Scoring Five Runs Off Halladay Should Be a Win

Last night was a milestone that I’m sure the Reds pitching staff did not want to see occur. Heading into last evening’s game with the Philadelphia Phillies, Reds pitchers had surrendered double-digit runs on only three occasions. Last night produced number four. And the 12 runs the Phillies pushed across the plate represents the most the staff has allowed this season.

And it seemed a little uglier than that. Here’s snapshot of what the Phillies lineup produced past night.

Sore spots:

– the Phillies scored in 7 of their 8 at-bats
– every position player had a hit
– Domonic Brown was the only position player to not score
– Placido Polanco was in his first action since returning from the disabled list

Sure, the Reds pitching was not on par with what we are used to seeing, but for some fans, this has now become a more pressing concern. Here’s the boxscore from last night’s Reds pitchers.

August Ondrusek has been the evil twin of April Ondrusek. This month, the tall one has allowed a slash of .286/.364/.607, 3 home runs, a 6.75 ERA and a WHIP of 1.65. In his two outings since returning from shoulder issues, Sam LeCure has been hit in his 1.2 innings to the tune of .400 BAA permitting 5 runs (3 earned), and a WHIP of 2.99. It would be easy to dismiss Arredondo’s outing from last evening as a potential blip, but he’s been roughed up in two of his last three outings.

Maybe it’s nothing more than not being comfy at Citizens Bank Park. You hope it’s nothing more than that. After all, if you get to Roy Halladay for five runs, you should honestly win that game. Not last night. At times, it seemed like the Good Guys were going to break through all this Philly nonsense.

Since the Reds snapped that five game losing streak, the least number of runs the offense has provided in any game is 3. They won both of those due to the pitching staff registering shutouts. One combined between Johnny Cueto and Chapman. The other by a Jay Bruce walk-off, three-run home run in which Mat Latos, Sean Marshall and Arredondo combined for the bagel.

You frequently hear that the most important half-inning is the one after you score. Last night was the picture of such proof. In both innings where the Reds plated runs, the Phillies returned the favor. In the bottom of the 1st, Philly scored one. In the 5th, they plated four. They took the lead 7-5 and never looked back.

Last night, the Reds scored in 2 of 9 innings, but still managed 5 runs off one of baseball’s best pitchers. That should be a “W”.

Until you see that the Phillies scored in 7 of their 8 at-bats.

(Editor’s Note: Shortly after this was published, it was announced that Devin Mesoraco would be serving a two-game suspension for a bumping incident with umpire Chad Fairchild. Dioner Navarro was recalled from Louisville and Logan Ondrusek was optioned to Louisville.)