Let’s recap tonight’s titanic struggle….
FINAL — 19 innings
Cincinnati 4
Philadelphia 5
W: W. Valdez (1-0)
L: C. Fisher (0-1)
BOXSCORE
POSITIVES
–Jay Bruce is simply on fire. With the Reds down 3-1 in the seventh, Bruce delivered a single that scored two runs and tied the game. Then, in the top of the tenth, Bruce led off the inning with a solo homer that gave the Reds the lead (at least, until CoCo gave it away a few minutes later).
Jay Bruce is clutch. Period.
–Simply outstanding relief work by Jose Arredondo and Bill Bray tonight. Really, really good work. Logan Ondrusek looked awfully good in the 12th and 13th, too. Then Carlos Fisher had a great 14th. And 15th. And 16th. And 17th. And 18th.
You're the man, Carlos Fisher
NEGATIVES
–With two on and one out in the 11th, and a Phillie pitcher who couldn’t throw a strike, Brandon Phillips was picked off at second base. The pitcher (Romero) proceeded to walk the next two hitters. Bad Brandon; it was a mental mistake that may have cost the Reds the win. If you get a HBP and 3 walks in an inning, you should probably score at least one.
Perhaps if BP wasn’t enjoying himself, joking around with Jimmy Rollins, he would have been paying enough attention not to get picked off.
–Did I mention that Francisco Cordero blew the save by allowing a homer to Ryan Howard in the bottom of the tenth? Oh well, he’s been pretty good this season overall, and he did come back to retire the Phils in the 11th.
–Scott Rolen went 0-7.
–Reds left 17 runners on base.
–Dusty really needs to explain why in the name of all that is good and pure Sam LeCure wasn’t on the mound for the 19th. Reds could have won this game (with Wilson Valdez, a position player, on the mound for Philly)…but Fisher was completely gassed by that point. I just don’t understand it.
NOT-SO-RANDOM THOUGHTS
–Nineteen innings. Six hours and eleven minutes. The teams combined to throw exactly 600 pitches. It was the longest game in the majors thus far this season.
–Travis Wood started out poorly, but he settled down to go six innings, allowing three runs on six hits. Could have been much worse, and he really kept the Reds in the game after the rough start.
–Jay Bruce is now hitting .284/.350/.541 on the season. Fantastic. Oh…and did I mention that he leads the National League in homers now, with 13?
–Eleven hits is the most Roy Halladay has allowed in a game all season. Sweet.
–In the first nine innings, the home plate umpire’s strike zone was an absolute joke. Halladay got every close call and Wood got none. It was terrible.
–Where is everyone who was giving Bruce such a hard time earlier in the season?
–Fisher threw a career-high 5.2 innings, 95 pitches, allowed one run, four hits, four strikeouts. I have no clue why Dusty Baker left him out there for so long when he had two pitchers left in the bullpen.
Sad way for Fisher’s career to end. I expect he’ll have arm surgery sometime soon.
–See you in a few hours when the Reds and Phils play a getaway afternoon game.