Boxscore

Brand new St. Louis Cardinals starter Jake Westbrook opened the series against the Houston Astros tonight and pitched good enough for the win. Unfortunately for the Cardinals, but fortunately for the Reds, the relievers didn’t get the memo.

Westbrook was good, allowing just 2 runs over 6 innings. He allowed 4 hits, but struck out 7. Once the game was turned over to the bullpen, the win Westbrook was in line for was stolen away.

Jason Motte pitched a scoreless 7th, but was taken out after he couldn’t get a batter out in the 8th. The 2 batters he did face both reached and later scored. Coming in to add gasoline to the fire were Mike MacDougal (1 run, 1 inning), Trever Miller (3 runs, 1/3 inning), and Blake Hawksworth (1 run, 2/3 inning).

Every Cardinals pitcher allowed runs, but only one of them pitched more innings than runs allowed. It was an ugly night for the bullpen, and the implosion knocked them out of first place, thanks to a Reds win. Cincinnati is now 1/2 game ahead, and at 13 games over .500, has the best record they’ve had since 1999.

Boxscore

RHM and I found ourselves vacationing in Toronto, Canada this week, birthplace of one Joey Votto, and decided to take in a Toronto Blue Jays game.

The Bue Jays on the field at Rogers Centre.

We had originally hoped to see former Red Austin Kearns in right field because the Blue Jays were finishing up a series against the Cleveland Indians. Unfortunatey, or fortunately if you’re Kearns, he was traded to the Yankees just before we arrived in Toronto.

Despite the trade, we were treated to a former Red in right. Dewayne Wise was patrolling right for Toronto. After a couple years with the White Sox, he’s having a solid year as a back-up for the Blue Jays.

Rogers Centre was nice for a donut-shaped stadium. The fully circular ones always make for a more convincing, uninterrupted wave. And one did break out. The food choices were outstanding, with everything from the regular ball park food such as popcorn, peanuts, and hot dogs, to some pretty sweet BBQ chicken nachos. The specialty nachos had fresh–not pickled–jalapeños!

The dugouts had no rails, with just steps leading to the bench. I’d hate to be running to catch a foul ball close to that. Ouch!

The beer selection on the concourse level was weak, with Budweiser providing the majority of beers on tap. Where was the Molson? Or LaBlatt? Or any of the craft breweries local to the area. Heck, Steam Whistle is kitty-corner to the stadium and wasn’t to be found. Overall, the beers sucked.

Vernon Wells had a solid game for the Jays, going 2 for 4. Above, he’s scoring the tying run in the bottom of the 3rd.

Unfortunately, when Wells came up later in the game, he missed out on a chance to turn his good day into a game-changing one. He had a bad swing and grounded out to third.

The what-was-left-of-the-Indians had some shaky relief, but weathered 2 solo shots from the Jays to hang on to a 5-4 win.

Rogers Centre was a nice place to catch the game, and just about the cleanest stadium I’ve ever watched a game at. Just make sure you order your tickets early and are ready for a day filled with American domestic beer.

Boxscore

Going into Thursday, the Cincinnati Reds were tied with the St. Louis Cardinals for first place of the National League Central. Thanks to the New York Mets and a great outing by knuckle-baller R.A. Dickey, the Reds are back in first.

A day after their extra-inning affair, the Cardinals’ offense played tired. They managed 4 hits and no runs. Albert Pujols played, despite being gimpy, and contributed nothing in what is shaping up to be the worst year of his career. (Of course, the vast majority of players would kill to have a year as “crappy” as Pujols is having. It’s nice having Joey Votto on the Reds.)

Blake Hawksworth wasn’t very good again in his start for St. Louis, getting his 7th loss. Over 6 innings, he allowed 4 runs on 7 hits, 3 walks, and 3 strikeouts.

After storming out of the break with a 7-game winning streak, the Cardinals have now lost 2 series in a row.

The Cincinnati Reds destroyed the Houston Astros last night, behind another amazing performance by Johnny Cueto. Cueto moved his record to 10-2, giving the Reds two 10-game winners.

There was some concern that Cueto wouldn’t be able to make the start, since he was suffering from tonsilitis, but the 8 shutout innings showed that no bacterial infection can slow him down. (Although I suppose the antibiotics helped a bit, too.) In his 8 innings, Cueto struck out 6, walked 1, and allowed 4 hits.

He was over 100 pitches at the end of the 7th, but was sent out for the 8th anyway. And I have no problem with that. A starting pitcher should be able to throw 120 pitches every now and then, and Cueto’s been in the majors long enough that his endurance should be up. It might have been better to do it on a night when he wasn’t already sick, but the results are impressive.

Now, having dispatched the former Red-killer Roy Oswalt, the Reds turn to Wandy Rodriguez today at 2:05pm EDT. Mike Leake goes for the sweep for the Reds.