The Morning After – Reds 3 Rockies 2

I’ll try out this game recap format where I discuss an important player, a meaningful statistic, and a noteworthy takeaway from the game.  Also, since it is titled ‘The Morning After’ I’ll try to get it posted the morning following the game.  Leave your thoughts on this format in the comments!

Name

Arthur Rhodes – The 40 year old All Star got out of a bases loaded jam with no outs in the 8^th without giving up a run.  After getting Dexter Fowler to pop out to right, he struck out Jonathan Herrera and CarGo to get out of trouble.    Rhodes currently has a 1.50 ERA, which is significantly lower than his career mark of 4.07. 

Number

10 – Jason Hammel established a new career high with 10 Ks on the evening.  Hammel pitched well enough to win, but did not receive enough run support.  Hammel kept the ball in the park and only walked one Red.  This was Hammel’s first loss since May 21^st.

Noteworthy

Good Giambi, Bad Giambi – Giambi’s RBI double got the Rox on the board in the 7^th.  In the 8^th, Beimel picked off Scott Rolen at first, but Rolen stole second when Giambi couldn’t get the ball out of his glove cleanly.  Giambi has never been known for his defense, and at 39 probably can’t play first every day.  His pop off the bench is great, but the Rox need a more consistent presence at first.  Brad Hawpe makes his first career start at first base tonight, and it will be interesting to see how he handles the position.