ByThe RHM crew had the pleasure of attending Saturday night’s game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Houston Astros. Our seats were much better than the last time we saw a game, as evidenced by the much closer photos.
Joey Votto exposed some skin to the crowd after his double. Once on base, he always puts on a knee brace.
By| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astros (43-96) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 1 |
| Reds (84-56) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | - | 5 | 8 | 1 |
Bronson Arroyo prepares to start the game against the Houston Astros, where he ended up getting his 12th win of the season.
Well, I guess it wasn’t that easy. Arroyo did allow a run in the first inning to start the game, but he recovered and allowed no more runs after that. He turned in an excellent start for his 12th win, going 7 innings, giving up just the 1 run on 7 hits and 2 walks, with 5 strikeouts. Sean Marshall and Jonathan Broxton finished the game throwing a shutout inning apiece.
Despite the early one-run deficit, the offense wasn’t intimidated. Jay Bruce tied it with his 33rd home run in the second. And then Brandon Phillips tied it in the next inning with a solo shot of his own, a line drive to right that just cleared the wall.
It was a 1-run game until the 6th, when the Reds broke the game open by sending every batter to the plate and scoring 3 runs. Joey Votto led the inning off with a double. A line out and a couple walks later, the bases were loaded for Ryan Hanigan, who singled to right field to drive in Votto.
The next batter was the non-hitter Wilson Valdez. Because it was the Astros, his ground ball back to the pitcher, which should have been an inning-ending double-play, ended up driving in two instead. The pitcher, Fernando Rodriquez, seemed to slip while fielding the ball. At that point, he had no play at any base, but decided to throw to home anyway. It was a wild throw, and ended up in the Reds dugout.
That was the end of the scoring for both teams. The win combined with a St. Louis Cardinals loss dropped the Reds’ magic number to 14.
By| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Astros (43-95) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 9 | 0 |
| Reds (83-56) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 2 |
Aroldis Chapman wipes his brow after seeing his streak of 27 successful saves in a row end.
Of course, if this is like the last time Chapman realized he was mortal, he’ll quickly forget it and move on to another string of 20 or more saves in a row. Which should hopefully take the team straight through the World Series. Yes, I can get behind the idea of no more blown saves until next year.
The blown save was unfortunate in many ways. The Reds lost to a crappy team and were unable to add a game to their lead over the St. Louis Cardinals, who lost in extras. Also, it made Homer Bailey unable to get his career-high 11th win. After struggling in the first inning, he settled down and had himself a very solid outing, allowing 2 runs–all in the first–on 5 hits and 1 walk while striking out 9.
Of course, if the Reds’ offense hadn’t disappeared against the Astros, Chapman never would’ve been in the position to be holding a 1 run lead. After Bailey spotted the Astros 2 runs in the top of the first, the Reds came right back. Brandon Phillips and Chris Heisey reached on singles, and then Joey Votto walked. Next, Ryan Ludwick drove in Phillips and Heisey with a single to left field.
Unfortunately, the scoring stopped there, thanks to a Jay Bruce line out and a Todd Frazier double play. Oh, what could have been.
The Reds took the lead in the 5th when Bruce drove in Heisey. But they were never able to increase the lead from 1 run.
The Reds try again this evening when they send Bronson Arroyo against Bud Norris at 7:10pm EDT. And they better win this time because I’ll be in attendance.
By| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phillies (66-71) | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 7 | 0 |
| Reds (83-55) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 0 |
Pitching coach Bryan Price meets with an over-matched Mike Leake on the mound.
Cincinnati Reds’ first baseman Joey Votto returned to the lineup yesterday for the first time since July 16, and he performed well. In 4 at bats, he had 2 hits and walked once. But starter Mike Leake apparently thought Votto’s return would be worth 4 runs and proceeded to allow the Philadelphia Phillies to win by that many.
Leake pitched a perfect first, but fell apart in the 2nd and was unable to finish the third without being relieved. His final line was 2 1/3 innings, during which time he allowed 6 runs, 6 hits, and 1 walk. He struck out 1. After him, the bullpen kept the Phillies off the board. Alfredo Simon, Sam LeCure, Sean Marshall, and September call-up Pedro Villareal combined for 6 2/3 innings of shutout baseball.
Unfortunately, a 6-run lead was more than enough for Roy Halladay.
The Reds’ scoring came from the incradibly hot Jay Bruce. In the 4th inning, he doubled in Chris Heisey to get the Reds on the board. And in the 9th, he homered for his 4th straight game. The man is on fire right now, and I’m hoping it either continues or has time to start up again for the playoffs.
The Reds lost, but so did the St. Louis Cardinals, dropping the Reds’ magic number to 17.
Cincinnati has today off before Houston comes to town to start a 3-game series on Friday.
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By this time, Reds fans have heard that injured first baseman Joey Votto made another rehab appearance today, this time in the season-ending game for the AAA Louisville Bats.
Votto went 0-3 with 2 strikeouts, in case you were wondering. He is still expected to rejoin the Reds on Tuesday, which makes sense. The season is over for the minor leagues, so there’s not anywhere else for Votto to go.
Of course, he might be with the team, but there’s still no news on when he might be activated from the disabled list. And really, that’s all that fans care about.
On the one hand, I’m very happy with how the Reds have responded to Votto’s absence.
The Reds are 32-15 since Votto last played. That is the second best record in the majors in that span.
But on the other hand, I really miss him in the lineup. At this point it seems like the team is ready to have him back whenever, but Votto doesn’t feel like he’s comfortable returning. I do want him confident in his ability to help the team, and I’d hate to see him hurt himself returning before he felt ready. Manager Dusty Baker has an excellent point on that.
“We don’t want a (Lance) Berkman situation like in St. Louis, where he goes back on the DL or something happens. We want him right, and we have a bit of a luxury the way guys are playing now where we don’t have to rush him back.”
Everybody wants him back in the lineup as soon as he’s ready, but the most important thing is to have him back, healthy and ready to dominate in the playoffs. That and seeing the fastest ascension of a player ever from A-ball to AAA to the majors.
