DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum The Reds head west

Cincy is coming off two consecutive sweeps (we took three from the fish with one rainout) and a season best 6 game win streak (also 7 out of the last 8)

However they head to Cali where they have struggled mightily in the past.

Reds playin small ball tonight, up 2-0 thus far.

4-0!!

Dunn and gone!

Ties the franchise record, 5 games in a row with a HR

Reds up 4-0

2 out throwing error allows two runs

4-2

guess I'm venting alone

Tie game 5-5

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guess I'm venting alone

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I never stay up for the west coast games anymore. It's not worth the misery and lost sleep.

I stayed up listening to the radio...wish I would have just gone to sleep.

And, I hate Weathers.

Damn. That game sucked....what little I heard as I kept dosing off.

Games like last night are why my dad and I call Weathers Stormy Weathers. He never seems to be able to get that 1-2-3 inning.

Dunn is really on fire. I knew he would come around eventually.

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Dunn is really on fire. I knew he would come around eventually.

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Good, now they need to trade him.

The thing that really grinds my gears is that three of those runs last night were off errors.

Just curious how you Reds fans are dealing with the Josh Hamilton trade. I have lived here in the Raleigh area since 1987 and my younger brother and Josh were schoolmates. Both played Jr. High football together and then shared a lot of the same friends throughout High School.

I have rooted for Josh since he was drafted and now I must admit I have become a Rangers fan. I even bought the MLB package just to tune in.

The kid is a BEAST!!!!

I think it was a great trade for both teams so far. Which is exactly what you want to see.

It's a shame he wasted so much time in his life, I'm happy to see that he seems to have put that all behind him.

Like Jules said, it was a great trade for both teams and I"m glad its working out. I will always root for Josh Hamilton wherever he is. I just wish we could have traded Dunn for Volquez instead.

Yeah, that trade worked out extremely well for both the Reds and the Rangers, especially considering the Reds picked up Hamilton via the Rule 5 draft.

Its hard to tell how the trade will work out in the long haul, but basically we got the ERA leader for the RBI leader. They say pitching is the most valued commodity so thus far I like the trade, though I do miss Hamilton and wish we coulda dumped Dunn instead

Belisle on the mound tonight, and you kno what they say...

You can't spell Belisle without an L

He just gave up a hit to the pitcher

2-0 dodgers in the second, bases loaded, 1 out

Belisle had a pretty good outing, giving up 3 over 6

Of course it doesn't help when your offense puts up a goose egg.

Its games like this when you wish you had Hamilton

Yeah, he's certainly making Texas a winner.

The Reds appear to be struggling once again out west with back-to-back loses, hopefully they can pull it off tonight.

These 10 o'clock games are rough for me, but vacation begins on Friday and I will be in Dayton on Saturday!

I am heading out to GABP on Wednesday, maybe I will get lucky and see Volquez get the start!

Hopefully the Grub Steak has not closed it's doors for business quit yet!

a sweep of San Diego would be ideal but I think thats asking a bit much. They are struggling though. We at least need to take two of these four, taking three wouldn't make the road trip look that bad.

Let's hope Harang can turn it around tonight with some hot bats!

We need a win right now, playing on the west coast has to get better!

GO REDS!

Griffey gets #598, but the Reds fall again, bad night for Harang

I thought we could have done well here but looking at the rotation we face 3 lefties and Greg Maddux (who we can never hit)

Just when the Reds give you hope, they drop the bottom from beneath you

Baker boils over following ejection
05/23/2008 2:17 AM ET
By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com

SAN DIEGO -- Reds manager Dusty Baker doesn't like getting ejected and Edwin Encarnacion is one of the team's more soft-spoken players.

But in Thursday's 8-2 loss to the Padres, both watched the conclusion of the game in the clubhouse. Both were ejected before the bottom of the seventh inning.

The situation stemmed from Encarnacion's displeasure over being called out on strikes for the inning's second out by home plate umpire Eric Cooper. Encarnacion dropped his bat at his and the umpire's feet in disapproval before he walked back to the dugout.

The dispute continued when Encarnacion took the field defensively after the third out, and Cooper ran him. It was the first ejection of the third baseman's career.

"Eddie thought those were balls," Baker said. "He dropped the bat and [Cooper] said 'pick up the bat or else I'm going to kick you out.' Eddie picked up the bat. Eddie went to third and I guess he gave him the peace sign that he missed two [calls]. That's when he threw him out. He said he said something."

Baker stormed out of the dugout and screamed at Cooper. As Baker dropped his cap on the ground, Cooper threw him out, too. It was Baker's first ejection as the Reds' skipper.

Sure to catch the Commissioner's Office attention was the scene of Baker kicking his hat in the air after being tossed out.

"I said 'the guy doesn't say a word.' He was so far away," Baker said. "When you're right next to him, you can't hear him or understand what he says half the time. That's when I got upset because I know Eddie. In my opinion, he was looking to throw him out. That's what I told him."

I missed this incident because I was playing video games, but I saw a replay of Dusty kicking his hat...too funny!

Dang, I wish that would have been tonight. When I can actually WATCH the game.

I was hoping it was youtubed or somewhere but I couldn't find it.

heres the video if you want to watch it

Dusty gets tossed

Lovely!

Losing streaks often cause way too much frustration...it seems as if Dusty is losing his cool the way the Reds have been playing!

Hopefully Volquez can turn it around tonight....but I have been saying that for too many nights lately!

It is time for the Reds to get it together!

Thanks for the clip.

Volquez got it done on the hill again last night, going 6 stanzas and only allowing 2 hits and 1 run. Dunn goes deep in the 9th for the win......

Redlegs now tied for 4th in the W column.

Why oh why are they playing a late game on a Saturday on the left coast??? Hate these coastal trips!

Baker fined, suspended for two games
05/23/2008
By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com

SAN DIEGO -- A little quieter than normal on Friday afternoon, Dusty Baker did a slow burn while sitting in his office.

Still fuming over the events that led to his ejection during Thursday's loss to the Padres, the Reds manager's mood darkened around midday when he learned that he was suspended for two games by Bob Watson, Major League Baseball's vice president of on field operations.

Baker, who was also fined $1,500, was cited for "inappropriate actions, which included making contact" with home plate umpire Eric Cooper. Baker served the suspension immediately and will miss Friday and Saturday's games.

"It kind of ruined my lunch," Baker said. "I figured I'd get fined. I didn't think I was going to get suspended. I didn't think I bumped him.

"I didn't see it and I didn't feel it. [Cooper] told me I sprayed him with dip, tobacco, and that I grazed him and made contact with him. I was trying everything I could not to make contact."

Bench coach Chris Speier was tapped to fill in as manager for Baker.

During the seventh inning of the 8-2 loss Thursday, Edwin Encarnacion was called out on strikes by Cooper for the second out and dropped his bat at the umpire's feet in disapproval. Told to pick up his bat, Encarnacion acquiesced and returned to the dugout.

The dispute resumed when Encarnacion took the field defensively after the third out, and Cooper ran him. It was the first ejection of the third baseman's career. In pleading his case to Watson on the phone, Baker said he felt Cooper tried to aggravate the situation.

"I said, 'Bob, Edwin never says anything," Baker said. "When he does say something, he's so quiet that you can't hear what he's saying. Plus he's hard to understand anyway, because he mumbles.' Edwin said [Cooper] looked at him the whole time when he went out to his position and Edwin said, 'Why are you looking at me?' He put his fingers up that there were two bad calls. That's what got him out of there. I had to go defend Edwin."

The exchange became heated and Cooper eventually threw Baker out of the game, too. Baker inadvertently dropped his cap but intentionally kicked it after his ejection. The umpire filed a report with the league office. Watson called general manager Walt Jocketty and Baker on Friday and informed them of his decision.

Baker was told that he grazed Cooper with his left shoulder, which prompted the league's response.

"I was shocked last night when he told me that I bumped him," Baker said. "That's when I backed up and did the moonwalk on him. I asked Bob how he saw it on the replay when no one else does."

Baker had no interest in watching the replay of the incident

"Do you think I want to get mad all over again?" Baker said. "My wife wanted to watch it on ESPN last night. I couldn't watch it. I'm surprised I haven't heard from my dad [Johnny Sr.] for cursing on TV."

This was the second time Baker has been suspended by Watson. The first time was in April 2004, while Baker managed the Cubs. He was disciplined for inciting the fans after an ejection.

"I told him I was suspended twice in my whole life," Baker said. "Never in school. Never anywhere. I've been suspended twice in 58 years by the same man."

Baker to make return to dugout in finale
05/25/2008 3:29 AM ET
By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com

SAN DIEGO -- Reds manager Dusty Baker's time in the penalty box will be over Sunday for the road trip finale vs. the Padres.

Ejected and suspended for two games because of his actions during an argument with umpire Eric Cooper on Thursday, Baker watched his team play on television from his office the past two nights.

"It was a little strange," Baker said before Saturday's game. "I like to watch how they pitch. I saw things we could have done better too, some mistakes. I did a lot of pulling for them. I was cheerleading a lot."

Bench coach Chris Speier managed the last two games -- both won by Cincinnati. The Reds have a chance to take the series with a victory on Sunday and could return from the West Coast trip with a 3-4 record after losing the first four games.

Baker made no attempts to influence the game and was a spectator like anyone else watching.

"I didn't send any signals down. I didn't do nothing," Baker said. "I was just sitting here letting Chris, [pitching coach] Dickie [Pole] and the guys handle it."

Was there any second guessing of their decisions?

"I can't tell you that," Baker said.

Pitching matchup
CIN: RHP Matt Belisle (1-4, 6.75 ERA)
Belisle's impressive performance in his last outing was all for naught as the offense struggled to provide anything in the way of run support. He pitched six-plus innings and gave up three runs on seven hits -- all of them singles -- with no walks and three strikeouts. Belisle was on-target with his location for much of the night. Of his 85 pitches, 67 were strikes. At one point, he retired 13 consecutive batters. In two starts against the Padres last season, Belisle went 0-1 with a 10.80 ERA.

SD: RHP Greg Maddux (3-4, 3.94 ERA)
Maddux allowed two runs on five hits over five innings in his last start on Tuesday against St. Louis, a start that saw him earn a no-decision. Maddux allowed four hits over the first two innings, and appeared to be reeling before he ripped off a stretch of four consecutive groundouts, as well as getting another ground ball that resulted in a double play. Maddux, who has 350 career victories, walked one and had two strikeouts.

Short hops:
The Reds sold the contract of Triple-A Louisville starting pitcher Justin Lehr to the Doosan Bears of the Korean Professional League. ... Adam Dunn's nine-game hitting streak came to an end Saturday after he went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts, two walks and a hit-by-pitch. ... Reds batters walked 11 times in Saturday's 7-2 win. It was the club's highest total since it walked 13 times vs. the Brewers on Apr. 23, 2006.

Tickets
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On the Internet
MLB.TV
Gameday Audio
• Gameday
• Official game notes

On television
• FSN Ohio

On radio
• WLW 700

Up next
• Monday: Off-day
• Tuesday: Reds (Johnny Cueto, 2-5, 5.56) vs. Pirates (Ian Snell, 2-3, 4.84), 7:10 p.m. ET
• Wednesday: Reds (Aaron Harang, 2-6, 3.50) vs. Pirates (Tom Gorzelanny, 4-4, 6.31), 7:10 p.m. ET
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Maybe Dusty should just stay away since Speier is 2-0 without him.