Boxscore

After the heart-breaking collapse in Atlanta, I was wondering how prepared the Cincinnati Reds would be for the Cleveland Indians interleague series. Apparently, I underestimated their fortitude.

The Reds won the first 2 games of the series and were going for the sweep on Sunday. The 2 wins put them back in first place, too, as they continue to go back and forth with the St. Louis Cardinals. I would love seeing that battle for the rest of the season.

Unfortunately, the Reds were unable to complete the sweep, and fell back into second place. It wasn’t for lack of trying, though.

With a tired bullpen and the need for a starter to go deep into the game, Homer Bailey came down with a tight shoulder in the 3rd inning. But the relievers pulled together and allowed just 1 run over 5 2/3 innings.

So often this season that has given the offense enough time to come back. They did tie it once–on Scott Rolen’s second home run of the game–but they never got hits to fall when threatening. Rolen was the sole source of runs this game.

But the series was won, and the Ohio Cup stays in Cincinnati. More importantly, the Reds have shown they can put terrible, terrible losses behind them and focus on the next game. That’s quite a bit different from previous teams, and it something to make me a little optimistic.