Rus Livingood
April 21, 2013 – Marlins @ Reds – 1:10pm – Fox Sports Cincinnati
Reds Record (10 – 8)
Home Record (9 – 3)
Marlins Record (4 – 14)
Away Record (2 – 7)
Starters: Sanabia (2 – 1) vs. Bailey (1 – 1)
Storylines: The Reds are back to playing winning baseball on a regular basis, and that is just what the doctor ordered for me. Shinn-Soo Choo and Joey Votto have been hot, and we’ll see if they can stay that way. Homer Bailey looks to build off his tremendous performance that he had last time out, and pick up his second victory of the year.
The Setting: My house on a lazy Sunday.
The Game and Analysis:
•Joey Votto hit his second homer in as many games in the bottom of the first inning. He ended up going 3 – 5 and raised his slugging percentage to over .500 for the first time this year. Votto is 7 – 11 in his last two games and is now hitting .328 for the year. Is he back to his usual expectations? Only time will tell.
•The Reds were locked in to a 2 -2 tie before exploding for eight runs in the seventh inning for a 10 – 2 lead. That they can score in spurts like that drives me crazy when they have trouble scoring every other game. In that seventh inning, the Reds sent 12 batters to the plate, including the first six batters of the inning reaching safely.
•Shin-Soo Choo was hit by a pitch twice in this game, increasing his Major League lead. Choo has been a magnet for being hit by pitches so far this year, which has helped him get to a .523 OBP, which also leads the Majors. Choo is .001 ahead of Votto in that category after today’s game. Choo reached base in all five of his plate appearances this game.
•Brandon Phillips picked up another RBI to give him 21 on the year, as he remains in second place in that category in the NL. Phillips has shined early in the cleanup spot this year.
•Homer Bailey looked pretty good on the mound, but ended up with a no decision. He pitched 6.0 innings and struck out eight while giving up two earned runs.
•Manny Parra came in for mop up duty in the ninth inning and gave up four runs. Logan Ondrusek, however, came in to the game for Bailey in the seventh inning, and struck out the side. The offensive onslaught by the Reds in the bottom half of the inning gave him his first victory of the year.
•My wife and I have friends that had their first baby yesterday, and we keep texting them back and forth about when a good time would be to come see them in the hospital and bring them something should they need it. My wife and daughter start napping on the couch and I can barely keep my eyes open until the game is over. I don’t even make it to the post-game wrap-up until I drift off as well. Final tally is a 45 minute nap for me, and a 2 ½ hour nap for the females. We end up sleeping through the text that says now is a good time to go to the hospital for a visit. That sleep was needed after yesterday, though.
What Worked: The Reds showed how explosive their lineup can be, as they erupted for all those runs. Bailey pitched a very good game, and Ondrusek and Alfredo Simon pitched well in relief. Starting Xavier Paul in left turned out to be a good decision, as he went 2 – 5 batting second in the lineup.
What Didn’t Work: Manny Parra struggled in relief. This team needs a healthy Sean Marshall back in the fold.
Where They Stand: The Reds are 11 – 8 and are back in the lead in the NL Central!
Overall Thoughts: This was just a feel-good game to watch. It was a back and forth contest early on that saw Votto homer again, then turned into a game where the Reds could do no wrong in the seventh inning. Hopefully their offense will start clicking after this game, and not return to the Jekyll and Hyde performances like we have seen so far.
Up Next: The Reds welcome the Cubs to Cincinnati tomorrow evening.
