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Message #: 34251
Another extremely typical series for the unluckiest team anywhere, losing the first two games before barely eking out a win in the finale despite outhitting the opposition 9-2.... Game 1: A surgical split card resulted not merely in a gopher but a Grand Slam for Steve Finley, and that was pretty much the deciding factor in a 6-1 rout of the hapless Reds. The visitors did not lack for baserunners, but our usual 1 for 6 with RISP plus a pair of timely rally-killing GIDPs (even with a terrible offense featuring few baserunners, the Reds are among the GIDP leaders) ensured that there would be no real competition in this contest. Andy Ashby tossed 7 easy shutout innings before departing, with the Reds tallying only on a Tony Barron triple off of reliever Tony Fossas in the CIN 8th. =========================================================================== Game 2: The Cincy offense once again remained inert against a San Diego starter (ex-Red Scott Kamieniecki) while Brett Tomko and his excellent card once again suffered another utterly luckless outing. The defense -- the one aspect of the Reds team which has not massively underachieved in 1997 -- sabotaged their starter by choking up 4 hits on 5 x-play chances and Tomko left on the short end of another 6-0 rout. The runs choked up directly as a result of all that sabotage defense would retroactively prove to be fatal, since the Reds found the San Diego bullpen to their liking and posted 4 late runs before Trevor Hoffman strode confidently to the mound in the 9th and fanned the side on 10 pitches when 9 would easily have been sufficient; perhaps he needed the extra work. Final score: 6-4. =========================================================================== Game 3: Kent Mercker permitted just 1 hit in 6 innings, so naturally he was not the winning pitcher and nearly wound up as the loser. A leadoff walk in a 99% barren column opened the game and was followed 2 batters later by a gopher, and Mercker was quickly in a 2-0 hole after 1 inning. Somewhere in the process of getting THREE runners gunned down at home plate today (two in the 2nd inning alone) the Reds pop-gun offense fought back with single runs here and there while Mercker pitched a no-hitter the rest of the way. The tying run scored in the 5th and we took a 3-2 lead in the 7th before consecutive Cincy batters feebed with the bases loaded. Ace arsonist Scott Sullivan (excellent card, zero luck a la fellow rookie Brett Tomko) relieved Mercker at that point and wasted no time: a leadoff walk was followed by the Padres' second and final hit of the game -- another timely split card gopher. Fortunately the walker had erased himself by getting caught stealing so the gopher bite did minimal damage and the score was only tied instead of resulting in a Cincy deficit. Barron got that run back and one more in the 8th by homering off of reliever Pete Smith, enabling Sullivan to vulture his 2nd win by a final count of 5-3. Sullivan's ERA now stands at a mere 5.67 -- only .27 above his best mark at any point of the year! -- but we still have a home series to lose this week and he'll very likely do his part to make it happen. Alan |
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