The series opener against Houston was a terrible downer, but all is not lost. With a win tomorrow (in a fairly favorable pitching matchup and an offense that should ALWAYS be better than Houston's) the Reds can still finish the three game set a step or two closer to some of the other Central competitors. Right now: 1 back of Pittsburgh, 4 behind St. Louis, 6.5 leeward of Milwaukee.
1) Homer Bailey. A lot of people love to rip this guy for his inconsistency but I always feel a million times better with him on the mound than some of the alternatives (Arroyo, Wood, Volquez and even Willis...who is consistent but never dominates like Homer did again tonight). He's got 8 of 12 quality starts this year, and this is the 5th time he's gone at least 7 innings (big after an extra inning debacle). His line: 8 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K.
2) Edgar Renteria. The much-maligned Rent-a-wreck offered up a hugely clutch grand slam in the 5th...oddly the only inning with any scoring.
3) Chris Heisey. Started off the 5th with a double, only the second hit of the game for the Reds. 2 for 4 overall with a stolen base and a run scored.
4) Aroldis Chapman. Now eight straight appearances with no runs OR hits allowed, and his ERA is down to 3.73. During that span he has 15 strikeouts and 1 walk in 9.2 IP. WOW.
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