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Completely, totally crazy game tonight for the Reds. An unbelievably wild roller coaster ride.
I have to say, I didn't expect Paul Janish to be in the starting lineup today. It was a day game after a night game, and he was showing signs of fatigue (I thought). After not getting any errors all season, he'd gotten two in two days. He wasn't hitting all that well. Shortstop is a tough position, it was a grueling road trip, and he's been playing every day since Orlando Cabrera went on the DL. Dusty Baker said Janish wasn't tired, because he hadn't played much this season. (Grrr. Thanks a lot, Dusty.) But it seems like a pretty tough schedule for a guy who maybe wasn't used to it. And Chris Valaika was freshly arrived from AAA. I thought he'd get the start.
But Janish was in the lineup as usual. I feared the worst when he started off with a missed catch error (3 errors in three days! He only has 3 errors all season) and a strikeout. But after that rocky start, he settled down and had a great game. Solid on defense, getting to balls Cabrera would have only looked at. And 3 for 5 with a walk and a double. After that first strikeout, he got on base every time he went to the plate, even when he didn't hit. He reached third twice on SF errors.
Good thing, because the Reds managed to blow a 10-1 lead. The Giants pulled ahead 11-10 after scoring 6 runs in the 8th. Janish ended up getting the game-tying RBI in the 9th. Free baseball! He also singled off Barry Zito to start the 12th, helping set up Joey Votto for the game-winning RBI. Reds win, 12-11...but it sure wasn't easy.
Labels: Paul Janish
