Let’s recap tonight’s titanic struggle….
FINAL
Cincinnati 5
Philadelphia 4
W: J. Broxton (2-1)
L: J. Papelbon (3-5)
S: A. Chapman (30)
BOX SCORE
POSITIVES
–Todd Frazier (2-3, 2B, HR, BB, 2 runs scored) hit a solo homer in the eighth to give the Reds a short-lived lead, but Zack Cozart (2-4, HR, 1 run scored, 2 RBI) homered off Jonathan Papelbon in the ninth to provide the winning margin. Clutch. How ’bout those rookies?
–Homer Bailey never seemed like he had his good stuff, but he ended up surrendering just two earned runs on seven hits in six and a third. Bailey struck out six and walked none. I’ll take that every time.
–Aroldis Chapman is good.
–Ryan Hanigan reached base three times again: 2-3 with a walk, a run scored, and an RBI. Drew Stubbs and Brandon Phillips had two hits each. One of BP’s hits was a double.
NEGATIVES
–Phillips made a rare error.
–Sean Marshall was bad. Jonathan Broxton was bad.
NOT-SO-RANDOM THOUGHTS
–Reds win again! That’s nine wins in twelve games for the Redlegs; 25-11 since Joey Votto last played. They just keep rolling.
–Ryan Hanigan has a .374 OBP. He gunned down another runner tonight. This guy is the most underrated catcher in the big leagues, and it isn’t even close.
–This:
I really, really want Chapman to be a starter. But man oh man is it comforting to have him as the closer.
— Doug Gray (@dougdirt24) August 22, 2012
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–Pittsburgh is losing. By the end of the evening, the Reds could have a 7.5 game lead once again.
–A win tomorrow could be huge, with Johnny Cueto pitching on Thursday.
Source: FanGraphs