NLDS Game One Review: Cincinnati

Sometimes, you lose. Other times, the opponent wins. Last night, Roy Halladay beat the Reds, and they should just tip their hat to him and say congratulations. He threw one of the great pitching performances in postseason history, and no one would have been able to muster any offense against him last night. It was an epic performance of which the Reds just happened to be the victims.

That said, on any other night, the Reds probably would have had a chance to win. Despite getting dominated at the plate, the distance between victory and defeat was pretty small.

1st inning: Shane Victorino doubles, steals third, scores on a sac fly.

Credit to Victorino, who had a great at-bat and a ballsy steal of third base to get himself in position to score on a fly ball. He had two really good plays in a row, and created that run by himself. But a better throw from Ramon Hernandez has a good chance at getting him. He bounced it in front of the base, and if the throw had been on target, the result might have been quite different.

2nd inning: Carlos Ruiz walks, Wilson Valdez “singles”, Roy Halladay “singles”.

No question, Volquez struggled to find his command yesterday, but the beginning of the big rally was pretty innocuous. He couldn’t find the strike zone to Ruiz, but with a bad hitter and the pitcher due up, that’s not the end of the world. Valdes then hit a soft bouncer up the middle that Orlando Cabrera misplayed. I don’t know if he could have gotten Valdes at first base, but Cabrera’s decision to flip to second was misguided even before he missed Brandon Phillips by a couple of feet.

Then, the big hit, which was only a hit because Jonny Gomes started in left field. Halladay hit a sinking line drive, but I’d venture to guess that almost every left fielder in baseball catches that ball – Jayson Werth made the play on a similar line drive by Travis Wood a few innings later, in fact. Gomes’s lack of athleticism turned an inning ending out into an RBI single, and forced Volquez to face the top of the Phillies order with men on base.

This isn’t to make excuses for Volquez, who had trouble putting the ball in the strike zone and was pitching behind in the count too frequently. But the only legitimate hit he gave up in the second inning was Victorino’s single, and even that was more of a blooper than a line drive. Cabrera and Gomes let him down on balls that could have easily ended the inning.

Those three plays – a bad throw on a steal of third, a poor decision by Cabrera, and a lack of ability from Gomes – are why the Phillies scored. They weren’t launching bombs and driving the ball all over the park. They didn’t tee off on Volquez. It was a couple of inches here, a snap judgment there. The Phillies won, but the Reds kept their offense in check, and they don’t have to face Roy Halladay again until Monday. Those two facts alone provide some reasons for optimism.