Johnny Cueto (4-2, 3.33) vs Erik Bedard (4-10, 4.47)
Do you remember when we were all excited that Erik Bedard got named to the rotation again instead of Lucas Harrell, after Bedard far outpitched Harrell in Lucas' last spot start? Well... oops. Points to you if you remembered that the Astros and Reds meeting in late September is an Interleague series, too. So the Reds played like a playoff contender, which the Astros aren't, and didn't. Cincinnati wins 6-1, pushing Houston to the brink of 100 losses, now at 51-99.
On the Mound:
*Last we saw Erik Bedard, he was throwing four scoreless innings at Oakland September 8 when Lucas Harrell bombed out after three. Tonight it was Bedard bombing out, and Harrell got the mop-up role. Bedard's first start since August 21 went like this: 4 IP / 4 H / 4 R / 4 ER / 2 BB / 6 K.
*Harrell was not as sharp in relief as Bedard was back in Oakland, but he was at least better than Bedard tonight. Lucas' work: 5 IP / 3 H / 2 R / 2 ER / 4 BB / 3 K.
At the Plate:
*The Astros matched the Reds tonight at seven hits a piece, but Houston's only RBI went to Matt Dominguez on a groundout. Matty D went 0 for 4.
*Jose Altuve is a house afire, going 2 for 4 tonight with a K. He's now 29 for 66 (.439) in September.
*Trevor Crowe doubled and scored the lone run, going 1 for 4 with a K.
*Chris Carter also had a double and finished 1 for 4.
*Brett Wallace (1 for 4, K), Carlos Corporan (1 for 4), and L.J. Hoes (1 for 3, K) had the other hits.
Turning Point:
It didn't take long for the Reds to set the tone, after Jay Bruce led off the 2nd with a single. Bedard fanned Ryan Ludwick and Todd Frazier to almost escape the inning, but then Zack Cozart homered on a 3-1 pitch to give Manny Ramirez Johnny Cueto and Cincinnati all the offense they would need.
Man of the Match:
Jose Altuve. His season average is back up to .286 now - the highest it's been since July 5 (.287).
Goat of the Game:
Erik Bedard. Presumably he'll stay in the rotation, so he'll get two more chances at win #5 before the season is out.
