Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Reds 3
Astros 4
W: Melancon | L: Thief
HR: 2 Dickities, no Astros.
“Say what you will about Hunter Pence but he always goes hard.”
OK. He catches balls off of his face (NTTAWWT). He hits the cutoff man. He breaks up double plays. He hustles to take an extra base from a lazy OF. He shows patience at the plate. He hits walk-off doubles to win games.
Well, at least he did all of those things today as Hunter put on a show that was every bit as impressive as some of his recent exploits have been embarrassing. As polarizing as he can be, at least among those here, say what you will…he gets the job done. Sometimes.
The boys jumped out to a quick lead on some really bad pitching in the 2nd. With 1 out, Volquez walked 6-7-8 on 13 pitches to load ’em. Wandy popped out on the infield for 2 out but Bourn came through with a 2-run single and the lead. They tacked on another in the 3rd on a Downs sac fly following a Pence walk, Wallace FC and a double to left by Big-Fucking-Johnson.
Wandy looked home-a-licious for most of his start. Despite a triple and an RBI ground out for a run in the 4th, he held the Dickities down until the 7th. A lead-off flare to shallow RF looked to be a hit until FotF launched himself and loosely gloved the ball. As Hunter bounced around on the grass, his face was pressed into service, softly providing a gauntlet – if you will – against the ball’s eager desire to escape it’s confines. When the mass came to a halt, mission accomplished.
Of course, Wandy served up a sweet tater to the next batter so Hunter looked even more epic having saved the lead.
Of course, Wandy served up a sweet tater to the next batter so Hunter had to stuff the heroics in his back pocket for a while.
He almost whupped ’em out in the bottom of the 7th when a stupid/heads-up decision to take 2nd on a single to nonchalant CF Stubbs was successful and ignited a 2-out rally that looked promising but fizzled with the bases loaded when Downs flied out to CF.
Still tied in the 9th after Lopez and Melancon kept the Reds at bay, the Thief took the mound to try and do the same to the Astros. Bourn grounded out to lead off but then the Leake started with a walk to the rodeo clown. Up strolls Gunther to the plate with a look of confidence and determination on his ball-bruised face. He swung mightily at the first pitch without contact but waited and waited for the one he knew would get the job done. He wasn’t going to swing at those balls off the plate. On a 3-1 count, he swung again, just missing contact on a low slider. Now at 3-2 he thought, “what the hell” and reached out for a slider off the plate and slapped the ball down the RF line. Towles crossed the plate to give the Astros the win and Hunter’s 6th walk-off hit of his career.
Say what you will.
It was a pitcher’s duel on this night with Wandy Rodriquez of the Houston Astros squaring off with Pat Maholm of the Pittsburgh nine. Maholm looked for all the world to be a man destined for an early exit from the game the way things started for him on the night. In the first, the Astros leadoff hitter and red-hot Jason Bourgeois singled, stole second, advanced to third on Michael Bourn’s single and then scored on Hunter Pence’s long fly ball to right. The ‘stros promptly continued to put pressure on Maholm, but the “bend but do not break” rule came into play and no more damage was inflicted.