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| Teammate's mob Joey Votto, following his GW-hit, Wednesday night down in Cincinnati. |
I couldn't wait till next week or the week after to dive into some diamond chatter, after last night's thrilling VICTORIES! Both the Reds & Indians provided their fans with some very early season drama, with the results in favor of the good guys. The Reds, after playing in a 13-inning game on Monday (losing 3-1), saw their 4-0 lead against the LA Angels on Wednesday night, disappear. Fortunately, the Reds 100+ million dollar man, first-basemen Joey Votto, step up in the clinch, and his base-hit into right field, scored Shin-Soo Choo all the way from 2nd base. With the 5-4 win, the rubber match between the Reds and Angels, is slated to start in just a couple minutes from now, for the first business day special of the season.
Following the opening series with the LA Angels, the Reds turn their attention to the Washington Nationals, who have looked just as good, as their preseason hype (albeit vs. the Miami Marlins), and should be an exciting early season series down in the Queen City.
However, the Reds were dealt with a little bad fortune on Opening Day (and I'm not talking about their inability to get a clinch hit with RISP, 0-10!!!), it looks like they will be without the services (3 months) of their LF Ryan Ludwick, after he suffered a shoulder injury, sliding head-first into 3rd base. Have no fear Reds fans, as fan-favorite Chris Heisey, looks like he will be the guy to fill-the-void in left, while we wait on the return of Ludwick.
The Reds haven't been the only team in Ohio to provide their fan base with some early season heroics. Their brothers up on the lake, the Indians have won their first two games of the season up in Canada. What a difference a year makes. With a new skipper, and some pricey new pieces to the line-up, the Indians have taken the first two games against the Blue Jay's, as they go for the sweep tonight at 7:07. Tuesday night, saw ace pitcher Justin Masterson go a solid 6 innings, allowing just one run, in the Tribe's 4-1 win over last season's NL Cy Young award winner, R.A. Dickey. Then followed it up last night, with an extra-inning's HR bomb, from newcomer Mark Reynolds in the 11th, winning 3-2. The Indians go down to Tampa Bay this weekend to take on the Rays for a three-game set.
The biggest concern with the Indians, heading into this season, was their starting pitching and how it would hold up during the season. After two low-scoring games, if that's any indication, I think they will be just fine (jinx!). Justin Masterson pitched out of some tough situations on Tuesday night, to grind-out 6 innings, with a pitch count just over 100 pitches. While last night's starter for the Tribe, Ubaldo Jimenez, had himself a quality outing as well. The former 19-game winner back in 2010 with the Colorado Rockies, went 6 innings (103 pitches), while allowing just one run on three hits, striking out six Blue Jay batter's. I hope Masterson and Jimenez can pitch like this the whole season, that would really give the rest of the guys in the rotation some confidence, when it's their turn to take the hill every fifth day.
Well that is all I have for you today on the Reds and Indians....
Well that is all I have for you today on the Reds and Indians....
