Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game
There were plenty of good performances by Reds tonight, but I think I'm going to have to give it to Bronson Arroyo, who scattered four hits and one walk over six innings. He gave up one run to Carlos Lee on a HR, but otherwise he never allowed an Astro past second base.
Four position players garnered honorable mentions in this one. There's Jim Edmonds, who went 2 for 4 with a HR and a walk, Jay Bruce (2 for 5 with a HR), Drew Stubbs (1 for 4 with a HR and a walk), and Ryan Hanigan (3 for 5 with a double). But hey, every Reds starter except Bronson Arroyo had at least one hit, and even Arroyo scored a run.
Key Plays
- After that Lee HR in the second put the Astros up 1-0, Hanigan led off the third inning with a would-be groundout that Chris Johnson threw away. Bronson attempted to bunt him over, but ended up with a fielder's choice instead. He moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on an Orlando Cabrera single. After Joey Votto walked, Scott Rolen singled to score Cabrera. Reds lead, 2-1.
- Edmonds led off the fourth with a HR. Reds lead, 3-1.
- Joey Votto doubled in the fifth, then scored on a Bruce HR. After walks to Edmonds and Bruce, two more runs scored on a Hanigan single and an Arroyo sac fly. Reds lead 7-1.
- Drew Stubbs hit a solo HR in the eighth to put the Reds up 8-1.
- And the Reds struck yet again in the ninth. Bruce and Edmonds singled, Hanigan doubled, and Yonder Alonso singled to score three more runs. The Reds bullpen pitched a third scoreless inning to close this one out. Reds win, 11-1.
Other Notes
- Each of the Reds starting outfielders hit a HR tonight. How often does that happen?
- Oh, and that magic number? With this win and the Cardinals loss tonight, it's now 8.
- And about the bullpen: Arthur Rhodes, Jordan Smith, and Jared Burton each pitched a scoreless inning. Burton's inning was perfect, while Rhodes and Smith each allowed one hit. Rhodes struck out one and Smith struck out two. Not bad.
- The peanut gallery informs me that Bronson achieved a personal best 16th win as he went to 16-10 on the season. This was already his third straight 15 win season. It's now also his sixth straight season with 200 or more innings pitched. Oh, and after this game his ERA is also below 4. Barely.