Mahle pitches five shutout innings, Reds pound Padres, 7-2
By HAL McCOY One of the fears a major league manager has when his team visits paradise in the U.S., the city of San Diego, is that his players might be distracted. They might slip away for a day of deep sea fishing or a round of golf in La Jolla or a trip with […]
Duvall’s grand slam saves Romano’s day
By HAL McCOY Sal Romano probably was pitching for his rotation life for the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday afternoon in Chase Field. And after two batters it looked ominous. Homer Bailey received word Tuesday that he was out of the rotation and into the bullpen. And with is recent history Romano was wondering if he might […]
Walk on the wild side does in Castillo, Reds
By HAL McCOY The news surrounding the Cincinnati Reds Tuesday was all about pitching. And it wasn’t necessarily good. First of all, Luis Castillo was chasing his fourth straight victory Tuesday night in Chase Field. It didn’t happen because he gave up four runs in the first three innings and the Arizona Diamondbacks used those […]
Despite 16 hits, Reds lose by seven (12-5) to D-Backs
By HAL McCOY Joe Garagiola spent a lifetime behind a microphone, including several years as broadcaster for the Arizona Diamondbacks and he wrote a book entitled, “Baseball is a Funny Game.” Never was it more true on Memorial Day in Chase Park, although the Cincinnati Reds found no humor in the 12-5 whipping they took […]
Four Rockies homers rock Harvey, Reds, 8-2
By HAL McCOY As if they really needed a reminder, Cincinnati Reds starter Matt Harvey and the relief corps discovered what happens in Coors Field if they don’t keep the ball out of the thin mile-high air. The Colorado Rockies unloaded four home runs Sunday afternoon and put an 8-2 whipping on the Reds to […]
Reds beat Rockies with ‘Miracle Ninth’
By HAL McCOY Call it The Miracle on Blake Street, The Greatest Escape of all escapes. It looked as if the Cincinnati Reds were dead in their tracks Saturday night in Coors Field. Yes, the Reds led the Colorado Rockies by one run in the bottom of the ninth. But with closer Raisel Iglesias on […]
Reds discover (again) that no lead is safe in Coors
By HAL McCOY Anybody familiar with hit-and-run and suicide squeeze in baseball knows that no lead in Coors Field is safe. A three-run lead after the top of the third is the slimmest of leads in the park known as Hitter’s Paradise. The Cincinnati Reds knew that going in against the Colorado Rockies Friday night […]
Suarez hits grand slam, Castillo slams the door
By HAL McCOY CINCINNATI — It was La Piedra (‘The Stone’) versus a Nova (shining star) Thursday afternoon in Great American Ball Park and the stone prevailed. Luis Castillo, nicknamed La Piedra, started for the Cincinnati Reds against Pittsburgh Pirates starter Ivan Nova and it was no contest, a 5-4 victory for Castillo and the […]
Despite bullpen heroics, Reds lost to Pirates, 5-4, in 12 innings
By HAL McCOY CINCINNATI — There is little on a baseball field at which Joey Votto doesn’t excel, all the metrics reveal that. Base running, though, is not something he does with success because his instincts on the base paths are suspect and he is the second slowest runner on the Cincinnati Reds behind Tucker […]