Daily Archives: April 25, 2013

April 25, 2013

In brief: Reds take 8 of 10-game homestand

By
Amanda
Posted at 11:40 am

Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker, right, congratulates third baseman Todd Frazier (21) after they defeated the Chicago Cubs 1-0 in a baseball game on Wednesday, April 24, 2013, in Cincinnati. Frazier accounted for the game's only run with a home run. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

Frazier’s home run wasn’t just a total bomb at 480 feet, it was also the only run scored by either team. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

Last game
The Reds won the day game to take the series from the Cubs. Mat Latos was great. Todd Frazier hit a 480-foot homer. The baseball gods were just generally smiling. Read the whole game wrap, complete with pictures of a sad Cub!

Next game
Tonight the Reds head to Washington DC to visit the Nationals. Bronson Arroyo (RHP, 2-1, 3.54 ERA) will be going up against Gio Gonzalez (LHP, 1-1, 5.85 ERA) at 7:05 p.m. Gonzalez was the victim of a big inning against the Mets in his last outing, so this could be a good chance for the Reds to find their bats again.

20,000 days since Frank Robinson’s big clutch day
Theoretically, at any given point in a game, a team has a certain chance of winning. And each action that a player takes can increase or decrease that percentage chance. When a player does something to increase the team’s chance of winning, he increases his Win Probability Added (WPA) stat.

20,000 days ago, Frank Robinson played the game in which he racked up the highest WPA of his career. It involved extra innings and come-from-behind walk-off awesomness. Check out a detailed retelling of the tale on The Hardball Times.

What to say to sound smart at the water cooler
Yesterday’s win marked only the sixth time in Reds’ history that the team won at least 8 games in a 10-game-or-fewer homestand. They also did it in 1912, 1924, 1966, 1975, and last year.

Posted in Daily Briefs.
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April 25, 2013

Game 22: Cubs 0, Reds 1

By
Amanda
Posted at 9:33 am

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Cubs000000000050
Reds00000100-180
W: Latos (1-0) L: Samardzija (1-4) S: Chapman (4)

Boxscore

The Reds took the game and the series from the Cubs yesterday, but just barely.

Mat Latos was great and finally got a win for his efforts. He put in 7.0+ innings and allowed 0 runs on 4 hits and a walk. One of those hits and the walk were to the first two guys he faced in the eighth, though, so it was a good time to bring in Jonathan Broxton for three quick outs. Aroldis Chapman took over for the ninth and allowed a hit before closing it out for the save.

The pitchers were backed up with some good defense, of course. Those among us who weren’t so sure about Shin-Soo Choo in center field were all ready feel vindicated when the Cubs’ Anthony Rizzo did this:

(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)


And sent one to deep center field, only to see this:
Shin-Soo Choo makes a great catch

(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)


Which left Rizzo feeling like this:
Anthony Rizzo is disappointed about being out.

(Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)

Rizzo looks like of like Ryan Reynolds when he’s disappointed. In fact, he lined out to Choo 3 times yesterday.

On the other side of the innings, the Reds’ only run came from a 2-out solo shot by Todd Frazier in the sixth inning. Choo went 2-for-4 to drag down his OBP a little. Zack Cozart, Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Devin Mesoraco, and Latos also contributed hits that didn’t end up coming to anything. Votto was caught stealing for the first time this season in the first inning. Joey Votto is not paid to get caught stealing.

The win brings the Reds’ record to 13-9. With the same number of wins as the Cardinals and one more loss, the Reds are currently .5 game out of first place. They go to visit the Nationals tonight at 7:05 p.m. Bronson Arroyo (RHP, 2-1, 3.54 ERA) takes on Gio Gonzalez (LHP, 1-1, 5.85 ERA)

Posted in Game Wrap.
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