Wood and Bullpen Rebound Reds Offense and Defense Astound in 7-2 Win Over Dodgers

On Dusty Baker's 62nd birthday, Travis Wood and the Red bullpen, bounced back from two weekends ago.

Dusty Baker is 62 Today

Saturday June 4th the Reds bult a 7-2 lead over the Dodgers but the bullpen couldn't hold it.  Logan Ondrusek served up a grand slam to Matt Kemp, who now leads the NL in home runs and RBI, to tie the game.  The Reds lost in extra innings.

The following day Wood and Chad Billingsley hooked up in Cincinnati and Wood got beat up.  He surrendered a home run and a bases loaded walk to Billingsley and the Dodgers rolled to take two out of three in the series.

But that was two weeks ago. 

On Wednesday June 15, Baker turned 62. He is not old enough to rememeber that on this date in 1938 in Brooklyn, New York, the Reds Johnny Vander Meer, the Dutch Master, pitched a no-hitter in the Dodgers first ever night game at Ebbets Field.

Johnny Vander Meer the Dutch Master

Please excuse the digression caused by the Reds and Dodgers wearing throwback uniforms to that era.

Wood may have had a deja vu in the first inning. He retired the first two batters but Andre Eithier doubled.  The Reds wanted no part of Kemp with two outs and put him on base.  Struggling Juan Uribe and light hitting Marcus Thames followed with walks to spoil the strategy.

From then on the Dodgers offense was barely heard from thanks to a diving catch by Jonny Gomes with two men on in the third and two outs.  Gomes robbed James Loney by going airborne to make a catch down the line.  In the throwback uniforms he looked like Ival Goodman saving runs for Bucky Walters.

Meanwhile the Reds bats were alive and vey well, thank you very much.

1944 Logo

Brandon Phillips, batting cleanup while Jay Bruce rested, singled.  Scott Rolen doubled him home with a rope to the right center field gap.  Fred Lewis, the right fielder in Bruce's stead, also doubled to score Rolen.

The Reds pounded Billingsley in the third.

Edgar Renteria singled as did MVP, Joey Votto.  Rolen singled to plate Renteria. Gomes loaded the bases with a single. Lewis drew a walk to let Votto trot home.  Ryan Hanigan poked a two-run single. The Reds were up 6-1.

Votto walked with one out in the fourth.  Phillips forced him but Rolen drove in his third run of the game with his third hit, a double.

Gomes, bucking for a Gold Glove made two more sterling catches.

Wood finished with six innings.  He allowed just the first inning run. The Dodgers got five hits but his five walks and his hit batter, prevented him from becoming the ninth straight Reds starter to pitch at least seven innings. 

Jose Arredondo allowed a run in the seventh.  Bill Bray, who walked Eithier in that June 4 meltdown that set up Kemps grand slam, pitched a scoreless eighth.  Nick Masset, who started that June 4 fatefull inning by allowing three straight singles, walked a batter in the ninth but pitched a scoreless frame to drop his ERA to 3.79.  He began May with a 6.46 ERA.

Masset nailed down the win.  The Reds swept the Dodgers in LA and put together a 5-2 roadtrip.

Cincinnati will begin the homestand Friday against Toronto no worse than three games out of first place.

Milwaukee and St. Louis play both Wednesday and Thursday night.  Losses both nights would mean the Reds would be one game out on Friday, as Baker would say, "That would be primo."



By Mark Schmetzer