Major League Baseball

BASEBALL Reds say they want more

Published Oct. 12, 2010 10:16 p.m. ET

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Dateline: CINCINNATI

The Reds finished the best season in recent franchise history Sunday in what felt like a few million miles short of the event that they all had hoped to experience -- the World Series.

The Philadelphia Phillies dismissed Cincinnati from the best-of-five National League divisional series by sweeping the first three games with the ease of a mastiff snatching a bone from a toy poodle.

"It's a tough pill to swallow when you work so hard from spring training to get to this point," Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker said. "You achieve one goal and you're trying to achieve another goal. (The Phillies) are a very good club."

The two-time defending NL champions dominated every aspect of the series. In the three games, the Reds had 11 hits, scored four runs and committed seven errors and left wishing they had another chance or just better luck.

"I thought I swung the bat fine," said first baseman Joey Votto, who had one hit in 10 at-bats with one RBI. "I was missing. I didn't get as many pitches (to hit) as I typically do. But the pitches I got, I did miss. That will happen sometimes. Like I said, it's only a three-game series. Give me another chance and I think I'll be all right."

The possibility of another chance as soon as next year dominated the conversation in the Cincinnati clubhouse before, during and after the team's first shot at the postseason since 1995.

The core of the team is young. Votto, 27, is an NL most valuable player candidate after his third full season in the big leagues. Jay Bruce, 23, is a rising star in right field.

Second baseman Brandon Phillips, 28, made his first All-Star team this season. Drew Stubbs, 26, also took giant steps toward establishing himself as the team's center fielder.

The pitching staff also includes young, intriguing arms in Johnny Cueto, 24, Homer Bailey, 24, Edinson Volquez, 27, Aroldis Chapman, 22, and Travis Wood, 23. The postseason games for all of these players were a part of a season filled with baseball lessons.

"We're still teaching," Baker said. "It's not just this year. It's stuff that you might have said last year that they realize and comprehend this year. Some things you said this year they might not understand until next year."

Hank Aaron, he said, used to ask the rookie Baker if he understood what he had just told him.

"I said yes every time," Baker said. "Some of it took me three, four or five years down the line."

The Reds filed out of Great American Ball Park wanting to take this trip to its final destination in the near future.

"You talk to people around baseball, and they say we're on the right course and on the right path to do that," Baker said.

The team should look much the same next season.

"Yeah, I hope so," Votto said. "I certainly hope so. I don't see anybody going anywhere. I don't think we have very many free agents, if any free agents. We've got a bunch of guys making the minimum (salary) and we're here for good."

jmassie@dispatch.com

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