It was another low scoring game except this time the Reds held onto beat the Cubs by the score of 2-1. Single runs in the sixth and seventh innings, the Reds were able to tie the three game series and will now go for the series win on Thursday afternon.

Bronson Arroyo threw the ball awesome as he pitched seven innings and only gave up three hits and one run. Arroyo picked up the victory and is now 11-10 on the season. Francisco Cordero earned the save with a 1-2-3 inning in the ninth inning.

The first Reds run came on a Jeff Keppinger groundout in the sixth inning that scored Ryan Hanigan. In the seventh inning, Jolbert Cabrera hit a rbi sac fly that scored Edwin Encarnacion for the winning run.

Great win for the Reds. Now do they have what it takes to beat the Cubs and Carlos Zambrano on Tuesday afternoon?

Reds Baseball

Daryl Thompson pitched five scoreless innings in his major-league debut, and Bill Bray picked up the win in relief as the Reds offense finally broke through against Yankee pitching in the seventh and eighth innings.  Edwin Encarnacion, Brandon Phillips, and Corey Patterson drove in two runs apiece, Patterson with the 100th home run of his career.

Thompson was activated before the game when Jolbert Cabrera went on the DL.

Bluzer runs RedlegStats.com, the home of Absolute Average, a better alternative to OPS.

Edinson Volquez had yet another quality start, giving up only two runs in seven innings pitched, and got his tenth win before the halfway point of the season.  Joey Votto had three hits including his twelfth homer of the year.  Jolbert Cabrera went four-for-four, avoided a tag at home plate with a brilliant slide, but severely dislocated a finger sliding headfirst into second and will be headed to the DL.

Daryl Thompson will be activated tomorrow to pitch the second game of the series.  We will have to wait and see if he will simply take Cabrera’s spot on the roster, or if other moves will be made.

Bluzer runs RedlegStats.com, the home of Absolute Average, an better alternative to OPS.

Homer Bailey lived up to his name, surrendering three of them in two and one-third innings, as a Red Sox lineup without either Manny Ramirez or the injured David Ortiz cruised to a 9-0 victory behind Josh Beckett (7-4) and two Sox relievers.  Joey Votto was three-for-four for the Reds, and Jolbert Cabrera, getting a start at shortstop, was two-for-three, but since they were widely separated in the batting order, it still added up to zero runs.

Bluzer runs RedlegStats.com, the home of Absolute Average, an improvement over OPS. 

Johnny Cueto walked eight and gave up six earned runs in five innings, while the Reds offense managed only three hits off Braden Looper, who pitched not only his first career shutout, but his first career complete game.  The defense wasn’t any better, as Cueto threw one away in the infield, and Jay Bruce dropped one in the outfield.  Ryan Ludwick, Rick Ankiel and even cowboy Jason LaRue homered for the Cardinals, who cruised to a 10-0 victory.

 Jolbert Cabrera, who was brought up from Louisville when Jerry Hairston Jr. went on the 15-day DL, made his first start for the Reds, playing second base in place of the slumping Brandon Phillips.

Bluzer runs RedlegStats.com, the home of Absolute Average, an alternative to OPS.