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I am a freelance writer. I've covered the Cincinnati Reds, Bengals and others since 1992. I have a background in sales as well. I've sold consumer electronics, advertising and consumer package goods for companies ranging from the now defunct Circuit City to Procter&Gamble. I have worked as a stats operator for Xavier University, the University of Cincinnati, the College of Mount St. Joe and Colerain High School.
Showing posts with label Dontrelle Willis. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Dontrelle Willis. Show all posts

Monday, July 7, 2025

Elly De La Cruz An All-Star Andrew Abbott And TJ Friedl Close

 

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Dateline: 1,209 Kilometers from the Gulf of Mexico

Elly De La Cruz made the National League All-Star squad for the 95th Midsummer Classic in Atlanta on July 15.

He was picked for the second year in a row.

His teammates TJ Friedl and Andrew Abbott are on the outside looking in. 

Friedl is slashing .280/.368/.409 with 14 doubles, two triples, eight home runs and 31 RBI. He has been on base 138 times from the leadoff spot in the batting order only Shohei Ohtani has more with 156. Friedl scored 50 runs and stolen nine bases.

Abbott had a rough outing on Friday, giving up four runs in 3 1/3 innings. The pitching line lifted his ERA from 1.79 to 2.15. If Abbott had enough innings to qualify fot the ERA title he would be fifth in baseball just ahead of Zack Wheeler's 2.19. Among the pitchers named to both squads, just Hunter Brown, Tarik Skubal and Jacob DeGrom have a lower ERA. Nine All-Start pitchers have a higher ERA.

De La Cruz was chosen as reserve with the New York Mets, Francisco Lindor as the starter.

Lindor slashes .260/.333/.452.

De La Cruz slashes .277/.349/.487.

De La Cruz has more doubles triples two to zero; more home runs 18-17; more RBI 60-49 and more stolen bases 22-14.

Reds' manager, Terry Francona, assembled the team Sunday in Philadelphia to announce that De La Cruz made the NL squad.

"I tried to strike a balance," Francona said. "It's a huge honor for Elly and we want him to feel that way. You want to let the ballclub show their appreciation and their excitement for him. At the same time you want to make sure that guys like Friedl and Abbott, not to have a downer meeting, but to say, hey we really respect what you guys are doing. It morphed into, hey, we're a team. That's what we ultimetley care about."

Francona addressed the system of selection. "As long as you know what the process is and it's been changing. So it's not necessarily the best players. Every team must be represented and that's not a bad thing. As long as you know going in there's going to be some guys left out. That's just the way it is."

Carson Spiers and Hunter Greene are rehabbing in Louisville. Spiers will pitch four innings on Tuesday as the pitch count allows. Greene will take another MRI.

"Out of an abudance of caution, we want to see another MRI before we send him out there," Francona said. 




Saturday, July 9, 2022

Reds Rally For Fourth Walk Off Win This Week In 10 Innings.

 


Nick Senzel slapped his second single of the game to right field in the the 10th inning off Calvin Faucher to send the Reds to a 5-4 walk off win.

After playing nearly half the season without a walk off win, the Reds have turned in four since Sunday against the Braves.  They got the NL East leading New York Mets once and the Rays on consecutive days to start the season.

"Our clubhouse is so excited," David Bell said.   "You'll take wins any way you can get it but when you can do it like that, it takes nine, 10 whatever it takes. It is definitely not easy and wasn't perfect. We're playing good teams.  We believe we can play with these teams but you have to go out and do it."

Jeff Hoffman, who started the second game on Tuesday, was tasked with keeping the Rays scoreless. Ramirez ruined his plans with a high chop down the line against a drawn in Reds infield after Yandy Diaz flied to right to move Lowe to third with one out. It was Ramirez third double of the game. Ji-Man Choi followed with his fourth walk but Hoffman got out of the inning without further damage.

Calvin Faucher, inherited ghost runner, Kyle Farmer to try to save the game after Matt Wisler pitched a scoreless ninth.  Matt Reynolds singled sharply to right to put runners on the corners with no outs.  Farmer scored on a wild pitch.  Donovan Solano's soft single to right put runners at the corner again it set up Senzel's winning hit.

"I just wanted to get a hit and go home," Senzel said.  "There have definitely better results.  Even when things weren't going the best I stayed level headed and tried to stay positive."

Senzel had a tough start and some injuries early in the year.  He's had a couple base running gaffs but has played a really good defensive center field.

"At the beginning of the year there was some unluckiness and some good at bats but there were not so good at bats," Senzel said.  "I'm stringing more good at bats together.  I'm trying to stay confident every day."

"Senzel is playing with confidence," Bell said.  He's still a young player. He's playing every day.  Everyone is a little banged up but he's playing through it.  He knows he can help us win.  Today he came up in a big way.  Right now he's enjoying playing and contributing to our team.

The Reds first pick in the 2016 draft the number two overall pick continues to work and strive for his potential.

Hunter Greene pitched one of his better games but the Reds couldn't come up with a big hit on offense as three runs were gift wrapped by walks and mental errore.

Greene retired eight of the first nine Rays batters with Ji-Man Choi reaching on an error by Jonathan India.  Isaac Paredes hit into a double play, allowing Greene to face nine batters in three innings.  Harold Ramirez doubled down the third base line for the Rays' first hit.  His nine strikeouts on the day give him 107 for the season.

Tampa Bay scored in the fifth.  Greene lost the strike zone, momentarily,  walking two batters in front of Francisco Mejia's RBI single.  Greene got a break when his wild pitch bounded back to Tyler Stephenson right at home plate, who fired to third to get Taylor Walls. Josh Lowe grounded out to end the inning.

The Reds squandered two golden scoring chances against Rays' starter Drew Rasmussen.  Brandon Drury hit his first double of the game in the first inning.  Tyler Naquin walked with two outs but Stephenson, playing in his first game since breaking his thumb on June 9,  struck out. 

The Reds loaded the bases with one out in the third but Naquin popped to third and Stephenson lined out to third.  Drury's third hit a double put a runner in scoring position against reliever Jalen Beeks but Tommy Pham and Naquin struck out.

Stephenson led off the sixth with a single.  He advanced to second on a wild pitch.  Kyle Farmer sent him to third with a ground out to the right side.  Mike Moustakas struck out for the third time.  Senzel hit a hard ground ball right to shortstop Walls and the Reds remained scoreless.

Buck Farmer, who was brought up from Louisville before the game, took over in the seventh and threw a scoreless inning.

Greene pitched six innings of one run, three hit baseball.  He walked four and struck out nine.  It was the walks that caused his problem.

A leadoff single by India went to waste against Jason Adam in the seventh.  Drury forced India a second.  Pham and Naquin struck out.

Ian Gibaut took in the eighth.  Moustakas, who is not normally a first baseman was late to the bag on a ground ball by Mejia to start the inning.  Josh Lowe walked. Yu Chang, who replaced Wander Franco, hit a slow ground ball to India but Moustakas chased it and wasn't there to cover first.  Gibaut couldn't get to first in time.  Ramirez doubled to drive in two.  Choi reached for the third tim via walk.  Randy Arozarena popped out to Moustakas at first.  Paredes hit into a double play.

The runs were officially earned because there were no physical misplays but two outs should have been recorded to keep the game closer. 

The Reds threatened again against Brooks Raley in the eighth.  Stephenson and Kyle Farmer singled.  Matt Reynolds pinch hit for Moustakas and sent Lowe to the wall to make the catch.  Raley hit Donovan Solano for the second time in as many at bats to load the bases.  Kevin Cash summoned Colin Poche to face Senzel. Senzel walked to force in the Reds first run.  India fouled out to Choi at first on a 3-1 pitch.  Drury tied the game with his fourth hit a single through the hole at short.  Poche fanned Pham to end the inning.

Hunter Strickland survived a leadoff single by Kiermaier to pitch a scoreless ninth.

The Reds were 1-13 with runners in scoring position before coming up with three of them in the 10th.





Monday, September 26, 2011

D Train Gets His First Win Over Pittsburgh

Dontrelle Willis has pitched much better than his 1-6 record indicates.

On Sunday's 5-4 win over the Pittsburgh Pirates, Willis overcame a rocky second inning and the Reds lack of clutch hitting by taking matters into his own hands or should we say bat.

Willis clubbed a two-run double in the sixth inning to break a 3-3 tie.

The lefthander, who is a free agent after the season, had nine quality starts among his 12 starts since the Reds brought him up from Louisville to make a July 10 start.  Willis has lost two of those games.  He has been the victim of two blown saves.

The win was Willis 72nd of his career and the first since June 5 2010 when he defeated Colorado as a member of the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Reds left 10 runners on base against Pittsburgh on Sunday.   Willis, who is now hitting a hot .400 blasted a long double to score Paul Janish and Devin Mesoraco to put the Reds up 5-3.

Willis turned the ball over to the bullpen.

Sam LeCure and Aroldis Chapman guarded the lead with one scoreless inning each. They turned the game over to Coco Cordero, who gave up a run, but notched his 35th save of the season.