Reds need a lineup shuffle at the top
By HAL McCOY A major league manager doesn’t like to dial 911 this early in the season, but Cincinnati Reds manager Bryan Price should at least have his fingers poised above the keys. What his batting order is doing right now isn’t working, especially the top two spots of Billy Hamilton and Jose Peraza. Isn’t […]
Garrett rocked, Hernandez debut amazing
By HAL McCOY The Milwaukee Brewers play like the ’27 Yankees against the Cincinnati Reds and Brewers first baseman Eric Thames hits the Reds like Babe Ruth. The Brewers were thoroughly unimpressed with the hype and early success of Reds rookie pitcher Amir Garrett and his 1.83 earned run average. Before Monday night was over, […]
Arroyo’s comeback has Cubs bumbling and mumbling
By HAL McCOY CINCINNATI — Are there any more questions about why 40-year-old Bronson Arroyo occupies a spot in the Cincinnati Reds rotation or are there any more comments about Arroyo hogging a roster spot for no apparent reason? Arroyo put on a pitching tutorial Sunday afternoon against the mighty, mighty, mighty Chicago Cubs in […]
Cody Reed: ‘When you’re not, you’re not’
By HAL McCOY CINCINNATI — It was Jerry Reed, not Cody Reed, who sang, “When you’re hot, you’re hot. When you’re not, you’re not.” Cody Reed, though, can sing the second part of that verse, “When you’re not, you’re not.” After retiring the last 18 batters he faced out of the bullpen this season, seven […]
Cubs show Reds why they are, uh, the Cubs
By HAL McCOY CINCINNATI — It is early, just a few minutes past midnight in baseball time, with a lifetime remaining to the 2017 season. Even so, who would have thought about it? Who would have dreamed about it? Who would dare suggest it? The World Series champion Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds, everybody’s […]
Hamilton, Peraza not leading the parade
By HAL McCOY CINCINNATI — The raw news is that Cincinnati Reds relief pitcher Blake Wood gave up a two-out run-scoring single to J.J. Hardy in the 10th inning Thursday night to give the Baltimore Orioles a 2-1 victory. Hardy shattered his bat on the previous pitch, fetched a new one, and lobbed a shallow […]
Garrett whiffs 12, gets no support and loses, 2-0
By HAL McCOY Amir Garrett discovered Wednesday night that in major league baseball you can pitch your heart out and still have it broken. Garrett entered the game at Great American Ball Park against the Baltimore Orioles with a 2-and-0 record and a 1.42 earned run average for his first two major league starts for […]
Rough debut for rookie Sal Romano
By HAL McCOY Sal Romano, wearing Johnny Cueto’s old No. 47 and with 47 relatives and friends in the Great American Ball Park stands for his major league debut on Easter Sunday, might have been better served throwing only 47 pitches in his three innings. Unfortunately for him and the Cincinnati Reds, probably because the […]
Finnegan goes down, Winker-Gennett pick him up
By HAL McCOY CINCINNATI — Injuries to starting pitchers are a common denominator for the Cincinnati Reds and the pool from which manager Bryan Price plucks his pitchers is getting shallower and shallower. The latest to fall by the wayside, joining Homer Bailey, Anthony DeSclafani and Rookie Davis, is Brandon Finnegan. Finnegan staggered through one […]