| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Fuzzy Cubbies (49-42) | 4 | 8 | 0 |
| Cincinnati Redlegs (41-49) | 5 | 8 | 0 |
| W: Mattheus (1-1) L: Grimm (1-3) S: Chapman (19) | |||
| FanGraphs Win Probability | Box Score | |||
The Good
–Todd Frazier and Jay Bruce were the offensive stars. Frazier hit a solo homer in the first, his first home run since totally dominating the world and winning the Home Run Derby. Bruce hit a two-run homer in the sixth (scoring Frazier) that gave the Reds their winning margin. Frazier was 2-3 with a walk on the night; Bruce was 2-4.
–Good work by the bullpen tonight. Mattheus, Badenhop (though he was a bit shaky), Hoover, and Chapman combined for four scoreless, one-hit innings. It was the difference in the game.
–Eugenio Suarez tripled tonight. The kid is hitting .311/.348/.509 with the Reds this season. I know his defense has been shaky (small sample size; he’ll be fine at SS, even though he won’t be as good as Cozart), but he’s a legit MLB middle infielder. Fun to watch him develop.
–Aroldis Chapman was a joy to watch tonight, despite throwing 44 pitches last night. He retired the Cubs on 13 pitches in the ninth inning, striking out two. It’s almost like he can perform well, even with an increased workload. (See my piece for Cincinnati Magazine tomorrow.)
–Marlon Byrd hit a solo homer in the fourth. He’s adequate.
–Brandon Phillips made a gorgeous play at second base tonight. I feel like I’ve written that in a thousand different recaps.
–Billy Hamilton made a pretty good defensive play too, a throw to nail Dexter Fowler at second base in the fifth inning. I know he can’t hit, but I really enjoy watching Hamilton play defense and run the bases. Just wish he’d get on base more often (0-3 tonight).
The Bad
–Rough outing for Michael Lorenzen. Five innings, four earned runs on seven hits and three walks. He’ll have better days.
Not-So-Random Thoughts
–The Reds beat the stupid Cubs, and that’s always a good thing.
–I know everyone wants to hate on Jay Bruce, but look at his statistics. He’s hitting .255/.340/.481 with a .351 wOBA and a 122 wRC+. Those are good numbers. Just love Bruce. Please? (And don’t trade him, Walt.)
–Suarez, Phillips, Zack Cozart. Next year, what do you do in the middle infield if you are the Reds?
–Raisel Iglesias will take the hill tomorrow, as the Reds try to grab at least a split in this series. Go Reds.