Positives

–Another good start from Alfredo Simon: 6.2 innings pitched, one run allowed on four hits, striking out eight while walking two. Simon is now 12-3 with a 2.70 ERA.

–The Reds broke open a 1-1 game with three runs in the fifth inning. Zack Cozart got things going with a one-out single to center. After a sac bunt, the two-out rally commenced. Billy Hamilton tripled, scoring Cozart. After a Skip Schumaker walk, Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce came through with back-to-back RBI singles.

—Aroldis Chapman struck out the side in dominating fashion to close out the game.

–BP was the only Red with more than one hit, going 2-3. But…

Negatives

–Phillips made a diving stop in the top of the eighth, and sprained his left thumb in the process, forcing him to leave the game. It didn’t look good on the television broadcast, but I guess we should be happy that it wasn’t broken. I guess. Until BP is back in the lineup and healthy, I’m going to be concerned about this one.

–To make things even worse, Billy Hamilton turned his ankle sliding into second (and there were other reports that he grabbed his hamstring after his next at-bat; UPDATE: he had tightness in his hamstring). He stayed in the game a while, but was ultimately replaced by Chris Heisey later in the game. Just when things start going well, the injury bug hits again. Reds fans just can’t have nice things.

Not so random thoughts….

–The Reds have now won five in a row, six out of seven, and 14 of their last 19 games. The good guys are now seven games over .500 for the first time all season, and if the score holds up in Milwaukee, Cincinnati will be 2.5 games out of first place. That’ll do, Reds. That’ll do.

–So, Alfredo Simon just became the National League’s first 12-game winner. I’d venture to say that no one saw that coming.

–tHom Brennaman expended a lot of energy tonight arguing that Simon (and Jonathan Broxton) should be an the NL All-Star team. Look, it’s great that Simon has won some games and stabilized the rotation during the period when Mat Latos was out with injury. But coming into tonight, Simon ranked 44th among all NL starters in WAR, 43rd in FIP, and 40th in xFIP. Let’s not pretend he’s one of the elite pitchers in the league, okay?

–We heard on the television broadcast that Aroldis Chapman has struck out at least one opposing hitter in 38 consecutive games, after tonight. Only one relief pitcher in history has topped that (Bruce Sutter, who had 39 in ’79).

–Yep:

With Hamilton favoring an ankle, Phillips with a wrist issue, Votto on DL, bench down to 2 players, Uncle Walt will summon another pitcher.

— Mr. R (@MisterRedlegs) July 10, 2014

–Reds will go for the five-game series sweep (their first since 1976) of the Cubs tomorrow. This is fun, eh?