PACKED INTO GABP THIS WEEKEND, FANS WITNESS REDS WIN SERIES AGAINST BRAVES
8.2.10 BY:MEH GREAT AMERICAN WEEKEND
PACKED INTO GABP THIS WEEKEND, FANS WITNESS REDS WIN SERIES AGAINST BRAVES
(Photo:
Cincinnati.com)
Over the weekend as the
Reds hosted the Atlanta Braves, 122,855 fans showed up to record the largest
attendance for a three-game series in the history of Great American
Ballpark. Entering Friday's game, the Reds were winless against Atlanta
(0-2) this season.
Johnny Cueto went 5.1 innings for the Reds on Friday and allowed four runs
on ten hits. After Cueto exited the game in the sixth, the Reds remained
down 4-3 until Joey Votto crushed his
27th homerun of the season during the eighth off Jonny Venters to tie
the game at four runs a piece. After the Reds' bullpen (Bray, Ondrusek,
Masset, and Rhodes) did what they have been doing lately for 3.1 innings
(1H, 0ER) after Cueto's departure, closer Francisco Cordero entered the game
with one out in the ninth inning. Troy Glaus grounded out before Brooks
Conrad (hit a walk-off grand slam during the Reds' seventh inning meltdown
on May 5 against Cordero) sent a deep fly ball to right-center field that
defensive substitution Chris "Vicious" Heisey waited for,
and robbed, for the final out. After a quiet bottom of the ninth for the
Reds, Cordero was sent back to the mound in the tenth. After Omar Infante
grounded to Orlando Cabrera for the first out, Cordero walked Malky Cabrera,
struck out Matt Diaz, and walked Martin Prado. Jason Heyward then doubled in
both runners placing the Braves permanently ahead of the Reds
6-4. Cordero received his fourth loss of the season.
Ten minutes prior to the FOX national broadcast of game-two between the Reds
and Braves on Saturday, the 2010 MLB non-waiver trade deadline expired. The
first-place Braves acquired OF Rick Ankiel and RHP Kyle Farnsworth from the
Kansas City Royals while Walt Jocketty's Cincinnati Reds
made no moves toward improvement or dismantlement.
Here's what else went down around the league:
"The
one thing I’ve learned is you have to be patient,”
Jocketty said.
“You have to be disciplined not to make a deal just to make a deal. A lot
times, you make a deal that you regret later. I talked to a lot of guys who
say sometimes the best deals are the ones you don’t make. Obviously, there
were clubs coming at us for our top young talent. We weren’t going to trade
them unless it significantly helped our club. There were certain things that
we were looking at to see if we could improve. I still like our club. I’ve
always liked our club. I think we’ll stay in this until the end. We’ve still
got some things we might do within the system."
Bronson Arroyo pitched seven innings on Saturday and after the Braves scored
two runs in the first inning, settled down to allow just two hits and pitch
scoreless ball for the remainder of his outing. The Reds scored off a
Scott Rolen solo-homerun during the fourth, but trailed the Braves 2-1
until the seventh inning. After a Scott Rolen double and a Jonny Gomes
single, Jay Bruce notched his 41st RBI of the season with a ground ball to
right field. Drew Stubbs then struck out for the second out of the inning.
With two out and two on, Ryan Hanigan doubled to center fielder Melky
Cabrera. Both runners easily scored and as Melky Cabrera clumsily
lunged the ball into the middle of the outfield, Hanigan rounded the
bases and also scored on the throwing error. On 700WLW, the Cowboy exclaimed
"I've never seen anything like that before." Shaky Reds' closer Francisco
Cordero allowed two hits in the ninth, but struck out Jason Heyward looking
to end the game as he received his 28th save of the season and the Reds
defeated the Braves 5-2.
Edinson Volquez faced Tommy Hanson for Sunday afternoon's rubber match.
Volquez struggled with his consistency for the third straight start (5BB),
but held the Braves to just one run (Alex Gonzalez solo-shot to lead off the
second inning) over five innings, as he allowed just three hits and struck
out six. Hanson held the Reds scoreless through four innings, but allowed a
one-out single to Ramon Hernandez followed by a
Brandon Phillips RBI triple with one out in the fifth. Orlando Cabrera
then grounded to Atlanta shortstop Alex Gonzalez. Failing to secure the
ball, Gonzalez committed his 13th error of the season allowing Cabrera to
reach base and Phillips to score. The Reds' bullpen (Smith, Bray, Masset)
threw three scoreless innings of no-hit ball leading up to Francisco
Cordero's third appearance against the Braves in as many days. Cordero
retired Matt Diaz and Brooks Conrad before allowing a Jason Heyward double.
Omar Infante then grounded a 95mph fastball back to Cordero that ended the
inning. As the Braves left a whopping 21 men on base, Cordero received his
29th save of the season and the Reds
beat the Braves 2-1.
The Reds' two wins against the Braves over the weekend marked their third
straight series win. Over their last eleven series the Reds have won nine,
lost one, split one with the Washington Nationals, and compiled a 22-15
record. Despite the absence of Scott Rolen for nine days, Jay Bruce and Drew
Stubbs struggling mightily through July, and their closer living on the
edge; the resilient Redlegs have managed to stay competitive.
Following Sunday's game, 41 year-old Russ Springer (6.1IP, 2H, 1BB, 0ER, 5K
during seven appearances in Louisville) was promoted to the Reds. Carlos
Fisher will return to the Bats to make room for Springer on the Reds'
roster.
The Reds are currently a 1/2 game behind the first-place St. Louis Cardinals
in the NL Central. They will begin a three-game series in Pittsburg on
Monday. The Pirates were outscored 21-2 while being swept by the Cards
during three games over the weekend.
MONDAY: Travis Wood (1-1, 2.87) vs. Ross Ohlendorf (1-8, 4.35) at
7:05pm
TUESDAY: Mike "Godzilla" Leake (7-2, 3.57) vs. Paul Maholm (6-9,
4.52) at 7:05pm
WEDNESDAY: Johnny "Rotten" Cueto (10-2, 3.32) vs. Jeff Karstens (2-6,
4.42) at 12:35pm
Career vs. Reds:
Ross Ohlendorf: 1-2, 3.97ERA in 5 starts (22.2IP, 12BB, 12K)
Paul Maholm: 5-4, 3.69ERA in 17 starts (107.1 IP, 44ER, 14HR, 36BB, 76K)
Jeff Karstens: 0-3, 6.45ERA in 3 starts (22.1IP, 16ER, 5HR, 8BB, 10K)
In Cueto's first start against the Pirates this season on May 11, he hurled
his
finest game of the season (9IP, 0ER, 1H, 8K) during the Reds 9-0
victory. On May 27, Cueto faced the Bucs again and pitched six innings of
scoreless ball allowing just three hits and striking out nine. He received
the victory in both starts. In 11 career starts against the Pirates, Cueto
is 8-2 with a 3.00 earned run average (66IP, 22ER, 7HR, 20BB, 69K).
Mike Leake has faced Pittsburgh just once in his career. On May 25, Leake
went 7.1 innings against the Pirates and allowed one earned run on ten hits
while receiving a no-decision. Travis Wood will be making his sixth career
start on Monday. He has yet to face the NL's worst (36-68) Pittsburgh
Pirates who are currently 24 games back in the NL Central.
