Game 3 of 3
Episode 3: TODD STRIKES BACK
After dropping the first 2 games in the series to the Cubs at Wrigley (with a historic and utterly thrilling Game 1 for starters), the Reds weren’t necessarily making plans to come back…but they did have Todd on their side, and lots of help from the wind blowing out…the Cubs were going for their season-high 8th straight win…good things seldom last.
As I adjusted my “game enjoyment cell” at home (today, on the front porch…after getting literally roasted last week listening to the Royals/Indians game while on the sun-stabbed back patio) I have no shame in reporting that I had the garage broom handy at my side, hoping I could proclaim to my neighbors “HEY, WE SWEPT THE REDS!” but that nasty ol’ broom stayed put, while I stayed out of the sun and the wind at Wrigley helped keep my knuckles white.
Offense was not a problem…for either team. Bronson Arroyo continues his decline, and Wells continues his consistently poor outings record. 5 homers total in the game, Dave Sappelt making his MLB Debut for the Reds (in left field for the failing-at-Wrigley-because-of-those-damn-sprinklers Yonder Alonso), Starlin Castro hits safely in 8 straight games, scores a run in 9 straight games…it was a seesaw of runs with the Reds trotting out 6 pitchers to court the Cubs’ 3 pitcher outing.
And there was Todd. A 2-run HR with no outs in the 4th (his 3rd MLB HR this season) and an RBI-double in the 8th pretty much capped off his day. 3 RBIs that made all the difference for the Reds as they topple the Cubs (still, barely) 8-7.
The bad news for my daughters: Todd is doing well in his 2nd stint with the Reds this season, and there will almost be no certainty of his return to Louisville this season. The Reds are going back to being the Reds, just check your Dusty Baker Rise and Fall Chart and you will know it was bound to happen.
Let me rephrase that…if you’re a Cubs or a Giants fan, you know it…if you are a Reds fan, you may have hoped it wouldn’t be true, but hey…this is baseball. The season will play itself out and then we’ll get to look at this chart all together, and maybe you will agree that Dusty Baker’s window has statistically closed.
Great effort by the Cubs…Todd Frazier, I will never be a Reds fan, but my hat is always tipped in your behalf. Please don’t step on it.
Go CUBS.
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