Reds Win In 13 Too Late For Leake 4-2

Mike Leake now knows if he didn't already that you need all 27 outs to complete a game.

Leake really couldn't have pitched much better but a pair of pitches prevented his personal 12th victory..  One pitch was too good.  The other was too bad.

He and rookie catcher, Devin Mesoraco worked so well together for 8 2/3 innings but it was not enough.  Leake allowed just on hit, hit a batter and a third base runner reached on catcher's interference until two were out in the ninth.  He set down 14 batters in a row until Darwin Barney reached when Mesoraco tipped the bat on Barney's apparent ground out.

With two runs in on Joey Votto's double, that snapped his 0-for-14 slump, and a double play grounder by Mesoraco, Leake had just what he seemingly needed.

Leake easily got the first two Cubs out in the ninth inning but he made a pitch that was too good to Starlin Castro.  Castro didn't get enough wood on the ball and beat out the topped ball to thirdbase.  Rookie Bryan LaHair became the last hope for the Cubs.  Leake fell behind 2 and 0 to LaHair.  Then the one bad pitch Leake made that cost him his first career complete-game shutout and the victory.  LaHair blased a shocking two-run home run that tied the game.  Dusty Baker tested Leake's mettle and left him in to get Aramis Ramirez to end the ninth.  That out still made it possible for Leake to record the victory but the Reds couldn't score off Carlos Marmol.

It would have been Leak's win but it is a team game.  Cincinnati needed a key hit in the first inning when they loaded the bases against Chicago starter, Rodrigo Lopez.  Mesoraco got a hit with Dave Sappelt, who had three hits, in scoring position but Castro kept it in the infield.  The Reds didn't get that extra run that would cost Leake and the Reds later.

Brandon Phillips was thrown out at the plate when Jay Bruce's single to right was hit too hard to allow Phillips, who slipped to score in the fourth inning.

Once the game went to extra innings the drama of Leake's chance for a memorable gem was forgotten in an effort to win the contest.

The Cubs loaded the bases with one out in the 10th but Baker summoned Sam "Houdini" LeCure, who has an knack for pitching out of bases loaded jams.  LeCure got a ground ball to induce a Cairo to Mesoraco to Votto, Oh My, 5-2-3 double play, Oh Boy.

Teams traded zeroes until Sappelt doubled for the second time leading off the 13th inning.  Votto again delivered the rookie with double to the left center field gap.  Cairo singled to give Francisco Cordero extra room.

Cordero made the insurance run superfluous with a routine 1-2-3 13th.  It was Cordero's 31st save of the season, 321st of his career.  He tied his childhood hero, Jose Mesa for 13th on the all-time list.  Cordero has converted each of his last 14 save attempts.