Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game
Jonny Gomes. Gomes went 3-4 with 3(!) home runs and 5 RBI. Just amazing. Bronson Arroyo, though, threw a complete game shutout, giving up only two hits and a walk. Great game for both of them.
Key Plays
- Adam Dunn made his return to Cincinnati and got a hit in his first at-bat. Amazingly enough, it was a single.
- In the second inning, Laynce Nix hit a double and Jonny Gomes followed that up with a home run. Two batters later, Ryan Hanigan also hit a home run, only his second of the year.
- In the fourth inning, Adam Dunn walked. Ah, that's more like it.
- Maybe seeing Dunn reminded the Cincinnati outfielders that they were actually allowed to hit. Nix started off the bottom of the fourth with a single, and Gomes hit his second home run in as many at-bats.
- Improbably, Gomes homered once more in his next at-bat in the sixth inning. Three home runs for Senor Gomes!
- Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips took a look at each other and reminded themselves that they were the leaders of this ballclub. So in the seventh inning, Votto drew a walk, and Phillips drove him in with a deep double. 7-0, Redlegs.
- Gomes came to the plate in the eighth to a standing ovation, but unfortunately struck out looking. Hey, just like Adam Dunn!
Other Notes
- This is the second time Jonny Gomes has hit three home runs in a game. He also did it on July 30, 2005 against Kansas City. He's the first Red to accomplish the feat since Joey Votto hit three against the Cubs on May 7, 2008.
- Hanigan's home run gave him two on the year. Gomes had more than that in just this game.
- That was Hanigan's first RBI since June 13.
- Bronson Arroyo only gave up two hits, to Adam Dunn and Ryan Zimmerman. Zimmerman's kept alive a 16 game hitting streak.
- This was Bronson's second shutout this year, and the fourth by a Reds pitcher this season. Aaron Harang and Justin Lehr have the other two. The Reds only had three shutouts in the past two years combined, and haven't had four shutouts in a season since 1996 when they had five (John Smiley had two, Mark Portugal, Kevin Jarvis, and Roger Salkeld each had one).
- As a team, the Reds have 11 shutouts this season, second most in the Majors behind the San Francisco Giants, who have 15.