First – hooray for Ken Griffey Jr.  It’s great to have you all alone in 6th place on the all-time home run list.  Like your smile and playful approach to the game, your patented lazy homerun swing never gets old.  May you hit at least 114 more home runs to get past 700.  This year has been a bit of a throwback season for you and it’s just a joy to watch.

Back to the team, the Reds  are on a bit of a roll starting at 7-4 under new manager Pete Mackanin.  The Reds have beaten some pretty good teams during this span, too.  They whoop on the Diamondbacks, Cincy took a game from the Mets, and have made a good start in the series against the Braves.  A few more wins and they could actually be in fourth place in the division.  Kooky.  Not quite as kooky as seeing the Brewers and Cubs atop the division, but kooky nonetheless.

Arroyo was pitching well tonight.  He threw a lot of first-pitch strikes.  Of course in the 5th inning the Arroyo voodoo starts again.  A bloop single gets the braves at 1st and 3rd with one out.  How does Bronson handle it?  He starts with a nasty strikeout looking on the inside corner.  He then gets Renteria to fly out to right.  The Reds actually scored more than 2 runs in a start for Bronson.  Has Arroyo’s luck finally changed?

NOT SO FAST!  Enter Mike Stanton, currently a one-man wrecking crew for Bronson Arroyo starts.  He gives up four runs in the 8th.  All with two outs.  Exit Stanton, enter David Weathers.  Why am I still feeling shaky and sweaty?  It must be because I’ve seen this play out too many times this year.  Weathers gives up a hard liner – EEK – right to Lopez at short.  Phew.

On to the ninth.  I swear to God, this umpire sounds just like a duck when he calls strikes.  A really angry duck.  Two on, Phillips up (Griffey is getting the royal treatment with these intentional walks.) and – a double steal!?!?!?! NOOOOOO.  Griffey should have been out (they had him by a mile) but the ball shot out of the glove.  What the hell was that?  No matter – Phillips strikes out.

Weathers makes it interesting in the 9th – why am I not suprised?  A long fly ball out to left seals the deal.  The moral of this story?  The Reds earlier this year would have found a way to lose this (what became a) close game in the end.  Now they are pulling out wins – butt clenching wins, mind you – but wins nonetheless.  And Arroyo won a game – that, and Prince Fielder’s inside-the-park home run., are surely two signs of the apocalypse.

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