Extra Extra Reds Are Awesome (but lose to Brewers), 8-1

The Reds decided to drop the finale to the Punky Brewsters today but still took another series from a team with a record over .500. For those of you still keeping track, that makes 5 consecutive series wins. And with the 1 game set tomorrow versus the Marlins, the final home game of the year, it will soon be 6 straight. Not bad from a team which gave up about 2 months ago.

Arroyo was out of tune today, giving up 6 over 6 innings to the impotent Brewer offense. Bruce was out of the lineup with a sore paw. That left the outfield in the capable hands of Patterson, Cabrera and Hairston. This lineup keeps getting more and more interesting. Dusty is going to put on his gameday batting gloves tomorrow and man center. He still knows how to lay it down. Dick Pole is playing shortstop. He has above-average range and isn't afraid to do the little things to help the team win.

The two previous games had a much more positive outcome. The team pounded 7 bombs Friday night, which ties the season high. Two by both Votto and Bruce, making the Reds the only team in the Majors with two rookies with 20 or more homers. The future appears bright but I may remember making similar comments about this time last year. Saturday featured the team finally figuring out how to beat Sabathia: allow his defense to let him down. Cueto was efficient with his pitch count, lasting a full 6 innings. The Reds' Dominican pitchers understand the importance of pitch economy. All three games did feature a Paul Bako-less lineup. The impact upon the pitching staff appeared negligible. Tomorrow Reds batter Fish and fry them in a pan. Fry it up!