RMJ 111 June 5

 

THURSDAY, JUNE 5 Cincinnati, vs Reds

There ought to be a law against night games at 7:30, followed by day games at 12:30. We finished at 10:30 last night. Last time I looked at the clock beside the bed, it was 3:15. I may have dozed for a few minutes, as I had been laying there since 1:30. I knew I wasn’t sleepy when I lay down, but what are you going to do when you have to have your bags packed and in the lobby at 9? Who are the people who make these schedules?

I guess the owners are beginning to favor the 12:30 time, because of the business crowd. So start the game the night before at 7:00.

One thing about it: you’re finished before you know it. It’s almost like a split doubleheader.

 

Shane had a tough time with it, too, even though he is generally an early-to-bed, early-to-rise guy. He just couldn’t get the outside corner pitch from Steve Rippley. Rippley was not kind to Cincinnati starter Pete Schourek, either.

I talked to Jim Deshaies after the game, and he said it was not a good day to be on the mound: “I found myself trying to figure out how I could pitch with Rippley’s strike zone, and I never came up with any good ideas.”

The amazing thing is that there weren’t many walks, and the final score was only 6-5.

Biggio led off the game with a home run for us. Too bad he didn’t hit it later, when he lined out with the bases loaded to end a rally.

Rallies have taken on new meaning for us the last few weeks. They are becoming striptease dances. We tantalize our fans by taking little bits and pieces from the opposing pitcher. Just when it seems we will strip him clean, the music stops, and the lights go out.  We seldom score more than two runs in an inning, though it seems we have numerous chances to bring down the house.

At least Shane was throwing better today. His velocity was back to normal, and he had a good split-finger pitch. He still gave up four runs in five innings.

Ramón Garcia gave up the last two runs, and the second one beat us. Actually, James Mouton gave up the last run. He overthrew the cutoff man, allowing a runner to move up to second. That runner scored on a single, and the next hitter went out.

Making matters worse, Mouton had a chance to tie the game the next inning with a runner on third and only one out. He swung at the first pitch and hit a weak foul pop-up to the first-baseman.

It is becoming more and more difficult to play Mouton. He is tentative about stealing, and that is his primary asset at this point. His defense has been average until lately, when he has gone for the “hero throws,” allowing trail runners to move up.

Ray Montgomery got two more hits today. When Derek Bell comes back, Ken Ramos will likely go down. But what if Chucky Carr comes up? It could be Mouton. I would hate to see this, because he is a hard worker and a good, solid family man. But our bottom line is wins. When you lose 6-5, there are usually some plays that could have reversed the score. 

           

When we arrived in San Diego, it was still daylight. Dave Labossiere and I went Rollerblading along the waterfront. I was proud of him; he is usually conservative when we skate. And since I skated him into some cobblestones, where he fell and broke his wrist two years ago, I thought he would demur. But he loves to skate, and he couldn’t resist.

We — the ballclub — need to be a little more reckless. Maybe I’ll have Dave talk to James Mouton. You never know.