Reds, Braves engage in Futility Bowl
By HAL McCOY Futility, thy double name is the Cincinnati Reds and the Atlanta Braves. The two teams played deep into the night and early into the next morning Wednesday/Thursday, 13 innings worth over 5 1/2 hours before a delirious decision was rendered. In the end, the Reds lost, 9-8, in what turned out to […]
Reds pull a Houdini to beat the Papooses
By HAL McCOY This is the anatomy of a head-scratching victory. After the first inning Tuesday night in Turner Field, the Cincinnati Reds had one hit. One. At one point 17 straight Reds made outs. Ten Reds struck out 10 times. They had three hits for the entire game. They won, 3-1. How? Well, for […]
Wild pitch, walks, sacrifice flies: Reds win
By Hal McCoy On a scale of ugliness, if Monday night’s Cincinnati Reds-Atlanta Braves baseball game looked in a mirror it would shatter. It was a game one might expect from two teams with the worst records in baseball. The Reds pulled it out in the ninth inning, 9-8. And how did they do it? […]
A bad day for both starting pitchers
By Hal McCoy CINCINNATI — If there was a film production company assigned to Great American Ball Park Sunday afternoon to film good starting pitching, both Cincinnati Reds starter John Lamb and Oakland A’s starter Kendall Graveman ended up on the cutting room floor. Neither pitcher was around long enough to make the second reel. […]
Tyler Holt: Poking the angry pigs
By HAL McCOY CINCINNATI — When Tyler Holt was with the Cleveland Indians he chased a ball into the left field corner, churning at top speed, then crashed into the wall and crumpled into a heap on the track. Big deal? Happens all the time? Well, this was a meaningless spring training […]
Bruce’s trade value is on the up-swing
By HAL McCOY CINCINNATI — His manager calls Jay Bruce, “The consummate professional and he has always been the consummate professional.” And what does Jay Bruce think about himself so far this season? “I feel like myself again.” His ‘myself’ was a one-man demolition team Saturday afternoon during a 2-1 victory over the Oakland A’s, […]
DeSclafani shakes off rust, holds off A’s
By HAL McCOY CINCINNATI — As benefitting for two teams entrenched in the depths of the coal cellar of their respective divisions, the Cincinnati Reds and Oakland A’s put on a display of offensive ineptitude Friday night in Great American Ball Park. The Reds had no hits for 5 1/3 innings, five for the game, […]
Price, Melvin: Commiserating friends
By HAL McCOY CINCINNATI — It isn’t often that the Cincinnati Reds and Oakland A’s are on the same field, other than spring training, and Reds manager Bryan Price most likely appreciates that, as does A’s manager Bob Melvin. That’s because they are close friends and as Price said, “We are in touch with each […]
Finnegan ‘balks’ at chance to beat St. Louis
By HAL McCOY CINCINNATI — Adam Wainwright has been more like Adam Wainwrong for most of this baseball season — a 5-and-4 record with a bloated 5.40 earned run average when he trudged to the Great American Ball Park mound Thursday night. And when the Cincinnati Reds pushed across a couple of runs in the […]