For the First Time in 21 Years the Reds Start the Season 4-0 with 8-2 Win

The wire-to-wire World Champion Reds of 1990 won its first nine games.

Twenty-one years later the 2011 Reds are off to its fastest start since then.  The Houston Astros, who were the first victims in 1990 are the second in line this season.

The Reds jumped on a hapless, J.A Happ for five runs in the first two innings. The Reds had just three hits but watched pitch after pitch drift out of the strike zone on Happ to build a quick lead.  Joey Votto singled and doubled.  Scott Rolen doubled, Brandon Phillips and Drew Stubbs had a pair of hits.  Chris Heisey had two RBI without an official at bat, walking with the bases loaded in the first and was hit by a pitch with the bases jammed in the second.  He lined a single for his third RBI in the fourth inning.

"There's nothing like having more RBI than hits," Heisey said.  "It's great to be able to get off to a good start. I want to get runs home any way I can to help us win."

Meanwhile, Mike Leake held Houston in check.  He allowed a hit and two walks in the first four innings.  The Astros scored a pair of runs in the fifth but Leake pitched a perfect sixth before turning the lead over to the bullpen.  Leake also manufactured a run, beating out a bunt for a hit moving to third on a Stubbs single and scoring on as sacrifice fly by Miguel Cairo.

"He was going to be with the team out of spring training but we couldn't tell him that," said Dusty Baker of Leake.  Leake was battling with Homer Bailey, Travis Wood, Sam LeCure and Matt Maloney for two starting spots in the rotation.  "He was overthrowing a bit during spring training but even though he doesn't have a long track record, we know what he can do," Baker said.  Leake's numbers were bad in March.  He had a 7.29 era in 21 innings.  "It is hard to judge contact pitchers like Leaky in Arizona.  The infields are hard, every fly ball has a chance to go out," Baker said.

Leake admitted that he tried to hard and forgot how he was supposed to pitch.

"It had been six months since I pitched," said Leake, who last towed the rubber in late August.  "I forgot how to pitch.  The last time out I felt pretty good about how I was pitching.  I need to change speeds."

Jordan Smith with two scoreless innings and Matt Maloney, who pitched the ninth, finished off the Astros for a 8-2 victory