Let’s recap tonight’s titanic struggle…
FINAL
Cincinnati – 6
Washington – 3
WP: M. Leake (11-8)
LP: R. Detwiler (2-4)
S: C. Cordero (29)
BOX SCORE
POSITIVES
-Drew Stubbs was a perfect 3-3 at the plate with 3 singles. He drove in a run and stole his 33rd base of the season as well.
-The Reds new leadoff hitter for now and the immediate future, Brandon Phillips, went 2-4 with an RBI and 2 runs scored. Phillips is batting .296/.343/.429 on the season.
-Mike Leake was not very pitch-efficient, but he was still solid. Leake allowed 2 solo homeruns, which were the only 2 runs he would allow. He ended the game with 6 innings pitched, allowing 2 runs on 6 hits and a walk while striking out 4.
-Francisco Cordero pitched an uneventful 9th inning to record his 29th save of the season. Coco needed only 13 pitches to retire the Nationals in order.
NEGATIVES
-Jay Bruce and Joey Votto combined to go 0-7 in this game. That’s just unacceptable!*
-Brandon Phillips made an error in the 8th inning that could have been costly had the Nationals mounted some offense. With 2 outs in the 8th, Phillips attempted a behind the back throw to first on a slow roller. Phillips’ throw was wide of 1b and went into the dugout, giving the runner an extra base. These are the types of plays we expect from Phillips. Phillips should have probably held on to the ball, but I have no problem with him making an attempt to get the out, which would have been #1 on all the morning highlight shows had he pulled it off.
And This One Belongs to the Reds
NOT-SO-RANDOM THOUGHTS
 -I actually watched this game. It was the first game I have watched in over 2 weeks. I have just had a tough time watching this team over the last few weeks.
-With the win, the Reds are now 66-66 on the season, an even .500. I suppose most fans hope we can finish the last 40 games above .500 and try to make up the 2.5 game deficit on the Cardinals.
-The Reds will send Johnny Cueto to the mound tomorrow to try and cap off their 2nd 4-game winning streak of the month. The club will also go for their first series sweep since their sweep of San Francisco to end the month of July. Remember that sweep? It was the one that got us all optimistic that this team was still in the race before the Reds promptly tanked it on the road against Houston and Chicago.
*That was too harsh.