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Message #: 38660
Seeing as how the Reds came into the week ranked 24th and dead last among all teams in road games (relative to home performance) any visit from these "road warriors" should be -- and has been all year long -- the best medicine for any struggling team. But the Padres managed to turn a probable series sweep into a couple of close wins for the Reds (!).... Game 1: A pair of surgical split card gophers, plus 3 timely GIDP by the Reds, plus 7 runners left in scoring position, plus a typical Cincy 1 for 9 performance in the clutch (3 for 20 for the series) added up to a 6-4 defeat for Mac Suzuki with a tiny bit of unnecessary arson help from Mark Guthrie. The teams were dead even in most respects aside from the 3-0 gopher advantage belonging to the home team. Adam Eaton wasn't exactly what you'd call "effective" for the Padres (12 baserunners in 5.2 IP) but the generous Reds let him off the hook time and again. Game 2: SDN starter Woody Williams allowed only 4 hits in 5 IP and the bullpen allowed nothing the rest of the day, but the Reds won the gopher battle this time (2-1), the big one being a 3-run blast from backup receiver Jason Larue in the 4th which provided just enough to eke out a 4-3 win. Jamie Arnold started for the Reds and was victimized by the HAL's usual Cincinnati Squeeze (5 BB, 1 K); he hung in there for 7 innings nonetheless then Felix Heredia took over to earn his 6th save. Game 3: Like game 1, the Reds were woeful with RISP (1 for 9 again, 7 LOB in RISP again) but managed to build a 5-0 lead anyway before nearly giving 100% of it back as they so often do. However the Pads fell just short in today's 5-4 decision. Travis Harper weakened in the middle frames and the 5-0 lead became 5-3, so it was up to Scott Williamson to complete the choke. He failed, but not because of a lack of effort. Williamson donated 3 doubles, 2 free passes and a timely passed ball during the last two innings, but San Diego was able to plate only 1 runner thanks largely to Darin Erstad's inability to bunt. He attempted to bunt for a hit leading off the 8th and failed, so the back-to-back doubles which followed resulted in just a single run. Then with 1 out in the 9th and 2 RISP he hit into an automatic gb(B) fielders choice at the plate with the infield in (if a split card had been required, all runners would have surely been safe) before Williamson stopped retching long enough to get Craig Counsell for the final out. |
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