Let’s recap tonight’s titanic struggle….
FINAL
Cincinnati 2
Pittsburgh 4
W: A. Burnett (9-11)
L: H. Bailey (11-11)
S: J. Grilli (31)
BOX SCORE
POSITIVES
–Ryan Ludwick was 2-3 with a walk and an RBI. Zack Cozart hit his 12th homer.
NEGATIVES
–The Reds were leading 2-0 in the second. In the bottom half of the inning, Joey Votto committed a two-out error — his 14th of the season — that extended the inning. On the very next pitch, Russell Martin hit a game-tying homer.
Then, in the sixth inning, Pittsburgh took the lead thanks partially to a throwing error by Homer Bailey. This year’s version of the Reds have just been sloppy since day one.
–Maybe it’s just me, but I’d prefer not to have Derrick Robinson and Jack Hannahan (in there because of Todd Frazier’s struggles in 11 AB against AJ Burnett, according to Cincinnati’s manager) in the starting lineup for one of the biggest games of the season. Even if you feel like you need Robinson in the game, thanks to Shin-Soo Choo’s injury, is it really a good idea to let a guy with a .309 OBP bat leadoff?
I’m not smart enough to understand this, but in Dusty we Trusty, right?
–Oh, and those two went 0-7 and struck out four times.
–I don’t understand the bullpen usage in the sixth inning either, but I’ve become accustomed to it.
–Jay Bruce was 0-4 and grounded into two double plays, including a crucial one in the top of the ninth.
–They’re gonna break your heart, Nation.
NOT-SO-RANDOM THOUGHTS
–Remember last night? That was fun. Tonight…not so much. You can’t win ’em all, they tell me.
–Homer Bailey was just okay. He allowed two earned runs on three hits and four walks in 5.2 innings. He wasn’t the dominant Homer that his team needed, but he was adequate.
–The Reds are now back in third place, three back of the Cardinals. If the Reds can pull one off tomorrow, behind Bronson Arroyo, it’ll be a series victory on the road in Pittsburgh. That’s a good thing, right?