Let’s recap tonight’s titanic struggle….
FINAL
Atlanta 3
Cincinnati 6
W: H. Bailey (3-3)
L: R. Delgado (2-5)
S: L. Ondrusek (2)
BOX SCORE
POSITIVES
–Sweep!
–Devin Mesoraco had the big blow, a grand slam in the sixth that turned a one-run deficit into a three-run lead.
–Homer Bailey pitched six strong innings, allowing two runs on four hits and a walk, striking out six. Bailey is now 3-3 with a 4.19 ERA. Even if that ERA were two runs lower, however, Homer will never be able to do anything right in the eyes of some fans.
–Drew Stubbs had two hits, including his third homer of the series (plus a stolen base, his ninth). Zack Cozart and Chris Heisey also had two hits.
–One day after his walk-off heroics, Todd Frazier had a double, a single, and a walk. He also scored a run and drove in a run. The kid can play.
NEGATIVES
–None.
NOT-SO-RANDOM THOUGHTS
–Hey, that was fun, wasn’t it? Yes, I know Chipper Jones and Brian McCann weren’t playing for Atlanta, but still…the Redlegs just swept a pretty good team. I love it.
–That was the first four-game sweep of the Braves in Cincinnati since 1980.
–Six wins in a row for the fightin’ Redlegs, and the starters have compiled six straight quality starts. The Reds now stand at 25-19 on the season, and if the Phillies can hold onto their lead over St. Louis, the Reds will be in first place in the NL Central.
–Last time the Reds had a six-game winning streak? August, 2010. Did anything special happen that season?
–Heh. Indeed:
The #Reds with six straight wins over the Yankees & Braves. Take THAT, 1996.
— BennyCL (@BennyCL) May 25, 2012
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–Probably could have put this under “Negatives” above, but I didn’t want to be a Negative Nancy: Brandon Phillips is not a good cleanup hitter. (I know, NEWSFLASH!!!) BP is hitting .259/.314/.392 on the year, and he grounded into two more double plays tonight. I don’t know if he’s still hurting or not (I suspect that he is), but he has not been good this season.
–I don’t know if the offense is waking up or not (I still have some real concerns), but this is interesting:
In this series vs. #braves, #reds have hit 10 HRs and have scored 14 of their 16 runs via the home run.
— Mark Sheldon (@m_sheldon) May 25, 2012
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–I like when Juan Francisco grounds into game-ending double plays. It wasn’t always thus.
–If Thom’s math is correct, the Reds have won 21 of 32 games.
–A reeling Colorado Rockies team comes to town next for a weekend series. Two out of three, and we’ll be dancing here in the Nation.
Source: FanGraphs