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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 > 2008 > September > 17
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Harang treats Cardinals like dogs
They didn’t set off fireworks after each of three home runs the Cincinnati Reds hit in the fourth inning Wednesday.
They didn’t want the SPCA all over their backs. With about 400 canines in the stands on Bark in the Park Night, they didn’t want to frighten the pooches.
But when two bozos leaped out of the stands and led security on a not-so-merry chase, they should have let the dogs out - all of them. Let ‘em chase the goofballs.
The power outage plaguing much of Ohio was not evident — especially in the fourth inning.
The Cincinnati Reds, hitless through three innings against St. Louis starter Todd Wellemeyer, plugged in three solo home runs in the fourth by third baseman Andy Phillips (2), right fielder Jay Bruce (19) and shortstop Paul Janish (1).
And they needed an extension cord to find Bruce’s 438-foot blast that crashed against the black batter’s eye in center.
That’s all Aaron Harang needed to push his record to 5-16, his sixth straight quality start, but only his second win in those six starts.
The home run by Phillips leading off the fourth was all Harang really needed, and it soothed Phillips, who struck out in the first with a runner on second to end the inning, then made a throwing error to start the top of the second.
“What I was excited about was getting Aaron some run support, because he has really pitched his tail off the last six outings and he didn’t have a lot to show for it,” said Phillips.
“For us to be able to put up those three runs in one inning, the way he was pitching, was huge,” Phillips added.
Of his first-inning strikeout and second-inning error, Phillips said, “That was ridiculous, the way I started out — striking out with a runner in scoring position and throwing the ball away. I’m thinking, ‘You have to be kidding.’ “
Harang gave up singles to the first two Cardinals to open the game, then coaxed a double play out of Albert Pujols and coasted the rest of the way — only four more hits as the Cardinals lost for the seventh straight time.
“I knew he would try to drive something and also knew if I made a good pitch that I had a good shot of getting out of the inning,” said Harang. “I threw a slider down and away and the big thing was that it was down.”
Most of Harang’s 111 pitches were down enough that the Cardinals needed shovels to him them as he pitched the team’s second complete game.
It isn’t culture shock when Bruce homers, but it is for Phillips and Janish. Phillips was a late replacement for Edwin Encarnacion (sore left wrist) and Janish was a playing because it was look-see day for him, a rare start to see how he does.
He was called up for a little more than a month in May and sent back in June and manager Dusty Baker said, “He belonged in Louisville to learn in the first place. He was here because we had everybody hurt.
“You want all young guys to learn from that experience,” Baker added. “What happens is they learn how to pitch to you rather quickly. Now we see what kind of adjustments he has made.”
Of Wednesday’s lineup, Baker said, “I’m trying to win games, respect the guys who have been here all year and play the young guys. It’s hard to do all three, but we’ve balanced it pretty good.”
Janish’s home run was his first in the majors and he called it, “An awesome feeling, even if it did hit the top of the wall and bounce over. I hadn’t had an at-bat in awhile, but for some reason I saw the ball real good tonight.”
Janish said he feels more comfortable, more as if he belongs, than his first call-up.
“I was emotionally driven when I came up for the first time and it was awesome,” he said. “I started hot, then the second half — the last three weeks — I struggled pretty bad.
“This time I’m more relaxed and accustomed to being in a big-league clubhouse,” he added. “The first time you’re called up and you see Ken Griffey Jr. in the clubhouse, it is something to adjust to.”
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TweetMore power to you (and me)
Nadine now believes I’m clairvoyant.
Before I left for Tuesday’s game, I told her, “You’ll have power and electricity by 11 o’clock tonight.”
As I walked into the parking garage after Tuesday’s game at 10:55, my cellphone rang. “We have power,” she said. “Just came on.”
What a lucky guess. For all you thousands and thousands who didn’t (and still don’t) have power, how many times have you clicked a light switch, forgetting? How many have times have you picked up the TV remote and clicked the ‘on’ button? How many times have you opened the refrigerator door to grab a snack?
WANT TO get away from it all for a while? Join me Thursday night at the Victoria Theatre in Dayton for comedian Mike Birbiglia’s show - unless it’s sold out. He is a regular on the Bob & Tom radio show and we met at a Baseball Writers dinner in New York in 2004 and he now includes me in his act - part of his schtick. Makes fun of me, actually, but all in good sport and I, of course, love it.
THE NEW YORK METS furnish the opposition on April 6 when the Cincinnati Reds open the 2009 season in Great American Ball Park.
With a later start in 2009, if the World Series goes seven games the season could spill into November.
The National League Central teams play teams from the American League Central for the most part in ‘09, with the Reds entertaining the Cleveland Indians (as always) for three games the weekend of May 22-24, with a return visit to Cleveland the weekend of June 26-27.
The Chicago White Sox visit Great American Ball Park the weekend of June 19-21 while the Reds are in Kansas City June 12-14 and visit Toronto of the AL East June 23-25.
The Reds played in Toronto this season, but for some reason return there while not playing either Minnesota or Detroit of the AL Central.
Manager Dusty Baker hadn’t seen the schedule before Wednesday’s game, but he wrinkled his brow when he heard the team wasn’t going to Minnesota and said, “I like going there. Good fishing.”
After a three-game season’s opening series against the Mets, the Reds dive into NL Central play by hosting Pittsburgh for three, then take a three-city trip for three in Milwaukee, four in Houston and three in Chicago.
The season ends in Cincinnati with three against St. Louis and three against Pittsburgh the weekend of October 2-4.
MANAGER DUSTY Baker’s lineup card was ready, but two of the players on it were not.
Third baseman Edwin Encarnacion (sore left wrist) and left fielder Chris Dickerson (sore Achilles tendon) were scratched just before the Cincinnati Reds took practice prior to their Wednesday game against the St. Louis Cardinals.
“We brought up all these extra bodies and we still end up short,” said Baker, pulling a bottle out of his desk drawer. “We’re about to put Wite-Out out of business.”
Encarnacion, who had a three-run double Tuesday to turn a one-run deficit into a two-run lead in a 7-2 win over the Cardinals, said he hurt his wrist Saturday in Arizona.
“I tried to check a swing on a Randy Johnson slider,” he said, sitting in a clubhouse chair with an ice bag wrapped around the wrist.
Baker knew something extremely painful had to be bother Encarnacion to pull himself out of the lineup, “Because he never says anything. He never even goes into the training room.”
Dickerson’s Achilles tendon has been bothering him off and on since his Aug. 12 call-up from Class AAA Louisville.
KENT MERCKER, who hasn’t pitched early June due to a bad back, was handed an envelope in the clubhouse and he quickly ripped it open, scanned the thick multi-paged letter and tossed it into the trash.
“Talk about a waste eight pages of paper,” he said. “It was addressed to: ‘All potential free agents.’ “
Mercker will be a free agent, but as he said, “What kind of market is out there for me?” Then he paused and said, “Well, hey. I’m left-handed, I’m 40 and I’m well-rested.”
Mercker has tried to play long toss and throw off the mound, “But my back is not working.”
Most likely he is headed for retirement and said, “I’m starting my new profession — turning vodka into urine.”
BAKER SAYS often one of the many things he likes about first baseman Joey Votto is that he is willing to learn, both by listening and by quiet observation.
Before Wednesday’s game, Votto was standing attentively while St. Louis first baseman Albert Pujols displayed some finer points of first-base footwork.
The lesson went on for more than 15 minutes.
REDS UTILITY player Andy Phillips was filling out a Player of the Year ballot when he asked Kent Mercker’s advice. When Mercker suggested Cleveland pitcher Cliff Lee, Phillips balked at picking a pitcher and Mercker said, “Oh, pitchers are players, too, but you are one of those guys who has to pick an everyday player,” to which the seldom-used Phillips said, “Hey, look at who you are talking to.”
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