Cincinnati Reds Lead Dwindling; Cleveland Indians Surge
Bring Out The Broom Chief Wahoo!
by Robb Hoff
June 20, 2012
Cleveland Indians ace Justin Masterson put an exclamation point on The Tribe's sweep of the Cincinnati Reds by striking out the side in the top of the ninth inning and ending the game with a called third strike on the Reds hitting machine Joey Votto.
The Indians further staked their claim for contention in the A.L. Central with the sweep of the first-place Reds, and hopefully made their case to their fan base for a much-needed boost in support from their estranged fans.
The Indians might not be back in business like they were in their most recent hey day, but this is a fun team to watch with some serious upside. Whether or not The Tribe has the guns down the stretch or the wherewithal to go get what they don't have for a playoff push remains to be seen.
The Reds on the other hand have crashed back to earth. It looked like they could waltz into Cleveland and apply a whipping, but instead got their backsides handed to them.
Wednesday night's 8-1 drubbing wasn't indicative of how well the team battles in all aspects of the game. But it does serve as notice that the Reds still don't quite have everything they need to leave their competition in the N. L. Central in the dust.
May all future Battles For Ohio between the Reds and Indians continue to be as relevant and entertaining as these most recent three-game sets have been.
And wouldn't the ultimate Battle For Ohio between these two teams be a late October winner-take-all, seven-game clash!
