All Things Bubba

March 2, 2007: Cincinnati Reds 5, Minnesota Twins 2

I guess it's not as windy in Ft. Myers as it is in Bradenton, because there was only one homer in last night's game (by Encarnacion).

Bubba was not in the starting lineup, but he got into the game in the top of the 7th. The game was tied, 2-2. Righty Matt Guerrier was on the mound for the Twins. Javier Valentin, AKA as "the Latin Love Machine," led off. He swung at the first pitch, grounding out to SS. Next up were Votto and Keppinger; each got a base hit. Then Denorfia worked a walk, loading the bases. Jerry Gil came to the plate next; he struck out.

With two outs, bags full, Bubba was subbed in for LFer Norris Hopper. He swung on the first pitch, hitting a bloop down the left field line. The Twins announcers seemed to think someone should have caught it, but no one did. It dropped in between the SS and the LFer. Keppinger and Votto scored, Denorfia on 3B. They said it was ruled a double, but some news reports called it a 2-RBI single. (You'd think the guys calling the game would notice whether Bubba was standing on 1B or 2B, but the box score says it was a single.)

Josh Hamilton game up next; he popped out to SS to end the inning. So Bubba ended up stranded, but he drove in two go-ahead runs, which ended up being the game-winner. Yay, Bubba!

He took over LF in the bottom of the 7th, and remained in the game until the end. He got one catch that the announcers got excited about. His other at-bat for the night was in 9th. He flew out to right field.

I must say, those Twins announcers were annoying. When Bubba came into the game, they started going off on "What happened to Crosby? He used to be a prospect." Then they said he was "over-exposed" in New York. You gotta be freakin' kidding me. Over-exposed? He barely saw the light of day in the Bronx. Since when do the Yanks over-expose any prospect?

The Reds announcers the day before said the exact opposite: that Bubba never really got a chance in NY, and that it was really tough for any prospect in the Yankees system. They said even with the big money and all, young players don't want to be drafted by the Yankees, because they know it will be nearly impossible to break through. I don't think that's quite as true as it used to be, but it was certainly the case when Bubba came up.

Anyways...Bubba's line for the night: 1 for 2, with 2 RBIs. Not bad. He's hitting .400 / .600 / .400 now.

Bubba is not in the starting lineup for today's game, but he'll probably get into it eventually, if the past two days are any guide.

UPDATE: There's a live game thread at Red Hot Mama. Bubba was subbed in during the second inning, at the DH slot.