Johnny Cueto’s oblique injury throws his postseason availability into question

09 Oct
2012

The Cincinnati Reds don't have a date for Johnny Cueto's return from a mild oblique strain and any optimism that he could return for a start in this NLDS appears gone.

While the team originally thought that Cueto might be able to start Tuesday's Game 3 after exiting Game 1 after just eight pitches, that won't be the case. Homer Bailey will start against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday as the Reds look to advance to the NLCS with a win at Great American Ballpark.

Reds manager Dusty Baker did not name a starter for Wednesday's Game 4 (if necessary) but Cueto is not currently in the running. Actually, with the team weighing an MRI or DL stay for its ace, it's worth wondering if Cueto will be in the running for any NLCS starts or beyond.

From Eye on Baseball:

"They said he's getting better, but we don't know what 'better' is," Baker said in Tuesday pregame news conference. "So it's a question, I mean, that's a volatile area. You've seen the the obliques, sometimes they hang around for a while, and 0sometimes they don't hang around for a while. We don't know the severity of it. He came in yesterday and got treatment all day long, so right now I would just be guessing to let you know how he is exactly right now. In a nutshell, we don't know."

Cueto's injury questions are a huge deal for the Reds, especially considering that their entire rotation stayed healthy the entire regular season. But if there's any such things as being able to withstand the loss of a Cy Young candidate, the Reds might actually be in that position right now. Mat Latos is coming off a stellar relief effort in Game 1, Bronson Arroyo dominated in Game 2 and Homer Bailey pitched a no-hitter at the end of the season. They need one win in three home games against a weak Giants offense.

Of course, the possibility of the NLCS brings a much better offense in either the Cardinals or Nationals. So the sooner Cueto can get healthy, the better.

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Bailey can follow no-hitter with playoff clincher (Yahoo! Sports)

08 Oct
2012

San Francisco Giants pitcher Madison Bumgarner, right, speaks to Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Homer Bailey before Game 1 of the National League division baseball series in San Francisco, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2012. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

CINCINNATI (AP) -- Homer Bailey played catch in the sun-splashed outfield at Great American Ball Park, his usual routine the day before a start. Nothing different at all, as far as the Texan let on.


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Reds confirm Bailey as NLDS Game 3 starter – Homer Bailey | CIN

08 Oct
2012
Reds manager Dusty Baker confirmed Sunday that Homer Bailey will start Game 3 against the Giants.
Tags: , CIN, CIN Reds, , , , , , , NLDS, ,
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Stream Police: Travis Wood against the Astros

02 Oct
2012
by in General

Last fiesta of the season, amigos. Hope it's been fun for you, successful for you, lucrative for you.

We stream ahead, one last time. Consider everyone tentative, per usual September/October rules.

Razor Sharp
Chris Tillman at TB
Homer Bailey
at STL
Travis Wood vs. HOU

Wood cruised to a victory against the Astros three weeks back (7.2 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 6 K), and I'm not going to penalize him too much for last week's messy turn in Arizona. Wood went five starts without giving up a homer before the Snakes took him deep twice; go up and down the Houston roster, you'll have difficulty finding anyone who scares you. … You never know what to expect from any pitcher after a no-hitter, but Bailey's strong finishing kick earns him some cred. … Tillman's late run also speaks for itself: check his stats over his last five appearances (30 IP, 13 H, 4 ER, 9 BB, 23 K). And as everyone knows, pitchers tend to do well under the catwalk.

Close Shave
A.J. Griffin vs. TEX
Gavin Floyd at CLE
David Huff vs. CHW

Griffin's home stats have been discussed many times in this series; at this point you either trust him or you don't. … Floyd has won two of his last three starts and the odd turn was an eight-strikeout affair, so there's a case to be made for him. Huff is a soft-tossing lefty but he's sharpened his control, walking just three batters (against 17 strikeouts) over 22 innings.

Electric Shave
Scott Diamond at TOR
Andrew Werner at MIL
Blake Beavan vs. LAA
Edgar Gonzalez at CHC

If the opponents and/or locations were different, some of these names would be above the fold. Beavan can't blame his rank on the park, of course (we love you Safeco), but his lack of strikeout upside leaves you cold. …

Point Shave
Jeremy Hefner at MIA
Luis Mendoza vs. DET
Jeff Francis at ARI
Daisuke Matsuzaka at NYY
*Ben Sheets at PIT

Say whatever you want about Hefner's matchup - his ugly stats keep me far away. A 5.32 ERA, 1.40 WHIP, .295 BAA? None for me, thanks. … The Yankees have never had much problem figuring out Dice-K (5.52 ERA, 1.52 WHIP over 10 starts). The roster has turned over somewhat in recent years, but much of the core remains the same. … Sheets is making one final turn, then calling it a career for good. Tip your caps for a gutty comeback. That said, it's not clear how deep in the game he will go; MLB.com is talking about a two-inning appearance.

Tags: , Astros Last, , , , Sharp Chris Tillman, Travis Wood
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Reds manager Dusty Baker returns from mini-stroke (Yahoo! Sports)

01 Oct
2012

Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker laughs as he watches batting practice before a baseball game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Monday, Oct. 1, 2012, in St. Louis. Baker is back with his team after missing 11 games because of a mini-stroke, and will manage the team during the final series of the regular season. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- Dusty Baker missed the Cincinnati Reds' division-clinching win. He watched Homer Bailey's no-hitter on TV.


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Ben Zobrist literally uses his head to corral Dayan Viciedo’s grounder (Video)

29 Sep
2012

Friday night was quite the crazy night in Major League Baseball.

On the east coast, we had a no-hitter from Reds right-hander Homer Bailey, which established a new modern record with seven no-no's in one season and also guaranteed the Pirates wouldn't have winning season for the 20th consecutive year.

[More: Homer Bailey's no-hitter ties record]

On the west coast, Darwin Barney's 141-game errorless streak ended just three outs before he could establish a new Major League record. And in Toronto, we had a crazy play that saw Blue Jays starting pitcher Chad Jenkins' get his glove knocked off by a line drive, only for to catch the glove with the ball in it to record the out.

Like I said, it was a crazy night, and lost in all of that was another unique play by Tampa Bay Rays shortshop Ben Zobrist that saw him utilizing several parts of his upper body, including his head, to corral Dayan Viciedo's hard hit grounder and record the out.

After reviewing both plays several times (because what else is there to do on Friday night?) I don't think it would top Jenkins' play on the crazy scale, but the concentration was obviously impressive, as was the overall creativity. On a normal day, it would have stood out a lot more.

[Also: Hank Aaron on site for Chipper Jones tribute]

But since it wasn't a normal day, it didn't. And since Zobrist didn't get any help from his teammates with the bat — his first inning accounted for Tampa Bay's only run — the Rays dropped a tough one 3-1 to the White Sox.  That puts them five games back in the division and three back in the wild card, meaning they'll be forced to pull a few more tricks out of their hat to play beyond Wednesday.

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Bailey pitches no-hitter, Reds beat Pirates 1-0 (Yahoo! Sports)

29 Sep
2012

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Homer Bailey (34) delivers during the first inning of a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh Friday, Sept. 28, 2012.(AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Homer Bailey watched a high popup settle into Brandon Phillips' glove and raised both arms in triumph. With only days remaining in a major league season marked by masterful pitching performances, it was his turn to celebrate.


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Bailey pitches no-hitter, Reds beat Pirates 1-0 (Yahoo! Sports)

28 Sep
2012

Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Homer Bailey (34) celebrates with Cincinnati Reds catcher Ryan Hanigan (29) after getting the final out of a no-hitter in a baseball game against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Pittsburgh Friday, Sept. 28, 2012. The Reds won 1-0. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Homer Bailey had a certain milestone on his mind when he walked to the mound Friday night. He wound up pulling off an even bigger feat.


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Homer Bailey magnificent, no-hits Pirates – Homer Bailey | CIN

28 Sep
2012
Homer Bailey pitched magnificently, twirling the seventh no-hitter of the 2012 season in a 1-0 victory over the Pirates on Friday.
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Homer Bailey tosses Reds’ first no-hitter since 1988, ends Pirates’ bid for winning season

28 Sep
2012

Don't tell Homer Bailey there's nothing to play for now that the Cincinnati Reds have punched their ticket to the postseason and clinched the National League Central division. The 26-year-old right-hander wants to be a part of their postseason rotation, and he made the strongest case possible by no-hitting the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park on Friday night.

Bailey was dominant from his first pitch right up until his 115th and final offering, which resulted in an Alex Presley pop up caught by second baseman Brandon Phillips. He allowed only two baserunners — one on Scott Rolen's third inning error and a seventh inning walk of Andrew McCutchen — and tied a career-high with 10 strikeouts.

[Related: A's prospect leaves baseball behind, becomes a monk]

Bailey had to be that good, as Pirates starter A.J. Burnett nearly matched him pitch-for-pitch for his eight innings in what ended up being a tightly-contested 1-0 victory for the Reds. In fact, one of the first things Bailey did in his postgame television interview was thank Burnett for pitching so well and helping him stay sharp and focused throughout.

"I just kept trying to put up zeroes, seeing how A.J. pitched against us all year."

The no-hitter from Bailey is the seventh in major league baseball this season and the first by a Red since Tom Browning tossed a perfect game against the Los Angeles Dodgers on Sept. 16, 1988. It's also the first time the Pirates have been no-hit since St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Gibson got them on Aug. 14, 1971. This is Homer Bailey's third career complete game in 110 starts, with all three of them coming against the Pirates at PNC Park. His career ERA at the stadium is 1.40.

And in a cruel twist of fate that almost seems fitting, the no-hit loss for Pittsburgh guarantees it a non-winning season for the 20th consecutive year. The Pirates have to win their final six games to avoid yet another losing season.

Talk about punctuating a collapse in spectacular and historic fashion, that's exactly what the Pirates have done in 2012.

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