rick Ankiel cf
Troy Glaus 3b
Yadier Molina c
Cesar Izturis ss
Mitchell Boggs p
Brendan Ryan 2b
* As for Bruce leading off, Baker said, it's "through the process of elimination."
* Good news for Jerry Hairston Jr. today. The break of his finger was "the best case scenario" Dr. Timothy Kremchek told him. He should be back in two weeks he said. He'll be taking batting practice in a week and continue to do everything else, because it's on his non-throwing hand. Hairston said he's done sliding head first.
* I asked Ken Griffey Jr. if he felt 600 was devalued by the questions surrounding the last two players to accomplish the feat. "600 is 600. I understand what's going and whatever people think, 600 is 600."
Griffey was asked if he wanted to return to the Reds next season and said, "That's not up to me. It's a two-way street. I can't control that." He did say that there's a "love-hate relationship" between him and the city and the city and him.
Griffey on Joe Nuxhall night tonight: "Joe is a big part of this city, not just Hamilton County or Nuxhall County, as some call it. This is his day. I'm glad I can be a part of it, but it's his day and his family's day."
Griffey on "being stuck" on 599 -- "A lot of people would like to be stuck on 599."
He said he wants to play as long as he's having fun and is able to play.
Video will be coming soon (limited, because according to MLB rules, I can only post 120 seconds.)
* Adam Dunn said the feeling at Dolphin Stadium was weird. "It wasn't how I pictured it -- packed house, elongated celebration. ... It was like he hit it at Ed Smith."
On 600 home runs: "It's like thinking about Bill Gates' money. It's mind-boggling."
Of course, I added, "it's like thinking about Ken Griffey Jr.'s money."
Dunn also joked about Paul Bako's night: "I could just see the headline, 'Bako hits 2 home runs, Griffey hits one for No. 600."
"I don't what was more unbelievable."
* I asked Dusty Baker if he thought he was cursed at shortstop.
"I don't believe in (curses). I heard enough of that **** in Chicago."
