Did that Really Just Chapman?

Lets talk...the Phillies' series:

As I'm watching the game last night, I turned the television off in the bottom of the eighth. Mike Leake was pitching a gem, the Reds had a 2-0 lead and frankly, I was dead tired. I thought I'd wake up in the morning and catch some SportsCenter highlights of the Reds getting the win, but of course I should know not to assume anything with this club. For the second night in a row they lose on a walk-off hit. Same score too! After the sweep of the Nationals this past weekend, fans were wondering if it was just a fluke, myself included. They've got one more shot against the Phils to prove that this is not the start of another abysmal losing streak.

Lets talk...pitching:

Mike Leake! Welcome back sir. With his previous three starts leaving all of us grimacing, he was the shining light of last night's game.  His stuff was working, there was movement on the ball and he took a no-hitter into the seventh. Leake gave up to singles in the ninth, but walked away confident with a 4-0 lead under his belt. Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the game, and he did everything but; giving up a three-run shot to Maikel Franco. Chapman has always been more reliable than not, but correct me if I'm wrong. Yes, the man can throw insanely hard, but when a pitcher throws that hard, they throw mostly fast balls. It's better odds for hitters because like Franco said, "I know he throws hard and wasn't going to throw many breaking balls, so I waited for one pitch". One fastball right down the pipe is all you need because that thing's coming in so fast if you get even a little bit of the bat on it, it's going to fly.

On the other side, Phillies' pitcher Cole Hamels pitched a decent game, only allowing two runs on six hits. He struck out eight in seven innings. Hamels was not awarded the win, but still remains a flawless 10-0 against our Redlegs.

Lets talk...what's next:

They wrap up a three-game series with the Phillies tonight. Anthony DeSclafani is on the mound for the good guys, with a familiar face on the opposing mound. Aaron Harang gets the start for the Phillies. Yes, he's still hanging around the majors, and not doing too shabby. Not a stellar record at 4-5, but a decent ERA, 2.02. The Harangutang was a heck of a guy and gave eight great seasons to the Reds' organization, but we need a win tonight so I'm kind of hoping he bombs! No hard feelings Aaron. First pitch goes out at 7:05PM, go Reds!