Game 19: Reds 4, Brewers 3 (10 Innings)

The Reds came back from a 3-1 deficit in the tenth to down Milwaukee 4-3 Sunday at Great American.

After a disastrous error on a potential double play ball extended the Brewers tenth and allowed them to score two runs, Edwin Encarnacion and Paul Bako led off the bottom of the tenth with solo homers off Brewers closer Eric Gagne to tie it. Manager Ned Yost gave Gagne the hook after he walked Scott Hatteberg. Brandon Phillips moved him to second with an infield single off Salomon Torres, and Ken Griffey Jr. ended it with a one-hopper off the wall in right to score pinch runner Ryan Freel.

ON HARANG
Harang looked very sharp today. Eight innings, four hits, one run allowed and if this offense had any chance against Gallardo he would have gotten a win. As it is, he was stuck with a no-decision. You can tell how deceptive his stuff can be by looking at the kind of pitches hitters take for called strikes (fastballs right down the middle, etc.). He’s good at varying speeds on his fastball and he can throw his breaking ball to any part of the zone. Watching him almost makes you think that pitching effectively in the majors really isn’t that complicated; it’s all control, moving the ball around, throwing strikes, getting ahead and varying pitch and location to keep guys off-balance. Harang doesn’t throw 95 (he tops out low-90s but most of his fastballs seem to stay in the high-80s) and he doesn’t have an unhittable breaking pitch. Then you see other pitchers who can’t do what he does and you really appreciate him.

Milwaukee’s first run came when Harang made a rare (for today) mistake, leaving a fastball up that J.J. Hardy deposited into the left-field seats to open the Brewers fourth that put the Reds down 1-0. Edwin Encarnacion knotted the game at one apiece with a no-doubter on a 3-1 inside fastball from Gallardo that he must have been waiting for. Edwin just turned on it and punished it.

ONE THING
While the Reds offense was quietly being sat down by Gallardo (basically every inning except for the fifth) I looking at this recent skid, starting with the Pirates series last weekend. By my basic calculations (didn’t really double-check this but I think it’s right), the Reds have played 83 innings over the last nine games. They’ve either been tied or behind at the end of 74 of those innings. They’ve only led going into ten out of 83 innings. That’s what’s been so frustrating about this skid; they’ve hardly ever even led and in nearly every game the opposition has scored first. It’s made the whole string of games seem even worse than it actually has been.

OH, EDWIN
Encarnacion’s tenth-inning error couldn’t have come at a worse time. The only way it could have been a worse outcome was if it had gotten past him and gone into left field. He likely would have turned a 5-3 double play and ended the inning tied at one, but got ahead of himself and booted the grounder. Jared Burton managed to ensure the error would cost the Reds runs by promptly throwing a fifty-five footer to the backstop, removing all doubt that the Reds might get out of it.

I’m kind of an Edwin booster but it’s getting so rough for him in the field that I’m not sure you don’t try to find some other position for him. I don’t know how much longer we can watch this. Of course, he hit two dingers today. Keep him, kill him, he’s had the most up and down first 19 games I’ve ever seen.

COFFEY REMAINS?
David Weathers’ injury may have earned Todd Coffey a stay of execution. Everyone knew a roster move was coming with Matt Belisle making the start tomorrow, and the assumption was that Coffey was going to Louisville. Weathers’ elbow issues open a spot for Belisle to slide into the rotation.

Neither the Reds nor Todd Coffey are helped by his remaining in the majors. They obviously have zero confidence in him (what justification has he given them for having any trust?) and he still can’t get outs consistently in any situation, much less pressure situations. It’s possible Coffey is still headed out, so we’ll see.

GAGNE
I laughed when Milwaukee gave Gagne all that money considering that by the end of the year in 2007 Boston was afraid to even consider using him in a high-leverage situation, and he’s been just terrible. This is the second game in just over a week he’s blown a save against the Reds alone. He nearly blew Friday’s game, and today didn’t even get an out. Yost has to be losing confidence in him after lifting him so soon today, and for good reason. It will be interesting to see if Milwaukee, a franchise not commonly known for signing splashy free agents, sticks with him at closer much longer, or if organizational pressures end up forcing Yost to stick with him longer than he would have liked. This Brewers team is very good, and has a real chance at the playoffs, but games like this one will come back to haunt you when you’re a couple of games back in September.

UP NEXT
The win improves the Reds’ record to 8-11 on the year, while the Brewers fell to 11-7. Thankfully Milwaukee is now leaving town (good riddance to Bill Hall especially, but their whole lineup is dangerous, even Kendall so far this year). The Reds won’t see them again until July. The Reds stay home for games Monday and Tuesday against the Los Angeles Dodgers, a team that’s also off to a disappointing start at 7-11. Monday Matt Belisle makes his 2008 major league debut against Dodgers ace Brad Penny. Runs again will likely be tough to come by for the Reds; let’s hope they bring their ‘A’ games.

First pitch is 7:10 Eastern, 4:10 here in paradise. Peace.