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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 > June > 02 > Entry
Road Wimps - The Big Washing Machine
Once upon a time, back in 1999, they were Road Warriors, or as I dubbed them, The Big Road Machine.
Anciet history.
Right now they are the Road Wimps, the Big Washing Machine.
Even when they pound the baseball on the road, they can’t win. Their road record dipped to 9-20 Monday when they lost, 5-4, to the Phillies.
They only mustered only seven hits, but the hit a batch of line drives that were caught - four straight by Joey Votto, all caught.
“We hit the ball so hard, I thought for sure we’d win that game on a bloop hit,” said manager Dusty Baker. “We deserved it.”
When you get only one hit over the final three innings, you don’t have to read any hand-writing on the wall. It’s as plain as the box score in front of your face.
There doesn’t seem to be a middle-of-the-road Bronson Arroyo. There is The Very Good Bronson and The Very Bad Bronson. On Monday, in the tiny ball park named Citizen Banks Park (It should be named Chase Bank Park after second baseman Chase Utley), The Very Bad, Ugly, Awful Bronson showed up.
He gave up five runs and 10 hits in 4 1/3 innings - three home runs were mixed in, including a two-run rip by Utley in the first, his 21st this season.
Jay Bruce?
As Baker said, “It’s the same thing we talk about every day. Now we need to get some of the others doing the same thing.”
Bruce had two hits, including his third home run and after seven major-league games he is hitting .577 with three homers.
Now how do you go 2 for 4 and have your average fall.
It’s like former Pittsburgh outfielder Al Oliver, a Portsmouth native who still lives there, once said when he was hitting .423 at the end of April.
“Think somebody can hit .400?” he was asked.
“Yeah, I do,” he said. “I think I could do it.”
How about .500? “Now that would be tough,” he said.
It certainly would.
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Comments
By Harry the Horse
June 3, 2008 10:32 PM | Link to this
The Reds are 5-0 when Jim Kelch helps with the radio broadcast. Maybe he should go on the road and announce Reds games….By Tom
June 3, 2008 5:47 PM | Link to this
24 players and a head coach.By Jack
June 3, 2008 3:23 PM | Link to this
Hal, why did Mercker go on the DL and what can you tell us about the new kid?By Vada Pinson
June 3, 2008 2:51 PM | Link to this
Yep, Willie Mays is the right comparison. Next year after the Reds decline this aging and over-the-hill superstars kajillion $ contract, Griffey will be a greeter at some Vegas casino, just like Willie. A goodwill ambassador, I believe. And Baker batting Junior 3rd out of “respect” is the dumbest damn thing I have ever heard. What’s all this crap about respect? What about RESULTS?! Sounds like the rappers and gang-bangers anthem. Don’t dis’ me, man! Buh-ruh-thir!By wade
June 3, 2008 12:27 PM | Link to this
Jr. will play as long as he wants to, didn’t Baker say the only reason he keeps him in the 3 hole is out of respect? If a guy can’t run he should not be playing. I only hope he does not end up like Willie Mays at the end of his career, but it’s starting to look like it. I’m sure there are other people on here that remember how sad that was.By MAC
June 3, 2008 11:59 AM | Link to this
Griffey has a lot of issues which I’m not going to try and defend, but his hitting problem can be WORKED out. Everyone knows he’s trying to jerk and or jack the ball into the seats on every swing. A lot of the time that results in a miss, and when he does make contact, he rolls over it which many times results in a ground ball. Everyday, this guy needs to work off the tee, in short toss and then in batting practice keeping his hands inside the baseball and letting the ball travel which would help him hit the ball the other way against the shift. Over time, his swing will level out and when he does get something hard middle in, he’ll start hitting it hard w/ some carry ala Bruce Almighty. The Reds need to stop treating him as an untouchable and start coaching him weather he likes it or not. If he doesn’t want to listen and try to work at it, he needs to sit the bench and watch somebody who will; it’s just that simple!By Mike
June 3, 2008 11:40 AM | Link to this
The best teams in baseball will lose 60 games. A very good one will lose 70 games. A 5-4 loss to the Phils is not the end of the world. It would be nice to see the Reds win at least 4 of 8 on this road trip. I’m not sure their pitching is good enough to do that. Except for Volquez, who has been excellent, the rest of the starters have been inconsistent. The Reds need Harang, Cueto, Arroyo, Bailey to give them some consistent starting pitching.By Roy McMillan
June 3, 2008 11:38 AM | Link to this
Seems that for years the Reds have had this collective mentality that they are going to lose when they go to LA or Houston or Shea or SF or wherever and somehow magically psyche themselves into believing the negative thinking. It’s like all this superstitious nonsense that athletes entertain. A lot of hogwash. These are professionals at the top of their filed with ultimate skills. And what, they get out their suitcases and the mojo of failure attacks them? There is a chemistry or psychology of negativity that seems contagious. Maybe they need a traveling psychologist to calm them down and convince them there is no such thing as a bogeyman or black magic and that superstitions are childish and that they have the same skills on the road as at home. And to STOP believing what they THINK! Act like the big time pros you are and are paid to be and get it done! It’s getting real sad to know the outcome of a game before it’s played.By jim
June 3, 2008 11:10 AM | Link to this
Everyone, big game tonight. We need a win on the road to help get the monkey off their backs. Its been fun the last three weeks I hope it continues. As for Griffey, I think he would admit that things have not gone as well as he would have liked as a Red.Injuries and ownership have played a huge part. But Ken Griffey is a HOF and they don’t fall out of the sky everyday. To hit 600 home runs means you have to average 40 home runs for 15 years, that is quite a feat. He also did it the right way. Great job Ken!!!By daedalus
June 3, 2008 10:52 AM | Link to this
It wouldn’t be fair to talk about the Reds road woes unless you talk about all of MLB’s road woes. The Reds are merely one of 26 teams to have a road record under .500. Heck, even the can-do-no-wrong Red Sox are 14-16 on the road, and they’re playing to packed houses at least half full of people wearing Sox gear. Strange.By Deaner
June 3, 2008 10:39 AM | Link to this
Kudos JT!By jim
June 3, 2008 10:31 AM | Link to this
Michael where on our roster is that player. Also if that is what Griffey is going to produce and you have to pay him this year anyway why would you cut him? Makes no sense. The man is 38 years old without drugs of course his numbers are going to decline. But for this year he is your best option.Get over your anger or see someoneBy JT
June 3, 2008 10:30 AM | Link to this
C’mon guys. I enjoy reading what some fans have to say on this blog, but I wonder how much of a “baseball person” some of you are with some of these arguments/complaints. Griffey needed a day off. He’s 38, he cant stay in the lineup everyday. If he went to Baker and needed to sit, it’s Baker’s job to sit him. And there’s nothing the Reds are doing off the field or during the day while they are on the road that anybody can just blame Baker for. That’s just silly. Kid’s today start taking roadtrips to play baseball at ten or eleven years old. Traveling to play is no big deal to anybody on the Reds roster. They have to play better on the road, bottom line. Two losses that stick out were pitched by Arroyo, the L in LA and last night. That’s two W’s we needed. Just play better. Somebody get a big hit late in a game or somebody slam the door. Just eke out a win and get on a roll, then we wont read some of the silliness on this blogs.By Broadway
June 3, 2008 10:00 AM | Link to this
For Pat: Oh, that makes a lot of sense—therefore, anyone who is not on the field, has no idea what they are speaking about? Even if they pitched at the major league level and were in line for the head baseball job at Mississippi State U.Duh?By michael
June 3, 2008 9:44 AM | Link to this
jim, we can find another 20 Homerun, .275 BA, 80 rbi guy somewhere. There are plenty of them out there that won’t cost 14 million and they may even run to first base when they do make contact. Let it go.By Richard
June 3, 2008 9:43 AM | Link to this
Here is what i don’t understand. A blue collar worker, say on construction or even in a factory, works 8- 12 hours a day every day in all kinds of weather and temperatures and are expected to perform the same everyday for a whole lot less money. These pitchers work maybe 1-2 hours with a break every 10 minutes, once every 4 days and make millions of dollars. Then if they have to do a stint early, they are just worn out. Give me a break. I am sure they do some excerise for a few minutes of the day, but so do I and I probably work harder in a days time and I am 65 years old.By James Humphrey, Jr.
June 3, 2008 9:36 AM | Link to this
Trade Bronson; he didn’t prepare in the off season at all. Trade Edwin; he’s a Willie Greene repeat. Enough is enough. Time to scrap this team and start promoting kids. Start with Homer. Let him get whalloped and his ego will be tamed. Then go from there with newer players from the minors.By jim
June 3, 2008 9:35 AM | Link to this
Michael if you think we should cut Griffey and go with someone else on this roster you should go have a drug screenBy Reds Fan
June 3, 2008 9:34 AM | Link to this
The Reds revert back to there ways on the road how pathetic! I know Griffey probably needed a day off but we could ship Freel to the California Penal League I wouldn’t care. I’m sick of his plate approach. We need him on base. Hairston gets it, Bruce gets it. Like someone said I hope Griffey is back in lineup cause I really like the top 7 with him in it. No more Freel and hope Harang is due to go long and get a W tonight. That bandbox of a park is a joke. Chase Utley could hit 50 easy the rate he’s going. With Harang and Volquez going maybe we can get the middle 2 and get split. Jay Bruce isn’t our savior but the reason I like him is he understands to work a count. I think Votto needs that approach he’s getting too jumpy up there. Sad defeat last night and stupid Cubs won. Eventually they have to play someone besides the bottom. All I want for Christmas is this team to have consistency on the road!!!!!!!!!By michael
June 3, 2008 9:01 AM | Link to this
You can’t win them all, but you try to. The Reds are playing well, but can be better. Start with letting Griffey go to open up the 3 hole to a someone who can hit (and actually run to first base) in the clutch consistantly, rather than ground into double plays. All of you Jr. hangers- on, his “great days” are over…and we never saw those days in Cincinnati anyway. We need more pitching, and Gary Magic or Matt Belisle are probably not the answer. Its been fun lately!By Mike
June 3, 2008 8:44 AM | Link to this
June 3rd dawned a little while ago..and most blogs talk about the line ups,… we should do this….we need to do that etc….every conceivable personal thought which is supposed to be the total answer to get this team winning. But, guess what? Hal..named them correctly..The Big washing machine.or the.”road wimps” and I’m sure there will be more. But,people here’s the bottom line..as of this am..our beloved Reds are 9 games out ( by the way the Cubs are running away from all NL Central suitors right now! ), 1/2 game out of the cellar, are 28-30, and have been outscored 285-266 while being 9-20 on the road.No amounts of Jay Bruce or Griffeys #600, and anything else the Reds can muster, seems to be the answer. The culprit is inconsistency in pitching..it’s like Forrest Gump said..it like a box of choclates…you never know what your;e gonna get!!By boxter
June 3, 2008 8:32 AM | Link to this
What do they do during the day when they are on the road? Maybe they aren’t doing what they should while on the road. Another Baker weakness.By Richard
June 3, 2008 8:01 AM | Link to this
Why in the hell can’t Baker leave the line up alone. Why would you sit Griffy, with the way he has been hitting as of late? If he wants to sit somebody, sit Edwin for a while.By Brian Briddell
June 3, 2008 7:56 AM | Link to this
If Harang and Arroyo can’t get some consistency the Reds will have no chance.By Richard
June 3, 2008 7:54 AM | Link to this
Take back some of that big contract Arroyo aquired after he had such a good first year and see how quick he shapes him self up then.By Steve
June 3, 2008 7:53 AM | Link to this
Hal, How about the N.L.Central. The last place team only three under .500. No longer the worst in baseball. If the Reds can just play better on the road we could be looking at least a wild card. The Cubs play the next 23 out of 32 on the road.By pat Monahan
June 3, 2008 4:40 AM | Link to this
The closer you get to the field, the harder the game gets. I like Brantley, but if it was that easy, he’d be the manager.By Y-City Jim
June 3, 2008 1:14 AM | Link to this
Arroyo had done well his previous five starts so maybe he just had a bad night. The way the Reds were smashing the ball Kendrick should have given up 10 before he could blink an eye. Luck was with the Phillies tonight.By Y-City Jim
June 3, 2008 1:14 AM | Link to this
Arroyo had done well his previous five starts so maybe he just had a bad night. The way the Reds were smashing the ball Kendrick should have given up 10 before he could blink an eye. Luck was with the Phillies tonight.By Coach
June 3, 2008 12:08 AM | Link to this
It seems to me that the cowboy knows Yo-yo’s problem—but yo-yo won’t listen! Use more often than breaking balls—your fast ball! Just locate it better, in and out of the strike zone. Yo-yo refuses to do this! He also, refuses to keep his weight back on his right leg—so that he has more on his fast ball. Yo-yo refuses to do this! He who is stubborn{as in Bailey,Belisle,etc}goes to AAA—period.How can the entire world see that Cowboy is correct—but, yo-yo can’t? Nothing worse than professional jealosy!