Because I’m too lazy to do the math and frankly not all that interested, I’ll leave it to youse to report on how many games the bullpen has cost the Reds in 2021. It’s maddening to watch, and I’m not a fan, per se, just an impartial observer.
(I Root For Me has been my standing motto since starting here in 1988. Whatever makes my writing better and less complicated is what has my support. That mostly does involve the local teams doing well. Players are more conversant, fans want to read more etc. But until a player/coach/owner says, “Good luck writing that column today,’’ I’ll stick with the current plan.)
Last night, it was Hembree and Garrett. The latter is an admitted head case this year, the former just isn’t very good. They combined in the 6th inning to throw 28 pitches, only 12 for strikes, walk three guys and cause the Reds to lose 3-2 in Atlanta.
David Bell supports his players to a fault and it cost him Tuesday night. There might be someplace for Amir Garrett to work out his mental issues, but it’s not in a tie game in the middle of a pennant race. And Hembree, well, he’s been scored on five of his last six appearances, a stretch that adds up to 4.1 innings, four hits, seven earned runs and six walks.
Let’s just say Bell could express his confidence in Hembree in a less vital situation.
Garrett’s walk to ATL catcher Stephen Vogt was especially mind blowing. One, it forced in the go-ahead run and (A), Vogt has three hits since July 24, while starting a majority of the games. He’s 0-for-11 currently in that stretch, 2-for-27 and 3-for-35.
Garrett knows Job 1 in that situation is to throw strikes and let his defense (and Stephen Vogt) do the rest. The fact he couldn’t do that suggests bigger issues that already have been obvious all season.
Afterward, Garrett explained, “I’m thinking too much about what to throw to hitters and stuff like that. I’ve never pitched like that before. I think I’ve just got to go back to not thinking, just throwing the ball over the plate, letting my pitches work and just trusting myself. "When I’ve been at my best, I didn’t really think too much.’’
Props to Amir for his public honesty, but truthfully, he doesn’t deserve to pitch in tight situations right now. At some point as a manager, you need to worry less about your players’ psyches than about their performances. I think Bell’s steady personality and staunch public support of his players – which sometimes can make his press conference utterings sound utterly ridiculous – has been a reason for this team’s resiliency. But at some point, his faith and trust has to be validated by the likes of Garrett and Hembree.
That’s not happening at the moment. Nothing lowers a manager’s perceived IQ like a shaky bullpen.
Now, then. . .
Nick Krall suggested at the deal deadline that he might not be done. Well, then. . .
Nick Castellanos is 4-for-23 since coming off the IL, with a homer and 3 RBI.
Brewers sweep a doubleheader, Padres win, Reds down 7 and 4.5, respectively, in their race for October.
THE LAST PLAYER TO WITHDRAW FROM THE WESTERN & SOUTHERN OPEN please turn out the lights. At first it was Federer, then Djokovic. Now it’s the Williams sisters, Serena with a leg injury and Venus for no given reason.
It wasn’t that long ago that this event was a jewel on the tennis calendar. Players appreciated it as a great warm-up for the US Open. Winning it was prestigious, playing in it was a blast, thanks to the untopped hospitality offered by the tournament hosts. A year didn’t pass without seeing players at Kings Island or a Reds game.
I’m not suggesting it’s no longer that way. It is. But I don’t ever recall so many marquee players blowing it off. A big-time tournament without Federer, Djokovic, Venus and Serena isn’t really a big-time tournament.
What happened?
The Olympics didn’t help. Djokovic said he was tired from the Games. Serena got hurt at Wimbledon in her first-round match in late June. Federer is finally looking like a 40-year-old tennis player. The W&S would never be considered in the same breath as the US Open, but it has always been seen as complementary to that Slam event, not as either/or.
It’s still a great event, of course. And very likely the only place around here where you can get a cheeseburger and a $10,000 diamond tennis bracelet simply by walking a few hundred feet.
JUST CURIOUS. . . Anyone else see acres of empty seats at TQL Stadium and arch an eyebrow? FC Cincinnati is averaging 12,442 fans a game, 10th-best in the 27-team MLS.
That’s about half of TQL’s 26,000-seat capacity. In its debut season.
It wasn’t long ago, 2019 to be exact, that the boys were averaging 27,336 a game, then 3rd-best in the league. Even when playing in the 2nd-tier USL, they drew 25,717 a game in 2018. They seemed immune to the effects of losing.
Maybe the local love affair with pro soccer isn’t as durable as we believed.
You figured that at some point winning had to happen if the club were to continue to draw impressively large crowds. I didn’t think that would happen this fast. Only Toronto has a worse record in MLS than FCC’s 3-7-7. The team’s front office has not been as adept as its marketers.
Are you a soccer fan who will go, regardless? Or does your interest need winning for you to stay stoked?
After an incredible and lengthy honeymoon, FC Cincinnati is feeling the reality of the pro sports situation. It ain’t always pretty.
I TESTED NEGATIVE for the virus Monday, for the second time in two weeks, so now I can cover the Bengals again. Yay.
As things stand, the NFL requires media members to get tested every 14 days. I don’t mind getting tested. I would like to know how the league plans to deal with 65,000 fans at PBS on Sept. 12. I would be interested to learn the league’s protocols for that.
We’re all in this together, evidently. Some of us more than others.
TUNE O’ THE DAY. . . Always liked this one. Mick Fleetwood's beat makes it. He's among the most underrated drummers ever.
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