Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game
Yonder Alonso. If any American League teams are watching out there, this dude can hit. The hot prospect reached base in all of his plate appearances, including a home run. He drove in two as well. So what if he can't field? Honorable mentions go to Nick Masset, who got a bit of redemption with a scoreless inning, and... uh... nobody else was much good. Jay Bruce hit a double, I guess.
Key Plays
- It was a long day for the Reds, but they actually started off with the lead. Edgar Renteria singled to lead off the third inning, and Brandon Phillips got an infield single one out later. Jay Bruce struck out, but Miguel Cairo and Yonder Alonso hit back to back singles to drive in Renteria and Phillips. Reds lead, 2-0.
- Johnny Cueto has been our ace, but the doldrums have afflicted him as well. The signs were there in the first inning when he hit two batters, but they were horrifyingly evident in the third inning. Carlos Zambrano hit a home run to lead things off. Doesn't he know that homers by pitchers are only charming when they are Dontrelle Willis. Cueto did get two outs, but then Aramis Ramirez singled on a shot to Renteria, and Carlos Pena hit a run-scoring double. Game tied, 2-2.
- Reed Johnson popped a ball up into shallow center in the fourth inning. Brandon Phillips went back and made a great catch... but Drew Stubbs flew in like a great defensive back, taking out his legs and causing him to drop the ball. The trainers and Mike Brown both arrived on the seen simultaneously. Phillips stayed in the game, and Johnson was on second. Not for long, though, because Alfonso Soriano doubled over Alonso's head. Geovany Soto singled, and there were runners on the corners. Cueto then struck out Zambrano, and got Starlin Castro to ground into a force out. It was enough to drive in Soriano though. Darwin Barney singled, and a wild pitch by Cueto put runners on second and third with two outs. Time to bear down, right? Nope. Walks to Aramis Ramirez and Carlos Pena. Castro scored, and the bases were loaded. No more wild Cueto as Sam LeCure came in and struck out Marlon Byrd. Cubs lead, 5-2.
- Sam LeCure has been our ace in the bullpen, but the doldrums have afflicted him as well. Brandon Phillips came out and Todd Frazier took over third, with Miguel Cairo shifting to second. It wasn't either of their fault that Reed Johnson singled, or that Soriano hit a ball that Yonder Alonso misplayed, or that Geovany Soto walked. Bases loaded again, and LeCure managed to strike out Zambrano. But Starlin Castro doubled, driving in Johnson and Soriano. LeCure then struck out Darwin Barney. Aramis Ramirez hit a sharp ball to shortstop, but Edgar Renteria's throw was off target, and Soto and Castro scored on the play. Then Carlos Pena doubled, and Ramirez scored too. Cubs lead, 10-2.
- Yonder Alonso hit his first major league home run in the sixth. Congratulations Yonder. Cubs lead, 10-3.
- As his reward, Dusty replaced him with Fred Lewis. Then he put in Jose Arredondo to ensure that the Cubs would get their lead back. Although to be fair, he wasn't helped by Todd Frazier throwing away Reed Johnson's grounder. With Johnson on second, Arredondo walked Soriano. He did get two outs, but then Starlin Castro singled and Johnson scored. Cubs lead, 11-3.
- The Reds mounted their comeback in the ninth inning against John Grabow. Drew Stubbs drew a one out walk, then took second on defensive indifference. With two outs, Joey Votto singled to drive him in. Then Todd Frazier grounded out. It wasn't much of a comeback, really. Cubs win, 11-4.
Other Notes
- The Reds bats weren't good when it mattered either. They went 3-11 with runners in scoring position, including leaving the bases loaded in the first. They are 4-19 with RISP over the last two games, stranding 21 runners.
- Brandon Phillips said his ankle feels fine. He will probably not go on the DL. Actually, even if he was badly hurt, he probably wouldn't go on the DL.
- Starlin Castro has 148 hits, most in the NL.
- Carlos Zambrano has a win and an RBI in the same game 38 times. That breaks a tie he had with Livan Hernandez.
- If the Cubs win tomorrow, they'll be only 4.5 games behind the Reds.