Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game
Arthur Rhodes. The Nasty Man came in in the eighth inning with two men on and no outs, and the Reds clinging to a one run lead. He walked the first batter he faced to load the bases, but when the dust cleared, the Reds still had a one run lead. Colossal. Honorable mentions go to Brandon Phillips, Orlando Cabrera, and Francisco Cordero.
Key Plays
- Brandon Phillips led off the third inning with a double off of Jason Hammel, then stole third base. Orlando Cabrera productively grounded out to second, and Phillips came home to give the Reds the early lead. Joey Votto then doubled, and after Scott Rolen struck out, Jonny Gomes singled and a streaking Votto came around to score. Reds lead, 2-0.
- The Reds increased their lead in the fifth inning when Brandon Phillips singled, and Cabrera again brought him in, this time with a double. Jay Bruce nearly had a three run homer, but Dexter Fowler caught his drive over the wall. Reds lead, 3-0.
- Bronson Arroyo pitched masterfully in this game, but in the seventh inning, the old Reds buggaboo of allowing runs with two outs reared its head. Arroyo allowed a two out single to All-Star-Fan-Vote-loser Carlos Gonzalez, and then Jason Giambi doubled to pick up the RBI. Reds lead, 3-1.
- It seemed that Arroyo was tiring as the game progressed. Miguel Olivo led off the eighth inning with a home run to left field. The umpires reviewed the call, but it was upheld. Arroyo then walked Ian Stewart and Clint Barmes singled on a soft liner to right field. Arthur Rhodes was summoned from the bullpen to slam the gate shut on this Colorado comeback. Scoffing haughtily that he needed a real challenge, Rhodes walked Ryan Spilborghs, the first batter he faced to load the bases with no outs. Dexter Fowler then flew out weakly to right field, and Stewart wisely did not run on Jay Bruce. Rhodes then struck out Jonathan Herrera and Carlos Gonzalez to escape the inning unscathed. Masterful. Reds win, 3-2.
Other Notes
- After Ryan Spilborghs walked, the Reds had a win expectancy of 37.4%. After Arthur Rhodes was done with the inning, their win expectancy was 87.3%, a swing of 49.9%.
- There was an attendance of 37,188 at GABP, with over 6,000 walk
outsups. I choose to believe that it wasn't MC Hammer that was bringing all the fans to the yard, because the atmosphere in the stadium during the game was incredible. This team has been playing great baseball all year, and it's high time the fans supported them with great efforts like tonight. - The Reds had lost their last nine games against Colorado. They're 4-16 in their last 20 games. We caught a break by missing Ubaldo Jimenez, so we need to make the most of our chances. Beating Jason Hammel, who had won his last six decisions, was a good start.
- Before scoring twice in the third inning, the Reds had been scoreless in 23 straight innings.
- Bronson Arroyo won his tenth game of the season, the fourth year (out of five) that he's reached double digits in wins for the Reds. He's 63-54 in his career with the Reds, and I'm becoming more and more in favor of the team picking up his option for next year.
- The Reds honored the 1990 team tonight, and the 2010 version is answering the call to equal that greatness. It's after the All-Star break and we're still in first place. Is that good enough? Do you think you can win the division? Then let's see you do it!