[MarkInCincy]

The Reds try to come up with a series victory sending Jack Armstrong to the mound while Houston counters with Mark Portugal.

The Reds get it going early as Larkin draws a 1 out walk, steals second and moves to 3rd when Biggio throw the ball into CF. Sabo then drives a 2-2 pitch 401 ft to left center to give the Reds an early 2 run lead.

Unfortunately, that lead does not last long as Armstrong gets blown up by the Astros in the top of the 2nd:

TOP OF THE 2ND Houston Astros batting - Pitching for Cincinnati Reds : RHP Jack Armstrong Batting: LHB Tuffy Rhodes 0-0: Ball
1-0: Ball
2-0: Ball
3-0: Called Strike
3-1: Base on Balls Batting: SHB Ken Caminiti 0-0: Ball
1-0: Called Strike
1-1: DOUBLE (Flyball, 8LM)
Tuffy Rhodes to third Batting: RHB Mark Portugal 0-0: Ground out 6-3 (Groundball, 6M)
Tuffy Rhodes scores
Ken Caminiti to third Batting: RHB Eric Yelding 0-0: Ball
1-0: Called Strike
1-1: Ball
2-1: Ball
3-1: Foul Ball, location: 2F
3-2: Strikes out looking Batting: RHB Craig Biggio 0-0: Swinging Strike
0-1: Swinging Strike
0-2: Ball
1-2: Reached on error, E1 (Groundball, 13S)
Ken Caminiti scores Batting: SHB Bill D Doran 0-0: Ball
1-0: Ball
2-0: Foul Ball, location: 2F
2-1: Ball
3-1: Base on Balls
Craig Biggio to second Batting: LHB Franklin Stubbs 0-0: Ball
Balk!
Craig Biggio to third
Bill D Doran to second
1-0: Called Strike
1-1: Called Strike
1-2: SINGLE (Flyball, 8RS)
Craig Biggio scores
Bill D Doran to third
Runner from 3rd tries for Home, SAFE, no throw or cutoff Batting: SHB Casey Candaele 0-0: Ball
1-0: Fly out, F9 (Flyball, 9M) Top of the 2nd over - 4 run(s), 2 hit(s), 1 error(s), 1 left on base; Houston 4 - Cincinnati 2

Scott Scudder comes in to pitch the 3rd and 4th giving up a run in the 4th to make the game 5-2.

But the Reds score 2 in the bottom of the 4th to make it a 1 run game. O'Neill leads off with a walk, Duncan flies out, Jeff Reed singles to put runners at 1st and 2nd with one out. In an early move I bring in speedster Herm Winningham to pinch run for Jeff Reed. Ron Oester comes in to bat for Scudder and singles in O'Neill with Winningham getting to 2b.Todd Benzinger comes in to run for Oester. Winningham scores after he attempts to steal 3rd and Biggio for the 2nd time this series throw the ball into the outfield and Benzinger moves to 3b but is stranded there when Hal Morris strikes out. It's a 1 run game.

Not sure what I was thinking but I bring Dibble in to pitch in the 5th inning!!!!! But it worked he shuts the Astros down in the 5th, 6th and 7th getting 7 of 9 outs via strikeout.

Meanwhile Cincy scores 2 in the 6th on a Duncan triple, a Hatcher double, a failed Dibble squeeze bunt,and Hal Morris ground out fielders choice that scores Hatcher. Reds lead 6-5.

In the 7th Reds get a gift run on a Sabo double, Davis moving him to 3rd on a ground out, and Sabo coming in to score on a WP by Portugal to keep the lead 7-5

Charlton comes in to pitch the 8th and gets 3 ground outs with a walk to keep the score 7-5. In the bottom of the 8th the Reds get 2 insurance runs

Cincinnati Reds batting - Pitching for Houston Astros : RHP Mark Portugal Pitching: RHP Larry Andersen
Batting: SHB Luis Quinones 0-0: Called Strike
0-1: Ball
1-1: Foul Ball, location: 2F
1-2: Strikes out looking Batting: RHB Billy Hatcher 0-0: Ball
1-0: SINGLE (Line Drive, 3D) Batting: SHB Norm Charlton 0-0: Called Strike
Billy Hatcher steals 2nd base
0-1: Sac Bunt - play at first, batter OUT! 5-4
Billy Hatcher to third Batting: LHB Hal Morris 0-0: Ball
1-0: Ball
2-0: SINGLE (Flyball, 4MD)
Billy Hatcher scores Batting: RHB Barry Larkin 0-0: Called Strike
Hal Morris steals 2nd base
0-1: Swinging Strike
0-2: Ball
1-2: SINGLE (Flyball, 7LS) - OUT at second base trying to stretch hit.
Hal Morris scores
Charlton stays in to pitch the 9th and made it interesting with some control issues.

Houston Astros batting - Pitching for Cincinnati Reds : LHP Norm Charlton Batting: SHB Bill D Doran 0-0: Called Strike
0-1: Ball
1-1: Ball
2-1: Ball
3-1: Base on Balls Batting: LHB Franklin Stubbs 0-0: Called Strike
0-1: Ball
1-1: Foul Ball, location: 2F
1-2: Foul Ball, location: 2F
1-2: Fielders Choice at 2nd, 6-4 (Groundball, 6) Batting: SHB Casey Candaele 0-0: Ball
1-0: Ball
2-0: Ball
3-0: Called Strike
3-1: Base on Balls
Franklin Stubbs to second Batting: RHB Javier Ortiz 0-0: Ground out 4-3 (Groundball, 4M)
Franklin Stubbs to third
Casey Candaele to second Batting: LHB Tuffy Rhodes 0-0: Intentional Walk Pinch Hitting: RHB Glenn Wilson 0-0: Called Strike
0-1: Foul Ball, location: 2F
0-2: Foul Ball, location: 9LSF
0-2: Ball
1-2: Ball
2-2: Ball
3-2: Fly out, F4 (Line Drive, 4) Top of the 9th over - 0 run(s), 0 hit(s), 0 error(s), 3 left on base; Houston 5 - Cincinnati 9

I think I micromanaged this game a little especially for it only being the 3rd game of the season:

a - B. Hatcher pinch ran for J. Oliver in the 2nd
b - J. Reed substituted for K. Griffey Sr in the 3rd
c - S. Scudder substituted for J. Armstrong in the 3rd
d - R. Oester pinch hit for S. Scudder in the 4th
e - H. Winningham pinch ran for J. Reed in the 4th
f - T. Benzinger pinch ran for R. Oester in the 4th
g - R. Dibble substituted for T. Benzinger in the 5th
h - L. Quinones substituted for H. Winningham in the 5th
i - N. Charlton substituted for R. Dibble in the 8th

Dibble gets the win, Charlton the save.

Dibble gets Player of the Game with a dominating 3 inning stint with 7 K's. Again in a win the running game also gets a Red's Star as 5 players stole a base:

SB: E. Davis (1) , B. Larkin (1) , H. Morris (1) , B. Hatcher (2) , T. Benzinger (1)

Sabo gets the offensive Red's Star with a double and a HR, 2 runs scored and 2 RBI's.

On the negative side Armstrong gets bombed. Thats 2 days in a row the Red's SP can't make it out of the 4th while defensively both Armstrong and Scudder committed errors in the field. I hate giving up outs by committing errors but by a pitcher makes it even worse.

At 2-1 the Reds are 2nd behind the 4-0 Padres, who are the next opponent as the Reds travel to SD for 3 games, then go to Houston for another 3 game series with them.