Problems

Between computer problems, the All-Star break (and can anyone explain how it is that the main threat to Hank Aaron's home run record, Adam Dunn, is never even remotely considered for the home run derby, let alone the All-Star game) and only a pair of homers in July, I haven't been posting.

Dunn homered today, though, a solo shot of Oliver Perez. Dunn had homered twice off Perez when he was with the Pirates (#76 in April, 2004 and #155 in September 2005). The homer ended a long drought for Dunn at Shea Stadium. The last homer Dunn had hit on the road against the Mets was #92 in June of 2004 off Matt Ginter.

Homer #220 came after Dunn had homered the day before against young Kyle Kendrick. Dunn went deep off the other end of the age spectrum, taking a Jose Mesa pitch out of the park. Mesa is the oldest pitcher to surrender a home run to Adam Dunn. David Wells (#83 in 2004) had been the oldest.

Dunn made it three straight games with a homer when he homered off the Phillies Adam Eaton.

Micah Owings allowed Dunn's first home run in July, giving Dunn an even two dozen before the All-Star break.

Since the last posting, Dunn has passed Joe Pepitone, Al Oliver, "Sunny" Jim Bottomley, Tony Batista (219), Tony Oliva (220), Don Mattingly and Derrek Lee (222).

Bizarro Reds

Adam Dunn hit his twentieth home run of the season last night but the Reds lost again making them 7-10 this season. Before this season, the Reds were 114-69 when Dunn homered. It also marked Homer Bailey's first major league loss. Bailey was not in the game when Dunn homered.

Youngster Kyle Kendrick of the Phillies gave up the homer. He came close to being the youngest American born pitcher to surrender a home run to Dunn. Another Kyle, Davies of the Braves, holds that distinction.

Dunn passes another misunderstood slugger, Bob Horner (218).

Five for you, none for Dunn

The Reds hit five home runs against the Seattle Mariners last night. Typically when the Reds hit that many home runs, Dunn has at least one of them. Last night was the eleventh time during Dunn's career that the Reds have hit at least five home runs in a game. In those games, Dunn is 12 for 36 with eight home runs. Last night he managed a single and a double but no homers.

Seattle is a new venue for Dunn. Before last night he had not had much success against the Mariners in Cincinnati, going 3 for 12 with seven strikeouts in three games.

Nothing to write

Adam Dunn homered, which is a good thing. It was a solo shot in a losing cause and was his twentieth of the season. It was off Dan Haren, one of the toughest pitchers in the majors this season. As a matter of fact, Josh Hamilton also homered off Haren which was the first time this season that Haren had given up two homers in one game.

I really wish the Reds would get Dunn out of the fifth spot in the order. If I were running the Reds, Dunn would be batting second. He started the season there and hit .350 in seven games. I guess that wasn't good enough.

All for now. Benito Santiago is passed by Dunn on the career list.

I was wrong

I got ahead of myself as I said in the below post. I made the assumption that Dunn would homer off of Kevin Millwood and I was wrong. Dunn did so TWICE.

This is the second time Dunn has hit four homers in three days, the previous time being a five homer, four day run from August 4-7, 2004.

The two home runs are Dunn's second multi-homer game against an American League team. Dunn also hit two against the Rangers on June 11, 2002. Today's homers give Dunn seven for his career against the Rangers, the most he has hit against an American League team.

Besides the marks Millwood set that are outlined below, Millwood joins Zambrano and Rusch as pitchers who have given up a half dozen homers to Dunn.

The Reds now play three games against the Athletics in Oakland. Dunn has one homer against the A's, a 2-run blast off Justin Duchscherer on June 9, 2004 (career #90).

Dunn has never faced any of the three young pitchers that the A's will be using. The pitching matchup in the second game may be two of my favorite pitchers in the majors right now (Homer Bailey vs. Chad Gaudin) which probably says more about my tastes than their talent. The A's will bookend Gaudin with Joe Blanton and early Cy Young favorite Dan Haren. Only one pitcher has ever won a Cy Young award in the same season that he surrendered a home run to Dunn (Toronto's Roy Halladay in 2003). It is probably safe to say that Haren's ability to win the Cy Young hangs in the balance of Wednesday's game.

Cliff Floyd (216), Ron Fairly, Pedro Guerrero and Chet Lemon (215) bid Dunn a fond and civil adieu.

Things are Wright in the world

Adam Dunn homers in consecutive games. He hits a home run in a game pitched by Aaron Harang that Harang wins. The homer comes off of Jamey Wright, long-time victim, first time Ranger victim (Dunn hit career #16 as a rookie off Wright when Wright was a Brewer back in 2001). These are the things we come to expect from Adam Dunn. Not droughts that last weeks.

Wright is the third pitcher whom has given up a home run to Dunn in a National League game as well as an interleague game. Kevin Millwood has allowed home runs while pitching for the Braves and Phillies in the NL, the Indians in the AL. Doug Davis have up homers as a Brewer (NL) and a Blue Jay (AL). Wright is the tenth pitcher to give up a homer to Dunn while pitching on multiple teams.

As an aside, I think Wright is the only active pitcher of whom I have an autographed baseball. I had him sign it when he pitched for Asheville in the South Atlantic League back in 1994. We're both old men.

For those who don't feel like going back through the blog to see the Aaron Harang connection (May 10th was the last time Dunn homered in a game Harang pitched), the Reds are now 21-4 in games Dunn homers in while Harang is on the mound.

Dunn's homer was a back-to-back home run, following Ken Griffey Jr.'s blast the at bat before. This was the fourth time Dunn followed a Griffey homer, three of which occured when Harang was pitching (that's some nice run support). The other was in support of Paul Wilson.

Are you feeling excited? I am. You know who takes the hill for Texas this afternoon? None other than Kevin Millwood. Millwood is going to become the first pitcher to give up home runs to Adam Dunn as a pitcher for four different teams! He will also join legendary Dunn victims Carlos Zambrano, Glendon Rusch and Woody Williams as pitchers who have allowed homers to Dunn in four different seasons. But I get ahead of myself.

Sinking the flotilla

Adam Dunn had chances to homer off the Padilla Flotilla years ago when Vicente pitched for the Philadelphia Phillies. It took in interleague game against the Texas Rangers, however, for Padilla to join the long list of Dunn's victims. It might bode well for more home runs for Dunn. After hitting homer after homer against Hispanic pitchers earlier in the season, Dunn had gone a long time without victimizing a foreign-born player.

Despite the worst home run output yet in his career for the month of June, Dunn is tied for second in the National League in home runs.

The home run against Padilla was Dunn's seventeenth career interleague home run. It gives him 214 home runs for his career where he is all alone on the list, having left Andy Pafko behind at 213.

Shame on me

I've sort of slacked off the past week as other things have taken up my time and besides, I have no idea who reads this thing anyway. It's not like I was inundated with e-mails and comments saying "Hey, what's Dunn up to?". He did hit a home run the other day, a solo shot off Adam Wainwright of the Cardinals. The homer was Dunn's 15th of the season. The date of his 15th of each season:

2001: September 21
2002: June 26
2003: May 16
2004: June 4
2005: June 8
2006: May 20

Outside of Dunn's traditional fall falloff, there seems to be no rhyme or reason as to when his home runs come. The dream of 100 home runs this season has certainly dissipated but who knows? It may still happen.

Hopefully he hits some more soon to put some distance between himself and Carlos Beltran who, along with Nomar Garciaparra, Dunn just passed on the career list at 212.