This week’s focus will primarily be on the Reds, which is good, since Ohio’s other team won their first game of the season just Sunday, then were beaten in Kansas City last evening despite having twice as many hits as the Royals and the tying runs in scoring position with nobody out in the 9th. Fausto Carmona was as bad in his first two starts as Cliff Lee was, and Cleveland has a team ERA of 8.24. It very well could be a long season on the shores of Lake Erie.
Due to a rain out and an off day, Cincinnati only played five games last week, all at home, and in the end salvaged just two, most recently Sunday with a complete game gem by Aaron Harang. Technically, Harang is the Reds’ ace, but that’s mostly based on his tenure and results the past half-decade. At the end of the day (or season), Edinson Volquez and perhaps Johnny Cueto are Cincy’s best hurlers and their future, though Volquez threw five more poor innings last night.
The Reds’ offense sputtered in week one, prior to the team embarking upon the season’s longest road trip last night in Milwaukee. (They’re hitting .219 as a team entering Tuesday.) Some have noted that time away for these young guys with high expectations might be beneficial. And, at least offensively, it absolutely was, as the RedLegs pounded out seven runs — all in the first three frames — then hung on with quality bullpen work for a 7-6 win at Miller Park.
A few asides:
1. I mentioned in a prior column how, though I pull for the Reds, I wouldn’t consider myself a fan. My favorite NL team is the San Diego Padres, for whom I grew up cheering. Though this is midwestsportsfans.com, allow me to note that after one of the worst seasons in club history, the Pads seemingly have little upside in 2009, but so far, so good: winning six of eight to start the campaign, including spoiling the Mets’ Citi Field opener last night. The Pads follow up their next two in New York with a series in Philly, then San Francisco. If they come back from this trip with four of five wins in nine tries, that’d be exquisite.
2. Not only did Paul Konerko and Jermaine Dye hit their 300th HRs in the same game yesterday, but their career batting averages and even their career hit totals are very close as well. Eerie.
3. Josh Beckett showed why so many folks now despise the Red Sox more than even the Yankees. After a 12 second delivery pause, Bobby Abreu called time Sunday afternoon, so Josh decided to throw 96 mile per hour heat at his head. Abreu took umbrage, Beckett charged HIM, ran away like a coward, then the benches cleared. NO Boston player was tossed but four Angels were. Seems fair, I guess. Monday afternoon on ESPN’s “Pardon the Interruption” program, Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon agreed with the ostensible favoritism toward Boston. Wilbon called Beckett “low class,” while Kornheiser, referring to all the Angels tossed but no Red Sox, said “No justice was served.” Neither of those guys has any connection to the Angels either.
Boston’s fans, naturally, scoffed, called names, blamed Mike Scioscia, the umpire, Abreu, but never their guy. They seem to take after their pompous front office, or maybe they’re made their beloved team is two and five and in the AL East cellar.
Angel fans and community, on the contrary, have always been classy, and it’s shown in the wake of the Nick Adenhart tragedy, as has the grieving around the baseball world.
On the same morbid but current subject:
RIP Harry Kalas.
About AJ Kaufman
