REDS SNAP LOSING SKID
The Reds beat the Diamondbacks today at Great American Ball Park, 7-4. The win snapped Cincinnati’s 4-game losing streak and brought them back over the .500 mark with a 10-9 record.
Mike Leake started for the Reds and gave up 3 runs on 4 hits in 7.0 innings to notch his 3rd win (2bb, 6k, 1hr). He retired 16 of the final 17 batters he faced.
The Redlegs plated 7 runs on 9 hits.
Joey Votto went 2-for-4 with a home run (#3) and 2 runs scored. He’s reached safely in all 19 games he’s played in 2011.
Brandon Phillips (1r) and Ramon Hernandez (double, RBI) also collected 2 hits.
The Reds have concluded their 7-game homestand (2-5) are now off to St. Louis where tomorrow they’ll begin 3-game series against the Cardinals before traveling to Milwaukee to play a 3-game set with Milwaukee.
QUOTE BOAT
Mike Leake
On how important it was to have a good outing today: “It was pretty important (to) uplift myself and hopefully uplift some other people.”
On how he’s feeling mentally: “I’ll be better once it’s all done. Right now I just kind of got to eat it and just go out there and do what I can for the team.”
On how it felt to pitch today: “It was nice to go out there and kind of erase some things and pitch.”
On if he was worried about fan reaction today: “A little bit, yeah. I didn’t know if they were going to support me or not. For the most part they were very nice about it.”
Dusty Baker
On Leake’s outing: “We needed it, he needed it, the city needed it, everybody needed it.”
………………
So proud of Mike!
Interesting usage of Cordero this afternoon, sending him to the mound for a second day in a row without facing a save situation. In typical FC fashion, the tying run – in the form of sometime-basher Russell Branyan – came to the plate, grounding out to a healthy-again Brandon Phillips. That could say a few things: Dusty thought applying his closer would secure a much-needed stem-the-tide-of-a-losing-streak win or even perhaps even more, he felt Leake really needed the W.