Boxscore

Perhaps “finally” isn’t the most accurate description, but it sure did feel like a long, arduous journey had been completed when Jonny Gomes hit the walk-off home run of Jason Motte to give the Cincinnati Reds their first victory of the young season.

That “finally” sure wasn’t helped by the fact that the Reds hadn’t lead in any game until the 5th inning of this, the 3rd one. And even that was short-lived when Matt Holliday homered to tie it in the 7th.

But Gomes and Bronson Arroyo were the heroes. In addition to pitching 8 innings of 1-run baseball, Arroyo drove in the Reds first run. And he recorded his 1,000th strikeout of his career, getting Albert Pujols, no less.

Brad Penny was the St. Louis Cardinals starter, and it was a pitcher’s duel between him and Arroyo. Penny lasted 7 innings and allowed 1 run.

After the starters left, it looked like it was going to be a battle of the bullpens. This time, unlike the first two games, the Reds prevailed.

Boxscore

Despite the avalanche of bloggers on Opening Night last night–Red Reporter and RHM were well represented–the Cincinnati Reds still lost.

Johnny Cueto started and lost for the Reds. He was quite good, going 6 innings while allowing just 2 runs from the offense that destroyed the Reds the game before. Heck, he even struck out Albert Pujols. He was also allowed to throw 109 pitches on his first start. So when he gets injured later this year, we can feel free to blame Dusty Baker for it. The pitcher’s spot was set to lead off the bottom of the inning, but hasn’t Baker ever heard of a double-switch? Sheesh.

The story of the game for the Reds was again the bullpen. In the top of the 7th, it seemed the Reds relievers were attempting their own variation of the classic joke, “How many people does it take?” In this case, it was, “How many Reds pitchers does it take to get one out?” The answer, as Mr. Owl so famously informed us, was 3.

Daniel Herrera allowed 1 run in his 0 innings, while Logan Ondrusek improved on that performance by allowed 3 in 0 innings. It took Arthur Rhodes to clean the mess up, but it was too late by then, which was a shame because Orlando Cabrera showed he may have something left in his bat by tieing the game with a 2-run homer just the inning before.

The bullpen will get better, but man is it tough seeing them inflate the opponent’s lead so much to make the game impossible to win. Hopefully, we’ll get to see how they handle a lead soon.

Adam Wainwright started for the Cardinals and was very good, stupefying the Reds until the 6th. Ryan Ludwick, Albert Pujols (of course), and Matt Holliday provided the RBIs.

The RHM crew will be taking part in some of these events, and it’s so nice of the Reds to provide a way to keep warm in case the April night turns cold. I imagine the fleecie will do a much better job than the terrible coffee when last we attended an April evening game in Cinergy/Riverfront. The 30 degree temperatures that night made us swear off early-season games for quite some time.

The Cincinnati Reds announce a new special celebration for the first night game of the season, called Opening Night, when the Reds take on the Cardinals on Wednesday, April 7.

From a meet and greet with Reds players and live music in the Fan Zone to a flyover and full team introductions during pregame ceremonies to a spectacular post-game fireworks show, Opening Night will have all the glitz and glamour of the traditional home opener combined with the thrill of baseball under the lights.

Don’t miss the birth of a new can’t-miss date on the Cincinnati calendar!
Here’s a rundown of Wednesday night’s events:

Opening: 5:10 p.m.
Hall of Fame breezeway gate opens to all fans at 5:10 p.m.
Reds Fleecie wearable snuggly blanket giveaway to the first 20,000 fans, presented by hhgregg
Fan Zone Fun: “Meet & Greet” with current Reds players and special appearance by Hall of Famer Joe Morgan, Carnival Performers, Games and Reds House DJ “DJ Sab”
Right field Porch: Swingtime Big Band performing

Act I: 6:30 p.m.
Special “Opening Night” Team Introductions
Ceremonial first pitch by Joe Morgan
Anthem performed by “Widow Douglas” (Jenn Scott) from The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati’s production of Tom Sawyer
Flyover: Four (4) F-16s from the 178th Fighter Wing of Springfield, Ohio

Act II: 7:10 p.m.
Cincinnati Reds vs. St. Louis Cardinals
Right field Porch: Swingtime Big Band performing between innings throughout the game

Act III: Postgame
101st Airborne Rangers U.S. Army Parachute Demonstration Team
Fireworks Spectacular, presented by Hollywood Casino