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For a time, it didn’t look like even the magic of C. C. Sabathia would prevent the Brewers from being swept at the hands of the lowly Reds and “Sesenta y Uno” (Bronson Arroyo). However, the Reds showed that they are a bad team at heart and the Brewers won a game they really needed.

Cincinnati committed 2 errors, which both lead to runs that ultimately lost the game for the Reds. Good to know that manager Dusty Baker is working on lowering those 107 errors that the team has by preaching good fundamentals.

The Brewers have a 4 game lead in the wild card over both the Phillies and Houston.

Boxscore

One night after jumping all over Cubs closer Kerry Wood, the Reds did the same thing to Brewers closer Salomon Torres. I watched the game and was surprised to see the Reds come back to win. It was fun. Should the team ever get serious about winning and fire Dusty Baker, I could definitely get used to winning ball games.

Unfortunately, that’s the last baseball game I’ll be seeing for a while. Shortly after the game was over, a thunderstorm rolled in. One lightning strike was close enough to send a powerful surge through the house. How powerful? Enough that flames briefly shot out of the GFCI outlet in the bathroom. Oh, and it killed the satellite, too, among other things.

So the last Reds game I’ll see in about a week before the technician arrives was a win. And a fun win. The only downside was that it, like most wins “managed” by Baker, occurred in spite of Baker. There’s a reason they’ve lost so many this year.

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With the Cubs leading 3-1 heading into the bottom of the 9th, you would think this game was over. Heck, I thought it was over long before that, having stopped watching after it was tied. I know the Reds, and once the Cubs tied, I figured it was good as over. Besides, I had a heapin’ helpin’ of lawn work to do.

Imagine my surprise when I found time to relax in front of my computer hours later to find that the Cubs had managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. And to the Reds, no less! Dusty Baker’s Reds.

Crazy. I guess even a crappy, incompetent baseball buffoon like Baker can swing blindly into a win once in a while. Of course, it helps that the Cubs are in the midst of a free fall that’s drawing comparisons to their collapse in 1969. Gotta love the unnecessary, additional pressure that silly curses place on players.

How far down the rabbit hole will they go? We’ll just have to continue to watch as Chicago travels to St. Louis. Until, then, buy a t-shirt.

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The Reds celebrated elimination day yesterday by showing the world that the rebuilding Pirates are a better team than them. I wish they would have celebrated by firing Dusty Baker, but perhaps the club’s saving that for wild card elimination day next week.

I won’t get my hopes up.

Edinson Volquez wasn’t so good for the Reds, allowing 4 runs in 7 innings. He hasn’t been as good since the All Star break, either. Hopefully it has to do with not ever pitching at this high level of competition before. I’d hate for Cincinnati to have another Jack Armstrong.

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The Cubs lost their 5th game in a row and were swept by the Astros, all in the same game. One could jab at the Cubbies for collapsing down the stretch, but it’s not like the Brewers or Cardinals have taken advantage of Chicago’s losses. The Cubs remain 4.5 games in 1st place.

Of course, with Carlos Zambrano facing an MRI and an indeterminate future for the rest of the season and the lack of a pulse from the once-mighty offense, perhaps it is time to worry. After all, if you lose 5 games in a row in the playoffs, you’re toast.