Chapmania Aside Reds Distill Brewers 8-4 Lead Now 7 Games

With the Cuban Missle, Aroldis Chapman in town, who knew the fastest the ball would travel was after Aaron Harang threw the ball.

Harang gave up eight hits in four innings.  All of them left the bat at a high rate of speed with the exception of Prince Fielder's RBI duck fart in the first inning.  Even the outs were smoked.

However, the Brewers needed help to score two runs in Harang's last inning.

Sam LeCure got the win with two good innings of relief.

The Reds pounded Milwaukee starter, Yovani Gallardo.

Drew Stubbs walked to start the game and Chris Valaika, making his fourth start replacing injured Brandon Phillips, shot a single to center.  Reds MVP candidate, Joe Votto hit a screamer past Prince Fielder and down the rightfield line to score them both.

In the fourth inning Scott Rolen led off with double and Jonny Gomes, a last minute replacement for Jay Bruce ,who had pain in his right side, hit a home run to the moon deck in rightfield.

"It is no secret the Reds are playing great ball," said the low key Milwaukee manager Ken Macha.  "Look at that inning.  I'm sure if you asked Gomes he was trying to go the other way to get Rolen to third.  Then Chris Heisey hit a double and (Ryan) Hanigan hit the ball the other way to get him to third."

Paul Janish couldn't reach an outside and low curveball on a squeeze play and the rally died but the point was made.

"They are playing unselfish, good team ball," Macha said.

Harang had a high pitch count to start the fourth as it was.  He compounded it by walking Fielder after Ryan Braun opened with a hard line single.  Dusty Baker pulled his starter, making his first start since going on the DL on July 5th.

Lecure got Casey McGehee on a fly to left.  Former Red Chris Dickerson lined a hit to left.  Gomes trying to make a quick throw to the plate missed the ball and it rolled to the wall for a two base error, allowing Braun and Fielder to score.  The runs were charged to Harang but they were labeled unearned and LeCure got the Brewers out the rest of the way with the lead in hand.

The Reds got one back in the fifth when Drew Stubbs, the leadoff hitter du jour, doubled,  Valaika struck out looking.  Bringing Votto up with an open base.  It was clear that Gallardo was being cautious and the count went to 3-2.  Gallardo did his job but Votto still got the better of him poking the ball into shallow left for an RBI double.

"I made a good 3-2 pitch to Votto but it landed.  There was nothing I could do about it."

Hanigan, Janish and Rolen doubled and the Reds put the game away with three runs in the sixth.

Rickie Weeks homered off Logan Ondrusek for an anticlimactic run in the ninth, after a bout of Chapmanania.

Jonathan Lucroy had the dubious distinction of facing the "Cuban Missle" first.

The at bat went as follows:

Poor Jonathan Lucroy was the first hitter to face him in the big leagues.  Chapman threw a strike at 98 mph on the first pitch as cameras flashed.  He got a swing and miss on an 86 mph slider for strike two.  Lucroy fouled a 102mph pitch sideways and whiffed on an 86mph slider.


"I was just trying to hit the ball hard.  He's tough.  He's very deceptive. He hides the ball.  I knew it was coming.  We knew they would make a big deal out of it.  I tried to shut it out.  102mph,  I was just trying to get my bat on the ball.  I'm glad no one got hurt when I fouled it."


The foul ball screamed into the first row above the Reds dugout as players on the Reds bench ducked in unison.


"I'll be better prepared next time," Lucroy said.


Macha, who speaks in a monotone all the time, didn't want to talk much about it.


"The crowd liked it.  102mph, I'm sure it will be on Sportscenter."