Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game
Skip Schumaker. The grown man named after an Uno card went 2-4 with a grand slam. The four runs ended up being the winning margin. Honorable mentions go to Carlos Fisher and Ramon Hernandez.
Key Plays
- After cruising through the Cardinals batting order the first time around, Mike Leake got hit mercilessly in the fourth inning. Jon Jay led off with a double, and a sharp single by Albert Pujols sent him to third. Matt Holliday hit a ball to the right side through an exaggerated shift to drive in Jay. Colby Rasmus singled up the middle and Pujols scored. Yadier Molina hit a grounder that Paul Janish fielded, but had no play. That's three straight ground balls that the Reds failed to turn into any outs. Next up, Skip Schumaker hit a grand slam to left center. Still no outs. Finally, Leake struck out Chris Carpenter and Brendan Ryan. After striking out Ryan, Leake started to run off the field thinking the inning was over. That might have been a clue that his focus was rattled in this inning, and after Felipe Lopez singled, Dusty Baker had seen enough and brought in Carlos Fisher. The move didn't pay immediate dividends as Lopez stole second and went to third on a passed ball, then Fisher walked Jon Jay and gave up an RBI single to Pujols. Finally Matt Holliday grounded out to end the inning. 12 batters came to the plate, and most of them were hammering Leake's first or second pitch. Cardinals lead, 7-0.
- The Reds had some problems getting anything going against Chris Carpenter, but they finally cracked his impenetrable facade in the seventh inning. Jay Bruce walked with one out, his second of the game, and Ramon Hernandez hit a double to end the shutout. One out later, pinch hitter Juan Francisco drove in Hernandez with a single. For as much consternation as there is over Francisco, the man continues to hit. Cardinals lead, 7-2.
- Hernandez struck again in the ninth, belting his fifth home run of the season to right field. Cardinals win, 7-3.
Other Notes
- Chris Carpenter has won his last nine games against the Reds. The Reds haven't beaten him since 2006.
- Mike Leake has given up 14 runs in his last two starts (8.1 innings). Due to a Pittsburgh hit that was turned into an error, only six of those runs have been earned. 13 of those 14 runs have come in two innings.
- Newly acquired Jim Edmonds went 0-4 with a strikeout.
- The bullpen pitched 5.1 innings of three hit, shutout baseball, with 8 strikeouts and two walks.
- Chris Carpenter yelled at Brendan Ryan, his own shortstop, for having the temerity to get a glove that wasn't broken.