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Message #: 33242
The Reds do what we do best -- choke, choke and choke again -- but since we were facing our old pals from Colorado the best we could do was to lose just 1 of 3. The teams combined to average a little over 17 runs scored per game in this routine Coors Field series.... Game 1: The Reds built a lead of 6-0 and were up 7-2 in the 6th and choked it all away in just 1 inning. CIN starter Russ Springer gave up just 5 hits through 5 frames but sabotage defense master Barry 'Lead Glove' Larkin came to the rescue of the Rockies in the 6th, as he had in the 5th. His initial error handed Colorado their first unearned run an inning earlier, and Larkin's timely error in the 6th put 3 more unearneds on the board and that 6-0 lead was suddenly an undeserved 7-7 tie. Jeff Shaw had, for a very rare change, an effective relief outing in which he tossed 3.2 nearly perfect innings. He permitted 0 walks, just 1 hit, 0 runs and struck out 5. Unfortunately for Springer, Shaw's 1 hit allowed came with (of course) 2 outs in the 6th and plated the tying marker. Shaw then vultured the win for himself when the Reds got 3 in the 8th to win by the score of 10-7. L.G. Larkin, whose 3-run homer provided the winning margin, negated his typically rotten day in the field (4 unearned runs) with a not quite as typical good day at the plate (2 HR, 4 runs scored and 4 RBI). ============================================================================== Game 2: Speaking of not quite typical, a Cincy win in a close game is unlikely enough, but when it does occur it's nearly always the result of simply choking away a much bigger lead. Though we did forfeit an early 2-0 lead as usual today, the Reds broke with tradition and actually stormed back for 4 late runs and a 6-5 win, but it understandably took a miracle to accomplish it. Another howler by a CIN shortstop (Jeff Branson today) donated another unearned run and gave the Rockies a 6-2 lead in the 5th inning. Chris 'Batting Practice' Bosio on the mound for the home team was in the process of having his best outing of the season and looked to be on an easy path to his 3rd win in a row. However Bosio weakened in the 8th and reliever Jason Schmidt gave up 2 hits and 2 walks, the last one forcing in a run before the Reds hit into a rally-terminating DP with the bases loaded. But Kevin Jordan broke the 5-5 tie with an RBI double in the 9th and suddenly it was the Reds who were on the verge of the win. Not so fast -- there's still some chokin' to be done and the Cincy defense and bullpen was up to the task, as always. In keeping with the pattern for this series, the Reds helpfully donated yet another error to lead off the bottom of the 9th and Blown Save Brantley proceeded to load the bases for the Rockies via a single and a free pass with still 0 out. Jack Howell came up to pinch hit for the pitcher with about a 99% chance of at least tying the game and probably also completing the Cincy choke and winning it for the Rocks. But he found the 1% -- a TRIPLE PLAY lineout to second baseman Kevin Jordan, who threw to third to beat Ellis Burks back to the bag, and then a relay back to Jordan to retire somebody who was in the vicinity of that base. Final score: the most unlikely 6-5 win in Cincinnati history. ============================================================================== Game 3: Finally, the choke we'd all been waiting for. The Reds blew leads of 3-0 and 4-3, fought back to an 8-8 tie in the 7th, choked that away and then scored 3 in the 9th (and LOBbed the tying runs in scoring position, natch) before ending the game with -- what else? -- an RBI single which turned into a $ choke. Final score: 13-11. CIN starter Donne Wall wasn't doing too terribly considering the ballpark and the loaded Colorado lineup, until a surgical rally in the 6th broke a 4-4 tie and made the score 8-4. The Reds matched that with 4 of our own half an inning later thanks to a pair of 2-run homers from Hal Morris & Willie Greene. But that was the cue for the bullpen to choke right away, and it did, helping the Rockies with a timely HBP to load the bases and another timely HBP to force in a run. Colorado padded its lead with 2 more runs in the 8th against the worst bullpen in existence, in order that the Cincy rally in the 9th would fall short by exactly that amount. The Reds outhit the Rockies 17-15, outwalked them 7-5, but hit a mere 4 home runs while our sad sacks on the hill were gophering up 5. The Reds also helpfully LOBbed 12, *8* of them in scoring position. Alan |
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