Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H	E
Giants (1-2)	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	2	3	0
Reds (2-1)	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	4	1

Boxscore

The Cincinnati Reds had a chance last night to eliminate the San Francisco Giants from the playoffs and advance to the next round. But before the game, they received news that ace Johnny Cueto had a strained right oblique muscle. If the Reds didn’t win game 3, then a difficult decision about who would start game 4 would have to be made.

The solution? Win game 3.

And the Reds tried, but they were playing under way too much self-imposed pressure. They took an early lead, going up 1-0 in the first inning thanks to a single by Jay Bruce that knocked in Zack Cozart. That was the end of the scoring, and the batters looked to be pressing all night, especially as the innings advanced.

The pitching was awesome, though. Homer Bailey started and was amazing again, showing he was more than up to the task of taking the mound at Great American Ball Park. He lasted 7 innings, allowing 1 run on 1 hit and 1 walk, while striking out a career-high 10. The bullpen picked up where he left off, with Sean Marshall, a sharper Aroldis Chapman, and Jonathan Broxton pitching their asses off.

Unfortunately for the Reds and Broxton, the defense slumped a bit in the top of the 10th. Ryan Hanigan had a passed ball that allowed runners to advance. And with runners on 2nd and 3rd and two outs, Broxton coaxed a ground ball to third baseman Scott Rolen that seemed sure to end the inning. Instead, Rolen bobbled the ball and was late in his throw to first for an error.

The Reds went weakly in the bottom of the 10th, letting another great starting effort slip away. Sweeping a team during the regular season is always difficult, and it’s even harder during the playoffs. Still, the Reds need to relax a bit before tomorrow’s game.

The Reds have 2 more chances to advance. Game 4 is tomorrow at 4:07pm. Barry Zito will start for the Giants, while Mike Leake, Mat Latos, or the bullpen will be starting for the Reds.

After yesterday’s workout at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, manager Dusty Baker and game 3 starter Homer Bailey both sat down to answer questions from the assembled media.

Dusty Baker
Baker went first, and the topic turned, of course, to injured ace Johnny Cueto. Baker was optimistic, but was clear in placing the health of Cueto ahead of the team’s desire to win.

“We’re going to do what’s best for him. I just hope that’s good for us, too.”

The growth of Brandon Phillips as a leader during Baker’s tenure was touched on, as well. I remember when Baker came to the team, there were often instances of Phillips loafing and not running hard to first. I remember one instance where Phillips not running hard out of the box turned what would have been a double into a single.

But the “B” is the “B.” I’ve seen him grow big time since I’ve been here. When I first got here I was having to spank him once a month, do you know what I mean? Now it’s probably once every three months.

Phillips has grown a lot, as has Baker. He’s a much better manager now than he was with the Chicago Cubs and when he arrived in Cincinnati. There’s a lot more to tide you over until today’s game and distract you from working here.

Homer Bailey
Bailey also faced the press and fielded questions about his start of game three this evening, including when he learned he would be moved up one game.

“I found out about the middle of the first game. After that I asked if I could fly home early so I wasn’t quite as jet lagged. Actually worked out good. I threw a regular bullpen that day and stayed on my regular rest anyways, so no excuses, right?”

I like the confidence. After the gutsy performances by both Mat Latos and Bronson Arroyo, tonight it will be Bailey’s turn. If he turns in a comparable performance, the Reds are likely advancing to the next round. What is Bailey’s strategy?

“Try to get strike one hitter on Angel Pagan and then we’ll go from there. That’s what I’m thinking.”

I like that plan. If he wants to throw another no-hitter, I’ll be on board, too. You can read the rest of the interview here.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Reds (2-0)	0	1	0	3	0	0	0	5	0	9	13	0
Giants (0-2)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0

Boxscore

After Johnny Cueto went down and Mat Latos saved the bullpen–and the season–from ruin in game 1, Bronson Arroyo started game 2. And I, like many, was happy to have that rested bullpen ready in case Bad-royo showed up.

That concern was not necessary. Arroyo was perfect through 4 2/3, retiring the first 14 batters he faced. He was taken out after the 7th, thanks to a long inning by the Reds’ offense where they batted around. Without that, Arroyo likely would have pitched longer. As it was, in his 7 innings, he allowed no runs, 1 hit, walked 1, and struck out 4. One of the stats delivered on the television broadcast concerned his ability to mix pitch speeds, ranging from 68 to 90. It was an awesome performance, and quintessentially Arroyo.

The offense, such a concern before the playoffs started, has apparently found that switch and flipped it. Yesterday, Ryan Ludwick got things started with a solo home run in the 2nd.

After being held scoreless for an inning, the Reds extended their lead in the 4th. With Joey Votto and Ryan Ludwick on, Scott Rolen hit a single to drive in Votto. The next batter, Ryan Hanigan, continued the small-ball playing, and drove in Ludwick and Rolen with his own single.

The game stayed 4-0 until the 8th, when the Reds turned the game into a blowout. Votto and Chris Heisey both reached with singles. Jay Bruce hit a double to score them both. Then Hanigan came to bat and drove in Bruce. Drew Stubbs continued piling on with a triple that scored Hanigan. And Brandon Phillips drove in the inning’s 5th and final run with a double that easily scored Stubbs.

After that, the Reds held a 9-0 lead. The bullpen took over, with J. J. Hoover and Jose Arredondo completing the shutout of the Giants.

The Reds hold a 2-0 lead in the best-of-five series. The two teams head to Cincinnati to play game 3 on Tuesday at 5:30pm. Homer Bailey is scheduled to start against Ryan Vogelsong.

Due to the rain that delayed the start of the game between the New York Yankees and the Baltimore Orioles, the Reds’ game has been moved to TNT. The start time remains 9:30pm.

Here’s TNT’s channel number on a few providers.

• DirecTV: 245
• Dish: 138
• U-Verse: 108

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Reds (1-0)	0	0	2	1	0	0	0	0	2	5	9	1
Giants (0-1)	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	2	7	0

Boxscore

No, no, no! #reds

— Jon Cross (@zeldink) October 7, 2012

That was what I tweeted after Johnny Cueto pitched to the second batter of the first inning and left the mound in pain. The game, the series, and the playoffs all felt like they’d ended right then and there. The Reds’s starting rotation without any injuries for the whole season would lose their ace in the first playoff game. It wasn’t fair, and the whole season flashed before my eyes.

But you know who didn’t panic? The 2012 Cincinnati Reds. The last club to make the playoffs–the 2010 squad–would have crumbled. But not this one.

Manager Dusty Baker–always one cool cat–kept calm and went to work, putting in one of the finest performances of his managerial career. He didn’t panic, inserting long-man Sam LeCure into the game to finish the first inning.

But that would only get the team so far. At most, LeCure could get the team through the third. The game would turn into a bullpen game, and the Reds’ bullpen would be wrecked for the rest of the series.

There was an alternative. A 24-year-old ace pitcher himself, almost bouncing up and down in the dugout, volunteering to go in. Yeah, Mat Latos entered himself into Cincinnati Reds lore forever for his performance last night.

After an amazing, scoreless job by LeCure, Latos entered the game in the third. He warmed up as normally as he could through the second inning, and ended up providing Cincinnati 4 innings of 1-run baseball. Oh, and he saved the season.

The offense, so cold at the end of the regular season, flipped a switch, too. Similar to how everyone stepped up when Joey Votto went down, everyone knew they had to perform even better without the team’s star pitcher.

Brandon Phillips hit a two-run home run in the third inning to get the Reds on the board. And the next inning, Jay Bruce hit a solo shot for the 3-0 lead.

Latos turned it over to the bullpen in the 7th, and the three-headed closer machine for the Reds made sure that lead stood still. Sean Marshall, Jonathan Broxton, and Aroldis Chapman nailed it down. Sure, Chapman made it interesting in the 9th by allowing a run on a wild pitch. But thanks to the 2 insurance runs in the top of the 9th, the outcome was never really in doubt.

That was the most fun I’ve had watching a baseball game all season. And I can’t wait for more tonight when Bronson Arroyo takes on Madison Baumgartner at 9:30pm.