Let’s recap today’s titanic struggle….
FINAL
Cincinnati 6
Washington 3
W: J. Cueto (1-0)
L: S. Strasburg (1-1)
S: A. Chapman (2)
BOX SCORE
POSITIVES
–The Reds won a second series in a row against a tough team.
–Another 2 hit day for Jay Bruce. I believe he is officially up and running.
–Reds also saw two hits each from Choo, Phillips, and Paul.
–Johnny Cueto did not have his best stuff today, but he still ended up with a very solid start to garner his first win of the year.
–For the first time, we got to see the Marshall-Broxton-Chapman combo. It went well.
NEGATIVES
–While the three relievers pitched well, it would have been nice if the Reds didn’t have to use all of them as it would be nice to have them around for St. Louis.
NOT-SO-RANDOM THOUGHTS
–Under no circumstances do you expect to be 4-2 after playing these two teams. You just don’t. Even if you are as good as the Reds figure to be, you hope for .500. Winning both series is an excellent early sign.
–Joey Votto is still very clearly not hitting on all cylinders, but he’s still getting on base. Once he does get going, this team might be scary for a while.
–The Reds scored 27 runs over the last three days. They are currently averaging 6 1/3 runs per game. I told you they’d hit better this year.
–It was awfully, awfully good to see Sean Marshall pitch and pitch well today. I look forward to seeing more of him in St. Louis.
–Now it’s on to St. Louis for a renewal of what has been a very good rivalry. If the Reds win 2 of 3 there, they will be off to a truly fantastic start.