Great American Let Down

In 1995, the Cincinnati Reds closed out the Dodgers in Game 3 of the NLDS 10-1 and then got swept in 4 by the Atlanta Braves in the NLCS. 17 years later, the Queen City is still waiting for its first home playoff win since that 10-1 victory.

The Reds couldn’t have asked for a better chance than they had last night. Homer Bailey pitched another gem (7 IP, 1 H, 1 ER), and through 9 innings, the Reds had given up just 1 hit. The only problem was the Reds offense was equally as stagnant as that of their counterpart. 

While most will point to Scott Rolen’s error as the reason the Reds lost Game 3, I disagree. It was a tough play and he got a short hop. Was it a play he should have made? Absolutely. Was it a play Frazier makes? Probably. Was it the reason the Reds lost the game? No. It was the last mishap that cost the Reds the game, and therefore is the mishap that everyone will point to. But I believe there were 3 ‘errors’ before Rolen’s error, which cost the Reds the game. All of which would have made Rolen’s error moot.

Error 1

Brandon Phillips Base Running in the First Inning. Inexcusable. I love aggressive play, but it has to be smart aggressive play. Trying to take the extra base in the first inning was not smart. BP was in scoring position already, meaning Votto would have come to the plate with a man in scoring position. BP ran the Reds out of at least 1 run, possibly more…ultimately, that run cost the Reds, and unfortunately, aggressive, but not smart, baserunning is very synonymous with BP.

Error 2

Ryan Hanigan’s Passed Ball. The usually sure handed Hanigan just missed the pitch. The passed ball came with 2 outs and guys on 1^st and 2^nd and allowed the runners to advance. Hanigan makes that routine play, and Rolen’s error only causes the bases to be loaded, rather than allowing the run to score.

Error 3

Dusty’s Election to Pitch to Arias. Again, inexcusable. 2 outs in the 10^th, first base open, with the Giants closer (4 career ABs) on deck, and Broxton is pitching to speedy .270 hitter? I know what you are thinking, ‘well, the Giants would just have pinch hit for Romo.” Would they? Bochy only had 1 bench player left. If the game doesn’t end there, SF is left with no one on the bench and a hobbled Hunter Pence in RF, not to mention, rather than facing Romo (1.79 ERA, 0.85 WHIP) in the 10^th, you face Tim Lincecum (5.18 ERA). Most surprising is that I have heard nothing about this in the media. I know it is easy to play Hindsight Manager, but this isn’t hindsight, this is something fans noticed in the moment and something a 1,500+ game winner (Baker) should have realized as well. If this game comes back to haunt the Reds, Dusty has certainly left a door open for criticism.

Game 4

Game 3, as frustrating and disappointing as it was, the game is done, and the Reds still sit in a good position, up 2-1 with 2 more at home. The loss does, however, force the Reds into some tough decisions they would not have faced had they won Game 3. Mainly, who starts Game 4? I think Latos. Leake is a possibility, but doing so would mean Cueto is out until the World Series and I’m not sure the Reds are willing to do that. Regardless of who starts, and regardless of how heartbreaking the loss in Game 3 was, I believe the Reds close it out tonight in Game 4. Let’s just hope the offense picks back up, because regardless of who makes it to the NLCS between Washington and St. Louis, one thing is for sure, they will have a better offense than the Giants.