Reds Cards Rubber Game - Cards Bounce Back

Another day, another fast start for the St. Louis Cardinals.

http://www.wiedemannbeer.com/

Reds' starter Mike Leake retired the first two Cardinals on fly balls to Shin-Soo Choo.  Then a bad omen befell the young Reds' ace.  Allen Craig dumped a poorly hit flare in front of Jay Bruce in shallow rightfield toward the foul line.  The next three Cardinal batters hit the ball a lot better.  Matt Holliday doubled off the base of the wall in leftcenter.  David Freese found grass with a line drive to rightcenter.  Matt Adams found the rightfield stands with a towering fly ball to give St. Louis a quick 4-0 lead before Leake got Tony Cruz to ground out to third.

Lance Lynn took that lead to the mound.  The Marion County, Indiana native retired the first four Reds' batters before Jay Bruce hit a smash that Matt Carpenter dived for and speared.  Alas, he had no one to throw to as Adams chased the ball and Lynn neglected to cover first.  Todd Frazier extended his hitless string to 0-for-26 with a strikeout but Zack Cozart cut the lead in half with a home run to left.

Leake allowed three base runners in the next four innings as he seemed to settle in.

Lyun retired 10 straight after Cozart's home run.

The Cardinals came out with guns blazing in the sixth.  Holliday and Freese sinlged up the middle.  Adams lined a hit to right.  Leake hit the showers as Dusty Baker brought Logan Ondrusek in to stop the bleeding. The hemorrahage continued.  Cruz singled for one run.  Daniel Descalso doubled to make it 7-2.  Lynn reached on an error by Frazier to load the bases.  Carpenter snapped an 0-for-23 slump with a two-run double.  Ondrusek exited with runners at second and third, with no outs and five runs in.  Alfredo Simon put the tourniquet on.  He retired Jay, Craig and Holliday without further scoring.

The usually reliable Reds' bullpen had an off day as the Cardinals piled on with single runs in the seventh and eighth and four more in the ninth.  Sam LeCure was hit hard in the ninth.

Freese and Cruz homered for the Cardinals.

Professionally edited by ML Schirmer
for proof reading services call
513-240-3120