Sports

Reds want to put Giants to sweep

CINCINNATI — Homer Bailey played catch in the sun-splashed outfield at Great American Ball Park, his usual routine the day before a start. Nothing different at all, as far as the Texan let on.

“You guys,” he said afterward, “it’s just another game.”

Uh-uh. Not buying it. Everyone knows the Reds pitcher has a chance to exorcise a lot of bad postseason history — or add to it — with his next start.

Less than two weeks after he threw the 15th no-hitter in the history of baseball’s first professional franchise, the 26-year-old Bailey has a chance to add another career moment. Today, he can complete a division-series sweep of the Giants.

Up 2-0 in the series, the Reds need one more victory to advance, with as many as three chances left at home. It’ll be a breakthrough if they get it.

Cincinnati hasn’t won a home playoff game in 17 years, a span of futility etched into the franchise’s storied history. Everyone remembers the Big Red Machine winning back-to-back World Series in 1975-76. The 1990 Nasty Boys team swept Oakland to win another.

Since then? Little more than heartbreak. Got swept by Atlanta in the 1995 NLCS under manager Davey Johnson. Lost a one-game playoff for the NL wild card to the Mets in 1999 at Riverfront Stadium. Got swept by the Phillies in the first round two years ago.

Maybe it’s finally their time.

“I had this one kid give me a sweatshirt that said, ‘The Year of the 12,’ ” said manager Dusty Baker, who wears the uniform number. “He gave it to me in spring training. I believe in that. I’m only going to see one ’12 while I’m living. It’s a special year. I just feel that it’s our year.”

Their first shot at it will make major league history.

The Giants and Reds both had pitchers throw no-hitters this year — Matt Cain had a perfect game for San Francisco. When Bailey starts today, it will mark the first time two players that threw no-hitters in the regular season pitch on opposing teams in the same playoff series, according to STATS LLC.

The Reds put themselves in position for a sweep by overcoming the loss of ace Johnny Cueto to a bad back in the first inning of the opener, then pulling out a 5-2 win. They won 9-0 on Sunday night behind Bronson Arroyo’s seven crisp innings, then tried to get a few hours of sleep on the overnight flight back to Ohio.

“The cliche is to say it’s just another game, but I feel ‘just another game’ doesn’t count when you’re talking about the postseason,” said Giants right-hander Ryan Vogelsong, who starts today. “And when you’re talking about being down 0-2 in a series, you can’t say it’s just another game, either.”

Bailey led the NL with a 2.32 earned run average on the road this season, but is only 18-19 with a 5.13 career ERA at Great American.It’ll be Baker’s first game back in Cincinnati since Sept. 12. He was hospitalized while the team was in Chicago for an irregular heartbeat and a mini-stroke. He rejoined the team for the final series in St. Louis, then flew to the West Coast and got an ovation when introduced before the first playoff game.If Vogelsong and the Giants can extend the series, Bochy said left-hander Barry Zito would start Game 4. And the Reds were still unsure whether Cueto would be available.

Bailey led the NL with a 2.32 earned run average on the road this season, but is only 18-19 with a 5.13 career ERA at Great American.

It’ll be Dusty Baker’s first game back in Cincinnati since Sept. 12. He was hospitalized while the team was in Chicago for an irregular heartbeat and a mini-stroke.