Brief reflections on the game

Saw tonight's game. Yesterday was crazy-busy, so I missed Volquez's gem. And tomorrow is radio-only here in PA, so I won't see it either. But it was "good" to see the Reds again...been a long while.

Highlights:

• Jay Bruce jacking an 0-2 pitch over the wall.
• Affeldt going crazy-wild on Freddie Sanchez, and then getting him to fly out on a fastball down the middle.
  
• The Pittsburgh announcers, while not particularly exciting, were a refreshing change. They talked up their young players, and had a small featurette on improvements in hitting mechanic instruction over the past 30 years that I found interesting.
  
• The uniforms still look nice and stuff. PNC's a darn pretty park too.
• It was a quick game.
  

Lowlights:

• I kept score, which was interesting because it reinforced how few swings and misses Fogg induced on the evening. I counted two. Not strikeouts--swings and misses on any pitch. I guess 84 mph fastballs just don't cut it. Who knew?
  
• Encarnacion seeming to give up on that catchable flare over his head, and then Fogg not covering third. Maybe Keppinger called him off or something, but I'd sure like to see them pull a Braun and put Eddie in left field next year. In fairness, Edwin did make a helluva throw on Michaels' grounder in the 8th.
  
• I see the lineups every day when they're posted. But it really is something to see a game unfold with a starting lineup featuring Jolbert Cabrera, Andy Phillips, Ryan Hanigan, and Corey Patterson. The Pirates' 2-run lead felt freaking insurmountable, which is ridiculous.

Ah, well. As I said, it was nice to have a chance to see the team play again. One more series vs. the Pirates left, and hopefully we'll also see some nationally-televised games vs. the Cubs or something. I know I'll never really quit the Reds, even if I do start paying more attention to other teams.