Rus Livingood
June 16, 2013 – Brewers @ Reds – 1:10pm – Fox Sports Cincinnati
Reds Record (41 – 28)
Home Record (23 – 12)
Brewers Record (28 – 39)
Away Record (12– 19)
Starters: Peralta (4 – 7) vs. Cueto (3 – 0)
Storylines: Johnny Cueto returns from the disabled list today and takes the mound against the Brewers. Tony Cingrani, who has started the majority of the games that Cueto has missed this year, remains with the club and will be in the bullpen for a while. This is a good move from the perspective of needing a quality lefthander for long relief or as a setup man, but the downside is Cingrani will not be able to continue to develop as a starter in the minors. He is already pretty polished (considering he is a rookie), but working on his secondary pitches and staying on a starter’s throwing schedule would do him a lot of good. I am happy to have him on the roster right now, and I am sure they can revisit his role once Sean Marshall is healthy and ready to return. Oh, and that Cueto fellow is fairly important to the club. It is good to have him back!
The Setting: It is Father’s Day, and the family and I are lounging around watching the game at the house. My Father’s Day brunch is homemade buttermilk pancakes topped with a homemade blueberry compote and a mimosa or two. My wife is the best.
The Game and Analysis:
•Johnny Cueto returned in a big way, as he shook off a couple of big hits against him in the first inning to cruise to the victory in a one run effort in six innings. The Reds had plenty of offense to topple the Brewers and take the series with a 5 – 1 win.
•Cueto gave up a line drive homer to Carlos Gomez in the first that gave the Brewers a 1 – 0 lead. The next batter, Jonathan Lucroy, doubled off Cueto. It was looking like Cueto might have some rust after coming off the disabled list, but he quickly settled down and gave up only three singles in his next five innings. Cueto’s final line was 6.0 innings, 5 hits, 0 walks, 1 run, and 3 strikeouts on 88 pitches. There was no need to leave Cueto in for another inning as he was fresh off the disabled list, and pinch-hitting for him ended up paying off, too.
•Cueto got the Reds on the board in the second inning, helping his own cause with the bat. With Xavier Paul on third base with one out, manager Dusty Baker put the squeeze play on with Cueto batting. Even though he closed his eyes while bunting, Cueto laid down a perfect slow roller to score Paul and tie the game at 1 – 1.
•The Reds scored two more in the third inning, as Zack Cozart hit a leadoff double and eventually scored on a Brandon Phillips check-swing grounder that glanced off the pitcher’s glove. Jay Bruce then launched a solo homer into a rampway to the concourse in the Sun/Moon Deck in right-centerfield. “Rampway” is not a word. What do you call those things? The Reds were up 3 – 0.
•That score would hold until the aforementioned pinch-hitting for Cueto, as Donald Lutz came into the game and hit a two-run single in the sixth inning for the final scores of the game. Jack Hannahan walked with one out, and Ryan Hanigan doubled to set up Lutz’s hit. Lutz hustled to second on the throw home, and nearly went to third when the cutoff man threw the ball past second trying to get Lutz out.
•Joey Votto notched a couple of singles as he went 2 – 4 at the plate to snap his recent slide. While not a breakout game by any stretch, Votto getting a couple of hits while looking good at the plate was nice to see after a few games where he looked tired and frustrated. He is too good of a hitter to stay down for long, and I expect his average to start creeping back up toward .330 – .340 over the next couple of weeks.
•Alfredo Simon pitched the final three innings for the Reds, getting a save while shutting out the Brewers and giving up only two hits. Simon struck out the final five batters, and six overall.
What Worked: Cueto looked great; Simon looked great; the Reds had some timely hits; and they closed out the series on a good note. This was a terrific game for a big Reds fan on Father’s Day. The decision to pinch hit for Cueto in the sixth was not necessarily surprising, but it paid off in spades. The squeeze play was a great call and it was executed perfectly. For you kids at home, though, keep your eyes open when bunting.
What Didn’t Work: Cueto was admittedly trying too hard in the first inning, trying to locate his pitches perfectly. Thankfully, he decided to just do what he does best and dominated the rest of the game.
Where They Stand: The Reds are 42 – 28 and trail the Cardinals by 2.5 games in the NL Central. They remain 0.5 game ahead of the Pirates.
Overall Thoughts: Gaining ground on the Cardinals was a great thing to see. This club continues to show what potential they have with their pitching, their offense, and their overall makeup. I still don’t feel like this team has been able to put it all together yet, and they have the second best record in baseball.
Up Next: The Reds host the Pirates for a huge four game series that could change the shape of the NL Central.
