Rus Livingood
June 8, 2013 – Cardinals @ Reds – 7:10pm – Fox Sports Cincinnati
Reds Record (36 – 25)
Home Record (21 – 10)
Cardinals Record (40 – 21)
Away Record (21– 9)
Starters: Lyons (2 – 1) vs. Latos (5 – 0)
The Setting: I am in Cincinnati! Yay! But I can’t go to the game. Boo! We are in Cincinnati to visit my wife’s friend, and they are going to a get together this evening at a bar. Every option has fallen through where a family member might be able to watch my daughter while I went to the game, and I ultimately decided that taking my 20-month-old to a game by myself was a recipe for disaster. With only one seat, there would be nowhere for her to go when she got bored with sitting on my lap. I felt like there would not be much game-watching, and it could be a problem with all of the walking to and from the stadium, and the length of time devoted to the entire process. I decided that she and I would stay at my wife’s friend’s house and watch the game on TV. Well, she will be watching Caillou and Super Why on my iPad, but you get the idea.
The Game and Analysis:
•Though I really wanted to be at the game in person, I was very happy that the Reds got the victory. The Reds had a little offensive rally midway through the game and held of the Cardinals for a 4 – 2 victory. I’ll tell you how it al unfolded below.
•Mat Latos put the Reds in a great position to win by throwing seven innings of two-run baseball. With the victory, Latos has extended his regular season winning streak to 10 games, and has not lost in his last 20 regular season games. It was a bit of a rough start, as he threw 20 pitches in the first inning, gave up a hit and threw a wild pitch. He only threw eight pitches in the second inning, but gave up a leadoff double to Yadier Molina, which turned into the game’s first run after a sacrifice fly and a groundout allowed Molina to advance and score respectively. He gave up the other run an inning later when an infield single allowed Carlos Beltran to score due to Zack Cozart’s throw pulling Joey Votto off first base. That was all the Cardinals would get off Latos, though, as he shut them down the next four innings and turned it over to the bullpen.
•Jay Bruce put the Reds on the board in the second inning with a home run that tied the game at 1 – 1. The homer was a line drive shot into the Reds’ bullpen, and the swing looked effortless. It was Bruce’s 10th homer of the year and 9th since May 8. He would go 2 – 4 on the day and come up big on defense, which I will cover later.
•The score remained 2 – 1 for several innings, and then Devin Mesoraco tied the game with a solo homer. It was an opposite field homer that landed a row or two deep in the right-centerfield alley, and it just seemed to carry and carry. I’ll take it any way I can get it. Mesoraco’s shot led off the inning, and the next three batters were retired in order.
•The Reds were blessed with some tremendous defensive plays to aid Latos. In the top of the sixth inning, Shin-Soo Choo ran a long way to catch a Molina drive to the wall in right-centerfield that looked like a sure double. On the next pitch, David Freese drove the ball toward the wall in right field, and Jay Bruce made a leaping catch, possibly robbing Freese of a home run. Two pitches into the inning, and the Cardinals had two outs instead of one or two runs. In the seventh inning, Joey Votto fielded a ground ball towards first. He had to charge the slow chopper, and as he ran toward the ball, he scopped it up and flipped it behind his back while he was still moving. Latos barehanded the ball in the air as he and the ball arrived at first base at the same time. It was just a terrific play. So much could have gone wrong in that scenario, yet everything went perfectly. It was a perfect flip and Latos was able to track the ball as it appeared from behind Votto’s body.
•The Reds struck for a couple of runs in the sixth inning. They sent seven people to the plate:
1. Derrick Robinson doubled.
2. Votto hit a deep fly ball over the centerfielder’s head to the base of the wall to score Robinson to make the score 3 – 2. The relay throw home was up the line about 20 feet or more, allowing Votto to go to third.
3. Brandon Phillips grounded out to the shortstop, who was playing in. Votto stayed at third.
4. Bruce tapped a ball in front of the plate, and new pitcher Randy Choate seemed apprehensive to field it. Molina finally grabbed it and fired to first, but Bruce beat it out. Votto did not attempt to go home.
5. Todd Frazier walked to load the bases.
6. Mesoraco singled to score Votto (4 – 2) and move the other runners up a base.
7. Cozart grounded into a double play to end what could have been a huge inning for the Reds.
•Jonathan Broxton pitched the eighth inning for the Reds, and looked dominant. Besides walking Molina on eight pitches after having him in the hole 0 – 2, Broxton had a smooth inning. His fastball hit 97 several times, and he had a lot of bite on his pitches.
•Aroldis Chapman came on in the ninth inning for the save. After getting a groundout, he gave up a soft double to Pete Kozma. After another out, he hit Matt Carpenter. That brought the go ahead run to the plate, and the tying runs on. Carlos Beltran grounded the first pitch he saw to Frazier at third, and his throw made Votto stretch. The umpire said he kept his foot on the base, but replays showed he might have lifted his toe at the last second. The Cardinals and specifically manager Mike Matheny complained, but the game was over. The Reds won, and Chapman had save number 16 on the year.
What Worked: There was timely hitting, great pitching, and amazing defense. The Reds turned in a complete effort to best the Cards in this matchup. The pitching gets the game ball here, as this Cardinals offense has been piling up the runs and hits, but Latos and company kept them from doing too much.
What Didn’t Work: The Reds had a chance to break the game wide open, but Cozart hit into a double play to end the inning.
Where They Stand: The Reds are 37 – 25 and are 3.0 games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central. They are tied with the Pirates.
Overall Thoughts: The only thing that would have been better was if I could have made it to the game. This was a huge win, as the Reds would have dropped to five games back had they lost. Top to bottom, the team should be applauded for their play tonight.
Up Next: The final game of the series is tomorrow night on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.
