Rus Livingood
May 5, 2013 – Reds @ Cubs – 2:20pm – Fox Sports Ohio
Reds Record (17 – 14)
Away Record (5 – 10)
Cubs Record (11 – 19)
Home Record (5 – 9)
Starters: Latos (2 – 0) vs. Jackson (0 – 4)
The Setting: Back in Huntington and watching the game at my house.
The Game and Analysis:
•The Reds win 7 – 4, as their bats and pitching combined for another good game. It’s great to get a sweep, especially on the road, and even better on this road trip which has been rough.
•Joey Votto looked great at the plate, hitting a couple of doubles and going 3 – 5. Votto continued his great road trip, finishing up 15 – 42 (.357) and 13 for his last 30 (.433). He was driving the ball for extra bases and looked like the Votto of old. It’s nice to see him get back to form, even if it has been only a several game stretch. When he starts hitting like this every series, everyone in this lineup should benefit.
•Mat Latos only pitched five innings, and was tabbed with giving up three runs. However, I personally don’t think any of the runs should have been earned. In the fifth inning, there were two outs when Latos gave up a pair of singles. Alfonso Soriano skied a pop-up to shallow centerfield and Shin-Soo Choo came in as Brandon Phillips drifted out. Phillips was backpedalling and Choo slid, both going for the catch. The ball glanced off of Phillips’ glove, striking Choo right in the mouth. It was ruled a double, scoring both runners on base. The next batter singled in Soriano, and all three runs were charged to Latos as the aforementioned play was not ruled an error. If those runs had been unearned, Latos would be sporting a 1.62 ERA instead of his current 2.23. It is merely semantics, but I care about things like that.
•On the play where the ball hit Choo, both he and Brandon Phillips were down on the field for several minutes. Phillips appeared to trip over the sliding Choo, but I am not sure how he was hurt unless he got the wind knocked out of him. It was obvious what happened to Choo, as the ball hit him right in the upper lip. He kept wiggling his teeth, and I have no idea how one or more of them were not knocked out. His lip was swollen immediately, but there was no blood that I could see. I can tell you from experience that a fly ball to the face is not pleasant, and I have the scar on my left cheekbone to show for it. As for the Reds players, both would stay in the game and were okay.
•Most of the Reds were involved in the scoring. Todd Frazier had a two run single in the fourth inning as part of a 2 – 3 day; Jay Bruce knocked in Votto on a double to get the scoring started; Zack Cozart went hitless but picked up an RBI on a sacrifice fly; Votto had an RBI on one of his doubles; Phillips had a sac fly; and newcomer Donald Lutz plated a run on a groundout for the final run for the Reds.
•Sean Marshall had another efficient outing, as he threw 12 pitches (seven for strikes) in his one inning pitched. He has looked terrific since coming off the disabled list.
•Speaking of relievers, J. J. Hoover got the call for the save instead of Aroldis Chapman. It was an adventure, as he gave up a leadoff single and then had a throwing error on a ball he fielded from the next batter. After his first two batters, there were runners on first and third with no outs, and they tying run at the plate. Hoover retired the next three batters in order, and closed out the game without giving up a run.
What Worked: Virtually everything, as the Reds played another complete game. Most everyone had a hand in the Reds scoring seven runs, and the pitching was good as well. Remember, if Phillips or Choo come up with that fly ball, they would have only given up one run.
What Didn’t Work: The Reds had a couple of fielding gaffes, though only one was an error (Hoover’s throw).
Where They Stand: The Reds are 18 – 14, and trail the Cardinals by 2 ½ games in the NL Central. They are ½ game up on the Pirates.
Overall Thoughts: Great series for the Reds as they swept the Cubs to take the sting out of a bad road trip. Votto is heating up, and the Reds’ bats overall are looking much better. Hopefully this momentum will continue on their upcoming home stand, and they can start making up some ground on the Cardinals:
Up Next: The Reds return home to take on the Braves for a three game set starting tomorrow night.
