Hits: Reds 9, Flock of Seagulls 1. Reds win, 6-5.

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

The two headed OBP monster that is Chotto consumed the Cubs today with fireballs from its eyes and bolts of lightning from its arse. Shin-Soo Choo went 2 for 4 with a walk, a double, and two runs scored, while Joey Votto went 2 for 3 with a walk, HBP, and two runs scored. Choo's .467 OBP puts him first in the NL, and Votto's .454 places him second so far. By the way, Votto's season line now sits at .303/.454/.459. That's three sweet lines and rising, and me, myself, and I are just fine with it.

Honorable Mentions are due to Todd Frazier, whose RBI double in the 1st got the scoring started, and Jay Bruce, who was just 1 for 5, but had an RBI double as well as an RBI grounder that became a much bigger deal than it otherwise would have thanks to some bullpen implosion.

Aroldis, we love you, but you do not get an Honorable Mention today.

Key Plays

• The Reds scored a run each of the first two innings today. In the 1st, Joey Votto singled to RF, and today's cleanup hitter Todd Frazier cleaned up nicely with a laser-liner over CF David DeJesus's head. In the 2nd, Xavier Paul led off with a double, and Choo later singled to CF to score him. Reds led, 2-0.
• The Reds struck again in the Top of the 6th. Votto led off with a single, and Bruce drove him in with a double down the RF line. Paul grounded out, but Devin Mesoraco got in on the action with a double to LF that scored Bruce. Reds led, 4-0.
• The Cubs finally got to Mike Leake in the 6th after he had managed to strand runners early and often on the day. Anthony Rizzo and Alfonso Soriano had consecutive doubles for the first run, and Nate Schierholz followed with a single to plate Soriano for a second. Reds led, 4-2.
• The Reds small-balled their way to a 5th run in the Top of the 7th. Choo walked and took 2B on a botched throwdown from C Wellington Castillo, Votto was hit by a pitch, Frazier walked to load the bases, and Bruce hit a hard comebacker that the pitcher knocked down before throwing to first. Reds led, 5-2.
• The Reds grabbed a crucial garbage (at the time) run in the 8th, as Choo doubled with 2 outs and Zack Cozart broke out of his 0 for 13 streak with a single to score him. Reds led, 6-2, and Aroldis Chapman was brought in for the 9th...and things got interesting. Dioner Navarro, Dave Sappelt, and Starlin Castro each singled, and after Chapman got Rizzo and Soriano out, Strawberry Hudson Jr. with a baseball bat walked to score one, and Beef Wellington Castillo singled to score two more. Chapman then walked Cody Ransom before Dusty finally went further into the pen, summoning J.J. Hoover, who promptly struck out Darwin Barney to end the game. Reds win, 6-5!

<iframe src="http://www.fangraphs.com/graphframe.aspx?config=0&static=0&type=livewins&num=0&h=450&w=450&date=2013-05-03&team=Cubs&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=2013-05-03&team=Cubs&dh=0&season=2013">FanGraphs</a></span>

Other Notes

• Chapman allowed 3 ER in his 0.2 IP, and it raised his season ERA from 0.68 to 2.57.
• Brandon Phillips sat this one out for the good guys due to a scheduled off day.
• During the game, it was announced that the Reds' trade for Mark Teahen, announced earlier this week, was not completed due to an issue with his physical. Teahen was returned to Arizona's AAA affiliate in Reno, and I'm assuming the Reds will again be on the look for some AAA depth somewhere (or they could just go ahead and acquire Tyler Colvin and fill out AAA with Robinson...just sayin').
• It's Derby Weekend, and the weather here, at least, is beautiful. That means one thing and one thing only to this guy: Ribs and Whiskey.