On the Reds 10-Game Winning Streak

When the Cincinnati Reds dropped the home stand opener 11-5 to the San Diego Padres last night in Cincinnati, it ended their 10-game winning streak that began with a 7-6 win over Arizona in Cincinnati on July 19th.

I think it was the longest winning streak for the Cincinnati Reds since this blog has been in creation. It took then from tied for first place in the standings to 3 games in the green on the Pittsburgh Pirates.

The Reds did it all without the help of their main offensive force, Joey Votto. Even with last night’s loss the Reds are 20 games over .500, which also seems like another benchmark worth mention.

If this band of Reds go on to win the National League Central Division Championship for the second time in three seasons; or reach uncharted territory like the NLCS, this will be the stretch that everyone should remember. They did it with pitching, great defense, and timely hitting. It wasn’t about the three-run homer in the small park, as so many thought Reds baseball would be predicated upon. In fact, the Reds hit five solo shots in their final win on the streak in Colorado.

Other than Drew Stubbs, Ryan Ludwick was probably the hero of the entire streak. He’s seen his OPS hulk up to .849 at the end of last night’s play. That’s ahead of Jay Bruce (.828) and Brandon Phillips (.788) by a healthy margin.

I’m in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. My buddies are headed to the park tonight to watch Homer Bailey and the boys attempt to start a new streak. I have to admit, even with the beach out my window I am a little bit envious. The MLB.tv feeds here are very spotty at best. I’ve been forced to follow the Reds via 700 WLW. Last night the crowd sounded rowdy. With two full months of baseball left, the Reds have made a baseball town fall in love again. What a life we are living in such a place.