Rus Livingood
April 22, 2013 – Cubs @ Reds – 7:10pm – Fox Sports Cincinnati
Reds Record (11 – 8)
Home Record (10 – 3)
Cubs Record (5 – 12)
Away Record (2 – 7)
Starters: Wood (1 – 1) vs. Leake (1 – 0)
The Setting: Casa de Livingood
The Game and Analysis:
•What a game! There were 13 innings over four and a half plus hours, and it the highs and lows made it an emotional rollercoaster for me. The Cubs threw a punch right of the bat and it seemed like the Reds would never answer. They did, and we went to extra innings. The Reds then let the Cubs go up by two, and got three in the bottom of the inning to win the game. Just a tremendous game to watch as the Reds came from behind again.
•David DeJesus lead off the game with a rocket down the line, homering off of Mike Leake on the third pitch of the game. Leake gave up another run in the third inning on a couple of singles that sandwiched a sac bunt and a walk. He lasted seven innings and only gave up those two runs, scattering eight hits and two walks. I always get discouraged when the Reds pitchers give up a couple of runs early, and this was no different. However, Leake ended up pitching a very respectable game, and the home run to lead off the game was the only extra base hit he gave up. The score would remain 2 – 0 until after Leake came out of the game.
•Jack Hanahan pinch hit for Leake in the bottom of the seventh inning, and he promptly tripled to tie the score at 2 – 2. Jay Bruce lead the inning off with a home run to put the Reds on the board, and Chris Heisey had singled prior to Hanahan’s at bat. This would be the only runs until the thirteenth inning.
•To lead off the thirteenth, Todd Frazier let a grounder by Welington Castillo go right under his glove. Luis Valbuena smacked a home run off of Alfredo Simon in the next at bat, putting the Cubs up 4 – 2. As I mentioned, the Reds answered, as they came out to win in the bottom of the inning. Xavier Paul singled to lead off the inning, but didn’t go anywhere as Joey Votto lined out to left field. I had visions of Votto crushing a home run off the Toyota Tundra in centerfield, but it just didn’t happen. Never fear, though: Brandon Phillips doubled to right, putting men on second and third with only one out. Jay Bruce followed with a double of his own to tie the score. The Livingood household (well, just me) erupted in celebration. Todd Frazier grounded out, moving Bruce to third. Light-hitting Cesar Izturis was at the plate, and I honestly muttered, “Well, at least they tied it up.” Izturis made me go buy a hat so I could eat it, as he lined a game winning single into left.
•Votto and Shin-Soo Choo went a combined 0 – 8, coming off their recent games of racking up the hits. Choo did get a couple of walks and a hit by pitch to help keep his on base percentage from dropping too much. That’s right, he went 3 – 6 and his OBP dropped. Brandon Phillips went 1 – 6, so the first four in the Reds lineup went a combined 1 – 18. This game belonged to a couple of late-inning replacements and Jay Bruce.
•The Reds had three errors in the game, and two of them came back to back in the 10th. As I said, this game was an emotional rollercoaster for me, and I assumed that someone had conjured up some voodoo on the team. Votto booted a grounder and Zach Cozart messed up on a throw. The Reds are usually sure-handed, but the infield gave the Cuba a few extra chances in extra innings of this game.
•Aroldis Chapman and J.J. Hoover each struck out the side during their full inning of work. Hoover pitched an additional 1/3 inning before striking out the side the next inning. He seems to be back to his performances this spring, which is bad news for the National League. This bullpen is deep, and it is talented. The bullpen combined for 6.0 innings, three hits, two walks, two runs (one unearned), and 11 strikeouts!
What Worked: The Reds battled and battled, which has been a theme so far this year. Their bullpen was tremendous, even though they gave up the lead on the Valbuena homer. Jay bruce had a couple of clutch hits and picked up three RBIs. Hanahan, Paul, and Izturis came through in big ways after coming in as replacements later in the game.
What Didn’t Work: The Reds made three errors, and all of them could have been costly (or more costly than what they were). I watched errors contribute to losing season after losing season for the Reds, and their improved defense has been one of the reasons for their turnaround. Hopefully they can shake these off and keep up the solid performances.
Where They Stand: The Reds are 12 – 8 and are in first place in the NL Central.
Overall Thoughts: This was a game I was happy to stay up for and watch the ending. All of the wind went out of my sails when the Cubs went up two runs in the thirteenth, but it just made the comeback, walk-off win even more thrilling.
Up Next: The Reds host the Cubs for game two of the series tomorrow evening.
