Friday night in Philadelphia, where the Phillies lapsed several times themselves, the Reds blew a four-run lead in Game 2 of the Division Series and lost 7-4.
Cincinnati trails 2-0 in the best-of-five series and is winless in its last six postseason games dating to 1995. In Game 1, the Reds were no-hit by Roy Halladay.
Here were the gifts that Cincinnati presented to the NL's defending champ: consecutive fielding errors that jump-started a rally mid-game, a lost ball in the lights that pretty much lost the game, a baserunning gaffe, two hit batsmen and a leadoff walk with a two-run lead.
Three unearned runs went against Reds reliever Aroldis Chapman, who brought his 100-mph fastball to the postseason for the first time. Chapman showed poise and accuracy but couldn't prevent his teammates from lousing up the game.
Phillies who used the bat well included Chase Utley, Jayson Werth, Carlos Ruiz and Raul Ibanez.
• Turning Point: Consecutive errors by Reds infielders Scott Rolen and Brandon Phillips undermined pitcher Bronson Arroyo with Cincinnati ahead 4-0 and two outs in the fourth inning. Utley followed with a two-run single, drawing the Phillies to 4-2. The Reds never reversed the momentum.
• Dud: Reds. After taking a 4-0 lead, the Reds fell apart. Among their many miscues was right fielder Jay Bruce losing Jimmy Rollins' sinking liner in the lights, resulting in the tying and go-ahead runs in the seventh.
• Key Stat: Reds cleanup man Rolen, who began his career with Philly, is 0-for-7 with five strikeouts, a crucial fielding error and a throwing miscue.
• The Big Picture: The Reds are dead.
Comments (Page 1 of 2)
I wonder how much we paid that woman in blue behind home plate. As a Phillies fan I found it disgusting.
You're really a reds fan but that's ok. The umpiring behind the plate was called the same for both teams. You, as a reds fan, feel that your team got cheated more, but it just isn't true.
Sure you're a Phillies fan (Wink Wink), maybe you should be more worried about the Reds 4 errors instead of whining about the umpiring like a little school girl. I guess all those errors were the umps fault too?
which brings me to my next point. DONT SMOKE CRACK !
Buy it.....steal it......get it !!!PHILLIES!!!
Dusty Baker should be wearing a Phillies uniform. NO WAY he takes out Brandon Arroyo!!! Arroyo was rolling through the Phillies, even after that 5 out inning, they could not hit him!! When Baker headed to the mound I couldn't believe it! Then he took Arroyo out, that was enough for me. Baker is a bum as a manager, always has been. If you look at replay, you can see the joy in the Phillies dugout when Baker lifted his left hand for the reliever! It was a mad dash to the bats to get ready to hit......
Guess you didn't see his pitch count uh??? Really if you want to blame someone blame the 4 errors that cost you the game...especially the right fielder!!!! Don't worry the horror show will end for the reds sunday!!!
Go Cincinnati! It aint over until the the dead woman or im sorry the \FAT woman SINGs!
Go Dusty. Pulled some of that so-cal Riverside Magic like Reggie MIller and the Pacers! vs the knicks!
The Dusty Baker hallmark: CHOKE!
Nothing like un bias announcers. The 2 idiots that called the Phillies game last night (10/8) couldn't quit falling all over themselves about how good the Reds are. Their starting pitching, their bull pen, how they led the league in offence, how good their defense is, and how many games they won from coming behind. Get some professional in there ...those guys sucked
Funny Frank how different fans see those comments (through their own homer filters). I took those same comments to be complementing the Phillies. Reminding people at home who may not know, these Phillies are whooping and a good team. A team that led the league in offense and defense. Says even more about the Phillies ability to dominate such a good team. Does it make you Phillie fans more proud, puff out your chest, at the idea of beating a good team, or a team that anyone can beat. If anyone can beat them, and they suck, then it's really not any accomlishment whatsoever by the Phillies. THAT is how I took these same comments. And that is how I believe they were intended. Same as Halladay's no-no. They noted that he isn't doing this againt a lineup of dogs. He is throwing this gem against a good hitting team (making it even that more impressive). I too am a fan, an I'll take 'em anyway I can get 'em. But between the Reds own miscues, and the ump calls which were blown (three in the decisive 7th), this game was handed to the Phillies on a platter. Fact is, if they don't blow all those calls in the 7th, despite all the Reds miscues, Phillies don't win this game!
Plain and simple....the Reds CHOKED. I'm a fan and hate to say it but it's the truth. Rolen is playing like a dog and Baker made a mistake taking Arroyo out. Arroyo was frustating the Phillie hitters and he was the one Red who was cool under pressure. One game at home for the Reds and it's done.
Could care less who won but fans behind plate were annoying on TV, baseball should make behind plate just a wall or something.
It was horrible watching all of those drunk, arrogant, no knowledge having, middle finger giving, f-bombing trash bags cheer and high five each other in the stands, like the phils did something great. Reds handed them every run.
You must be talking about yourself and friends!!!
WHAT NO COMMENT ABOUT CHASE UTLEY BEING A CHEATER FOR TAKING FIRST BASE WHEN HE WASN'T HIT BY A PITCH. THE LIMITED REPLAYS CLEARLY SHOW THAT HE WASN'T HIT BY THE PITCH, NO OUTRAGE, BUT DEREK JETER IS A CHEATER, YEAH RIGHT. YOU KNOW UTLEY WAS NEVER HIT BECAUSE HE SAID HE DIDN'T KNOW IF HE WAS HIT. UTLEY - WHAT A CHEATER!
The Reds did get cheated. It is nearly indisputable (meaning, any reasonable person with sense perceptions can plainly see it, except in Philadelphia). While the Reds burned themselves with four errors, 3 hbp, and walking in a run, the game still would not have been won by the Phillies but for the bad ump calls in the 7th. When Utley came up, they should have made him sit down and just tacked on the run (in essence, the umps did this, and more). Utley wasn't hit by the pitch awarded first. Forced out at second, bad call awarded second. Arguably missed third (though I concede this one is arguable, the others are clearly not!). Bottom line, but for these bad calls, there is no ball hit to Bruce in right to lose in the lights, and the Phillies trail by one going into the 8th. But those things did happen, the Reds lost, and Phils look perched to take the series. Congratulations. It's sports. Imperfect at times. Be passionate, enjoy the win. But try to see past your homer lens and realize that the Reds did get screwed by the umps in this game and it did greatly impact the outcome!
Comments about this game from a lifetime Reds fan. First, Dusty has to take out Arroyo since whe was already at 103 pitches and had left-handers coming up. That's what Rhodes has been used for all year - successfully, I might add.The Phillies had eight singles. That's not exactly demolishing the Reds pitching staff. Had the reds won this game, I think they would have gone on to win the series. Pretty tough to do that now, but they can win the next two at home to make it interesting.The Reds simply gave this game away.
What was most frustrating to me was the horrible television coverage, which seems the be the level of TBS coverage for all games. Chase Utley comes into second base with an awkward slide and is called safe, but we'll never know if that wa true. we only got to see twice from the back and once from... the Reds dugout????? Many pitches thronw by the Reds looked like strikes but were called balls and where was the graphic of the pitch location??? Nowhere to be seen. But it was right there for close Phillies pitches. Absolutey horrible broadcasting and coverage, maybe the worst I have ever seen (and I have seen a lot).I also watched the SF-Atlanta game on Thursday and Posey slid into second and was clearly tagged out, but was called safe. The announcers kept jabbering on about his ending up on his butt on the base even as the truck kept replaying the slide, but these guys never once questioned the call. After SF scored him (the only run of the game), I turned it off, but heard later that the announcers came back to that play after two innings. Classy, professional announcers there. At least Atlanta came back to win the next game.
You talk about Utley being a cheater,COME ON NOW!!, I guess the 93 mph fastball at his head was OK right!!!. If you didn't know it, Utley had just had surgery on one of his hands and that ball that your pitcher threw could have taken him out of the playoffs and World Series.Oh, and did you forget about the ball that was thrown at Francisco's head and hit his helmet, but I guess that's OK. As far as the Reds giving the game away, It's amazing how many whiny Reds fans there are. This is baseball pure and simple, if you can't take the heat,get out of the kitchen