Rus Livingood
May 27, 2013 – Indians @ Reds – 1:10pm – Fox Sports Cincinnati
Reds Record (31 – 19)
Home Record (18 – 7)
Indians Record (27 – 22)
Away Record (12 – 12)
Starters: Jiminez (3 – 3) vs. Leake (4 – 2)
The Setting: It’s Memorial Day, and I have the day off. With several close friends currently serving, and a grandfather that lied about his age so he could join the army to fight in World War II, I always take time to express my gratitude on the day we have set aside as a day of remembrance for our fallen soldiers. From the bottom of my heart, I would like to say thanks to all of our soldiers that have served or are currently serving so that this country may be free. Memorial Day also means baseball and grilling out for me, and that will ring true this year as well. We’re not doing anything too fancy, as we’ve got burgers, hot dogs, fruit, and cookies.
The Game and Analysis:
•This was a good game for a cookout, and a good day game to watch. Would I have liked to have seen the Reds win 15 – 0 while the pitcher threw a perfect game? Of course! But I enjoy seeing a low-scoring pitcher’s duel or a game that comes down to a couple of key situations. This game had a little bit of everything, as scores were hard to come by, there were home runs, manufactured runs, and good defense. In the end, the Reds won 4 – 2, and there was plenty to talk about.
•For my grill, I had six half-pound burger patties and six hot dogs. I topped the burgers with cheddar cheese (except for the pepper jack on mine) and bacon so no one could accuse us of watching our figures. Our company was going to arrive shortly after the game started, so I parked myself in front of the television with the baby while my wife and her friend ran to the store for a last minute ingredient or two. Once it was time to venture out to the grill, I would have the game recording and pick up where I left off.
•Shin-Soo Choo led off Cincinnati’s half of the first inning with a home run. After the game, I would find out that Choo is the first Major Leaguer to homer in his first at bat against his former team on two separate occasions. He homered for the Indians in his first at bat against the Mariners, and no he has done it against the Indians. Neat. Choo broke out of a prolonged slump with a 2 – 4 day at the plate and scored two runs. The Reds would not score again until the sixth inning.
•Zack Cozart continued his hot streak by going 2 – 2 with a double, a single, a walk, and a sacrifice bunt in the eighth inning. Cozart’s double was as close to a foul ball as you will see, as only about an 1/8th of the ball hit the chalk line. After Joey Votto moved him to third with a grounder, he scored on a sacrifice fly from Brandon Phillips. Over the last five games, Cozart is 9 – 20 (.450), and has four doubles. This could just be a short hot streak, but it has been welcome production near the top of the order as Choo has been cold. The Reds have not gotten much out of the second spot in the order all year until Cozart’s recent burst. Cozart also had a tremendous bare-handed play at short to nail the speedy Drew Stubbs in the only possible way the play could have been made. Throughout his slumps, Cozart has always had above average defense.
•Votto only had one hit, but it was a big one. After the Indians had tied the game at 2 – 2 in the eighth inning, Choo led off the Reds’ half of the inning with a single. He went to second on a passed ball, and moved to third on Cozart’s sac bunt. Votto followed with a two run homer that set the final score of 4 – 2. It was the third home run in five games for Votto, who is having a crazy-hot May.
•Phillips’ sacrifice fly gave him his 43rd RBI on the year, and he remains first in that category in the National League.
•Mike Leake pitched a terrific game. He and Ubaldo Jiminez were making it tough for the other team to score runs, and it was 2 – 1 Reds after seven innings. Leake came back out for the Reds in the eighth inning, and struck out Drew Stubbs. Jason Giambi came in to pinch hit for Jiminez and absolutely crushed a ball to centerfield to tie the game. It was Leake’s last pitch of the game, and his final line was 7.1 innings, 5 hits, 0 walks, 2 runs (1 unearned), on 99 pitches. The unearned run came after a booted ball by Phillips, who looked to be trying to turn two on a tough play. Leake has a 2.13 ERA over his last eight starts, and has lowered his ERA to 3.02 on the year. Keep in mind, this is the fifth starter in the rotation!
•Aroldis Chapman nailed down the ninth inning after Broxton had relieved Leake for the last two outs in the eighth. Chapman’s first pitch to Nick Swisher (with one out) soared over the catcher’s head and hit the net at the backstop. His next pitch was dangerously close to Swisher’s head. Chapman was throwing 100mph, and that could have been a scary scene had it hit Swisher in the head. The Indians’ dugout jumped to the top of the steps and were shouting at Chapman as Swisher mouthed, “Don’t do that,” while he stared at Chapman. Swisher put a charge into the ball with his first swing, and I thought he hit a home run when it left the bat. It ended up being a fairly routine out, and Swisher and Chapman exchanged a few words as Swisher made his way past the mound on his way to the dugout. I honestly don’t think Chapman was throwing at Swisher, but I wouldn’t be surprised if a Red gets plunked tomorrow.
What Worked: The Reds put together a tremendously pitched game – especially Leake – and also had enough pop to come away with the win. Zack Cozart continued to turn around his troubles at the plate, and helped set the stage for some of the runs. Votto’s home run was the clutch hit he became known for by Reds fans.
What Didn’t Work: The Reds only had six hits and were 1 – 7 with runners in scoring position.
Where They Stand: The Reds are 32 – 19 and are 1.5 games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central. They are now 1.0 game ahead of the Pirates.
Overall Thoughts: Well, it was a good three days off, even if the Reds didn’t win all three games. Grilling out before/during a game was something I had been looking forward to all season, and I finally got to do that today. That should be a more common thing from here on out. But enough about me; let’s hear it for Joey Votto and the Cincinnatuh Redlegs!
Up Next: The Reds close out the mini-series with the Indians tomorrow to end the mini home stand.
