The Reds salvaged a second win on a nightmarish homestand by taking the finale against Arizona 7-4 on Thursday. Mike Leake put all the distractions that have surrounded him this week by tossing seven strong innings and getting the support of a re-awakened offense that put 4 on the board in the first and never looked back.
The homestand ended at 2-5, and the Reds go to St. Louis tied for first at 10-9. This weekend will be a test of character more than anything for Cincinnati. The Cardinals handled the Reds pretty well all of 2010, but had their problems against the rest of the NL Central. St. Louis started out slowly in 2011, but their offense started to kick into high gear after a trip to Los Angeles, and what worries me is that someone on the Reds is going to make a comment that awakens the Cardinals pride.
Albert Pujols is the best player in the game, and Chris Carpenter is one of the premier pitchers in all of baseball. Cincinnati may have won the NL Central last season, but St. Louis has a World Series ring to their credit from 2006. It will be interesting to see if Edinson Volquez can get through the first inning unscathed Friday. If he can, it may set the tone for the entire series. If not, it could be a long Easter Weekend in St. Louis. Let's Go Reds!!!
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