Mr. Redlegs is watching you. Always.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Reds 8 Marlins 6: The men behind the win 8/23/11

Let's get all the bad news out of the way first:

- Cueto wasn't sharp: he gave up 6 walks for only the third time ever, and as his pitch count mounted he finally melted down in the 5th after some admirable escapes. Still have to love the guy, he's amazing.

- Hernandez and Janish combined for 10 LOB (co-Red LOBsters of the night), 6 of those in one hideous inning (the 6th) where the Reds loaded 'em up with nobody out and didn't score.

- LeCure AND Masset continued their August struggles, getting tagged for 3 more runs in relief.

Gee, with all that it sounds like a loss, but it wasn't. So on to the heroes:

1) None other than Yonder Alonso. He was given a chance to start in his return to Miami, and made the most of it with 3 hits (1B, 2B, HR) and 4 RBI including the 2 that provided the final margin in the Reds' awesome rally in the top of the 9th. For the second straight game, the Reds rallied by making mincemeat of a usually-tough closer (Hanrahan Sunday, Nunez tonight).

2) Another youngster, Dave Sappelt. Unlike Alonso, he had been shaky since his call-up...but tonight was fantastic. 3 hits, including the 2-run double that tied it in the 9th to set the stage for Alonso. If he can give us more nights like this, he'll solidify his spot in the outfield for 2012.

3) Francisco Cordero. He was horrendous in the Milwaukee series right before the break, but consider his stats since then: 14 appearances (15 IP) with only 1 run allowed, and 10 for 10 in save opportunities. Tonight was another shutdown performance to end the slugfest.

4) Jay Bruce. His 2-run blast in the top of the 7th came in an inning that had felt dead (until Sappelt's infield single with 2 outs), and with the Reds' chances for a win fading. That cut the Marlins' lead to 5-4 and the rest is history.

Honorable mention to BP, who continues to rake this month and has his average all the way up to .294. He's been a beast since moving to the leadoff spot.

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