Choo tallies four hits + Chapman records six outs = Reds win, 10-7

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

On a night where several Reds had big games at the plate, Shin-Soo Choo's performance stood out from all the others. The centerfielder went four for five with a home run, a double, three RBI, and three runs. We've come to expect good things when Choo comes to the plate, but tonight's performance was outstanding even by his already high standard of play.

Joey Votto went two for three with a double and two walks, which is certainly good enough for a honorable mention. Aroldis Chapman pitched pretty well in his first multi-inning save of the year. He walked two and only struck out one, but I think he deserves an honorable mention considering that he was pitching out of his comfort zone. Devin Mesoraco and Zack Cozart each went two for four, which made for some nice production from the bottom third of the Reds' lineup. Adam Eaton went one for four with a home run and a walk for the Diamondbacks. The other standout Arizona performances came from Martin Prado, who went two for four with a walk, and Gerardo Parra, who went two for five with a home run.

Key Plays

• Shin-Soo Choo led off the bottom of the first with his sixteenth home run of the year. Reds led, 1-0.
• In the bottom of the second, Devin Mesoraco and Zack Cozart smacked back-to-back two-out singles to keep the inning alive. Mike Leake laced a ball down the right field line that cleared the wall for a ground-rule double, scoring Mesoraco. Choo drove in Cozart and Leake with a single to double Cincinnati's lead. Reds led, 4-0.
• Jay Bruce's one-out single in the third inning moved baserunner Brandon Phillips over to second and into scoring position for Chris Heisey. The Reds' left fielder promptly doubled home Phillips, and Bruce advanced to third on the play. Mesoraco stepped into the batter's box and delivered his second single of the night. Bruce and Heisey both scored on the play to give Mesoraco two RBI on the play. Reds led, 7-0.
• Choo and the Reds picked up where they left off to start the fourth inning. The centerfielder doubled to start the inning. Joey Votto, who was stunned to look up during his at-bat to find a man in scoring position, grounded a single into center to score Choo. Reds led, 8-0.
• The Diamondbacks broke out the bats in the fifth inning as Wil Nieves and A.J. Pollock collected consecutive one-out singles to put Leake in a jam. The two runners advanced on a wild pitch before Jason Kubel lined a single to right, which scored both Nieves and Pollock. Adam Eaton was up there swinging at the very next pitch and gave Leake's changeup a ride to Arizona's bullpen in right field. Reds led, 8-4.
• The game's first quiet inning came in the sixth, but Arizona got back to work in the seventh. Tony Campana singled and Eaton walked to put men on first and second. Martin Prado slapped a groundball single up the middle that scored Campana. Reds led, 8-5.
• In the top of the eighth, Gerardo Parra drove a Jonathan Broxton fastball to left field that hit the top of the wall and bounced back into play. The umpires initially ruled the hit to be a double, but upon review, the crew overturned the call and declared the play a home run for Parra. Broxton walked Nieves on four pitches before exiting the game with an injury. Dusty Baker called on Aroldis Chapman for the big southpaw's first multi-inning save chance of the year. As much as many of us liked to see Chapman get a chance for a longer outing, I don't think anyone wanted the opportunity to arise in such circumstances. Pollock grounded out for the first out of the inning, but Nieves made it to second base on the play. Didi Gregorius walked to put men on first and second. Matt Davidson grounded into what looked like a double play as Cozart threw the ball to Brandon Phillips for the first out at second base. However, Phillips made a throwing error on the play, which allowed Nieves to score. Reds led, 8-7.
• Chapman's first multi-inning appearance of the season led to his first major league plate appearance. He struck out, but Cozart and Choo sandwiched singles around his K to set up another scoring opportunity for Cincinnati. Todd Frazier took advantage of his chance by collecting a single that scored Cozart. Votto walked and Phillips singled to drive in Choo for his third run of the night. Reds led, 10-7.
• Chapman walked Prado on four pitches to start the ninth. Paul Goldschmidt singled to bring the tying run to the plate for Arizona, but Chapman retired the next three hitters in order to end the game. Reds won, 10-7.

FanGraphs

<iframe src="http://www.fangraphs.com/graphframe.aspx?config=0&static=0&type=livewins&num=0&h=450&w=450&date=2013-08-21&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=2013-08-21&team=Reds&dh=0&season=2013">FanGraphs</a></span>

Other Notes

• Oh boy, Broxton's elbow doesn't appear to be 100% at this point. Will he go back on the DL? How will the Reds handle the bullpen while he's hurt? I don't think anyone knows at this point. Stay tuned.
• St. Louis beat Milwaukee, 8-6.
• San Diego defeated Pittsburgh, 2-1.
• Cincinnati now sits two and a half games back of Pittsburgh in the NL Central. St. Louis is one and a half games up on the Reds.
• The Reds and Diamondbacks will wrap up the series tomorrow at 12:35 EDT. Trevor Cahill takes the hill for Arizona while Mat Latos starts for Cincinnati.
• "From a Buick 6(-Out Save)"