Cincinnati Reds: Regular season results – MLB July 2011
With a decent 42-40 win-loss record, Cincinnati Reds were placed at a very healthy position in the wild card standings table. Dusty Baker and his men were looking to learn from their mistakes to improve their regular season record.
Against Tampa Bay Rays, the Reds had showed amazing character and fighting spirit to win their last series in June 2011. Dusty Baker was hoping to carry that good form into the month of July 2011 as well. However, the Reds made a forgettable start to their
three match series against Cleveland Indians. Making a large number of unforced errors in the opening game, they let their opponents take complete control of the series.
The hitters failed to execute their game plan and the Reds paid the ultimate price as they were defeated quite comprehensively. Looking to get things back on track, the Reds put up a much better show in the following match. However, once again, they were
outplayed in finer details of the game and the Indians secured a deserving 2-0 series lead.
Dusty Baker’s side improved their game play significantly in third and final game of the series. Handling the pressure absolutely brilliantly, the Reds battled past the Indians to earn their first win of the month. Edgar Renteria hit his first home-run of
the season to give his side a 7-2 lead in the fifth inning. The lead was enough to take Reds to their first win in June.
"That's what we needed," Renteria said. "It's the same thing if you hit one like that or it goes 500 feet -- they call it a home run. It's always nice to hit one."
Despite having winning momentum on their side, the Reds failed to achieve considerable results in their following three match series with St. Louis Cardinals. The batters failed to post a single run on the board as the Reds suffered a narrow 0-1 victory
in game one. The National League Central Champs looked completely out of sorts in the following game and they experienced an embarrassing 8-1 loss to lose their second straight series of the month.
Fighting back, the Reds finally hit the bull’s eye as they clinched a thrilling 9-8 victory in a nail biting contest in third and final game of the series. Chris Heisey, Jay Bruce, Scott Rolen and Fred Lewis homered for the Reds in an incredible win.
"I don't sound happy because I'm just tired," Baker said. "That was a two-game game. We couldn't go five (games) back."
But the Reds continued their poor from throughout the season and they suffered a series loss to Milwaukee Brewers, Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Mets to end the month with a poor 53-55 win-loss record.
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