It may not have been as dramatic as 2010 when Jay Bruce swatted a 9th inning homer on the first pitch to clinch the Reds first division crown since 1995, but Saturday's 6-0 win versus the Dodgers was just as satisfying.
Once again, Bruce provided the heroics. This time smacking the first pitch he saw in the 4th inning high into the right field stands for an early 1-0 lead. The Reds would add a run in the 5th and the 7th and 3 more in the 8th inning, but as it turned out 1 run was really all Mat Latos needed.
The big offseason acquisition blanked the Dodgers on 6 hits over 8 innings while striking out 7; leaving the 9th to Aroldis Chapman. The Cuban Missile returned from nearly 2 weeks off with shoulder fatigue to close it out by inducing a game-ending double play to seal the NL Central Division title.
The differences between 2 years ago and Saturday were the post game celebration was jubilant but not excessive. And Dusty Baker wasn't there. The Reds skipper still in a Chicago hospital being treated for an irregular heart beat. The good news, he's supposed to be released and return to Cincinnati Sunday. When he'll be in uniform and in the dugout managing remains to be seen.
Some things to watch over the remainder of the regular season:
*Joey Votto-- the All-Star first baseman has hit since his return but is not driving the ball and has only 4 RBI since his return from knee surgery.
*Johnny Cueto-- sure he shutout the Cubs his last time out to pick up his 18th win and end a personal 3-game losing streak, but even Chicago manager Dale Sveum said Cueto did not have his best stuff. The Reds say Cueto is not fatigue but his innings may need to be monitored over the remainder of the season in order to have him somewhat fresh for October.
*Aroldis Chapman-- as mentioned above, he returned to the mound Saturday. He reached 97 on the radar gun, walked one and did not strike out batter. It wasn't classic Chapman but his performance over the final 10 games bears watching. Because if he can't hit upper 90s to a 100 MPH and starts walking hitters, the bullpen which has been the best in the NL all year could become a problem in the playoffs.
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