ESPN put together an entire lineup.
One game after getting 2 hits in 9 innings, the Giants only manage 1 hit in 9 innings.
But this time they win thanks to the Reds finally making some mistakes and a nice game by Vogelsong. Thank god the Reds have Broxton on their roster, as he is their only pitcher I feel like the Giants can get to. Please keep using him Dusty. In fact, why not just let Broxton start the next game?
Personal interest aside, it will be sad if Johnny Cueto is hurt for an extended length of time. The Reds would have the best pitching of any playoff team with him at full strength (since the Nationals shut down Strasburg).
I fear that the Giants extreme luck tonight merely postponed the inevitable…unless they magically discover their hitting mojo overnight. And Good Zito shows up tomorrow, too.
Zito is their hottest pitcher of late. They’ll need him. They have to find their bats. They left them at the airport.
Hold on a second. The Giants have gotten 4 runs in the series, and had 2 hits tonight, and have like 10 hits in the entire series, and you’re talking about how lucky they are?
Bid Daddy was damn fat, but I think Prince is fatter than his father was at the same age. He’s AMAZINGLY fat. I honestly can’t understand how he’s agile enough to be a major league hitter. Watching him run tonight I just couldn’t believe it.
Here’s Cecil Fielder in 1990, the year he hit 51 home runs:
http://www.spokeo.com/Cecil+Fielder+1/Jun+15+1990+Other+Photos
As you can see is is a big guy, thick in the thighs, but he’s not really all that fat. He is 27 here. There’s other pictures from 1990-1991 on that page and he’s really not that fat at all.
He started growing, but as a young man he was in good shape (he’s even smaller, albeit strong as hell, in his early Blue Jays photos.)
Here’s Prince Fielder a few months ago, age 28:
He’s ENORMOUS. David Wells was bigger but David Wells was also four inches taller. Fielder is 5’11" and he’s got to be six feet wide. His durability, given his weight, is superhuman; I cannot imagine how he could continue to do this is he keeps gaining weight.
I don’t believe you can apply the basepath rule to someone who misses home and comes back to touch it. If I’m not mistaken, you can be halfway to the dugout, realize you missed it, and come back and touch the plate.
The basepath is just the line between where the runner is, and where he wants to be. So: yes, the runner can overrun the plate, get halfway to the dugout, and come back. Once he does, he establishes a basepath; and if he veers 3 feet from that line to avoid a tag, he can be called out.
The rule doesn’t say anything about home plate being different. And the rule doesn’t apply until a fielder tries to tag the runner, so in the absence of a tag attempt, yes, you can be halfway to the dugout and then come back and touch the plate. And even if you’re halfway back when someone tries to tag you, you would have a six foot wide lane from that spot to home plate, centered around the line between you and the plate, that you were entitled to run back to the plate inside of.
Just once they try to tag you, the rule says you cannot go running all over the field to elude the defenders.
I am rooting for the Giants to win one more, so that if the Nats make it to the NLCS, the Reds won’t have a couple of extra days of rest. 
Well, considering that they have actually won a game with those stats, I think the case could be made that they have been lucky.
I often find baseball announcers frustrating, but I will give the crew calling the Reds-Giants series credit for one thing. They did not forget about an out on the basepaths like it never happened. So often announcers applaud aggressiveness when a player steals a base or takes an extra base, but then just forget all about the outs when the runners get caught. They didn’t forget that the Reds lost a run because of Brandon Phillips baserunning.
To heck with that noise! I wanted the Reds to finish it last night…hopefully they take care of business today so they do get extra rest. We will need Cueto to recover from his oblique issue ASAP so we are at full strength.
By the way, quadruple header today…lots of baseball to watch.
If the Reds opt to pitch Leake instead of Latos today, it would mean that Cueto would have to be dropped from the postseason roster until the World Series, should they advance that far, as Leake is not currently on the postseason roster.
Damn tough call…Latos on short rest in the hopes Cueto gets healthy in time for the NLCS, or the alternative?
Well, they’ve been down this road before this year, going to battle with whom they have and not always at full strength. Latos is a stud, and so is Homer Bailey. If Arroyo can pitch like he did in game 2 in the NLCS we should be good. Damn though. Tough break not having Cueto for a 7 game series in the NLCS if the Reds win this series against the Giants. I think that rule kinda sucks!
I don’t think luck has much to do with it, the Giants have been bad this series and the only reason they have won a game is that the Reds screwed up game 3 eight ways to Sunday.
To me, luck is spraying Texas leaguers all over the diamond, hitting dribblers that find holes and hitting the foul pole.
Alternately, it’s a well-struck ball hitting the top of the outfield fence and bouncing back into the field of play (see game 2 of the 2010 World Series).
Taking advantage of opponent error isn’t luck IMO.
Aside from Philips boneheaded baserunning and then Rolen’s error in the 10th that allowed the winning run instead of getting the side out, how many other ways did the Reds screw up? Granted, in such a close game it was enough, but it felt like a far cry from “screwed up eight ways to Sunday” what with the pitching that was going on.
My wording was a bit harsh but the Reds had more chances than the Giants did, including three “man-on-second, 2 outs” scenarios that they failed to convert (1st, 3rd, 6th) after getting a run home in the 1st.
Anyway, I hope we have a good game today. Unfortunately the Giants will probably get Zito’ed and lose 7-3.
You would think that Cueto’s injury would be a break for the Giants. Unfortunately, it seems (to the average doom & gloom fan) that whenever the Giants face a minor-leaguer called up in an emergency and making his major league debut, they wind up on the short end of a 2-hit shutout.
Apparently, not a problem after all. Currently at 14 hits in the 8th inning.