What’s Ahead For Reds
By Hal McCoy There was a point this season when the Cincinnati Reds bullpen more resembled a pigpen. When closer Emilio Pagan, set-up men TeJay Antone, Tony Santillan and Graham Ashcraft all landed on the injured list, the bullpen was a mixed-up mess. With the return of Pagan, Antone and Santillan since the All-Star break, […]
Reds Take Series From Padres
By Hal McCoy Any future anthology about the Cincinnati Reds won’t include what the team is doing these days. They are out of it. They are in last place. Buried in last place. But they are following manager Tito Francona’s wishes, “Just keep playin’.” What they can do is slow down teams fighting for playoff […]
Some Mid-Week Observations
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave, ignoring Nadine’s suggestion that I vacate the 100° Man Cave for the air-conditioned comfort of The Sun Room. Why? When I ask if I can smoke my cigars she says, “Enjoy heat and the smoke in the garage.” It’s not a Man Cave to her, it’s […]
Reds Hold Off Padres, 4-3
By Hal McCoy When it’s late and the game is on the line, who ya gonna call? For the Cincinnati Reds it’s Elly De La Cruz and Sal Stewart or Sal Stewart and Elly De La Cruz. The order doesn’t matter. Such was the scenario Tuesday night when the Reds scraped past the San Diego […]
Padres Whitewash Reds, 5-0
By Hal McCoy It was an eventful night in Great American Ball Park, but nothing positive for the Cincinnati Reds. The Reds were shut out, 5-0, by the San Diego Padres. And San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado nearly out hit the Reds by himself. Machado produced a four-hit night, one less than the […]
Reds Homers Outdo PCA’s
By Hal McCoy Pete Crow-Armstrong provided the Wrigley Field fans with what they wanted — a home run his first time up and a home run his last time up. That, though, was it for the Chicago Cubs Sunday night. The Cincinnati Reds doubled up on PCA with four home runs in a 7-5 victory. […]
An Ugly, Ugly Day For Reds
By Hal McCoy When players arrive at Wrigley Field before a game and see the wind blowing out, hitters rub their palms together and pitchers drop their heads between their knees And that was the case Saturday afternoon, a 10 miles an hour wind blowing straight out. So as often happens, home runs departed Wrigley […]
Friedl Goes From Waivers To Winner
By Hal McCoy At this late stage of the season and where the last place Cincinnati Reds reside, wins and losses are meaningless, immaterial. Nevertheless, there are positive and even heart-warming stories to be told. And a big one surfaced Friday afternoon involving outfielder TJ Friedl during the Reds wild, wild 10-8 victory over the […]
Some pre-weekend Observations
By Hal McCoy UNSOLICITED OBSERVATIONS from The Man Cave after a great night with the fans at the Great Darke County fairgrounds harness racing extravaganza. . .even after leaving with an empty wallet. —BUCKY AT HIS BEST: What an honor I had this week when I had lunch at Romer’s in Bellbrook with two legends: […]