Is this as bad as 2014 gets, or is there more from here?
There's a way to look at tonight's matchup between the Cincinnati Reds and New York Mets that involves numbers, analysis, and projections.
There's also a way to look at it that involves pain. Lots, and lots of pain.
If you're a Reds fan, well, welcome to Painburgingtonvillegrad.
The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game
You.
You're reading this (thanks), which means you're still invested in what it is that made the recent Reds what they are, or you're simply swinging by to check on our collective psyche after yet another crushing defeat.
You're here to see how a team that has made the playoffs in 3 of the last 4 seasons with much the same roster as the one currently fielded could start a September game against a terrible team, put an All-Star starting pitcher on the mound, and lose by damn near a touchdown and a field goal. Frankly, if Ol' Nuxy was still around to seek out an interesting viewpoint on the game that just elapsed, he'd surely think that you and your sanity would be an entertaining and worthwhile interview.
So, have a trophy, dear reader. Have a trophy, a sip of a fine (and powerful) beverage, and think about a way to spend your September that doesn't involve night after night cringing.
Honorable Mentions are due to: Todd Frazier and Devin Mesoraco, who continued to be the two true bright spots of the 2014 season, somewhat symbolically both honking dingers in a game that otherwise showed exactly what headwinds stand in the way of this franchise's future success.
Key Plays
- I'm not going to do it, don't worry. At least not in too great of detail.
- Alfredo Simon took the mound for the Reds to start the game, and he proved to be eminently hittable from the first batter he faced. He'd retired only 3 batters after throwing 45 pitches, and a slew of early singles and doubles cost him a pair of runs in the Top of the 1st. Mesoraco's blast put the Reds back within a run in the Bottom of the 1st (though the first of Frazier's two TOOTBLAN's relegated it to being a solo dinger), but a double, a handful of singles, and a run scored via walk gave the Mets back their previous 2 run lead in the Top of the 2nd. Reds trailed, 3-1.
- A Reds run scored on an error in the Bottom of the 2nd, and that was followed by a succession of Redsmashing that hasn't been consistently seen around these parts since the mid 2000's. The Mets tallied 11 consecutive runs over the next six innings, coupling dingers with bloops and waxing prophetic and poetic on Simon, J.J. Hoover, Ryan Dennick, Logan Ondrusek, and Daniel Corcino to eventually open up a 12-2 lead. When the smoke eventually settled, Frazier's blast and a meager 9th inning rally closed the growing gap, but still, the Reds lost, 14-5.
- It has become increasingly hard to root for anything other than the healthy end of the 2014 season.
- Here's a link to what should be the MLB team batting stats since the All-Star break. You'll notice that the Reds are nearly dead last in most categories, but you should also note that prior to today, the only team worse than the Reds in a handful of stats was the very Mets that knocked the snot out of the ball tonight.
- It was Irish Heritage Night at GABP, hence the green jerseys and whatnot. My family's of very Irish descent. Green colors...got it.
- I'm out of notes.
- One of my favorite Irish tunes.