Reds Total Team Effort Beats Padres 8-2 in 11 Innings

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Clutch pitching, clutch hitting and clutch defense, gave the Reds what they needed in an 8-2 win over San Diego's tough bullpen.

The reigning NL Central champs had so many clutch plays by so many people it is difficult to know where to start, so I will just go to the beginning.

Sam LeCure, an afterthought against more hyped young pitching, gave the Reds a clutch start.  He pitched six very strong innings.  The University of Texas hurler, who has never been compared to the great hurlers in the game, just pitched.  He struck out eight, a career high.  Unfortunately, he walked Nick Hundley ahead of Alberto Gonzalez with the Reds holding a one-run lead courtesy of Jonny Gomes clutch two-out double.

Gonzalez hit a flare down the rightfield line for a triple to score Hundley.  Jay Bruce's throw rolled away from Scott Rolen.  Rolen hustled to chase the ball down as Gonzalez tried to score.  His sliding stop and throw home from his knees kept the game tied.

Former Michigan QB, Clayton Richard, was tough.  Jay Bruce, who was struggling, singled.  Paul Janish hit a comeback ball to the mound and it should have been a double play but Richard rushed his throw and both runners were safe. They advanced to second and third and Drew Stubbs delivered the run with a ground out.

LeCure, who is being stretched out, had to leave the game and Aroldis Chapman retired 15 Padres in a row through seven innings.  Chapman didn't hit 100 on the radar gun but had probably his best outing.

Nick Masset, who is having another tough April, started the eighth.  Masset owns two of the Reds three losses.  Hundley singled for the Padres second hit. Cameron Mabin doubled off the leftfield fence.  San Diego had the winning run in scoring position with no outs.  But Masset bore down.  He struck out Gonzalez.  Pinch hitter Eric Patterson grounded out to Brandon Phillips to tie the game.  Masset got a slow ground ball out of speedy Will Venable up the middle.  The only chance Phillips had to preserve the tie was to bare hand the ball and throw off balance to nip Venable.  He did it.  (I have asked Phillips how he expects to win a gold glove if he keeps bare handing the ball.)

Bill Bray started the ninth.  Orlando Hudson greeted him with a double.  Now the winning run is on second with no out.  Chase Headley popped up a bunt attempt that Ryan Hanigan ran down.  The Reds walked Ryan Ludwick intentionally.  Logan Ondrusek came on and struck out pinch hitter Jorge Cantu.  Hundley worked Ondrusek for a walk.  Maybain thought he hit a game winning single but Bruce ran it down to send the game to the 10th.

Mike Adams, who had a great 2010, had little trouble with the Reds in the 10th.

Gonzalez started the 10th with a single.  Former Red Chris Denorfia hit one through the middle off Ondrusek's wrist.  The big righthander found it in time to get the out with the winning run moving to second.
Venable was walked intentionally to set up a double play but Hudson;s slow roller eluded Rolen for an infield hit, loading the bases.

For the second straight inning, Ondrusek worked out of it.  He struck out Headley.  Ryan Ludwick hit a line drive to left but Gomes made his second fine catch of the night to keep Cincinnati alive.

Marion Ohio native and Ohio State baseball stand out, Corey Luebke, got two quick outs, retiring Joey Votto and Rolen.  Gomes lined a ball to right that Venable was lucky to cut off in rightfield for a single.  Hanigan fought off some tough pitches before hitting a 3-2 pitch down the leftfield line as Gomes hustled home
Bruce put together a great at bat to walk.  Chris Heisey, last night's hero singled to right to give him eight RBI in just 16 at bats.  Stubbs belted a long three-run home run to cap the scoring.

Francisco Cordero breezed through the 11th.

Ondrusek is now 7-0 for his career.  Rob Murphy won his first eight decisions in 1986 and 87.  The last Red righthanded pitcher to win 6 games to start his career was Billy Rhines in 1890.

The win tied Dusty Baker with Miller Huggins, a Cincinnati native buried in Spring Grove Cemetary for 22nd place on the manager's win list with 1,413 wins.  This is an impressive note.

The Reds made a big deal out of  Baker winning his 250th game with his third different team.  Although only 11 managers have done it, the stat doesn't mean a whole lot.  First of all the manager needs to be fired a couple times and when you think about it, just 50 wins a year for five seasons get you 250 wins.  If a manager only wins 50 game in a year, he's losing 112 games a year.