Reds 6, Reds 5: Eddie's big night

Links (4)

Dusty Predicted Encarnacion's Homer (Despite Calling for a Bunt)
Published 4/3/2008 by Matt Watson at FanHouse
... That hack, of course, resulted in a three-run homer ... just like Baker envisioned all along. Wait, what? Yep, that's how he's telling it. From John Fay's blog for the Cincinnati Enquirer: ...

Baseball Before Bedtime: Sleep Delays My Life
Published 4/3/2008 by Rob Iracane at Walkoff Walk
... Reds 6. Diamondbacks 5: The boo birds were out in force for Cincy third baseman Edwin Encarnacion in the bottom of the ninth, as he effed up his task of laying down a sacrifice bunt with his team down two runs. Eddy, you tried your hardest and you failed miserably. The moral is: never try. So he stopped trying to bunt and hit a walkoff three-run home run. Hooray! Says teammate Brandon Phillips: "He can't bunt for shit. But he sure can hit." Hey, that's the lyrics of 50 Cent's new hip-hop jam, "Bunt Fo' Shit". ...

Game 3: Royals (2-0) at Tigers (0-2)
Published 4/3/2008 by Ian Casselberry at Bless You Boys
... by not getting any outs and serving up a home run pitch to Edwin Encarnacion.  (The hilarious thing is that Dusty Baker originally wanted a bunt, but I'm digressing.)  As Encarnacion took his victory lap around the bases, I was thankful that wasn't Detroit's bullpen.  ...

Vintage Dusty
Published 4/4/2008 by dak at FIRE JOE MORGAN
Epilogue to the Encarnacion / Brantley situation, courtesy of John Fey: After failing to get down a bunt on three pitches, Encarnacion rocketed one into the left field seats for a three-run, walkoff home run. Dusty Baker wanted it to happen this way -- really. "You can't let him swing in that situation," Baker said. "He was struggling. I told (coach Chris Speier), 'I kind of hope he doesn't get it down so (he) can hit a three-run homer, and he hit a three-run homer." "Being on the other side, he was one of the guys I didn't want to see up there ...