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I don't know what's going to happen tonight. There are reasons to be optimistic. There are reasons to be pessimistic. In my mind, this is the most winnable game for the Reds. Not that they can't win any of the other games, but I don't view Roy Oswalt with the air of invincibility that I did two or three years ago. Yes, his numbers in Philadelphia were in impressive, but of his 12 starts, 8 were against four of the six lowest scoring teams in the NL. If the Reds are going to get criticized for only winning against bad teams, I think the shoe fits Oswalt too.
Unfortunately, the same can be said of Bronson Arroyo too, who was at his best against the weakest offenses in the league.That could be a problem, but then no one is coming into this game expecting Arroyo to throw a complete game, no hit, shutout and impregnate a row of sterile women in section 318. All we're looking for is 5 solid innings. Keep the lead that the Reds will inevitably get and hand it over to the bullpen to do the dirty work. What I don't want to see is Arroyo letting Victorino and Polanco get on base in front of those deadly lefties. If he can face Utley with the bases empty every time, things might just work out for him.
I haven't had the nervous energy today that I had on Wednesday. I'm simply ready to go for this one. Hopefully the Reds players feel the same way.
Go Reds!