Let’s recap tonight’s titanic struggle….
FINAL — 13 innings
Pittsburgh 1
Cincinnati 2
W: M. Parra (1-1)
L: V. Mazzaro (3-2)
BOX SCORE
POSITIVES
–Brandon Phillips only had one hit, but it was a big one: a 13th-inning RBI single to win the game.
–Jay Bruce had a pretty big hit, too: a bottom-of-the-ninth, game-tying homer after the Reds had been unable to score all night.
–Bronson Arroyo just keeps getting it done. Tonight, Arroyo tossed seven innings, allowed six hits, three walks, and only one unearned run. His ERA is down to 3.04 now. Raise your hand if you expected those numbers from Arroyo near the end of June.
–Todd Frazier and Ryan Hanigan each had a double and a single. Shin-Soo Choo had two hits, as well.
–The Reds got good relief work from Tony Cingrani (one perfect inning, in which he struck out the side), Alfredo Simon, Aroldis Chapman, Sam LeCure, and Manny Parra. In all, those five pitchers tossed six shutout innings, allowing three hits and three walks, striking out seven.
NEGATIVES
–Not exactly a mammoth offensive performance by the good guys tonight.
NOT-SO-RANDOM THOUGHTS
–With a win tomorrow, the Reds can take three out of four against the Pirates, who now drop 1.5 games behind the Redlegs.
–At 44-29, the Reds still have the second best record in the majors, despite being in second place in the NL Central.
–The Reds tied Colorado tonight for the most extra-inning games in the majors in 2013.
–Bruce has homered in four of the last six games.
–The Jay Bruce ninth-inning blast was the first blown save of the season for Pittsburgh’s Jason Grilli. It was also the first homer Grillia has allowed this year.
–Go Reds.