They completed a four-game homestand Sunday with a 5-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers and lugged a 2-2 record since the All-Star break to the west coast.
Before Sunday’s game, Jonny Gomes checked the lineup card, playfully pointed to his name, and said, “Jonny Gomes? What’s he doing in there?”
What he did was win the game, breaking a 3-3 tie in the eighth inning with a two-run home run. And he put the Reds into a 3-3 tie in the third with a run-scoring single after Prince Fielder’s two-run homer off Jonny Cueto, Fielder’s 24th, gave Milwaukee a 3-2 lead in the top of the inning.
Gomes was somewhat serious when he saw the lineup card and asked why he was on it because Milwaukee started right-hander Yovani Gallardo, “And I don’t start against right-handers for this team,” said Gomes.
Why Sunday?
Because left-hander Laynce Nix, originally in the lineup, showed up with a stiff back and Gomes was a quick replacement.
“Now it’s off to Mannytown,” said Gomes, referring to LA and Manny Ramirez.
Of his team’s La-La Land failures, Baker said, “That’s OK. Law of averages. But first we had to fight for our lives today — it was a fight and a struggle. We’re scratching and clawing and digging.”
Chris Dickerson led off the eighth with a single and Gomes was facing relief pitcher Seth McClung, who was a starter for Tampa Bay when Gomes was there.
“Known him a long time,” said Gomes. “You know what to expect, since Day One — power arm with a big slider.”
Gomes admits it bothers him to be classified as a guy who can’t hit right-handers and said, “Yeah, it definitely does. I hit all the way up through the minors. I don’t think I’ve been labeled that, but it’s a role I’ve been thrown into and I’d love to hit my way out of it.”
His single was off a right-hander and his home run was off a right-hander. Proof enough?
Baker played for the Dodgers in the 1970s, when it was the Dodgers and the Cincinnati Reds arguing yearly for the NL West title (there was no NL Central).
“I haven’t had many fond memories as a manager returning to LA,” said Baker. “I’m just going to try to recapture some of those good memories as a player.
“It’s always fun going back home because I was born 50 miles east of there (Riverside). I have a lot of homeboys and it seems like they’ve multiplied. Used to be 100 and they have kids and grandkids and it’s 400,” Baker added.
Of the mission to break the 0-9 streak, Baker said, “We have to rise to the occasion. They’ve beaten us pretty good. We’ve certainly got some work to do.”
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