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Friars Tucked. Reds 7, Padres 2.

Early offense and vintage Goodroyo fueled the Reds to their 3rd win in a row. Is this the start of the 2nd half run we've all hoped for?

By Wick Terrell
Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Todd Frazier busted out of his horrendous 0 for 31 slump with an early double, and he tacked on a single and a walk as part of his 2 for 4, 3 run evening.  There's no way to know how the return of Ryan Ludwick will affect Todd's positioning in the Reds' ever-evolving lineup, but I really, really like him hitting 2nd given his OBP ability and general fly-ball tendencies.  There's a 2-hole joke in here somewhere, but I'll defer to you glorious RR's for that funny.  Frazier, who has obviously been off for an extended period, still carries a .329 OBP, and if that's as low as it gets in the depths of his slump, he's exactly the kind of guy who deserves an extended view from the shotgun seat of the Reds' lineup.  Choo, Todd, Votto sounds frothy at the top of the lineup, doncha think?

Honorable Mentions are due to:  Bronson Arroyo, who was nearly perfect through 4 innings tonight, and finished with another solid Goodroyo outing that featured 7 innings of 4 hit, 1 ER, 7 K, 0 BB ball; Joey Votto, who was 2 for 4 with a triple, walk, 2 cashed checks, and 2 runs scored; Brandon Phillips, who was 2 for 4 with a 2-run Weezy Cheese; and Jay Bruce, whose rather modest 1 for 4 evening featured a double that put him into first place in the NL in extra-base hits.  Rock solid outing by our boys in Red.

Key Plays

  • The Reds struck early and often against Padres' starter Andrew Cashner, and they wasted no time in getting to him by plating a run in the Bottom of the 1st.  Todd Frazier doubled to left with one out, and Joey Votto followed with a choked up single up the middle that made Cashner do a somersault and scored Frazier.  Reds led, 1-0.
  • The Bottom of the 3rd saw the Reds play some add on, and it came courtesy of the heart of the lineup which, conveniently, seems to be putting their past slumps behind them.  Frazier led off with a walk, and he scored on a Votto triple that dented the wall in RF with it's au-thor-i-thai.  After BP lined out to 2B, Jay Bruce laced a double to the corner in LF to score Votto.  Reds led, 3-0.
  • Logan Forsythe hit a homer off Arroyo in the Top of the 5th, but that was nothing more than a "meh" on the stellarosity of the evening.  The Reds struck back immediately, as Chris Heisey's 2-out double in the Bottom of the 5th scored Votto, who had walked (drink!).  Zack Cozart's grounder then induced an error by Forsythe, and that allowed Heisey to come around and score.  Reds led, 5-1.
  • The Reds tacked on an additional two in the Bottom of the 6th when Frazier reached on an infield single, and two batters later BP skied a high (and based on the gamethread, it was really, really high) homer that just tucked itself inside the LF pole and over the fence.  Will Venable hit a something something whatever in the Top of the 7th, but whatever.  Jonathan Broxton pitched the 9th, hit 97 mph, and the Reds won.  THE REDS WON!  Reds win, 7-2!

FanGraph Section Worthy of Taking Your 3 Year Old to See Since it Was Fun Throughout

<iframe src="http://www.fangraphs.com/graphframe.aspx?config=0&static=0&type=livewins&num=0&h=450&w=450&date=2013-08-09&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=2013-08-09&team=Reds&dh=0&season=2013">FanGraphs</a></span>

Other Notes

  • I called an 8-2 win by the Reds, but I'm fairly certain one of you Cretans will usurp my hard earned point.  Cretans!
  • Joey Votto entered tonight with a .354/.463/.538 line in 80 post-ASB plate appearances, and he boosted each of those tonight.  In a year featuring a wide open NL MVP race, a strong push home by Joe Dan coupled with an amazing stretch run by the Reds themselves would put him firmly in the discussion for his second MVP award.  Just sayin'.
  • Tunes?  Tunes!
  • A track from one of my 3 favorite movies?  A track from one of my 3 favorite movies!
  • The Reds have won 3 in a row, and it's all Teddy Kremer's doing.  That's a fact.

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