Cincinnati Reds Can't Stop the Bleeding, Drop Series to the LA Dodgers

So far the biggest difference between the 2011 edition of the Cincinnati Reds and the 2010 NL Central Division winners is resiliency. That’s right, resiliency; they just don’t seem to have the ability to bounce back consistently.

Last year they won so many games in their last at-bat that I stopped counting at 20. Reds skipper Dusty Baker said that they shouldn’t be counted out as long as they had one bat left.

Unfortunately that cannot be said about this year’s squad. In both games they lost to the Los Angeles Dodgers over the weekend, they had an opportunity with the last man at bat.

Sunday, the Reds were behind 9-5 in the bottom of the ninth. They had the bases loaded with no outs, and the tying run at the plate in Paul Janish. That at-bat was terrible and unproductive as he popped up to the catcher.

Shine the spotlight on Chris Heisey. He hit the ball to the deepest part of right field which was just a long out. Ryan Hanigan did score from third making it 9-6 with two outs.

Drew Stubbs, who had homered to lead off the Reds half of the first inning, came up as the tying run with two outs. Reds fans, including yours truly, were watching with bated breath. Could the specter of 2010 comebacks be summoned once more?

Not this time Mack. Stubbs swung and missed and the Reds resembled the Mudville nine, as they shuffled to the clubhouse, falling 5.5 games out of first, and their record plummeted to 30-30.

Essentially the same thing happened in front of a national audience Saturday afternoon. This time the part of Casey was played by Brandon Phillips, who shot a hard liner at Andre Ethier to end the game in the 1 1th inning 11-8.

I am not saying late-inning heroics are not happening for this team, I am simply pointing out they aren’t happening on the regular basis members of Reds Nation have become accustomed to.

Starting pitching has continued to put the offense in an early hole, which has become increasingly more difficult to dig out of.

In one of the worst performances I have witnessed from him, Travis Wood (4-4) was beaten from pillar to post by the Dodgers. The young lefty was touched for eight hits, eight earned runs and five walks in less than five innings.

National League Player of the Month for May, Jay Bruce, cooled off a tad while the Bums were in town. He batted only .250, managing just three singles in 12 at-bats with no RBI.

Scott Rolen’s clutch hitting in the fifth inning of game 1 was one of the very few bright spots for the Reds. He smacked a two-run single which would eventuate to be the winning run.

On Saturday the Reds gave Clayton Kershaw, one of the league’s best southpaws, his worst beating of the year, but could not prevent the Dodgers from rebounding from a 7-2 deficit.

While the Reds were busy losing their series to the Dodgers, the St. Louis Cardinals were busy sweeping the Chicago Cubs. The Milwaukee Brewers won three games against the Florida Marlins to remain only two games back of the Cardinals, firmly entrenched in second place.

So far the Reds have split six games in their current home stand.  The Cubs will come to town for a three game series beginning Monday. Stop-gap pitcher Mike Leake (4-2) will face Matt Garza (2-4) in the opener.

Edinson Volquez (3-2) is expected to be recalled from Louisville (oh my God) and pitch on Tuesday. I physically cringe every time the man takes the mound. That is truthful journalism kids; telling it like it is. I would love to see him traded off for a good shortstop or a good pitcher.

I have to stop writing now as I can feel the cringes starting to affect my typing.

Sources:

¹ Casey at the Bat by Ernest Lawrence Thayer