Reds Roy’s bitch again, bullpen creaky.

Thursday, August 7th, 2008

Astros 7
Dickities 4

W:Oswalt (9-8) | L:Fogg (2-4)

It’s been glaringly apparent to most that Roy hasn’t been Roy so far this year. Whether you believe it’s because of injury, pitching to contact or just that he’s lost his edge, the results show he’s been anything but an ace. Too bad the Astros don’t play the Reds every 5th game.

Roy was Roy at the Great American Shithole once again, going 7 strong and surviving only a couple of situations that had the air of an Oswalt Inning™. The win makes him 21-1 against the bemused Dicketies and launched a firm, kick-in-the-junk reminder that they’re his bitch.

After the boys dropped one on Josh Fogggg in the 1st on a Miggy double and Caballo RBI single, Roy held it together after 2 hits and a walk to load ’em with 2 outs, K-ing E-squared to end the threat.

In the 3rd, Kabong delivered again, driving in Kazuo after he and Lance singled. Next batter PENCE!!! took Fogggg yard on a massive fly ball that carried in the damp, stinky Ohio air to 3 rows up in the half-filled, fat-filled, left field seats.

Lance and Lee chased Fogggg in the 5th with a lead-off double and a walk. Beaker moved the runners up and then Ty launched one to DEEP CF that perennial underachiever and height-challenged Corey Patterson jumped for with all his might. He came down with ball in glove, though it looked to me that he only robbed Ty of a double off the wall. Lance trotted home for a 6-0 Astros lead.

Roy struggled again in the 7th. After a Patterson single, he got a DP ball for 2 quick outs. Then he gave up a walk an 2 straight singles for the Reds’ first run. Roy finished the 7th with a Jay Bruce groundout.

Enter the bullpen. In the 8th, WW issued a lead-off walk, then a E-squared blast into the CF bullpen to get the Dicketies within 3. After a Patterson F8, LaTroy comes in and walks his first batter, then gives up a single but gets Keppinger to pop up to Kaz to end the inning.

Top 9, the boys tack on another as Tejada singled and Lance bounced one in to the seats in CF. Lee is walked intentionally and Ty, with another productive out, sent Miggy home on a sac fly.

Coop decided to work Valverde with a 4-run lead and it looked like he was going to cruise, getting his first 2 batters. Looked like. A triple and a wild pitch later, it’s 7-4. A single and a walk later, the tying run is at the plate. Luckily it was Corey Patterson.

Game 2 of the Synchronized Clusterfuck tomorrow @ 6:10 CDT. Wolf vs. Cueto.