Milton: "I don't have answers right now..."

[CincyRedsFan30]

Out of focus: Dodgers slam Reds
Phillips' grand slam adds to Milton's HR woes in 9-3 loss

By Hal McCoy

Dayton Daily News

CINCINNATI | ESPN, in its all-encompassing desire to show viewers everything but the inside of the dugout bathroom, placed 26 cameras in every niche of Great American Ball Park Sunday night.

They were not enough, not enough to focus on everything that transpired in Great American Ball Park during a 9-3 Reds defeat to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Early in the game, they focused mostly on the good deeds of the Cincinnati Reds, especially pitcher Eric Milton, who this night was Eric Meltdown.

By midgame, the cameras pointed at the Dodgers and their eventual assault on Milton for nine hits in 62/3 innings, including two homers, one a grand slam.

"It's on me and it can't get much worse," Milton said. "I've let the team down and I feel bad for the fans. I don't know what it is.

"I don't have answers right now and I've tried everything," he said after his record slipped to 2-3. "I was cruising along tonight and all of a sudden I made too many mistakes."

All they needed early was one camera, focused directly on Milton, who hit a home run and gave up only one hit in four innings..

When Milton's name is mentioned in the same sentence with the term, "Home run," 99-and- 44/100ths percent of the time it means he gave one up — 13 this year, a league-leading 43 last year, 205 for his career.

On Sunday, it was Milton hitting a home run, first of his career, to give himself and the Reds a 1-0 lead in the third inning.

The camera could have left Milton briefly to focus on Ken Griffey Jr. for his 417-foot shot in the fourth that nobody could catch but a guy wearing a blue shirt and munching a Nuxy Knots pretzel in the right field seats, Griffey's third homer of the season, 504th of his career and a 2-0 lead for Milton.

Then it began unraveling and cameras were focusing here, there and everywhere after.

The Dodgers cut it to 2-1 in the fifth on doubles by Jason Phillips and opposing pitcher Jeff Weaver.

The situation returned to normal for Milton in the sixth, giving up home runs instead of hitting them, and he gave up a monster to Phillips, a grand slam behind singles to Jason Repko, Bradley and Jeff Kent ... and it was 5-2 Dodgers.

Perhaps Milton was fooled by the goofy-looking glasses worn by Phillips to collect four hits and drive in five runs.

"It has been tough on us, tough on the team," Milton said. "I tried to pitch inside (on Phillips) and didn't locate, caught too much of the plate."

The handwriting was clearly scrawled on the Reds' dugout bathroom wall in the sixth when they filled the bases and didn't score. Joe Randa flied to shallow center and Rich Aurilia struck out.

"That was an inning we could have bounced right back and got back in it, but we couldn't get the big blow like they got," manager Dave Miley said.

Bradley made it 6-2 in the seventh with another homer off Milton, the 56th he has given up over last season and this season, most by any human wearing a major-league uniform.

It all added up to the Reds' ninth loss in 10 games and as far as they are concerned ESPN can take all their cameras and dump them in the Ohio River. The Reds are 7-13 in ESPN Sunday Night games.

[Steak]

I am shocked at how bad Milton has done since leaving the Twins.

I hope he gets it together soon. I like him and I am saddened that he is stinking it up right now.

[CincyRedsFan30]

So do I Steak, so do I.

His ERA is now 6.18 on the season.(1.45 WHIP too)

[Steak]

Milton was a huge part of the Twins renaissance. The guy was a big-game pitcher for them. It was like he and Brad Radke and pray for rain. Milton had his great years there. I don't know what happened in Philly last year.

He was a good signing for the Reds. I think he will turn it around.

[QuietAcre]

He was a nice signing, but that contract was totally out of line for a small market club like the Reds. They would have been a lot better off acquiring a couple of okay starting pitchers, a lot of bullpen help and some pinch hitters. First the Ken Griffey, Jr. contract, now the Milton contract. Will this organization EVER learn? I think the rest of baseball is puzzled over this one, too.

[redsrbetter]

"That was an inning we could have bounced right back and got back in it, but we couldn't get the big blow like they got," manager Dave Miley said.

All your fault Miley!

[NFLman2033]

since day one that we have had Milton there is no doubt that his stuff just bounces off opposing hitters bats, i mean every pitch all game that they make contact with are hit really well and hit deep in the OF, the guy is an explosion waiting to happen when he pitches

Everytime he pitches its like throwing gas on a fire.. BOOM BOOM BOOM

[Slyder]

ESPN said something interesting last night about Milton's fastball, that he doesnt get the velocity he use to and that he tries to throw the four seemer past guys with two strikes and that usually gets him into trouble.

At least hes man enough to say hes sucked this year. He has to keep the ball down to be effective thats what he did for the first few innings, if that means completely ditching the four seemer (except when its going to be high about the guys neck and outside) so be it.