Reds 11, Pirates 8.
This one was not pretty, but it had a few worthy heroes.
1) Ryan Hanigan. Continued his hot streak with the bat...now 8 for his last 12 with 8 RBI. Hit a solo shot to give the Reds a 3-2 lead, then tacked on insurance runs with a 2-run single in the top of the 9th that provided the final score. Also tagged two guys out at home in crucial situations, and helped Bailey work out of a couple tough jams.
2) Drew Stubbs. What? Yes he only went 1 for 5 at the plate, left a team-leading 5 on base, struck out twice and grounded into a double play. BUT he had a huge catch to end the 4th, preserving a 2-2 tie, and then topped that by initiating a double play to end the 8th, keeping the 8-8 tie intact.
3) Brandon Phillips. He might not be the prototypical lead-off guy, especially with no base-stealing ability (where did that go?) but he sure has done his job in the first two games back in that spot (first time in 2011). 6 for 9 with 5 RBI and a walk in the 2 games. A 3-run bomb in the 5th that sure seemed like the nail in the coffin at that juncture.
4) Francisco Cordero. Eight different pitchers took the mound for the Reds, and only two kept a clean slate (both in terms of runs charged and inherited runners scored). One was Chapman, who only had to work 1/3 of an inning. The other was Cordero, who ended the Pirates' streak of scoring in 5 straight innings by retiring Brandon Wood (previously 2 for 3 with 3 RBI), Ronny Cedeno (previously 2 for 4) and Xavier Paul (previously 1 for 1).
No comments:
Post a Comment