Let’s recap tonight’s titanic struggle….
FINAL
Pittsburgh 2
Cincinnati 1
WP: Hanrahan (1-0)
LP: Masset (3-3)
S: Dotel (10)
BOX SCORE
POSITIVES
–Mike Leake continues to impress. The young guy went 7.1 innings, giving up just one run on ten hits (and even that one run was a joke, courtesy of Drew Stubbs; see below). Of course, he couldn’t get the win because the Reds couldn’t get the bats going.
–Did I mention that Arthur Rhodes is the greatest pitcher in the history of mankind?
–Joey Votto and Ramon Hernandez each had two hits, including a double. Brandon Phillips hit a huge homer in the bottom of the eighth to tie up the game, for a brief time.
NEGATIVES
–Nick Masset continues to disappoint. He gave up the game-losing homer to Ryan Doumit in the top of the ninth. Sigh….
–Read this nonsense:
It was scoreless until the eighth, when a routine fly ball lost in the lights knocked Reds rookie Mike Leake out of the running for a notable win.
Leake was trying to become the first rookie Reds pitcher to win his first five decisions since 1976, when Santo Alcala did it with the Big Red Machine behind him. He didn’t allow an extra-base hit until center fielder Drew Stubbs lost Aki Iwamura’s routine fly ball in the lights, letting it drop more than 30 feet away for a leadoff triple in the eighth.
–That’s the first time Santo Alcala has made the TSR. Perhaps that should be listed under “positives.”
NOT-SO-RANDOM THOUGHTS
–Mike Leake is absolutely unbelievable. He’s so much fun to watch on the mound…and he had another hit tonight, as well. The kid is a star. Through two months of his professional career, Leake has a 2.70 ERA. Wow.
–That’s a game the Reds should’ve won, and it hurts to let winnable games against bottom-feeders get away. Now tomorrow’s series-deciding game vs. the Buccos takes on more importance.