Four games in two days, and it wasn’t pretty to watch. The Cardinals showed a level of tenacity that is missing from Cincinnati at the moment.
Now that the dust has settled, I can look at it with more discerningly. We won one, lost one and blew two ninth inning leads. That’s a whisper away from winning the series 3-1.
Eugenio Suarez continues to destroy pitchers. The only hitters with more home runs this season are Mike Trout, Christian Yelich, Pete Alonso and Cody Bellinger. Talk about a low-profile 40-homer campaign.
Unfortunately, he took a ball to the wrist which puts the four-game series against the Phillies starting on Monday in jeopardy. I know there isn’t much to play for, but the lineup is weak without him.
Talismanic Joey Votto looks back to full health. He scored four times over the weekend, including a two-out homer off Michael Wacha.
Stud starter Luis Castillo picked up the win. He is now 14-5 on the season. In the NL, only Stephen Strasburg and Max Fried have won more games, but both have a higher ERA. He won’t win the Cy Young award, but he’s in the conversation.
Having blown his last two save attempts, it was impressive to watch Raisel Iglesias take the ball in the ninth inning of Game 4 and strike out the side. Part of me expected a phantom IL stint to be on the horizon, but no, he stepped up and delivered.
Embed from Getty ImagesIt’s difficult to know what to make about Trevor Bauer. Although he has two 11-strikeout appearances in Reds’ colours, he has only completed five innings twice in six starts. That’s not like him, nor is the 8.40 ERA.
With three hits, Phil Ervin flirted with a cycle in the second game of Sunday’s doubleheader. The cycle is one of the most pointless aspects of baseball. I’m sure it’s exciting if you’re in the crowd, but so is a Mexican wave. Nevertheless, it was great to see the 27-year-old make the most of his opportunity.
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4000 miles from Ohio 