Let’s recap tonight’s titanic struggle….
FINAL
Cincinnati 5
Houston 3
W: S. Marshall (3-3)
L: F. Cordero (0-2)
S: A. Chapman (19)
BOX SCORE
POSITIVES
–Sweep!
–Another nice outing by Homer Bailey (ruined by Ondrusek, but more on that later). Bailey pitched seven shutout innings, giving up four hits, striking out seven. He did walk five (a season high), but while his stuff wasn’t perfect, he was also the victim of some pretty terrible umpiring.
–Devin Mesoraco had two hits, including a double, and he scored a run.
–In the top of the ninth, with the Reds down 3-2, Xavier Paul led off with a double, then Brandon Phillips worked a one-out walk. After Zack Cozart struck out, Drew Stubbs came to the plate to face Francisco Cordero for the second straight night.
Stubbs came through with the clutch hit again, a crushed double off the CF wall that drove in two to give the Reds a lead they would not surrender. Overall, Stubbs was 2-5 — both hits were doubles — with two runs scored and three RBI tonight.
–Jay Bruce reached base three times: two hits, a walk, an RBI.
–Sean Marshall only pitched to one batter, but he recorded a huge out to put out the fire started by Ondrusek.
NEGATIVES
–The Reds had the game under control before Logan Ondrusek entered and tossed gasoline on the fire. He surrendered three doubles, then the Reds played some classic Little League-style defense to allow a third run to score. I can’t even describe it. Just embarrassing.
Fortunately, Drew Stubbs bailed Ondru the Giant out.
–Speaking of defense, the Reds committed four errors tonight: Scott Rolen, Ryan Ludwick, Todd Frazier, Mesoraco. That’s just not acceptable.
NOT-SO-RANDOM THOUGHTS
–In the 8th, it looked like the Reds had snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. A punch to the gut. Thank you, Stubbs. Thank you, CoCo.
–What is going on, Nation? Seven wins in a row. Fourteen wins in sixteen games. Eighteen games over .500. Since Votto went on the disabled list, the Reds are 8-2. This is just insane.
And I love it.
–During the game, I said this:
Homer Bailey’s ERA is down to 3.56 now. He’s been superb the last couple of months. This is why you are patient with young pitchers. #Reds
— Chad Dotson (@dotsonc) July 26, 2012
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Bailey’s ERA is actually 3.53 now. The guy has looked really good the last month or so. It’s fun to watch Homer maturing.
–Poor old Francisco Cordero looks like his career is finished. Two straight nights, he’s blown the game (thanks, CoCo!). This thought terrifies me, though:
Scary reminder: Cordero could have signed with the Reds at pretty much any time during the off season.
— Jason Linden (@JasonLinden) July 26, 2012
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#Reds made four errors tonight and still won. Paging Tom Emanski.
— Chad Dotson (@dotsonc) July 26, 2012
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–First seven-game winning streak since August 2010. Did anything fun happen that season?
–Enjoy the off-day, Nation!
Source: FanGraphs