Reds Clinch Series Win, Back in 1st Place

By:  Cooper Ledford

After a short rain delay before the game, the Cubs vs. Cardinals game went final, as the Cubbies beat the Cards 3-2, so the meant if the Reds won, they would be tied for 1st place in the NL Central.  The Redlegs ended up winning 5-4 as Mike Leake looked a lot better than has last start, and picked up win number 8, and the Reds picked up win number 66.  Here is how it all happened.

It was a scoreless game until the 4th inning, and in that 4th inning, the Reds picked up 3 runs.  The first run was off the bat of Ramon Hernandez, as he hit an RBI single to plate Rolen, and Gomes would hustle all the way from 1st to 3rd, and that would be huge.  Why would that be huge?  Because the next batter, Paul Janish laid down an amazing suicide squeeze to bring in Gomes, and it was 2-0.  Make it 3-0 after Mike Leake hit an RBI single to plate Hernandez.

The Fish would get on the board, and make it a one-run-game in the 5th inning, when Dan Uggla hit a 2-run shot to left, and the score was 3-2.

But, in the home half of the 5th, the Reds answered back with a run of their own.  Scott Rolen singled, Heisey came in to score, Votto would be thrown out at home, but none the less the Reds get a run to make it 4-2.  But that two run lead would not last very long.

In the 6th inning, Wess Helms hit a solo home run, and it was back to being a one-run-game, 4-3.

There would be no more scoring until the 8th inning, when Drew Stubbs hit a solo home run, did you know that he could hit?  His 15th of the season, that home run would be huge, as would all of the runs for the Reds.  That would make it 5-3 going into the 9th.

Francisco Cordero was trying to get save number 31, he walked the first runner, then gave up a single, and another walk.  So the bases were loaded with NO ONE OUT!  Oh sweet mercy, here we go again, Coco still messing up games.  But, there would be a double play turned, that would bring in a runner, and make it a 5-4 game.  Then, Coco was able to get the final batter to popout to 1st, and that would be the end of the game as Cincinnati is still fishin'.

Mike Leake is the winner, he went 6 innings, gave up 6 hits, gave up 3 runs, walked 3 and fanned 6.  So with this win, the Reds are tied for 1st place in the NL Central.  Also, the Reds are 15 games over .500, and have a record of 66-51. 

Catch tomorrow's game as it will be a day game, at 1:10 PM ET, it will be televised on FS Ohio, and will be on the radio on 700 WLW.  It will be Homer Bailey (1-2, 5.51 ERA, remember him?) on the hill for Cincy, for Florida it will be Anibal Sanchez (9-7, 3.33 ERA).