Game 38, 2011: Reds 6, Cardinals 5

[Box Score]

[Cincinnati.com]

I went to last night’s game with my boy from work, T.J. who is a pretty big Cardinals fan. We saw a great game that might be a season-changing win for the Cincinnati Reds. It was the type of game where they just kept coming back, and coming back, and grinding until they reached their final goal. When Joey Votto singled Chris Heisey in to home plate in the 10th inning, the entire team stormed the field and was genuinely pumped. It was a team victory earned that they probably had no business in getting. Teams like the Cardinals–true first place teams–don’t blow leads like the one they let slip away last night.

Kyle Lohse was throwing a pretty good game and the Cardinals were stringing together hits off Bronson Arroyo and Mike Leake. Then for some reason, the Cardinals pulled Lohse maybe an inning or a few hitters too early in favor of Miguel Batista. When they did this, I told my buddy that I thought if the Reds were going to get to one guy in the Cardinals bullpen, it was going to be Batista. I was right.

I have to hand it to the Cincinnati crowd last night. This was the loudest that I’ve ever heard it save for last year’s postseason game against the Philadelphia Phillies. The rally towels were handed out to everyone in attendance before the game, and while it took the Reds about half the game to get the crowd into it, they had a 10th man last night in the form of their home fans. The crowd was great. It was a playoff atmosphere. And despite not being a sell out crowd, they got loud and got behind the Reds and most of the crowd hung around until the conclusion of this one. It wasn’t without it’s big moments to reward them.

Brandon Phillips had a nice ballgame last night. The box score only will show two of his hits and an RBI, but he had good at-bats, made great plays in the field all night and generally was the driving force in the middle of the Reds lineup aside from Votto. You get the feeling that BP just loves these games against the Cardinals. This is truly one of the most fun guys to watch that the Reds have ever had in my lifetime. My love affair with Phillips is at an all-time high right now. I have a feeling he’ll go yard today on FOX Saturday baseball.

Then there’s the MVP Joey Votto. He got his MVP chants. He had great at-bats all night long, grinding against one Cardinals pitcher after another. He doubled off the wall, moved a runner over in a critical spot in the game, and of course had the game winning death blow that he delivered to the Cards in the 10th.

Here’s an advertisement at random that made me want to eat a cheeseburger.

Jay Bruce had a single, a run, and an RBI and just narrowly missed hitting a ball out to left center field. He was being intentionally walked in this at-bat.

This was the first time I’ve gotten to see Eduardo Sanchez live and in the flesh. He was throwing 92-94 MPH and was all over the place. By the time he settled in, he had walked Edgar Renteria and allowed him to score in blowing his first save. The guy has big time talent and I’m glad I got to see him pitch against the Reds. It made the rally even sweeter.

Now the Diamond Hoggers song of the game: