Game 16: Reds 9, Cubs 2

The Cincinnati Reds’ 9-2 win over the Chicago Cubs turned into the Joey Votto show.

The Reds’ first baseman had a three-run double and a two-run homer to power the Reds to victory. The win snapped a five-game losing streak and sent the Reds home with a 7-9 record. With the loss the Cubs fell to 9-6 on the season.

Cincinnati fell behind 1-0 early after Edinson Volquez walked pitcher Ted Lilly with the bases loaded to score Aramis Ramirez. Volquez wasn’t his usual pinpoint self he’s been so far this season, but still only allowed one run in six innings of work. In a way it was just as encouraging a performance as he’s shown when he’s “on”; one of the keys to long term major league success is to be able to gut it out and not allow a ton of runs even when you don’t have your best stuff. His location wasn’t the best today and he allowed baserunners nearly every inning (four walks and four hits in five innings), but still only allowed one run.

The 1-0 margin held til the fourth. The Reds loaded the bases with one out on an Adam Dunn walk, Jeff Keppinger single and Edwin Encarnacion walk. Votto then smashed a liner to deep left-center field to clear the bases. Fitting that the Reds’ first clutch hit in what seems like ages came from a guy whose slow start was a major factor in the team’s early offensive struggles. Both Votto and Encarnacion (two doubles) look like they’re coming out of their funks in a major way, which should lead to much better pitches to hit for Dunn and Brandon Phillips (who had the afternoon off) above them in the order.

The 3-1 lead lasted til the 6th, when Votto crushed a no-doubter to right center off Lilly to make it 5-1. Strangely, Edinson Volquez hit for himself, then was replaced by Jared Burton pitching in the bottom of the inning. Burton went two, allowing a run in a shaky sixth that saw Daryle Ward at the plate representing the tying run. Burton got him on a flyout, though, and settled down to pitch a fine seventh.

Cincinnati’s offense struck again in the top of the seventh with Ken Griffey Jr.’s 596th homer of his career, a bomb to right-center that scored three and put the game out of reach at 8-2. In one of those statistical oddities that only happens in baseball, catcher Paul Bako tripled in the eighth, his second three-bagger in five days. Before this past Sunday he had only nine on his entire career, and now he has two in the last five days. Ryan Freel drove him in for the final run of the game. David Weathers and Todd Coffey finished things up for the Reds in the eighth and ninth, respectively.

The loss closes the first road trip of the 2008 season for Cincinnati. They finished it 3-6 after a 2-1 start, but the important part is they won today and go home on a winning note. The five-game losing streak was disappointing, and I’m starting to get concerned about the bullpen getting overworked. Save for Harang going eight innings in the start before last the Reds really haven’t had a starter go deep into a game in quite a while. The good part is they appear to have bullpen depth, with a number of guys capable of coming into the game and pitching effectively.

The Reds welcome the Milwaukee Brewers into Great American to open a seven-game homestand starting Friday night. The Brewers come off losing two of three at surprising St. Louis, although they did take the series finale in extra innings Thursday afternoon. Ben Sheets faces Bronson Arroyo in the series opener. Arroyo hasn’t lasted past the sixth yet in three starts, going just five in two of his appearances, and hasn’t looked particularly good overall. Sheets, on the other hand, has been outstanding so far this year, allowing just 12 hits and four walks in 23 innings and striking out twenty. Sheets used to be one of the best young pitchers in the National League but has been derailed by injuries as of late, but his performance so far this year has been superb.

The season series advantage goes to the Reds, who took two of three from Milwaukee the week before last to open the road trip. Game time for the opener is 7:10 Eastern, 4:10 here in paradise. Peace.