Rus Livingood
April 18, 2013 – Marlins @ Reds – 7:10pm – Fox Sports Cincinnati
Reds Record (8 – 7)
Home Record (7 – 2)
Marlins Record (3 – 12)
Away Record (1 – 5)
Starters: Fernandez (0 – 0) vs. Cingrani (0 – 0)
Storylines:
Zach Cozart started hitting after I talked about him not hitting. Coincidence? Maybe. The entire team was hitting yesterday. Now the hapless Marlins come to town for a four game set. Can the Reds keep up their winning ways? Tony Cingrani makes his Major League debut, and he has a lot of promise.
The Setting: The Livingood household. I am watching my daughter while my wife is out, so there won’t be any live-blogging as the game goes on. This will be more of a reaction to the game than a running tab of what is going on inning by inning.
The Game and Analysis:
This game was another offensive onslaught for the Reds, and also a great game by rookie starter Tony Cingrani. Cingrani pitched well for his major league debut, going 5.0 innings on 102 pitches while striking out eight batters. He did give up three walks and an earned run, but what more can you ask for out of your rookie starter? The only run for the Marlins came on a home run by Justin Ruggiano in the 10th pitch of the at bat.
The Reds amassed 12 hits and went 5 – 10 with runners in scoring position. Zach Cozart continued his hot streak, going 2 – 4 with a couple of RBI. Joey Votto continues to “struggle” with driving the ball for extra bases, but he is being pitched around just about ever at bat. He picked up another two walks, bringing his MLB-leading total to 24. The next two highest batters on the leader board have 22. Combined.
One of the highlights of my night—as well as a highlight for several of my friends as we tweeted about the game—was the game’s bat boy for the Reds tonight, Teddy. Teddy has Down’s syndrome and was made the bat boy for the game. He was having an absolute blast and celebrated with the Reds players as they tacked on run after run. The smile and exuberance he displayed was contagious amongst the Reds, and I couldn’t help but smile at home, too. Teddy is a huge Reds fan and was living his dream tonight! This is not Teddy’s first time as bat boy for the Reds, but the excitement he was having in this game was off the charts.
Shinn-Soo Choo was also another major factor last night, getting on base another three times. He has gotten on base in every game as a Red, and sets the table well.
It was also nice to see Mr. Everything in the Bullpen, Sam LeCure back on the mound.
What Worked: The Reds offense looked great again last night. Their offensive rankings continue to climb with games like this, but I am hoping for some consistency from game to game. Cingrani had a nice little debut and showed that he overpowers people with location and changing of speeds rather than blowing them away with heat. Teddy was absolutely amazing!
What Didn’t Work: The Reds were batting around in the 5th and Joey Votto came up with one out and the bases loaded. He hit into a double play. Hopefully, Votto will get back to putting up numbers like he was before his knee injury. He just doesn’t seem to be driving the ball to the gaps or over the fences like the Votto we came to know.
Where They Stand: The Reds are 9 – 7 and remain ½ game behind the Cardinals in the NL Central.
Overall Thoughts: Teddy! Teddy! Teddy!
Up Next: The Marlins return for the second game of this four game set.
