What a bizarre game. All but one of the Reds seven runs scored on Cub errors. The Reds normally reliable defense was anything but, and Volquez again struggled in the first inning. But all that matters at the end of the day is that the good guys scored more than the bad guys. Thank goodness baseball is not judged on style points, or both teams would have lost Tuesday night.
- Edinson Volquez again failed to get out of the first inning. After getting two outs, he hit Aramis Ramirez with a pitch, and then grooved a first-pitch fastball to Carlos Pena, who deposited it deep in right filed, and the Cubs had three runs before the Reds even came to the plate. In typical Volquez fashion, he settled down after that, ending with a good line: 6 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, and 9 K.
- Carlos Pena probably wishes he could play the Reds 162 times. Pena has only 5 home runs on the season, and three of them are against Cincinnati. Pena finished Tuesday's game 2 for 3 with a home run, 3 RBI, and a walk.
- The Reds tied the game in the 4th thanks to to the Cubs defense, or lack thereof. With bases loaded and two outs, Edinson Volquez came to the plate. Volquez hit one off the end of the bat towards Carlos Pena at first base. The ball bounced off of Pena's wrist and into shallow right field. Pena retrieved it and flipped to Matt Garza, but was too late to get Volquez. Meanwhile, Scott Rolen was heading home. Garza hurled the ball plateward, but it was off-line and went out of play. That allowed Ramon Hernandez to come home with the tying run. Three runs scored on two errors on one play.
- The Cubs defense struck again in the bottom of the eighth. Chicago had taken a 5-3 lead. Rolen led the inning off with a double, and then Fred Lewis beat out an infield single to third. Ryan Hanigan was next up, and laid down a bunt, and not a very good one. Kerry Wood fielded the bunt, and would have had Rolen easily at third, but his throw was out of the reach of Aramis Ramirez, and went all the way in to the left field corner, allowing both Rolen and Lewis to score, tying the game, and moving Hanigan to third. Hanigan would score on a Chris Heisey sacrifice fly, giving the Reds their first lead of the game. The Reds tacked on another run when Joey Votto doubled over the head of Kosuke Fukodome in right field, who then proceeded to miss the cut-off man, who was not being properly backed-up by Starlin Castro. All of that mess allowed Paul Janish to plate the fourth run of the inning. Those kind of innings from the Cubs make you really appreciate the type of defense the Reds play most nights.
- The St. Louis Cardinals got a walk-off single from Lance Berkman in the bottom of the 9th to beat the Phillies 2-1, so the Reds lead in the Central holds at 1.5 games.
The Reds (25-17) continue their stretch against Central Division opponents when they start another short two-game series against the Pirates (18-23) tonight. Bronson Arroyo (3-3, 3.78 ERA) faces off against Charlie Morton (4-1, 3.13 ERA).
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