Black and purple balloons for the big four-oh. Reds lose 12-7.

Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Chris Heisey.  The first-and-a-half string left fielder some are calling "Sappelt Heavy" went 3-4 with 2 home runs. Joey Votto is your co-JNMHSotG, falling just a triple short of the cycle. Travis Wood gets an honorable mention for making his first appearance since being recalled this month - and pitching 2 of only 3 scoreless defensive innings for the Reds.

Key Plays

• There were high levels of zane in this one, with 19 runs scored in the game  (I'm not sure we need a blow-by-blow on every one of them). The Reds were able to draw first blood when Company Man Heisey took the Dusty road to first with a bunt single. Joey brought him in with a single.
• If anyone had forgotten what year it was or what team was playing because their watch didn't have a "YEAR" or "TEAM" indicator, Bronson was quick to remind us by giving up four first inning runs, three of which came on home runs by Mark Ellis and Jason Giambi. Arroyo recorded just three outs, gave up 3 HRs. And a double to rookie pitcher Alex White in the bottom of the second.
• The game degenerated (or evolved, depending on your worldview) into a full-functional slugfest, with the Reds evening the score at 7-7 after hitting 5 home runs, 3 of which came back-to-back-to-back off the bats of Heisey, Votto and Bruce in the 5th. I know that Heisey is a divisive figure given his extreme starter/sub splits, inverted MLB platoon splits and struggles with getting on base, but I wouldn't mind seeing those three stacking up together a little more. 
• Matt Maloney made his first appearance since September call-ups in the bottom of the 5th and gave up the eleventy-first homer of the game to Jordan Pacheco. Rockies 8-7.
• That score held until the 8th, which is when you might want to tell your children to go play in the other room. Aroldis Chapman seemed to revert to his mid-season form, suffering a complete breakdown in control. He faced just two batters, threw a wild pitch and issued two walks. 11 pitches, 3 strikes. With one run in, Jeremy Horst relieved Chapman and surrendered 3 more. Rockies win 12-7.

via www.fangraphs.com

Other Notes

• Bronson gave up his 38th, 39th and 40th home runs of the season, putting him in rare company. Only 22 pitchers have done it, including Eric Milton (who gave up 43 the year before the Reds signed him). You can be an accomplished pitcher and give up 40 home runs. And you can pitch well after a bad year. But I'm not sure what purpose would be served by Arroyo taking away two starts from Travis Wood at this point. Maybe this is another one of the those milestones players' managers like to encourage.
• This was vintage, pre-humidor Coors Field (do they stop doing that when the Rockies are out of contention?). An ugly game for the pitching and defense across the board. The Reds and Rockies combined for 19 runs, 22 hits (9 of which were home runs) and 3 errors
• Heisey, Votto and Bruce went back-to-back-to-back with HRs in the 5th. The last time the Reds had pulled off that feat was when Edwin Encarnacion, Adam Dunn and Rich Aurilia all homered together against the Phillies on Aug. 13, 2006.
• Edinson Volquez will start tomorrow.