Let’s recap tonight’s titanic struggle….
FINAL
Cincinnati 5
Houston 1
W: H. Bailey (6-5)
L: W. Rodriguez (7-8)
BOX SCORE
POSITIVES
–Homer Bailey pitched an outstanding ballgame, allowing one run on five hits through eight innings. I’ll take that every time, please.
–Edgar Renteria had the big blast, a grand slam in the fifth inning that blew the game wide open. It was Renteria’s only hit of the evening, but it was a huge one.
–Chris Heisey had two hits, including a double, a stolen base, and a run scored. Ramon Hernandez had a double, a walk, an RBI and a run scored.
–Aroldis Chapman pitched a great ninth inning to close out the game. This kid is something to behold. I’ve really never seen anything like him.
NEGATIVES
–None
NOT-SO-RANDOM THOUGHTS
–After a tough loss last night, the good guys bounced back very well. Now, they need to win this series tomorrow.
–Renteria’s grand slam tonight was the ninth of his career. Wow.
–The Reds are now within one game of third place!!!
–Wow, that Astros lineup is just bad. Not to take away from Homer’s nice evening, but the Astros “offense” is good for what ails ya’, as a pitching staff.
—Courtesy of our buddy Joel, I see this interesting nugget: “Aroldis Chapman has now thrown the equivalent of a 9.2 inning no-hitter with 15 K and 1 BB over his last 8 appearances.”
If the Reds will ever wise up and let Chapman start, he will throw at least one real no-hitter. Bet the ranch on it.