Game 40: Reds @ Marlins (Game 2/3: M.Leake/A.Sanabia)

Choo For MVP! Reds Win Fifth Straight Behind Leake's Pitching and Shin-Soo's Big Night at the Plate

By Ryan Bramwell

CIN (24-16)  4 11 0
MIA (11-29) 0 11 0

W: Mike Leake (3-2)
L: Alex Sanabia (2-6)

Box Score

•  Leake: 6.2 IP, 0 R, 9 H, 1 BB, 6 SO
• Great performance by Mikey tonight.  Really worked out of some jams and despite giving up nine hits he didn't allow a run to cross the plate.
• Leake is making it tougher and tougher for management to make a decision on the fifth spot of the rotation.
• Mikey is now 3-2 with an ERA of 3.72.  All Reds starters now have an ERA below the league average.  Pretty darned impressive.
• Shin-Soo Choo: 4-for-5, two home runs (9), two RBI (19), three runs scored
• Choo is having a heck of a year and is proving to be the best free-agent pickup the Reds have had in a long while...Ludwick was an amazing FA signing last season. Even so, Choo is on pace to destroy the numbers Luddy put up in 2012.
• Shin-Soo is batting .322, 9 HR, 19 RBI, 4 SB.  10 Doubles, 27 walks, 12 HBPs.  His OBP is a whopping .465 while he is slugging .589 for a monster OPS of 1.054!!! Now those are some Votto-esque digits right there!  Choo was referred to as being in 'MVP Chatter' on ESPN's Baseball Tonight following the game.
• Check this out: Choo is on pace for 36 home runs, 77 runs batted in, 16 stolen bases, 41 doubles, and 109 bases on balls.  Although it is doubtful he can maintain this pace, it sure would be incredible if he came anywhere close to those numbers.
• Phillips: Two hits including his 10th double and his 34th RBI
• Brandon leads the National League in RBI and has the third most in the MLB behind perennial-MVP-candidate Miguel Cabrera (41) and Oriole's first-baseman Chris Davis (37).
• Jables: Bruce continues to heat up/stay hot as he had two more hits including his 13th double of the year.
• Joey V: 2-for-4 with a walk and an RBI (17)
• Izturis: Notched his first extra-base hit as a Redleg with a double (1).  Also, he drew a walk.  Cesar was filling in for Zack Cozart and batting in Cozy's usual two-hole spot in the lineup.
• Marshall and LeCure: Solid bullpen relief from these two guys per the usual. 
• Marshall came in to get the final out of the 7th inning for Mike Leake and did so by getting his man to strike out.
• LeCure pitched the 8th and gave up one hit while striking out two.
• Aroldis Chapman: Pitched the 9th in a non-save situation
• Bad News: Gave up a hit and walked a batter.
• Good News: Struck out two and threw the hardest he has all year as hit 100+ mph seven times against the final batter of the game. 
• Reds WIN!: Cincy has strung together five-straight wins (a season high) and sits eight games over .500 (a season high) at 24 wins and 16 losses. 
• According to the fellas over at Redleg Nation, the Reds didn't get to eight games over .500 until June 2, back in 2012.  So that's an interesting thought and certainly a reason to stay positive when you start to have your doubts about this year's club.