Reds: The ‘Height of Embarrassivity’

By HAL McCOY

After former Cincinnati Reds pitcher Jose Rijo encountered a tough night, he invented a new word to explain how he felt: “It was the height of embarrassivity,” he said.

And for the Reds Thursday night, a new word was needed to explain what happened against the Washington Nationals.

It was beyond embarrassment, beyond embarrassivity.

They lost, 13-4, and it was worse than the score.

 

REDS STARTER BRANDON FINNEGAN gave up eight runs, five hits and five walks in only 2 1/3 innings, including a grand slam home run to No. 8 hitter Danny Espinosa and a three-run home run to Espinosa — seven RBIs in two at-bats.

To rub a full box of Morton Salt into the wounds, the Reds lost to left hander Gio Gonzalez. The Nationals had lost the last seven games Gonzalez started.

The Reds actually led the game, 1-0, after the top of the first. But they had the bases loaded with no outs and scored only one run, that scoring when Jay Bruce hit into a double play.

 

THEN THE NATIONALS CAME to bat and the game was over. Finnegan walked leadoff hitter Michael Taylor and Jayson Werth doubled. Taylor scored on a sacrifice fly to tie it, then Finnegan walked Anthony Rendon and Ryan Zimmerman clubbed a three-run home run to make it 4-1.

It became 8-1 in the third when Finnegan walked the first two, gave up a single to Ryan Zimmerman and Espinsoa hit a grand slam over the left center wall, ending Finnegan’s night.

It became complete decimation in the fourth when the Nationals scored five against Josh Smith. With two on and one out, manager Bryan Price ordered Zimmerman intentionally walked to fill the bases. Former Reds outfielder Chris Heisey shot a two-run single to center and Espinosa unloaded his second home run to make it 13-1.

Gonzalez held the Reds at bay for five innings and at one point six of the seven outs he recorded was via strikeouts.

He tired in the sixth and the Reds scored three runs on a Joey Votto home run, an infield out by Adam Duvall and a run-scoring single by Tucker Barnhart.

 

MICHAEL LORENZEN FINALLY put a plug into the Nationals offense with three scoreless innings, giving up one hit, hitting one batter and striking out three. He didn’t walk anybody, a major accomplishment on this night, because the rest of the Reds pitchers walked seven

2 thoughts on “Reds: The ‘Height of Embarrassivity’”

  1. This is like watching a scorpion vs. a butterfly. I need to go into the other room and watch the Hallmark channel with my wife.

  2. Andy Furman at cincipulse.com just posted that David Bell will replace Price at the break. Scoop or Rumor? I HOPE IT’S TRUE!

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