Let’s recap tonight’s titanic struggle….
FINAL
San Francisco 2
Cincinnati 9
W: M. Latos (1-2)
L: M. Cain (1-1)
BOX SCORE
POSITIVES
–Nothing but positives tonight, and it all begins with Mat Latos. Latos pitched seven scoreless innings, surrendering only four hits, to pick up his first victory in a Reds uniform. This was the Mat Latos we all expected to see this season.
–Brandon Phillips, injury or no, went 1-3 with a walk, two runs scored, three RBI, and the big homer in the first inning that gave the Reds a lead they would not relinquish.
–Zack Cozart, Drew Stubbs, and Jay Bruce each registered two hits. All three had a double, and Bruce knocked in a couple of runs. (Bruce even stole a base.)
–Good inning of work by Jose Arredondo, who struck out two of the three hitters he faced.
NEGATIVES
–None. Fun game.
NOT-SO-RANDOM THOUGHTS
–That, my friends, was a satisfying win.
–Remember when I told you to be patient with Mat Latos? Remember when I said not to waste one minute worrying about Latos? The kid is going to be fine. He can flat-out pitch, and he demonstrated it tonight. (Yes, the Giants offense stinks, but still…)
–Giants starter Matt Cain had pitched eighteen scoreless innings in his last two starts before tonight, allowing only four base runners in that time. That, of course, was before he faced the juggernaut Cincinnati offense.
–If I thought the Reds were going to lose a game in this series, I thought it would be this one against Matt Cain. Now I’m optimistic.
–Of the starting eight, only one player didn’t get a hit. That’s right: Joey Votto. Votto stinks.*
–Sam LeCure gave up a couple of runs on two hits and a walk in the ninth inning. LeCure hasn’t pitched very well this season, but he does have great facial hair.
Latos’ win was his latest notable moment against the Giants. After San Francisco eliminated San Diego from contention in 2010, he signed three baseballs with “I Hate SF!” in the offseason as part of a fundraiser for major league players’ alumni association, insisting it was in good humor.
–The Reds have played like a little league team for most of the season, yet they are only one game under .500. Let’s not forget that.
–A couple of old guys tomorrow: Bronson Arroyo vs. Barry Zito. Who knows what to expect?
Source: FanGraphs
*No, Votto doesn’t stink. He’s great. It’s called sarcasm.