Spell this one a loss for Reds
By Hal McCoy
Dayton Daily News
ST. LOUIS | The first 'I' in Cincinnati was missing on the uniform front of pitcher Aaron Harang Tuesday night in Busch Stadium and the spelling appeared: "Cncinnati."
Tools
These days the Cincinnati Reds can't even buy a vowel.
By the third inning, the 'I' magically appeared — Harang put on a fresh jersey — but it was after the St. Louis Cardinals scored three runs in the second inning en route to a 5-1 victory.
"That's the last time I wear that jersey," Harang said.
Harang wore the same jersey for the first four days of this trip, but wore a jacket on top of it so nobody noticed.
"After the first inning, I came to the dugout and saw (pitchers) Paul Wilson and Eric Milton looking at me funny," said Harang.
"What up with that?" said Wilson.
"What?" said Harang.
"Your jersey."
Said Harang, "I thought I spilled something on it but Paul said, 'Cincinnati is spelled wrong.' "
Equipment manager Rick Stowe took the blame, especially because the game was televised.
"The clubhouse guy from Arizona called me and said, 'What kindergarten did you fail?' " said Stowe. "I always check the back of the jerseys for the players' names, but never thought about the front."
The 'I' wasn't the only thing missing, and far from the most important thing missing for the Reds during a long rainy night on the banks of the Mississippi as the Reds lost for the fourth straight time on their first trip of the season.
Timely hitting was as absent as the 'I' on Harang's shirt, 1 for 6 with runners in scoring position and the Reds stranded seven.
"Pretty much the same story with the same ending for this trip," said manager Dave Miley. "What are we now, 4 for 35 with runners in scoring position?"
Miley's math was better than the spelling on Harang's shirt.
The game's start was delayed 35 minutes by heavy rain and hail, then began under threatening skies and with a chill in the air.
Joe Randa, batting fourth, doubled off the glove of diving left fielder Reggie Sanders to open the second for the Reds and he scored.
The Reds could have saved post-game packing time by putting their bats back in their bags right then.
The Reds, though, had the bases loaded with one out and scored no more as Harang ran into his own grounder for an out and D'Angelo Jimenez took a called third strike for the second time in two innings.
Harang invited trouble in the bottom of the second by walking the first two hitters and Mr. Trouble walked through the door.
Mark Grudzielanek singled to fill the bases, then with one out Harang jumped ahead of opposing pitcher Jason Marquis 0-and-2.
Then came three straight balls outside the strike zone and on a 3-and-2 count Marquis pulled a three-run triple into the right field corner, prompting a pressbox occupant to say, "Marquis is a better hitter than pitcher."
Said Harang, "With a 3-and-2 count, in that situation, I have to put something in the (strike) zone and he turned on it pretty good."
And Marquis put something on it, nearly taking first baseman Sean Casey black-and-red cap into the right field corner with the ball.
"Tell you what, he can hit," said Miley of Marquis. "He is a good athlete. That was the key at-bat of the game and Aaron couldn't put him away after he had him 0-and-2."
Harang retired 13 straight after Marquis' triple, then Jim Edmonds and Sanders unloaded mightily.
Edmonds ripped a 405-foot home run over the center field wall, his 1,500th career hit, and the fans demanded a curtail call.
Two pitches later, Sanders cranked his third homer of the year, nothing significant other than a 5-1 lead, but the Busch fans requested another curtain call and Sanders took a bow.
After the fifth, Harang took a powder after giving up five runs, five hits, two homers and the three-run triple.
"I couldn't get a rhythm going tonight," said Harang, now 1-1. "I had my ups and downs. I made more mistakes than Marquis did."
Harang's big mistake was not hitting a three-run triple like Marquis did and Harang had the chance in the second inning — bases loaded, one out. But he hit a meek grounder.
"They are a veteran ball club and took advantage of my mistakes when I couldn't find a comfort zone," said Harang. "I left a pitch up to Edmonds and he knows what to do with that pitch, then I tried to overdo it with Sanders, had the adrenaline flowing, and threw a slider too hard that flattened out."
The Reds finish the trip this afternoon, facing the possibility of being the first Reds team since 1984 to lose its first five road games of a season.
Ramon Ortiz draws the pitching assignment. . .after he checks his uniform front.
