If you can't say something nice

It's been eight days since I last posted which is just too darn long. Start hitting some homers, Adam!!!

August is ending and so I decided to post the best months by Dunn for hitting home runs. First, his best monthly totals in a year:

April: 9 (2003 and 2006)
May: 9 (2003)
June: 11 (2004)
July: 11 (2005)
August: 12 (2001)
September: 5 (2004)
October: 2 (2001)

Doesn't bode well for my posting the rest of the year, does it? Five homers in his best month after August 31st?!?! Yikes!

Monthly totals:
April: 37
May: 35
June: 35
July: 33
August: 38
September: 14
October: 4

Even uglier. 18 homers in the final month plus of the season. His September doubles totals are his second highest for any month coming into this season. Perhaps the length of the season starts to wear on Dunn. His monthly homer totals are surprisingly symmetric except for the end of the season. Here's hoping he can hit twenty this September and make thing all nice and pretty.

Supporting actor

The Reds played the Astros last night and a Bengals-Texans game broke out. The Astros could have used either Reggie Bush or Mario Williams as they could neither score not stop the scoring of the Big Red Machine. The Reds finally triumphed by a score of 14-0.

Kyle "I may have had a 7 ERA in the American League, but now that I'm pitching in the AAAA NL Central, I look like Cy Young" Lohse blanked the Astros and Adam Dunn hit a three run homer in the third inning for number 38 on the season.

Lohse is the 13th pitcher to be on the mound for the Reds when Dunn hits a home run this year. Considering that the Reds have used 23 relief pitchers alone, I thought this number was a little low. Here's who has been pitching when Dunn hit his suppporting blasts.

Bronson Arroyo 9
Aaron Harang 7
Elizardo Ramirez 4
Eric Milton and Dave Williams 3
Todd Coffey, Kent Mercker, Chris Hammond and Brandon Claussen 2
Rick White, Mike Burns, Matt Belisle and Kyle Lohse 1

In retrospect, the number probably isn't low as relievers pitch fewer innings.

Lifetime, Aaron Harang has benefitted the most from Adam Dunn's home run hitting. Nineteen of Dunn's home runs have come while Harang was on the Hill. Paul Wilson (15), Jimmy Haynes (10), Bronson Arroyo and Danny Graves (9) round out the top five.

The list of 46 Reds pitchers who have been supported by Dunn's home runs reads like a Who's Who The Heck Is That list. The five pitchers with the most wins in their careers are:

Jose Rijo 116
Eric Milton 87
Cory Lidle 80
Ramon Ortiz 77
Joey Hamilton 74

Now that's a rotation! Adam Dunn is going to need to play for a team with some pitching if he wants a World Series before his career is over.

Toby Harrah and Jay Bell strewn along the wayside (195)

Evil clones

Against the Pittsburgh Pirates last night, Adam Dunn homered off of Victor Santos. Santos becomes the 9th pitcher whom Dunn has homered off of more than once while the pitcher was on different teams. The list (with career home run numbers):

Doug Davis: Blue Jays (65) and Brewers (180)
Shawn Estes: Cubs (46) and Rockies (105)
Josh Fogg: Pirates (74, 93 and 132) and Rockies (169)
Kent Mercker: Rockies (43) and Cubs (79)
Kevin Millwood: Braves (28), Phillies (50 and 66) and Indians (130)
Tomo Ohka: Expos (88) and Brewers (144 and 154)
Glendon Rusch: Brewers (27, 36 and 61) and Cubs (117, 161 and 162)
Victor Santos: Brewers (114) and Pirates (195)
Woody Williams: Cardinals (6, 99 and 109) and Padres (149)

Four of the above fellow are lefthanded pitchers (Davis, Estes, Mercker and Rusch). All this goes to show that it doesn't matter where you go, how much time has passed or what arm you throw with, Adam Dunn will hit a home run off of you.

And with this most recent homer, Dunn passes Jeff Heath (194)

Dunn's winning ways

Seven of Dunn's last eight home runs and 11 of his last fourteen have been in games that the Reds have won. Overall, the Reds are 23-12 in games in which Dunn has homered this season compared to 39-44 in games where Dunn has not homered.

Considering that most (22) of Dunn's home runs this season have been solo shots, it seems a bit odd that the Reds win so much when Dunn does homer.

Reds record when Dunn hits a solo homer: 13-8 (one two homer game, both with no men on)
Reds record when Dunn homers with men on: 10-4

For his career, the Reds are 111-67 in games in which Dunn has homered. They are 13-3 when he hits two home runs in a game.

Amos Otis is left behind by Mr. Dunn (193).

Back to back to back

A couple of solo shots have been hit by Adam Dunn since my last posting. The first was off of Chris Carpenter of the Cardinals a few days ago. The second was yesterday against the Phillies and Brett Myers. Yesterday's was notable in that it was the second time in Dunn's career that his was the middle part of back to back to back home runs.

In the sixth inning yesterday, Dunn's home run was sandwiched by shots by Edwin Encarnacion and Rich Aurilia. Back on October 2, 2005 against the Cardinals, his two teammates that were recently dealt to the Washington Nationals hit the homers that surrounded Dunn's. Felipe Lopez preceded Dunn's blast and then Austin Kearns followed Dunn with a homer.

Dunn passed Hal McRae (191), Carl Furillo and Al Rosen (192).

A mighty wind

Adam Dunn homered last night. Between that homer, in the first inning off Jason Shiell of the Atlanta Braves, and his homer against the Dodgers a few days previously, Dunn had been 0 for 9 with eight strikeouts. He was also intentionally walked which was his first walk since July 29. Dunn tends to be an all or nothing swinger but it is unusual for him not to get some walks interspersed with those strikeouts.

The homer moved him past Rondell White and Hal McRae (190).

Quarter of the way there

Dunn has hit 1/4 as many home runs as Hank Aaron has (he did so with #189). So where does he stand among the greats? Let's find out, shall we?

When Hank Aaron hit his 190th home run he was 26 years, 119 days old
Babe Ruth was 27 years, 173 days old
Barry Bonds was 28 years, 310 days old
Willie Mays was 27 years, 4 days old

Adam Dunn is 26 years, 235 days old.

Aaron took 3638 at bats
Ruth took approximately 2311 at bats
Bonds took 3754 at bats
Mays took 2989 at bats

Dunn took 2648 at bats

For the early portion of Dunn's career, he has fared quite well and is on his way to being one of the greatest home run hitters ever.

Saying goodbye to Bob Bailey, Charlie "King Kong" Keller and J.T. Snow (189)