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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 > August > 02 > Entry
As ugly as ugly can be
Any of the Cincinnati Reds who did anything interesting before Saturday’s game - like Aaron Harang going to The Spy Museum - well, they should have stayed there and not come to Nationals Park Saturday night.
It was awful and ugly and, well, embarrassing.
I mean, there is a reason Washington pitcher Jason Bergmann lugged an 1-8 record to the mound in Nationals Park to face the Cincinnati Reds Saturday night.
And the Reds exposed him - five runs in the second inning. When they chased him off the mound after six, they owned a four-run lead.
From the time Reds scored five in the second until the end the scored one more run and two more hits (both by Corey Patterson) and the bullpen suffered a nuclear meltdown during a 10-6 defeat.
It was the Reds’ eighth loss in nine games and second straight to the Nationals, losers of nine straight before the Reds rolled into town.
The Reds made three errors and two helped account for four runs and a Gary Majewski wild pitch permitted another to score.
“Every day, we’re making errors, and making them at the wrong time,” said manager Dusty Baker.
The turning-point error was made by second baseman Brandon Phillips in the seventh, a potential inning-ending double play that instead bounced off his writer, permitting the tying run to score and and two more scored after that.
“A double play ball and we thought we were out of the inning,” said Baker. “Brandon is usually as sure-handed as heck. There is none better than Brandon. It shocked us all. That opened the gates. Boy, that was a terrible game, an ugly game we played.”
Some of Phillips’ teammates probably weren’t as shocked as Baker, because before Friday’s first game Phillips warned his teammates that the infield was soft and fast.
“Elijah Dukes hit the ball hard and it just ate me up,” said Phillips. “It hit the grass and skipped on me off my wrist. I told everybody before Friday’s game, ‘Guys, you’re going to make errors on this field. You have to read the ball good off the bat because the field is bouncy and fast.’
“Things happen,” Phillips added. “You can’t catch ‘em all and you learn from your mistakes.”
For baseball purists, the early going was abysmal. For the Reds, the late going was abysmal.
The Nationals put five of their first six batters on base in the first inning against Josh Fogg and he was fortunate to give up only two runs. After Austin Kearns and Jesus Flores poked run-scoring singles with one out, Fogg coaxed an inning-ending double play out of Alberto Gonzalez.
The Reds didn’t mess around in the second after Bergmann walked Edwin Encarnacion.
Before the carnage ended, Joey Votto had a three-run double and Jay Bruce had a two-run homer to give the Reds a 5-2 lead.
Two bunts netted the Reds a run in the sixth. Patterson bunted hard to Bergmann, but second baseman Emilio Bonifacio was late covering first and Bergmann’s throw ended up in right field and Patterson ended up at third.
With Patterson running on the pitch, a suicide squeeze, Paul Bako dropped a run-scoring bunt to make it 6-2.
After that, it was as if the Nationals were playing the game by themselves.
Things tensed in the sixth after a one-out double by Gonzalez. Bill Bray, who hadn’t pitched in the previous five games, replaced Fogg and after he retired one batter he gave up a pinch-hit home run to Ronnie Belliard, cutting the lead to 6-4.
Mike Lincoln hadn’t given up a run in 19 innings when he replaced Bray in the seventh, but when the fog lifted four runs had been charged to his name and the Reds trailed, 8-6.
“Lincoln has been pitching great and the balls got through,” said Baker. “He made a real good pitch on Austin Kearns but he got it through the infield. That could have been a double play. Any one of several could have been a double play, but they found the holes.”
Some strange things happened, including the rare error by Phillips. After his error made it 6-6, Washington pinch-hitter Pete Orr, who had 18 major-league RBIs in his 398 major-league at-bats, poked a two-run single to left for an 8-6 Nationals lead.
“This is the big leagues and no matter who it is you just can’t let ‘em back in the door,” said Baker.
Lastings Milledge homered off Gary Majewski to start the eighth. Austin Kearns ripped his third hit and it skipped past Bruce in right for an error and Kearns landed on third, scoring on Majewski’s wild pitch to make it 10-6 on the scoreboard and a 10 on the ugly meter.
“We’re probably last in defense in the league right now,” said Baker. “That goes with being in last place in the standings. That just puts too much pressure on your pitchers.”
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Comments
By BOB DUERSTOCK
August 8, 2008 6:11 PM | Link to this
Hal your article about a lifeless team is very true!!!We had two good managers since 2000, McKeon,and MCkanin.Castelani keeps changing people all the time and makes things worse. NOW BAVASI,,CHECK SEATTLE !!!HA HA.By Ryan Persohn
August 8, 2008 9:12 AM | Link to this
Matt….do not respond to those idiots that you keep argueing with. Talk baseball on this blog. I see so many people that keep whinning on this blog. It doesn’t seem to matter some people will cry about something. Lets face it a bulk of the Reds troubles come down to the Manager. Yes…Dusty Baker needs to take most of the heat for this years poor performance. I know this team has some great youth on it, but you need some guidence for them. That is something I DO NOT see.By Police Chief{revisited}
August 4, 2008 4:38 PM | Link to this
Matt has continued his annoying ways; so I must remind him of what I said to him sometime ago—which btw is what others keep saying to him,as well. Matt you keep blaming three individuals but, there are many more individuals than those three, who are irritated by you and your assinine continuance of ruining Hal’s blog. Here it is again:You are becoming a public nuisance. We don’t want or need you to police our blog. We don’t need your childish corrections of all “errors”stated here. Errors as judged by you.Give it a rest.You have been told by MANY, not just three, BUT MANY—to “back off, shut up,disappear, come back again another year”. You have the most comments everyday on this blog. People don’t want to hear from one person all the time, on every subject, and every opinion.It is what is annoying about your comments—no one else on this blog gets as many negative comments about them,as you do!You are like a small child that won’t go away.You, Matt, are ruining this blog—you alone! You have ligitimately been criticized on here in various forms, because YOU have been the problem! You, your attacks on opinion, are the problem—a blog is about opinion—not one persons diatribe of repeated comments and attacks. You are not the policeman of this blog—you have not been appointed as such; and you will continue to get comments as long as you act like a bloghog and policeman of the blog.Your repeated childish gibberish is unwanted. It isn’t always the truth, as others see it—the problem is: you think it IS always the truth. It is wrong for anyone to approach a blog thinking that and “correcting” others.Your opinion is forced on others as: “you better believe this I am saying,or you are just simply wrong.” You also, do what you say you don’t, you attack others directly, and indirectly—all you have to do is read your blogs.There is more from the previous comments I made—but perhaps this will suffice, for you to give some thought to why it is that the majority of bloggers are against your actions. They aren’t complaining to Wizard, or Huber Tucky, or Brarhopper—they ARE complaing to you Matt—shouldn’t that tell you something? I think so; and so do most of the bloggers here. Get it right, and I’m sure most, if not all, will leave you alone.By Matt
August 4, 2008 3:53 PM | Link to this
Why should I talk less? So the writers of the hate-Matt poems can talk more? So the hate-Dusty and hate-Griffey crowd can talk more?By w
August 4, 2008 1:15 PM | Link to this
Talk less Matt!By Matt
August 4, 2008 1:11 PM | Link to this
Again, Wizard, your comments don’t reflect the truth. My immaturity? Again, who wrote the hate-Matt poems? Who engages in personal attacks in order to win their arguments? Who is immature again?By Wizard
August 4, 2008 12:47 PM | Link to this
Matt, if you aren’t trying to antagonize, why are you continuing to use my name? I have said nothing, trying to avoid your immaturity. As per your 8:34AM comment: That is the general idea presented on here—that you should keep quiet. The less you talk the better for everyone! It has been spelled out very plainly for you by lots of people—try catching the message!By the way—they weren’t hate poems—we all love you!By Wizard
August 4, 2008 12:37 PM | Link to this
AP-Florida: No I didn’t play for them. What kind of team was it—softball? Played for a Pizza Hut team that won Louisville invitational when Doug Flynn was playing.By Matt
August 4, 2008 8:34 AM | Link to this
None of it was. You expect me to sit here and just take being bent over and not say anything about it? A person has a right to defend themselves.By AP-FLORIDA
August 4, 2008 7:54 AM | Link to this
matt-how much of your last post was about the reds?By Matt
August 4, 2008 7:43 AM | Link to this
Yeah, your right AP. I’m the one posting the hate-Matt poems, all the insults, put-downs and cheap shots. Dumb me, I don’t know what I was thinking questioning his holiness, brarhopper. He is the untouchable of this blog. Anything that he, Huber or Wizard says is golden and shouldn’t be questioned or debated in any way. Ouch, I think I just woke up from that nightmare.By AP-FLORIDA
August 4, 2008 7:33 AM | Link to this
Matt-again you are wrong.. grow up..Wizard, did you play for starpath/riverside?By Matt
August 3, 2008 9:12 PM | Link to this
It is my intent to talk baseball, only baseball on here. Why don’t you quit blaming the one who is being attacked and start blaming the aggressor on here? I’m not going anywhere. I don’t come on here to cause trouble. But I won’t back down to anyone, and that includes the saint himself, brarhopper.By jsc139
August 3, 2008 6:15 PM | Link to this
Matt, you said “back to baseball.” That was less that 24 hours ago. Why don’t you just go away and let the rest of us enjoy this blog, and take your dumb petty arguing friends with you. We really have no interest in hearing you repeatedly “defend yourself” against whatever slights you perceive. You really are quite juvenile. And please, stay gone.By Matt
August 3, 2008 5:20 PM | Link to this
Brarhopper, your petty, childish, untrue insults are frankly out of this world. That’s not a compliment by the way. You speak of me being a liar and a hypocrite. You should check yourself out before accusing me of such things. You sat on here and bashed Griffey endlessly while he was with the Reds, and now you have nothing but kind words for him. Seems kind of interesting, huh? Maybe the truth about your favorite whipping boy finally caught up with you. Where the accusation comes from that I am a liar and hypocrite I simply don’t know. It’s a real head scratcher, primarily since it’s so far from the truth. Considering, however, that you seem not to know about anything you speak of, I really can’t get very offended. The only time you take time to post anything on here is when it is to criticize myself or anyone else who disagrees with you, or some other negative post. You really are quite clueless in every way when it comes to Reds baseball, me, or anything else that you speak of. Go crawl back under your rock.By Brarhopper
August 3, 2008 4:17 PM | Link to this
I see the MattBoy the BlogCop is still up to his old critiques and backpedaling on his promises and commitments. Such a liar. I also watched EE (9th inning) do his best imitation of Griffey using a walker as he ambled slowly down to first base rather than actually make an effort as though he cared about getting on. Ya know what matt or Matt, you ought to shut your pie hole and focus on baseball rather than trying to constantly play junior cop censor and stop rating every post which somehow manages to offend your delicate sensibilities. You are truly the most delicate, thin-skinned and biggest hypocrite ever. And you just never shut up, endlessly attacking Wizard, HuberTucky, jsc, Dave D., me and arguing with critizing and name-calling anyone who is 1% away from your Nazi-like belief system. I think you must have been in someones military, just not one that embraces free thought. Thank gawd you are not a real cop, ya little control freak pansy. Period. End of discussion.By Matt
August 3, 2008 3:00 PM | Link to this
Brarhopper I see that you continue to be your usual self on here. Trying to instigate problems and cause trouble. If you could focus solely on Reds baseball this blog would be a much better place.By jsc139
August 3, 2008 2:52 PM | Link to this
Gee whiz, yet another team pulls out a ringer and throws another Cy Young look-alike at those battling Reds. Oh wait, that’s the hapless Deads. And that’s not Cy Young. Never mind.By Wizard
August 3, 2008 2:34 PM | Link to this
Yep, Brandon has a lot of hotdog in him—but, I still think he should be our SS.By Wizard
August 3, 2008 2:21 PM | Link to this
Ha, Ha, Ha Ha Ha Ha!By Brarhopper
August 3, 2008 2:13 PM | Link to this
Well, if today is an example of Brandon Phillips’ adventure in leadership, then forget about him. Since making his grand declaration, he has had his head firmly up his butt both in offense and defense. Just saw the most boneheaded play of him picked off second. He and Dunn (2 run oaf error)have gone into mental comas since Griffey left. This team is adrift and their anchor in the dugout is just that. Ohhh thankee fer thuh a-fur-may-shun abbout mah spellin, Wizard. Ahm so deep-rest thet ah aint Mattched upp tuh boss bloghog’s strikt standurds.By Wizard
August 3, 2008 2:01 PM | Link to this
Brarhopper you did real good spellin’! Way to go biggin’—proud a ya’. I think the best shortstop the Reds have is Brandon Phillips. He covers much more ground and has a better arm than anyone they play there. Why they don’t want to move him, when putting a body at second base is much less important—I haven’t a clue. I played both positions in baseball. One year was playing short for a softball team—doing pretty well, and the mgr came up to me, and said they wanted to move me to second because they had this young kid coming out from UK, and he was pretty good…So I’m thinking OK, but so am I. Turns out this young kid would later play for the Reds—Doug Flynn! I moved to second.By Dave in Hilliard
August 3, 2008 2:00 PM | Link to this
Hey-Zeus Cristo! It’s managing to get uglier and uglier earlier and earlier. Pole waits until Cueto loses it and surrenders multiple hits and 4 runs to visit the mound? It was OBVIOUS to anyone who knows ANYTHING about baseball that this kid needed a visit WAAAYYYYY before that? Dunn flubs yet another one in left, a 2 run error, then Phillips lose one in the sun (got shades?) and then Bruce let THAT one slither between his legs and avoid his mitt. And this is just the first inning. Right when you think this team can’t possible get worse, they surprise you! Absolutely pathetic and amateurish… and these are professionals? Ha! The incompetence we’re seeing on the field and out of the dugout is of staggering proportions. Reds fans deserve a year’s worth of refunds.By HuberTucky
August 3, 2008 1:12 PM | Link to this
Right you are, Bob H, but when speaking of errors in Washington, let’s not forget the leader in errors & champion of the bush league!By Brarhopper
August 3, 2008 12:40 PM | Link to this
How about a shortstop? It’s a critical area that needs attention. Since 2004 (Larkin’s last year) the Reds have tried these players as shortstops: Felipe Lopez, Juan Castro, Anderson Machado, D’Angelo Jimenez, Rich Aurilia, Rey Olmedo, Royce Clayton, Brandon Phillips, Alex Gonzalez, Jeff Keppinger, Pedro Lopez, Jerry Hairston Jr, Paul Janish and Jolbert Cabrera. Some of these guys have been tested several times over several years. So perhaps, what the Reds need to begin a serious building effort is a SOLID everyday pro at this position. Interesting that former Red’s All-Star SS Felipe Lopez, the tattoo queen, was let go by the Nats. Now THERE’S something to brag about on his resume! (NOTE to the neighborhood proofreader and blog cop — How’s my spelling?)By Bob H
August 3, 2008 12:12 PM | Link to this
The last time that many errors were made in Washington they were by Donald Rumsfeld.By Bearcat Fan
August 3, 2008 12:04 PM | Link to this
After giving some thought to what the near future will bring for the Reds I have decided that it will take several years to become competitive. There are only a few position players who I believe should be untouchable. Bruce, Votto, Phillips and probably Dunn should make up the nucleas of the team. After that all could be traded for youth. However I do not think there are many teams that will be interested in the remaining players. Somehow the team needs to get a power hitting right hander and legitimate lead-off batter. I think it will take several years for this team to turn around.By Brarhopper
August 3, 2008 11:26 AM | Link to this
I’d like to answer Mike’s 9:45 AM question, “I wonder how many turned the game off last night?” I sure as hell did. It’s just too much to ask a baseball fan to wath this putrid puke of a team bumble and stumble game after game, and to get stomped by such a truly terrible beer league team like the Nats. Barf!By HuberTucky
August 3, 2008 11:21 AM | Link to this
Looks like the NL Player of the Month, that super hot bat Adam Dunn, has gone ice cold (0-6) since his buddy Junior was dealt to Chicago. C’mon Dunn, your bat is still needed here. Without you hitting, we have the Red Dragons. Yesterday’s game was another microcasm of how shallow and pathetic this current Reds teams is. Every aspect failed at once… again. Except for CP who made at awesome play at the plate and had two hits. Go figure.By Mike-Cinci
August 3, 2008 11:02 AM | Link to this
It is not leadership. It is not heart. The players are not good enough. They have some promising players but every team has promising players. They just don’t have enough of them. We like to think that a few upgrades will make the difference. It won’t. All bad teams will try to make a few upgrades. This team needs to build its farm system or it will be saddled for many years with a losing record. The Reds and their fans are paying the price for many years of poor drafts and poor player development. Lack of stability in the front office has led to losing on the field. This is a collection of mediocre players, cast-offs, and a few guys with potential that equals losing.By Matt
August 3, 2008 10:02 AM | Link to this
First, let me clear things up about the two posts. The first post, at 11:55, was by me. The second post, at 12:12, was not made by me. Second, Dusty and the coaches can yell, scream, and throw things around but you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear, as Barney Fife once said. The fact is that this club is not built to go deep into the playoffs, much less make the playoffs. That being said, I think the Reds are a good team, but they are not a team that’s going to win 90-100 games. 80-85 was a more realistic expectation coming into this season. The Reds must do some tweaking this offseason to retool the team for 2009. The team on the field this season is not ready to compete with the big boys. The reason for that is not lack of talent, it is lack of experience. It is unrealistic and frankly unfair to expect Jay Bruce, Johnny Cueto and Co. to lead this team to greatness. This squad needs veteran leadership at key positions, such as SS and CF. Keppinger and Hairston are fine for this season, but they should not be the long-term answer. A guy such as Rafael Furcal, a free agent at the end of the year, is a more realistic and prudent approach. As far as the outfield, there are a multitude of free agents to consider, or possibly guys who could be available through trade this offseason. We’ll see how it all plays out, but this team needs some work, and Jocketty/Baker need to kick it into high gear as soon as this season is over. Only after they put their fingerprint on this team can anyone truly judge or rank Dusty Baker, the coaches and Walt Jocketty.By Mike
August 3, 2008 9:45 AM | Link to this
It’s apparent..the Reds have learned how to lose and forgot how to win. Lost the last 2 to a terrible team ( but good enough to kick the Reds butt), have lost the last 7 of 10,are 15 games out in the cellar looking up. Have been outscored by 73 runs this season..557-484. Team defense is rated #15 of the 16 teams in the league with a fielding percentage of .980. Maybe it was bound to happen, Nationals had lost 9 straight, Reds were coming off a win behind 17 hits, Lincoln’s bubble was due to burst at 19 innings of scoreless pitching. It did! Hairston obviously wasn’t ready to return but did. Now it cost not only him but the team as well. 51 games left after losing #60 last night. There seems to be this nonsense of finishing .500 for the season and that will make everything wonderful. With the 51 games left, even if this inept team with its management woes, goes 26-25 (.510 ) the rest of the season..they finish 77-85. This once proud franchise is embarrased and frustrated from the legends of yesterday, to the guy who pays $7 for a beer at GASP. I wonder how many turned the game off last night?By AP-FLORIDA
August 3, 2008 9:44 AM | Link to this
A team reflects it’s manager’s influence. What kind of influence does Rusty exhibit? Do we have a player on the team that CAN lead, not just ‘WANTS TO!’ We are in a heap of trouble until the manager/coaches are motivated or moved…By ShockMonkey
August 3, 2008 9:43 AM | Link to this
Matt: I feel your first post, 11:55 PM, was well written with valid points. You got a little long-winded on the 2nd one though. Remember: brevity is the soul of wit!By Florida Buckeye
August 3, 2008 8:31 AM | Link to this
I believe that this team is glaringly young & inexperienced…think about it, we beat and contend with the most talented teams in the League, and yet, we play subpar against the cellar dwellers…Character, attitude, youth,an inability to focus and inexperience are to blame…Not lack of talent.By donb51
August 3, 2008 8:04 AM | Link to this
Hal, My first love used to be following the Reds. Being down here in Washington, DC, now it is following the Nationals. When the Reds are in town down here, I finally get to see them on TV. What I saw was the Nationals looking like a pennant contender and the Reds looking like a spring training squad. Ugly? I think you misspelled that word, isn’t it spelled f-u-g-l-y? I hope to read you again next year and wish you best wishes. I have reached my pain threshold.By Matt
August 3, 2008 7:52 AM | Link to this
Hey Huber. The first post, by “Matt” is mine. The second post, by “matt” is not. There you go again.By AJ
August 3, 2008 1:39 AM | Link to this
“I mean, there is a reason Washington pitcher Jason Bergmann lugged an 1-8 record to the mound in Nationals Park to face the Cincinnati Reds Saturday night.” Sorry, but that’s just an ignorant statement. You’re implying the reason for his 1-8 record is that he’s just not a good pitcher. In fact, the Nats give him 2 runs of support per game. Bergmann is one of the best kept secrets in the game. He’d be a household name on any other team.By HuberTucky
August 3, 2008 1:26 AM | Link to this
Corey Patterson is interesting if/when he gets on base. Hey blabbermouth, you have two of the first three posts. Can’t you ever shut up?By matt
August 3, 2008 12:12 AM | Link to this
The Reds blow another one and it’s the usual…we had a few good plays/hits, but…yea, don’t bother saying the same things over and over, just run a tape of comments we’ve already heard over and over. I agree that the Reds have great young talent both on the roster now and coming up through the minors. What I disagree with is the what-the-heck attitude they’re teaching these young, talented players. It’s time to fire them up…get mad and frustrated at losing so many games in such a miserable fashion. I’m quite tired of hearing: tonite our pitching was great, but no hitting…tonite our pitchers threw “almost” great stuff, but at least we hit the ball. I’m certainly not advocating a public kind of thing, but what tells me most about the sorry state of the Reds was an interview I saw with the new pitcher from the White Sox…he apparently was told that the Reds are a laid-back kind of organization…laid-back when you’re 15 games behind first place? That’s giving them the fire it takes to succeed? Don’t get thrashing about in the media, just let me see that the Reds are taking two-a-day practices and are getting fired up, angry and embarrassed about how they are playing. Until then, the advertisers who sponser the Reds on TV and radio are not going to have me hearing and watching their commercials.By Matt
August 2, 2008 11:55 PM | Link to this
Instead of getting better as the season wears on, this team just falls apart more with each game. 10 runs, for the Nationals? 3 errors, against the Nationals? 2 straight losses, against the Nationals? Folks, the Nats are MLB’s worst team, at least record-wise. Barring a win tomorrow, which doesn’t seem too likely at this point, the Reds will be swept by, again, the Nationals? Another game, another loss. This team is embarrassing to watch these days. This team will have another long offseason in which to ponder what could have been. Hopefully, after what looks to be 8 straight losing seasons, the ownership/brain-trust of this team will finally make the moves and do what is necessary for this team to win. Unacceptable, unprofessional loss tonight.By JimInDayton
August 2, 2008 11:44 PM | Link to this
This was one of the more pitiful performances in recent Red’s history. As I saw Bruce’s error, the ball didn’t skip past him, it went right through his legs. This team is rudderless right now. People talk of leadership and constantly ask which player will step up to claim the mantle. Leadership in any organization comes from the top, in this case it must come from Dusty Baker. Dusty seems to manage to win when he has superior players as he had in San Francisco. When doesn’t, his teams underachieve as in his last two years in Chicago and of course this year with the Reds.