Stubbs Walk off Homer carries Reds

Drew Stubbs walked up to the plate  in the bottom of the 9th and on the first pitch from Scott Linebrink he blasted a solo homer to right to carry the Reds to a 4-3 win over the Braves. The win gives the Reds a much needed momentum boost as they just won a series against one of the best teams in the baseball.

The scoring got started off in the first inning when Brandon Phillips hit a two run shot over the right field wall to take a 2-0 lead. Veteran third baseman Miguel Cairo then blasted another homer and the lead was now up to three. The Braves then came roaring back in the 4th when catcher Brian McCann hit a solo shot to right and Wilkin Ramirez brought home Freddie Freeman on a fielders choice. Pinch hitter Julio Lugo brought in Nate McLouth in the 7th to tie it all up before Stubbs' solo shot.

Reds pitcher Dontrelle Willis had another quality start on the mound for the Redlegs. He gave up only six hits and three runs in six and a third innings pitched.

The Reds are now only one game under .500 and only three games out of first in the NL Central. They will face Jose Reyes and Mets starting tomorrow with Mike Leake on the mound.

Renteria sparks Reds offense

Homer Bailey struggled in the first two innings of the game as the Reds fell down 2-1 going into the sixth. Rookie Shortstop Zack Cozart then injured his left elbow on a play at second and was taken out of the game. The veteran Edgar Renteria came in to replace him and helped carry the Reds offense to score 10 unanswered runs in an 11-2 win.

After a 7 home run outing last night, neither team hit one out of the part in the 120 degree weather. The Reds started off the scoring in the first when Drew Stubbs came home after Joey Votto grounded out to the first baseman. In the second pitcher Derek Lowe then brought in two runs and the Braves had runners on second and third with only one out. Homer Bailey got Jason Hayward out on an infield fly and Brain McCann on a grounder to keep the Reds from further damage. Then the 6th inning came around and the Reds bats started to heat up. Renteria drove in two runs and Phillips drove in another one. In the 7th the Reds scored seven more and rookie third baseman Todd Frazier got his first MLB hit, a double, and brought in 3 runs while doing it.

Dontrelle Willis will be on the mound for the Reds on Sunday Night Baseball in the rubber match of the series. Willis has pitched very well in his first two starts but has lacked the run support needed to get his first win.

Reds Fall in Home Run Heavy Game vs Braves

Braves second baseman Dan Uggla

The Braves and the Reds combined for seven homers at Great American Ballpark on Friday. This game was the opener of a three game series vs the two, which will culminate with the final game of the series being played on Sunday Night Baseball. Bronson Arroyo and Braves ace Jair Jurrjens took the mound but today's stars came from behind.

Zack Cozart started off the scoring with a solo blast to left in the first, his third of his young career. Atlanta then scored three straight thanks to Jason Hayward and Brian McCann homers and a Alex Gonzalez RBI, the only non home run score of the night. Drew Stubbs and Fred Lewis then went deep in the 6th, Stubbs a solo shot and Lewis a two run homer, to help the Reds take back the lead. Martin Prado then tied up the scoring and hot hitting Dan Uggla came on as a pinch hitter in the ninth to blast a two run shot 415 feet and out of the ball park for the Braves 6-4 win.

The Braves try to keep pace with the Phillies in the NL East and maintain the Wild Card lead while the Reds fall back another game to the Pirates, Brewers and Cardinals in the NL Central race. They will face each other tomorrow at 4:10 on Fox for the second game of the series with pitchers Derek Lowe and Homer Bailey on the mound.