Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy is in his 36th year of covering the Cincinnati Reds, the longest tenure for any active writer covering one team. Counting spring training and postseason games, McCoy has covered more than 7,000 major-league baseball games, written close to 18,000 baseball stories and eaten enough hot dogs to give Babe Ruth indigestion.Home > Blogs > The Real McCoy | Cincinnati Reds baseball news > Archives > 2008 > May > 10 > Entry
It IS Bruce & Bailey time
They served steak and eggs in the Shea Stadium media dining room this morning.
Then Matt Belisle served meatballs in the afternoon.
It’s time. I’ll say it now. I’ve resisted it, saying he wasn’t ready. I’ve supported bringing up Jay Bruce, but thought Homer Bailey needed some maturity and humble pie in Triple-A.
But after watching Belisle on Saturday against the Mets, well, Homer Bailey can do no worse and he certainly can prove nothing more at Louisville. Bring him up and plug him in.
Belisle gave up six runs (five earned), seven hits and three walks in five staggery innings.
Meanwhile, the Reds raked 10 hits off Johan Santana over six innings, but couldn’t bunch them up in any manner. And where have we seen this act before? It tied the most hits Santana has given up in his career and the Mets still gave the Reds a wax job.
Corey Patterson led the game with a hit and was quickly erased when he was caught leaning the wrong way and certainly manager Dusty Baker has to be running out tolerance with this guy. He stunned everybody Friday by having him third in the order, but we didn’t see the results of that head-scratcher because the game was rained out and Baker changed the lineup Saturday.
The Reds had two more hits in the first inning, three for the inning, but didn’t score.
Edwin Encarnacion, 1 for 16, snapped-to with a home run and a run-scoring single, but Patterson struck out with one on in the the fifth and struck out with two on in the sixth.
Right now, this guys is rotten to the Core-y and isn’t helping in any way. Nothing personal, no wisecracks about manager Dusty Baker wanting him here, it is just plain unadulterated fact.
So let’s have no more Belisle and no more Patterson. It truly is Bruce & Bailey time instead of continuing this Barnum & Bailey time.
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Comments
By ME
May 11, 2008 6:46 PM | Link to this
Y-City the throw to the plate was from Hairston, not Griffey! Griffey WAS great. He no longer is even close to greatness! It is painful to watch a has been take up playing time that an MVP should have.By Steve T.
May 11, 2008 3:22 PM | Link to this
Barnum and Bailey is right Hal. That is exactly the way this line-up today was devised. Did Dusty not see last nights 5 for 5 effort for Kepp? Would love to hear Dusty’s reasoning for hitting Kepp seventh with numerous lefties in front of him. Guess he wanted him to possibly lead off the 3rd part of the line-up so a lefty hitting catcher and pitcher could pick us up some RBIs. This is truely turning into a circus act.By Mike
May 11, 2008 11:20 AM | Link to this
I think it is best if the Reds move Griffey or Dunn before they bring up Bruce. I’d start by trying to move Junior first. If they can’t move either it will prove these guys are not worth keeping beyond this year. Bailey does not seem ready yet. Belisle is not the answer. Fogg is not either. Affeldt?? The Reds need a right handed power hitting everyday outfielder. There appears to be none on the horizon…anywhere.By ShockMonkey
May 11, 2008 9:19 AM | Link to this
Bad outing last night aside, insert Homer into the 5th stater position. Move Votto to left, Bruce to right and plug-in Hatty at 1B for now. 38 years old or not, the dude can flat-out hit. 86 Belisle, Dunn and Griffey. You know none of the three will be with the team next year so let’s move forward now. Oh yeah, Cory, you had your chance, time to sit and watch Freel.By Coach
May 10, 2008 10:20 PM | Link to this
Good for Bronson! Boy does this team need him pitching like that. Must have heard the critics.By Kyle
May 10, 2008 10:13 PM | Link to this
Hmmm, day off, plus postponed could have equaled missed start for number 5 starter and back to top of rotation for an ace versus ace match up. Is Dusty doing ANYthing?By Y-City Jim
May 10, 2008 9:52 PM | Link to this
Bray impresses me. He is entitled to a bad outing especially in a week when he was sent down then brought back up. The old man looked pretty good gunning down the runner at the plate in Game 2. Arroyo looked like he didn’t need replaced with the outing tonight. 8 innings, 4 hits, 1 earned run, 115 pitches. I’ll take that especially after the pasting in Game 1.By Josh
May 10, 2008 9:20 PM | Link to this
Well said Hal, well said!!! Belisle was a joke, is a joke, and will always be a joke. He hasn’t improved since last year, and his pattern tells us he isn’t going too. So, bring up Homer! I’m not sold on Homer myself yet but as you said, “he can’t do any worse” (something like that). One more thing, kind of off topic, why do writers praise “professional” pitchers when their on a rehab assignment pitching in single A (Dayton) and do an outstanding job? Are they unaware that they’re throwing against KIDS 6 months out of High School. In my eyes, that proves nothing about their ability to pitch, and definitely doesn’t prove they’re a “better” pitcher than what they were. So spare us with the headlines praising these guys for wiffing 18 yr. old kids.By got milk
May 10, 2008 8:09 PM | Link to this
Umm - Homer coughed up 6 ER in 4.1 innings tonight. 11 hits and 2 walks, and 1 K. Bruce, on the other hand, is 2-3 including a 3-run HR.By Jockity Strap
May 10, 2008 7:20 PM | Link to this
Dusty—are you kidding me? Our regular starters aren’t in good enough shape {minus Griffey}to start and play most of two games, 3+ hours apart? If we are trying to WIN—play ‘em for crap sake!* Dusty Baker when attempting to use that space between his ears—is hopeless! Patterson proves once again that for everything he does correctly{bunt in first inning}he will do two or more things incorrectly{Picked off first, and swing stupidly the rest of the game}!An underclassman in high school would look better than this clown running bases!That kind of frequent absurdity has no business ANYWHERE in professional baseball—let alone on a MAJOR league team!Damn. Get rid of his sorry a$$!Jockity Strap—DO SOMETHING—NOW! Jay Bruce NOW! Homer Bailey—FOUR weeks ago! WHAT the Hell are you waiting on???? One day more of your stupid waiting could cost this team a pennant in the weak Central Division! Put Jeremy Affeldt in the rotation with Bailey. He deserves a shot at it!!! Send Bray away! He has never impressed me—in fact who the hell is it that he DOES impress? Griffey—anyone else would have scored on Phillips double in the first inning today! Running bases, and fielding—Griffey is embarrassing himself! He is, and looks like—an OLD man, when doing both!By Gerry
May 10, 2008 6:05 PM | Link to this
What about Ryan Freel? He’s hitting over .300 now. When is he going to get a break?By Y-City Jim
May 10, 2008 6:04 PM | Link to this
Bellisle’s biggest problem is he cannot cope with pressure. He was fine until a runner got on then he unraveled. Patterson is noting more than a bench player. Either call up Bruce or sign a Jim Edmonds and release Patterson. At least Edmonds brings some professionalism.By Jim M.
May 10, 2008 5:55 PM | Link to this
A garee.. I have to say Belisle is a AAA Cy young pitcher and less than a#5 pitcher here. he needs to be in the bullpen for 1-2 good innings, because after that he gets hammered.. Also Dusty has to let his affection for Patterson go… He is a losuy leadoff hitter and today i had hoped he would have batted for him with runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs..Freel needs to be super utility again and bring Bruce up.. this way Freel can play a different position each day (2b,Lf Rf Cf 3B) and give those other starters a day off every 5th day.. Also Homer has to be in the rotation.. the ex-Brave Belisle experiment is over..By Deaner
May 10, 2008 5:32 PM | Link to this
I’ve tried to be optimistic… but this team is brutal.By redfuture
May 10, 2008 5:01 PM | Link to this
If Jocketty has any baseBALLS he will release Patterson. Jason Stark’s quotes a scout, “You know what was [Dusty Baker’s] biggest mistake? His highest-energy guy is Ryan Freel. But what was the first thing Dusty did? Sit him on his butt to play Corey Patterson. And it didn’t sit well with that team.” I’m with you Hal, its time.By Don L
May 10, 2008 4:46 PM | Link to this
Yep, it is time for some personnel changes. I also think it’s time to worry about Bray and Lincoln who haven’t looked good in their last couple of appearances. Maybe Bailey can be used in relief for a short time until he is given the ball to start. I was listening to the NY announcers in this first game and they didn’t mince words in describing the Reds. To sum it up , the Reds are just a bad team all the way around.By Gary
May 10, 2008 4:03 PM | Link to this
I couldn’t agree more. Matt Belise is another draft choice the Atlanta Braves gave up on. Remember Rob Bell? No more ex Atalanta farmheads . Gary