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I wonder how many times a team has faced Cole Hamels and Jason Hammel in back-to-back games? Kooky.
I honestly have no idea what to expect from tonight's game. I'd like to think that the Reds will bounce back from the 4-game sweep in Philly, but when they've had 4 days off, who knows if they'll come out flat? With MC Hammer in the house, perhaps we'll see an energized group determined to show their opponents that they cannot, in fact, touch this.This is the thing with being in this unfamiliar territory of winning. We never know what to expect because we're so used to failure. Winning feels uncomfortable, in a good way.
There is just a half-game separating the Reds and the Cardinals going in to tonight's game. It goes without saying that every game matters at this point, and with the way the Dodgers looked last night, I don't think we can bank on them to help the Reds build some distance back up in the division. So, the Reds need to be on their game and get back to winning if they want to hold the Cards off. The good news is that Bronson Arroyo has been a pretty good stopper over the years. He seems to relish these situations where his team is banking on him for a win it really needs. With everyone coming off of the break in relatively good health (hopefully), it'd be nice if the offense could get back to supporting the pitching staff.
We'll be watching the two highest scoring teams in the NL this series, so I don't expect that the only fireworks we'll see will be the ones after the game tonight. Hopefully it's mainly the Reds bats that are providing the excitement!
Go Reds! It's Hammer Time!