Let’s recap tonight’s titanic struggle….
FINAL — Game 1
Cincinnati 5
Florida 6
W: R. Webb (2-4)
L: J. Arredondo (3-4)
S: S. Cishek (2)
BOX SCORE
FINAL — Game 2
Cincinnati 3
Florida 2
W: B. Arroyo (8-10)
L: C. Volstad (5-11)
S: F. Cordero (28)
BOX SCORE
POSITIVES
Game 1
–Joey Votto was 2-3 with a homer, a walk, a run, and 2 RBI. Todd Frazier went 2-4 with a double and a 2-run homer in the ninth inning that closed the gap to one run.
–Homer Bailey pitched seven strong innings, surrendering three runs on five hits, walking none and striking out four. He also went 2-2 at the plate, with a double and a run scored. Really, if it weren’t for one bad pitch in the fourth inning, it would have been a great day for Homer.
Game 2
–Votto went 3-4, with a homer, a run scored, and two RBI. MVP. He had half of the Cincinnati hits in the second game.
–Bronson Arroyo, Paul Janish, and Brandon Phillips turned a simply beautiful 1-6-4 double play.
–Arroyo looked very much like the Good Arroyo we’ve all come to know and love over the last few years. Arroyo tossed 8 shutout innings, allowing six hits and no walks. His pitches were moving everywhere. Fun to watch.
These guys are good. Especially the one on the left. (AP Photo/Hans Deryk)
Game 1
–Jose Arredondo and Bill Bray were terrible again. This bullpen has been just awful lately. Arredondo and Bray are responsible for this loss.
–Edgar Renteria played five innings before leaving; he didn’t return.
Game 2
–With a 3-0 lead as he took the ball in the bottom of the ninth, Francisco Cordero decided to make it interesting…as we’ve come to expect. CoCo gave up a couple of hits and a couple of runs (although he wasn’t helped by a Miguel Cairo error), but he eventually “earned” the save.
–Paul Janish: 0-4, .214/.256/.264. What’s that smell in here?
NOT-SO-RANDOM THOUGHTS
–Hey, the Reds won their second straight road series, after not winning one since June!
–Homer threw 102 pitches in the first game, but he tried to talk Dusty Baker into letting him go back out for the eighth inning.
–Joey Votto is just amazing; he’s hitting .328/.441/.551 with 24 homers and 84 RBI. He’s gone back to being underrated, as it seems like everyone just takes him for granted now.
–I swear, I have no idea how Arredondo’s ERA is below four. Seems like he’s terrible every single time he appears in a tight game.
–Remember yesterday’s hero, Yonder Alonso? Yeah, he pinch-hit once in today’s doubleheader.
–I’m probably going to watch every Reds game the rest of the way, but it wouldn’t hurt my feelings if the season were over. This year’s team has exhausted me more than any team in the seven seasons we’ve covered the Reds here at Redleg Nation.