Today the Cincinnati Reds did the improbable by surviving 10 unanswered runs by the San Francisco Giants as they came back to win 12-11 in 12 innings. This latest exhibition of will and desire is just one of many that Dusty Baker’s club has shown over the course of this 2010 season. Joey Votto increased his rising MVP candidacy with 4 hits including 2 home runs and a go-ahead single in the 12th. Francisco Cordero had 2 great innings of relief work to pick up the win and send the team home with a 6-3 record on the 9 game 10 day road trip to the West Coast. A West Coast trip that was supposed to be the stretch that sent the Reds spiraling out of control and out of the playoff race actually saw the 1st place Reds increase their lead in the division race from 1 to 3.5 games. Just another day in the life a young team full of rising stars.
Thousands of miles away in Pittsburgh, the Cardinals were doing what they do best over the past few weeks, inexplicably losing to far inferior competition. The Cards lost 5-2 to the last place Pirates in a game I can imagine was extremely forgettable. I almost, emphasis on almost, feel sorry for the Cardinals fans. They come into Cincinnati a few weeks ago, sweep the series to overtake 1st place in the NL Central, and by the end of the following weekend they were already back in 2nd place by a game. Then with the Reds heading out to the West Coast, where traditionally they have struggled, for a week and a half they lose 2.5 games of ground. Compound that with a bad trade giving up Ryan Ludwick for Jake Westbrook, and the Cardinals are looking anything like the team that dominated the NL Central for the last decade.
Even if the Reds would have lost today, you can bet more negative would be coming home than positive, despite what would have been a winning 5-4 record on the West Coast swing and still gaining ground on St. Louis. Tomorrow offers a day to rest up, regroup and prepare for a much easier home stand featuring the Cubs and Brewers heading to GABP. In a matter of days we’ll flip the calendar to September and it’s very likely the Reds will still be in 1st place and will have completed another winning month. This begs the question: Will you be heading down to the Ballpark to support this special team? The answer should be an emphatic YES. Like Mo Egger always says, “I’m not gonna tell you how to spend your money,” but if you haven’t jumped on the bandwagon by now I don’t think you will be. However, if you claim to be a fan of the Reds, baseball, or even just Cincinnati sports, there’s no excuse for still doubting this team. Today’s win, on the heels of 2 blowout losses to San Francisco, just shows the incredible resiliency that this team has shown time and time again. We count them out or get close to pushing the panic button and they come back with yet another big win. Is this team perfect? Far from it. Am I being a bit of a homer? Probably. Is this team defying all of our expectations as we head into the final month of play? ABSOLUTELY.
There was a point in this season where I was really upset about the lack of attendance at times at GABP this year, and while I’ll still be disappointed if the returns at the box office are less than expected, I almost feel sorry for those who are still so jaded and cynical not to embrace this team with open arms. Joey Votto’s meteoric rise to virtual lock to win the MVP should be cause enough to get you fired up about this team, let alone the 1st place status that has grown over the past few weeks despite having a terrible record against St. Louis head-to-head.
The scary thing is, despite all the shortcomings of this team, they will only get better with the addition of Aroldis Chapman to a bullpen that has struggled the past few days. That and some home cooking against a Cubs team with absolutely nothing to play for should quickly get some more tallies in the win column. I don’t know if St. Louis can claim to be increasing their overall talent as the rosters will expand in a matter of days. Is it a changing of the guard atop the NL Central? I surely hope so. Will it be an exciting and entertaining final 36 games? Undoubtedly. I’d love to see you down at GABP this weekend, and if you go GET LOUD, maybe chant MVP when Votto steps to the plate, and above all remind those Windy City blowhards who rules the division and ballpark.
I’d love to hear from you. Shoot me a message on Twitter. Go Reds and see you at the ballpark!
