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Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy has retired from the Dayton Daily News after covering the Cincinnati Reds for 37 years. Hal's blog, though, will continue to be a must-read for Reds fans. He'll share his thoughts on the team this season and will file updates from Great American Ball Park. You also can catch Hal in print every Sunday in his popular Ask Hal columnHome > Blogs > The Real McCoy | Cincinnati Reds baseball news > Archives > 2010 > September > 04 > Entry
Get the eulogy ready for the Cardinals
UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave while planning my next rebuttal to a St. Louis writer. We are publicly debating who should win the MVP - he supports Albert Pujols and I, of course, support Joey Votto. Check out our debate at foxsportsohio.com. I’m prejudiced, but I think I’m winning.
If it takes 30 nails to seal a coffin, then the Cincinnati Reds have driven home 28 on the coffin of the St. Louis Cardinals.
With Saturday’s 6-1 victory over the Cardinals, the Reds’ lead in the NL Central is back to eight games and the embalmer is standing by.
What faces the Cardinals? A very ugly face. The Reds now own 79 victories with 28 games left. If they only go 14-14 the rest of the way (and why should they stoop that low?), the Cardinals have to go 23-6 in their final games.
Adam Wainwright? How about Travis Wood? Wood pitched seven innings and gave up no earned runs (his pickoff throwing error led to an unearned run) and five hits and to add injury to his insults against the Cardinals hitters, he hit a home run and dropped two perfect sacrifice bunts.
Wainwright was gone after five innings, removed for a pinch-hitter Randy Winn.
At one point after the first inning, Wood retired 11 of 12 and the Cardinals had only two hits off him through five innings.
FOR ONCE the Reds caught a break against the Cardinals got caught with their defense down.
Second baseman Aaron Miles muffed a perfect ground ball that would have ended the first inning with a double play. Instead it went through his legs and the Reds took advantage and scored three runs off 17-game winner Wainwright, who has now lost four in a row.
The Reds used that start to fend off the Cards the rest of the way as Travis Wood took care of business.
ONCE AGAIN Manager Dusty Baker used his magic touch. Shortstop Orlando Cabrera came off the DL and wanted to play Friday, but held him back until Saturday.
After missing 27 games, Cabrera ripped the first pitch he saw in the first for a one-out single to left. Joey Votto then hit the ground ball that Miles muffed and Cabrera raced to third and Votto to second.
Scott Rolen walked to fill ‘em up, Ramon Hernandez grounded to short for one run and Jonny Gomes rammed a two-run double to left for a 3-0 lead.
Wood gave up a run in the bottom of the first, but Brandon Phillips (Public Enemy No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3) singled home a run in the second and Wood hit his first career home run in the fourth to make it 5-1.
ABOUT THAT time the full house in Busch Stadium couldn’t get up enough energy to give Phillips a proper booing.
HOW IS Aroldis Chapman handling his $30 million? Well, one investment was a canary yellow Lamborghini. And he has vanity license plates: 105 MPH.
Chapman pitched the eighth and while he walked a batter, he still faced only three hitters, ending the inning by getting Albert Pujols to hit into an inning-ending double play.
He threw 10 pitches at 100 or more miles per hour, topping at 103 against Aaron Miles, who saw five pitches at 100 or more. He walked Jon Jay on four pitches, all 100 or more.
Wonder how fast he drives that Lamborghini? Hopefully not 105.
SPEAKING OF Pujols and the battle for MVP with Joey Votto, Pujols was given a gift hit his third time up, a ball that glanced off Phillips’ glove, breaking a 0 for 18 skid, longest of his career. Votto had a double, a single, a run scored and drove in his league-leading 98th RBI.
I’VE COVERED games in three stadiums in St. Louis - all three named Busch - but my most vivid memory of Busch II is how I almost missed a game.
One Saturday night - in my youth - I spent too much time being convivial in a local watering hole. There was a game Sunday afternoon.
I was staying in a hotel right across the street from the ball park. Before I went to sleep on the 20th floor, I popped open a window.
I was awakened Sunday, uh, afternoon by this sound: “Now batting for the Cardinals, No. 23, Ted Simmons.” I vaulted out of bed, threw on some clothes, dashed on some cologne (actually a lot of cologne), sprayed a mouthwash liberally into my mouth and sprinted across the street.
It was the top of the third when I slinked into my pressbox seat and ignored the snickers all around me.
That was in the mid-1970s and I never missed the start of another game.
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By Bob540
September 5, 2010 9:59 PM | Link to this
Russ: Of course St. Louis fans support the Cardinals. Who else is there to root for there? Rams haven’t been good in years. No significant SL college sports. All they have is the Cardinals. Good for them. I’m glad they have one team to cheer for and someplace to go.
By Russ
September 5, 2010 9:18 PM | Link to this
It looks like most of Cincinati likes the waterhole. At least the cardinals show up and support their team. Year in and Year out. Win or lose. Best fans in the sport. Phillips is a dip and news groupie, taking the spot light away from the real man Votto.
By MAC
September 5, 2010 7:43 PM | Link to this
I didn’t C it, but from box score-looks like Homer pitched well until 6th - only 1 run? Here again, this is where Homer needs more than a FB to get through lineup a 2nd or 3rd time. Age old Reds problem w/ SP: they draft throwers -not pitchers which is why they’re so good developing BP pitchers. Cueto is exception w/ Soto’s help. Bronson, Harang & Volquez came from outside organization. I’m surprised Wood has pitched so well w/ power approach. He was very much a Glavine type (change-up) pitcher in AA. His pin point control & cut FB to RH hitters really help him. Homer need more of a slurve or slider along w/ a better change-up IMO.
By Pete
September 5, 2010 4:59 PM | Link to this
Bailey is a hack & can be traded by the Reds. Put Chapman in his pathetic place. He sure as hell can’t getta fastball by Matt Holliday & he sure as hell couldn’t getta fastball by me. He’s an immature punk who thinks he’s still pitching against high school competition. GET RID OF HOMER BAILEY, PLEASE!
By Gary Maloy
September 5, 2010 4:58 PM | Link to this
Good to see the Cardinals can still win baseball games. Too bad they can’t beat teams with losing records. Magic Number is 21 with 26 games to play.
By Gary Maloy
September 5, 2010 1:49 PM | Link to this
Reds are going to end up winning the division by 11 or 12. Everything is pointing in that direction. The Cardinals are playing un-enthused baseball. LaRussa reminds me of the apathetic Sweet Lou of mid-summer on the Cubs’ bench, and the Reds are turning up the heat - and pressure - with Aroldis Chapman, Coco Cordero having found the strike zone again, Orlando Cabrera and Brandon Phillips back from injury, Jay Bruce soon back, Laynce Nix soon back fra the ankle injury, and the “extra coach” Jim Edmunds on the bench, coaching the young kids. I’m psyched. Bring on the best of the rest!!
By steve
September 5, 2010 10:41 AM | Link to this
Hal your 4-5 game division winning prediction of a couple of months ago is getting more crediblity daily!
By steven ross
September 5, 2010 10:06 AM | Link to this
I spent too much time being convivial in a local watering hole. Hey, I did that once too! Got the hotel wakeup call at 4 AM with the plane leaving at 6 AM. Painful.
By zigwald
September 5, 2010 9:05 AM | Link to this
what a pleasure it is to read your work. this season must be extra special. Again what a joy it is!
By Martha
September 5, 2010 2:25 AM | Link to this
The height of absurdity came when one of my kids related an analogy he heard: somebody on an MLB board that said that the Cards would be nothing without Pujols but the Reds would be OK without Votto so Pujols should be MVP. My tolerance for bushweet is nearing a breaking point.
By Martha
September 5, 2010 2:24 AM | Link to this
The height of absurdity came when one of my kids related an analogy he heard: somebody on an MLB board that said that the Cards would be nothing without Pujols but the Reds would be OK without Votto so Pujols should be MVP.
By The Goose
September 4, 2010 10:08 PM | Link to this
Hal, great call on the gift hit for King Albert. Albert couldn’t fight his way out of the hitless streak. So, the official scorer had to help him.
By MAC
September 4, 2010 9:53 PM | Link to this
Good Stuff Hal. Wood was certainly the Star of the Game & deserves the ink, but it’s hard to overlook Votto’s overall effort. Of course he hit, and his hustle to 2nd on the error was really heads up, but best of all IMO was his play @ 1st. He made several nice scoop plays and proved once again that he’s worthy of MVP consideration.
By Gary Maloy
September 4, 2010 8:43 PM | Link to this
This just ain’t fair. We’re the best pitchers in the league. Who is Wood? Who is Leake? Who is Bailey? Who is Cueto? Oh yeh - the guy with the cleats. Okay - who is Chapman? 105 my a$$. WE’RE THE BEST. It’s time people in Cincinnati realize it. (sob sob) BWAAAAA BWAAAAA I wanna throw 105 too BWAAAA BWAAAA -signed- Crybaby Carpenter
By irabird
September 4, 2010 7:48 PM | Link to this
Great column, Hal. Thanks. Will chat with ya next weekend.
By Shockinator
September 4, 2010 7:48 PM | Link to this
I love it that Chapman threw 103 in an opposing park. Living in the Chicago area, I hear some nay-sayers tell me that they would be impressed if he could throw that fast outside of Cincinnati, claiming that the radar gun in Great American Ball Park is calibrated improperly to make it seem he’s throwing faster than he actually is. There you go Cubs fans! He does throw that fast!