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Fogg or Ramirez - Need you ask?

By Hal McCoy | Thursday, September 4, 2008, 05:03 PM

A decision that faced the Cincinnati Reds was decided by a strained right groin.

The decision? Josh Fogg or Ramon Ramirez?

Fogg is 2-7 with a 7.58 earned run average. It isn’t likely he’ll be with the Reds next season.

Ramirez is 0-0 with a 2.70 ERA in two outstanding appearances in the last week, his first two major-league appearances. There is a chance Ramirez will be with the Reds next season.

Shouldn’t he be pitching instead of Fogg? The Reds didn’t see it that way Thursday and Fogg started — giving up five runs and four hits in three innings.

Then he trundled home from third base in the bottom of the third on a sacrifice fly and strained his right groin.

The soon-to-be 26 Ramirez, a righthander, replaced Fogg and pitched three perfect innings — nine up, nine gone — as the Reds worked their way methodically back into the game and beat the Pittsburgh Pirates, 8-6, scoring three runs in the eighth.

It isn’t likely Fogg will make his next start, so Ramirez steps in, continuing his audition for next season and beyond.

“That’s why we put Ramirez into the game in that situation,” said manager Dusty Baker. “This was a potential start day for him. Fogg’s groin situation is a dangerous situation for a pitcher.

“The way the young man (Ramirez) has pitched he certainly earned the right to start,” Baker added. “The way the kid is throwing, how do you not consider giving him strong consideration.”

In his major-league debut, an emergency start last Saturday, he held the San Francisco Giants to three runs and five hits over seven innings and turned a 6-3 lead over to the bullpen, which promptly blew it up and Ramirez received no decision.

“My confidence was very high today and every time I pitch I try to be positive,” said Ramirez. “I’ll be ready any time they need me, in the bullpen or starting. I’m working hard and I’m ready for anything.

Said Baker of Ramirez’s day, “He threw great, just excellent. When you’re down 5-0, that’s what you want — a guy to come in a throw zeros. Stop the scoring, give us a chance to come back. Impressive. He doesn’t appear nervous, rattled or scared. And he throws strikes, including off-speed pitches for strikes, which is great for a young pitcher.”

After falling behind, 5-0, with Fogg on the mound, the Reds chipped away, or as Baker put it, “We slow-walked ‘em with a bunch of ones until we could get that crooked number (three in the eighth).”

The Reds scored one run in each inning from the second through the sixth to tie it, 5-5. And it was 6-6 in the eighth when the Reds filled the bases and Joey Votto poked a tie-breaking, game-winning single.

“He is a clutch RBI man and he is getting better, that’s what I like,” said Baker. “He is more confident and more comfortable.”

Said Votto, who also homered in the fifth and batted .382 in August and drove in 18 runs, “Just one of those stretches and I don’t know why. We’re trying to win as many games as we can to transfer into next year and I’m trying to do as well as I can and hope that transfers into next year as well.”

Votto had two hits, drove in two and scored one. Jay Bruce also homered, his 15th. Votto’s was his 17th and the Reds will be baseball’s only team with two rookies with 15 or more home runs.

Amazingly, the No. 9 spot in the batting order had four straight hits. Fogg singled in the third, Ramirez singled in the fourth, his first major-league hit, pinch-hitter Andy Phillips singled and scored a run in the sixth and pinch-hitter Corey Patterson beat out a bunt single in the eighth.

The victory enabled the Reds to avoid being swept and Baker said, “It was important because they were gaining on us, trying to get out of the cellar. Sure didn’t start out too good, down 5-0.

“What I like is that we executed — a number of bunts and some double plays,” said Baker. “We played a good game.”

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Jottings on a quiet day

By Hal McCoy | Thursday, September 4, 2008, 11:19 AM

IT IS SO QUIET in this ball park that I can hear myself think, and that’s scary. And the second scariest part is that it is the first inning and it is so quiet you can hear a pennant drop (for the eighth straight year). I heard a fan whispering sweet nothings into his girlfriend’s ear.

SOMEBODY LOOKED at the lineup cards of both team before Thursday’s Pirates-Reds game and said, “Looks like they could be the lineup cards for the first spring training game in 2009 between the Pirates and Reds (one of about nine each spring).”

Maybe the optimism for this year’s team came from the fact the Reds play the Pirates so many times in spring training.

WHEN A MAJOR League scout heard that manager Dusty Baker was upset that rookie Wilkin Castillo missed a hit-and-run sign during Wednesday’s game, the scout said: “Get used to it. I’m sure that wasn’t the first sign he missed and I KNOW it won’t be the last.”

SAW KENT MERCKER sitting in front of his locker after Wednesday’s game. Dang if I didn’t forget he is on this team.

Reminded me of when Will McEnaney pitched for the Reds. The Springfield native had an identical twin and once in awhile he would have his brother walk into the clubhouse, put on Will’s uniform and have him sit in front of his locker. Not one person ever caught on until Will owned up to it.

THEY TELL ME the three Reds-Cubs games this weekend are nearly sold out. Oh, my. Welcome to Wrigley Southeast. Here’s a suggestion: Have the Reds wear road gray and let the Cubs wear home white.

FOR THE LAST time, Corey Patterson is NOT engaged to Baker’s daughter. They aren’t even dating. They aren’t even talking on the telephone. Put that one to rest.

I’M THINKING about changing my name to Tres Uno (31 was my baseball uniform number most of the time). Actually, that byline would look pretty cool, wouldn’t it: By Tres Uno, Staff Writer. But I don’t think The Real Uno really fits.

INSTEAD OF introducing the starting lineups Thursday, they should have had the players go into the stands and introduce themselves to the few fans who wandered in. And the Reds could have made it Guaranteed Foul Ball Day for fans in the stands.

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Mistakes, mistakes and more mistakes

By Hal McCoy | Wednesday, September 3, 2008, 11:11 PM

Elimination Day was inevitable, a foregone conclusion for the Cincinnati Reds, and it came on a hot steamy September 3 night in Great American Ball Park.

A 6-5 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates officially eliminated the Reds from the National League Central title race, but unofficially they eliminated themselves in early May when they first hit double figures in the games behind column.

Of more immediate significance, Edinson Volquez did not get his 17th win, turning over a 4-4 tie after seven. But Jeremy Affeldt and Mike Lincoln gave up two runs in the eighth to leave Volquez at 16-5.

Manager Dusty Baker was mightily disturbed after the game over a missed hit-and-run sign that ended up in a double play and a wild pick-off throw that led to a tie-breaking run.

“Mistakes, man. We just have to quit making mistakes,” he said. “You especially can’t make ‘em in one-run games.”

Volquez pitched well enough to be 17-5, but it wasn’t to be after he gave up four runs, six hits, one intentional walk and struck out a career-best 13.

Volquez was at his Eliot Ness best for three innings — untouchable (nine up, nine down). He needed only 35 pitches for those three innings.

Then he singled in the bottom of the third and ran the bases and, as he said, “That’s never usually a good thing for me.”

The economy and efficiency evaporated in the fourth when he needed 27 pitches for that one inning, giving up two runs on three doubles.

The Reds tied it in the fourth with two runs, all the action coming with two outs and nobody on. Joey Votto homered, then Edwin Encarnacion walked, took third on Jay Bruce’s double and scored on a passed ball.

Chris Dickerson’s sixth home run in his 19th major-league game with two outs in the fifth gave the Reds a 3-2 lead. It was a 425-foot drive the opposite way, to left center, and Baker said, “

Pittsburgh retrieved the lead, 4-3, in the sixth when the first four reached base, including run-scoring singles by Ryan Doumit and Adam LaRoche, ending LaRoche’s 0 for 16 slide.

The Reds tied it, 4-4, in the sixth when Votto tripled to the right field corner and scored on Encarnacion’s single over third base.

Affeldt replaced Volquez in the eighth and the Reds resumed their sloppy ways.

Nate McLoth singled and then came the errant pick-off throw. Affeldt’s attempt eluded first baseman Votto and Baker said, “That ball was just air mailed (with not enough postage, obviously).” McLoth ended up on third and scored on another Adam LaRoche single.

“Mike Lincoln made two great pitches on LaRoche, then hung a slider,” said Baker. “Another mistake.”

Andy LaRoche then poked a one-out single for the 6-4 margin.

The Reds scored once in the eighth on pinch-hitter Ryan Hanigan’s bases loaded walk, cutting it to 6-5, but pinch-hitter Andy Phillips struck out.

And there were two incidents in the seventh — a positive one for the Reds and a negative one.

Pinch-hitter Wilkin Castillo led the inning with a single. With one out, the hit-and-run sign was flashed. Castillo missed it and Jeff Keppinger hit into a 4-6-3 double play.

“Young guys coming up (Castillo) have to learn and get the signs,” said Baker. “We were happy for him getting his first major-league hit, but then he missed the hit-and-run sign.

“Keppinger hit that ball right where he was supposed to, right at the second baseman,” said Baker.

But Castillo wasn’t running on the pitch, so the second baseman didn’t rush to cover second. Instead he fielded Keppinger’s ball and started the inning-ending double play, “When we should have had first and third with one out. That was big.”

As ever, Volquez was smiling and upbeat after the game, claiming that 20 victories was not on his mind.

“If I win two of the next five or if I get 18 or 19 wins, I’ll be happy,” hew said. “This is my first year and that’s pretty good. That would be great.”

Volquez said he was ready to go back out for the eighth inning, when the Pirates scored their two winning runs off Affeldt and Lincoln, but they stopped him.

“I was ready and I was feeling good, but I had 117 pitches and they said that was enough,” said Volquez.

“He had 107 after six and normally that would have been enough,” said Baker. “But we let him go out for the seventh to give him a chance to win his 17th.”

And, yes, the Pirates came to town with a 10-game losing streak before decking the Reds two nights in a row.

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Is all this a big joke?

By Hal McCoy | Wednesday, September 3, 2008, 04:54 PM

And the travel complications continue - even at home.

Poor Larry Glass, my driver for home games, is as reliable as the morning rooster, usually early, never late. And never a problem.

Except Wednesday. He pulled into my driverway in his truck, accidentally kicked something under his dashboard and the truck quit. Refused to start. Larry called his son, Brian, who works at the paper, and he brought his car and Larry drove me to the park in that car.

I was an hour late, but I caught a break. I didn’t miss manager Dusty Baker’s pre-game media briefing. It was Team Photo Day (the snapping thereof), so he didn’t meet with us until after that.

Now there is a team photo that all Reds fans should want. Three years from now, they can check it out and say, “Who’s this? Who’s that? Who’s this? Who’s that?”

Said team equipment/clubhouse manager Rick Stowe, tongue deeply imbedded in his cheek: “My best team photo ever. Been in ‘em since 1983. My best ever.”

So what’s happening on the team front?

If the Reds lose tonight to the Pirates, or if the Cubs beat the Astros tonight, it’s all over. The Reds will be done - mathematically eliminated from winning the NL Central. On September 3. Thirteen years without a division title, eight years without a winning record.

Remember, though. Be patient. Be very patient. They Reds are not going to lose any more. Who said that? And scanning the empty seats at game time reminds me of a story Bill Veeck once told about when he owned the old St. Louis Browns in the American League. A fan called and asked him, “What times does the game start tonight?” His answer: “What time can you be here?”

SAW CLOTHES in Ken Griffey Jr.’s old locker, the first time anything has been there since he was traded July 31. Was he back? Naw, it’s occupied by rookie Wilkin Castillo. Kinda strange, though. There are many, many empty lockers.

But what the heck? Pitcher Ramon Ramirez is dressing in Adam Dunn’s old spot, complete with the black African masks hanging on the wall.

WE ALL KNOW Edinson Volquez was after his 17th victory Wednesday on a march toward 20. How about this? Aaron Harang is 4-15. With the possibility of five more starts, if he loses the first four, would Baker permit Harang to lose 20?

“I’d try not to let that happen,” said Baker. “But I’d leave it up to him. He’s had a tough enough year. Hey, Steve Carlton lost 20 games in a year and he’s in the Hall of Fame.”

And you know what worries me most? Getting home tonight?

Comedian Mike Birbiglia is going to be in Dayton at the Victoria theatre Thursday September 18. He has invited me to be his guest and I’m going to be there. Birbiglia, not knowing my eye condition, made fun of me at the New York Baseball Writers dinniner in 2003. And he has used the incident in his show, including a show on Comedy Central.

We’ve e-mailed back-and-forth. Looking forward to it. If you’re not busy that night, he’s a funn guy - even though at the New York Baseball Writers dinner I got up and said about him, “Some baseball writers can’t write and some comedians can’t tell jokes.”

He can tell ‘em.

HEY, DONB51. Never once, not once, did I EVER call Adam Dunn a superstar. Or even a star. Not once. I always made fun of his defense - and to his face, too. I said he worked hard on it and did get better, but I NEVER said he was good defensively or that he was a superstar.

Please don’t put words in my mouth. I did say he was valuable offensively and I stick to those words. The Reds will not find a replacment who can hit 40 homers, drive in 100, score 100 and, yes, walk 100. I don’t care how the team is structured, his 100 walks help lead to his 100 runs and last time I check scoring runs was the object of this game.

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CC Sabathia DIDN’T pitch a no-no

By Hal McCoy | Tuesday, September 2, 2008, 02:04 PM

Baseball official scoring is a difficult task - one man’s error is another man’s hit.

Baseball official scoring is a difficult task, even if the official scorer pays attention. One time, years ago, I glanced down the press box at the official scorer. He was sleeping. Another time an official scorer was turned around talking to somebody in the second row when a play occurred. He didn’t see it.

Those were before the days of instant replay and television monitors in the press box. The guy had to guess to make his call.

Official scorers now have TV monitors in front of them. That’s the reason it takes several moments, or minutes, for an official scorer to make a call. He is gazing at the replay over and over before he makes his call.

So, shouldn’t he get it right?

The problem is that official scoring rules are not always black and white, and much of the time it comes down to the opinion of the official scorer and, as I said, one man’s error is another man’s hit. Or is it one man’s hit is another man’s error?

I always get a kick out of controversial calls. Players moan. Oh, how they moan. Cincinnati Reds official scorer Glenn Sample used to go into the clubhouse before and after games when he first started. He learned quickly. When players saw him, they moaned and groaned and complained about his calls.

So he quit going in. And I don’t blame him.

I’ve only been an official scorer twice. When I was National President of the Baseball Writers Association of America in 1997, it was my duty to be one of the two official scorers at the All-Star game in Cleveland and at the World Series between Cleveland and Florida. We called an error on Florida third baseman Bobby Bonilla. Most thought it should have been a hit. We didn’t change it. Stubborn.

Some players, managers or coaches even call the official scorer in the press box during the game to complain. Heck, one day I got a call in the press box and I wasn’t even the official scorer. I answered my phone and it was Reds shortstop Davey Concepcion. The scorer had ruled a ball he hit as an error. I answered the phone, and Concepcion said, “Hey, Mack-coy (he always called me Mack-coy), that was a hit.”

Ever diplomatic, I said, “Yeah, I agree. But I’m not the official scorer.”

We bring this up because of the CC Sabathia one-hitter/no-hitter - depending upon your viewpoint.

CC pitched a one-hitter against the Pirates and the one hit was one of those balls that is one man’s hit and another man’s error.

The ball was hit to the right of Sabathia, up the third-base line. He rushed after the ball and picked it up, with his back to first base. Ad he turned to throw, he dropped the ball. The official scorer called it a hit, not realizing it would be the only hit - although that shouldn’t matter. A hit is a hit and an error is an error.

I’ve seen that play dozens and dozens of times. A difficult play. A hurried play. CC had to scramble to get to the ball. He didn’t kick it. He didn’t let it go through his legs. He picked it up, then dropped it.

Nearly every time an official scorer will rule that a hit. It was a hit. I sympathize with CC and the Brewers, who are disputing the call and sending tapes to the Major League Baseball for review.

There is no way MLB can reverse that call. There is no way a guy should be given a no-hitter several days after the game is over and the box score says he pitched a one-hitter.

One problem is that nowhere in the scorer’s manual does it exactly describe that play and tell the scorer what to call. The scorer had to judge degree of difficulty on the play and the distance CC covered to get the ball. It was a difficult play. It was a hit. Get over it, Brewers fans. You won the game, CC got the win. That should be what is important.

Some scoring rules or assumptions are stupid and one happened with the Reds Sunday against the Giants. If a player doesn’t touch a ball (unless it goes through his legs), it is always ruled a hit.

On Sunday with the bases loaded, Cincinnati’s Joey Votto hit a fly ball to left field. A fly ball. Left fielder Fred Lewis started back. Then he came in. He did a 180, such a nifty 180 he should have been wearing a tutu. He stuck up his glove and missed the ball. But didn’t touch it.

The scorer had to rule it a two-run double. It should have been an error. Even Adam Dunn catches that ball. Lewis flummoxed that play from every point of the compass. But Votto gets a two-run double and the poor pitcher who got Votto to hit that fly ball, gets two earned runs tagged onto his record.

That rule/assumption (whatever scorers call it) needs to be changed. If a defensive player screws up a play, he should be charged with an error. These guys are professionals and are supposed to make routine defensive plays.

It’s hilarious. A pitcher always think a ball his fielders mess up should be ruled an error. The fielder thinks it should be a hit. Unless you are a pitcher throwing a no-hitter and you don’t make a difficult play and it is ruled a hit. Then you want the error. But only if it’s the ONLY hit of the game.

Amazing.

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Corey Patterson: right or wrong?

By Hal McCoy | Sunday, August 31, 2008, 12:54 PM

It took manager Dusty Baker a while to think about it, but on Sunday - the day after the event - he was ready to explain and defend, uh, Corey Patterson.

On Saturday night, with the Reds leading, 7-6, in the eighth inning, Patterson was on third and Ryan Hanigan was on first with one out.

Pinch-hitter Javier Valentin unloaded a bullet down the first base line. Giants first baseman Pablo Sandoval stopped the ball right at the bag. He immediately stepped on first for the put out on Valentin.

That, though, removed the force at second on Hanigan. Patterson started home from third, but hesitated. Had he sprinted from the crack of the bat he crossed home plate before Hanigan was tagged out at second, the run would have counted.

Instead, Sandoval threw to second and Hanigan was tagged out, the third out, before Patterson crossed home. No run.

After the game, Baker said he wasn’t watching Patterson but when it was explained that he had hesitated, or stopped, Baker criticized him.

On Sunday, he changed his mind and explained, without asking, “I thought about that afterwards. That wasn’t a bad play on Corey’s part. If that was an accomplished first baseman (Sandovar is a catcher), he would have tagged first and thrown home. Not thrown to second. That’s why Corey stopped. A more accomplished first baseman wouldn’t have gone for a double play the way he did, by throwing to second with a runner on third.

“As hard as Javier hit that ball? If her had stepped on first and threw home, Corey would have been out by a mile,” said Baker.

Uh, don’t know about that.

OK, here’s another one. When Sandoval stepped on first, removing the force at second, why didn’t Ryan Hanigan stop en route to second and get in a rundown, enabling Patterson to possibly score from third? Instead, Hanigan continued hard into second, without hesitating, and was tagged out.

What do you folks think? Is Dusty right? Is he protecting Patterson (I KNOW your answer to this one)?

Instead of getting picked off all the time and making baserunning gaffes, maybe Patterson, with his speed, should adapt the old Chris Sabo T-ball baserunning theory: run until you are out. Just keep running until somebody tags you out or you score.

SOME NEWS:

Wilkin Castillo is not a household name, but manager Dusty Baker thinks of him as several kitchen utensils rolled into one.

Castillo is a catcher by name, but also plays first baseball, second base, shortstop, third base, left field and right field — and wouldn’t it be easier to say he plays everything but pitcher and center field?

“He’s Eli Marrero, that’s who he is,” said Baker. Marrero played 10 years in the majors, mostly with the St. Louis Cardinals, and was a catcher/first baseman/outfielder.

Castillo, 24, was called up Sunday from Class AAA Louisville, where he has been since the Reds acquired him in the August 14 trade of Adam Dunn to the Arizona Diamondbacks.

He combined to hit .248 at Class AAA Tucson and Louisville, but the big thing is that he caught 54 games, played 48 games at third, five games at second, six games at shorstop and eight games in left field.

“I had to have another player because I played a man short yesterday (Saturday) and I didn’t want to be another man short today (Sunday), especially for the outfield,” said Baker. “I was short Saturday.” To make room, pitcher Ramon Rameriz, who was outstanding in his major-league debut Saturday, was optioned to Class A Sarasota.

It it a procedural move, a paper shuffle. Ramirez didn’t actually go to Sarasota. The SaraReds season is over and Ramirez will return to the Reds roster Tuesday when it can be expanded from 25 to as many as 40.

ANOTHER PITCHER joins the Reds Tuesday when bullpenner Jared Burton returns from the disabled list, where he has resided since the week before the All-Star break.

He pitched an inning Thursday and an inning Saturday on rehab at Louisville and was back in the Reds’ clubhouse Sunday, ready to pitch.

“My command was better Saturday than Thursday, but there was some rust Thursday,” said Burton. On Saturday he walked one, but gave up no hits or runs. “It has been a long time and I’m anxious to get back and finish strong. I was having a good season and I’ve worked hard, now I want to get the rewards of that hard work the last month.”

Said Baker, “Jared was having a great year, almost an All-Star year, really.”

SECOND BASEMAN Brandon Phillips was given a rare day off Sunday, meaning with today’s off day he gets two straight days.

“Brandon hasn’t had a day off in I don’t know how long,” said Baker. “I believe he has played all but two games (133 of the first 137). I can see him slowing down a little bit. He’ll be ready Tuesday.”

An indicator that Phillips is tired is the fact he has been thrown out trying to steal in four of his last five attempts.

Jolbert Cabrera started at second and has now started eight games at shortstop, three in right field, four in left field, three at second base and two at third base. Another Eli Marrero?

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Another good change-up artist

By Hal McCoy | Saturday, August 30, 2008, 11:04 PM

Looks as if the Reds have another functional arm that knows how to throw change-ups that keep hitters off stride.

OK, OK, so it was the San Francisco Giants, the NL West version of the Cincinnati Reds. They have nearly identical records.

But 24-year-old rookie Ramon Ramirez was impressive - after his fifth pitch of the game to San Francisco leadoff hitter Randy Winn went spiraling into the stands for a leadoff home run.

Over seven innings, Ramirez gave up three runs and five hits, walked two and struck out six.

He is another Edinson Volquez and/or Johnny Cueto - except he is from Venezuela, not the Dominican Republic. And while Volquez and Cueto get their fastballs giddy-upping at 95 and 96, Ramirez only touches 91-92.

But he had the Giants swinging at the breeze.

He left with a 6-3 lead after seven, and said he could have gone eight, but manager Dusty Baker thought 98 pitches was enough and wanted him to leave on a positive note.

Bill Bray then gave up three straight hits, including Winn’s second homer of the game. Mike Lincoln came in and blew the save, giving up the tying run on Aaron Rowand’s home run.

And here’s one baseball rule that stinks like a dead skunk in the middle of the road. Lincoln blew the save, gave up the tying run. Yet when the Reds scored in the bottom of the eighth, that made Lincoln the winning pitcher. How bad does that smell? Rotten as Denmark, as they say - although I hear Denmark is a nice place to visit.

Anyway, the Ramirez kid looked good and deserves another shot. But if Johnny Cueto is ready by the time Friday rolls around, Ramirez will be back in Louisville trying to help the Bats win the playoffs.

Here’s what Ramirez said of his major-league debut:

Of his first batter hitting a home run: “I was feeling nervous and I was trying to calm down and make adjustments after that.

“I tried to relax and think about the way I was pitching in Louisville,” he added. And of his first taste of the majors, he added, “It was the best thing ever.”

At least we think that’s what he said. Like Cueto, he doesn’t speak English and his words were interpreted to us by Juan “Porky” Lopez.

I remember when Fernando Valenzuela first joined the Dodgers from Mexico and spoke no English. He would be asked a question and his answer would go on and on, like: Da-da-da-da. Da-da-da-da-da. Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-day.”

And the interpreter would say, “He said, ‘I felt good.” Oh-kay. I took two years of Spanish in college, cut too many classes, so I have only myself to blame for needing an interpreter.

So what did Baker think of Ramirez?

“It was a very good seven innings, one of the better seven innings from somebody we called up and it might be the best,” Baker added. “He was calm and cool and you could tell he is a good athlete. He gave us what we needed.”

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