Ain't Nuthin' But Cin-G Thing. Reds 11, Marlins 1.

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Shin-Soo Choo was on base 3 of 5 times and both drove in runs and scored them for himself, Joey Votto continued his assault on the OBP record by being on base 3 of 5 PAs, Jay Bruce was on base 3 of 4 times and scored 3 times, and Xavier Paul was 1 for 3 with a run scored and an RBI; that, folks, was just what the lefties in the lineup contributed to a dominant 11 to 1 victory.

Oh, well, yeah...there was that other lefty in the lineup tonight, too. Tony Cingrani made his first MLB start tonight, and passed the test with a big Charlie Scrabbles approved "Excellent!" sticker. Cingrani struck out 8, walked 3, and allowed 5 hits over his 5 IP, yielding just a single run in the process. He wasn't the most pitch-efficient Reds starter of the year by any means, but he managed to be effective as a strikeout pitcher vs. a team that doesn't strikeout much anyway. With his 91st pitch of the evening, Cingrani got Giancarlo Stanton to strike out on a 94 mph elevated fastball; that, my friends, is what we have to look forward to. Be patient with your recovery, Mr. Cueto.

Key Plays

• Both Cingrani and fellow young ace Jose Fernandez were dealing early, and neither team managed to plate a run until the bottom of the 3rd. With 2 outs, Choo singled, Zack Cozart singled to move Choo to third, and Choo scored on a wild pitch to give the Reds a 1-0 lead. Immediately after, however, Jsutin Ruggianossarian worked a long AB and hit a solo HR in the Top of the 4th. Game tied, 1-1.
• The Reds took the game by the, erm, baseballs in the bottom of the 4th, however. Bruce led off with a single, Todd Frazier walked, and Xavier Paul singled to score Bruce. Devin Mesoraco then crushed a liner to CF that was caught, but it scored Frazier as a sac fly. Choo then doubled in Paul, and Cozart then singled to score Choo. Reds led, 5-1.
• There was more of the same in the Bottom of the 5th. Brandon Phillips led off with a single up the middle, Bruce walked, Frazier singled, and Phillips then scored on yet another wild pitch. Mesoraco was then intentionally walked, and pinch-hitter Chris Heisey hit a bloop single to score Bruce and Frazier. Choo then walked, and Cozart walked, too, scoring another. Reds led, 9-1.
• In the Bottom of the 6th, Bruce coaxed a walk, and Frazier followed with his 5th HR of the year, lining a rocket over the CF wall. That was that for the scoring, and Reds pitchers held off the pugnant Marlins offense to end it. Reds win, 11-1!

<iframe src="http://www.fangraphs.com/graphframe.aspx?config=0&static=0&type=livewins&num=0&h=450&w=450&date=2013-04-18&team=Reds&dh=0" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" height="450" width = "450" style="border:1px solid black;"></iframe><br /><span style="font-size:9pt;">Source: <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/livewins.aspx?date=2013-04-18&team=Reds&dh=0&season=2013">FanGraphs</a></span>

Other Notes

• I hope that each and everyone of you got a chance to see the smile on Ted Kremer's face when Todd Frazier hit his HR in the 6th. Teddy, as you folks may remember, was an honorary bat boy for the Reds last fall, and the Reds did nothing but score runs by the handful when he was around. Well, I take that back...they scored runs, won, and smiled the whole way through it. Ted was back in the dugout tonight, and, well, seeing he and Frazier in a big ol' bearhug in the dugout was more than enough for the first supergrover Remember This Moment of the season. Baseball's a game, regardless of how much we nitpick and complain about it, and seeing that kind of elation in the dugout is what it's really all about. Don't ever forget that.
• This Reds offense well just gahh dang Hoooo Weee. So far, they've topped 11 runs in a game 4 times, and they've become absurdly adept at flooding the scoreboard while playing in GABP. I just hope they can begin to translate that more consistently to their road performances.
• Joey Votto to leadoff...Choo to 3rd? I'm not sayin', I'm just askin'.
• Keep on keepin' on, Tony Cingrani. Here's a song for you.