Let’s recap tonight’s titanic struggle….
FINAL
Cincinnati 10
St. Louis 0
W: H. Bailey (9-10)
L: A. Wainwright (15-8)
BOX SCORE
POSITIVES
–The Reds sent ten batters to the plate in the top of the first against St. Louis ace Adam Wainwright, scoring six runs and ending the game early. Shin-Soo Choo batted twice before the Cardinals had a chance to hit. Homer Bailey singled in a run before he ever threw a pitch.
That kind of first inning makes for a less-nervy evening of baseball-watching.
–Joey Votto reached base four times: a double, three walks, and two runs scored in four plate appearances. Jay Bruce drove in five runs in the first two innings, including a three-run homer in the second that gave the Reds a 9-0 lead.
–Homer Bailey pitched 7.1 innings of shutout ball, allowing only five hits. Homer was dealing tonight, with fastballs reaching 98 mph. Dominance.
–JJ Hoover and Sam LeCure finished out the game without allowing a hit or a run.
–Zack Cozart was 3-5 with a run scored; his hot hitting continues. Bailey had two hits and an RBI. Brandon Phillips was 2-5 with two runs scored in his first game back in the second spot in the lineup. Chris Heisey homered in his only plate appearance.
NEGATIVES
–None. None whatsoever. Enjoy this.
NOT-SO-RANDOM THOUGHTS
–Thanks, Reds. I needed that.
–That’s the most runs ever scored against Wainwright in the first two innings of a game.
–A much needed day off tomorrow, then the Reds head to Colorado for a weekend series against the Rockies.