I'm OK, you're OK. Everything is back to normal. Except the Cardinals are having trouble losing outside Cincinnati, which is more than a little annoying. But you have to tend your own field. And, unfortunately, that field is still Citizen's Bank Park for another two games. And Roy Halladay is the broken plow or salt or whatever this tortured metaphor dictates.
Halladay vs. Wood has a short but fabled history. The first time these two pitchers met, July 10, 2010, Wood took a perfect game into the 9th inning. Halladay gave up 5 hits and a walk, but no runs and Wood was saddled with the cruelest no decision after the Phillies won it in the 11th. The next time the Reds faced Halladay (for the third time in 2010), it was in Game 1 of the NLDS. Travis Wood came on with two outs in the bottom of the 2nd, allowing no runs and only one more baserunner than Halladay would that night (in 3.1 IP). Halladay, of course, threw the second something in whatever history.
So while the lede understandably will be Roy Halladay's first appearance against the Reds since becoming an MLB Network highlight, Travis Wood is quietly working on his bid to be the Reds' antidote Cole Hamels, having held the Phillies scoreless for 12.1 innings. Though, for full disclosure, the Reds haven't scored on Halladay in 18 innings (including the playoffs), nor reached base in nine.
But enough about pitching. The offense would do well to follow Jay Bruce's lead tonight.. Before being the hero in last night's slump-buster, he hit the decisive home run in the bottom of the 8th to beat Halladay on June 30th, 2010 and had the dubious distinction of being the only Red to reach base in Game 1 of the NLDS. he was also the only batter to reach base in the NLDS against Halladay. Just don't make him do it alone.
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