Rockies-Reds Postgame Quotes

Friday began as a night in which an unstoppable force (the Rockies’ offense) met an immovable object (Johnny Cueto). It ended with a different force (Joey Votto) overcoming something that usually moves out of the way eventually (a hitting slump).

Cueto turned in his latest magnificent performance only to be denied another win he deserved. That instead went to Jonathan Broxton, who blew a save in the top of the ninth but got the victory because of Votto. It was his booming leadoff home run in the bottom of that inning that gave the Reds a 4-3 walk-off victory over the Rockies.

“With all the respect to all the other teams out there, the Rockies are hot,” Reds catcher Brayan Pena said. “They’re very hot, and for [Cueto] to shut them down the way he did, that was impressive. If that’s not the toughest task for him, I don’t know what it is, maybe the American League All-Star team. This team has been hitting the baseball. Wow.”

In his eight innings, Cueto allowed two runs and five hits with a walk and eight strikeouts. He is the first Reds pitcher to pitch at least eight innings in as many as five straight games since Tom Browning did it six games in a row in 1989. No big league pitcher has thrown at least seven innings in his first eight starts of a season since Fernando Valenzuela did it for the Dodgers in 1981.

“They have a really good team,” Cueto said. “You see they all have a high batting average. I have to do my job, and I have to do what I’m doing. I don’t want to change anything. I just want to do what I do.”

Cueto retired nine of his first 11 to keep Colorado in check, not bad considering his manager did not think he began as sharp as usual.

“I thought early he wasn’t as sharp, and he just found it, he found that ability to do the sinker-cutter combination again,” Reds manager Bryan Price said.

Cueto went on to retired his final 11 in a row and had 102 pitches before being lifted for Billy Hamilton to pinch-hit in the eighth.

Still with only a 3-2 record, Cueto has a Major League-best 1.43 ERA and 63 innings pitched. His 68 strikeouts are a franchise record for a pitcher in his first eight starts, topping Mario Soto’s 64 K’s in 1980.

“It’s scary to say, but each start he’s getting better,” Pena said. “The last pitch he threw to Tulowitzki was 97 mph. He’s progressed, a couple of weeks ago he was 93, and then tonight it’s 97. After that he told me he felt fresh. I’m telling you, I’m impressed.”

May 3, 2014; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Johnny Cueto (47) pitches during the third inning against the Milwaukee Brewers at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Frank Victores-USA TODAY Sports

In the top of the ninth, Broxton blew his first save in six tries and gave up his first run. He had two strikes on Nolan Arenado when a check-swing appeal was upheld by first-base umpire Brian O’Nora to keep the at-bat alive. Arenado, whose hit streak ended at 28 games, worked a walk with one out and scored the tying run when the next batter, Justin Morneau, lined a tying double to the wall in left-center field.

The Reds bailed out Broxton immediately. Votto came into the game’s final at-bat in a 6-for-40 funk over his previous 10 games. But he turned a 3-0 pitch from lefty Boone Logan and hit it into the batter’s eye in center field for his fifth homer of the season.

“Johnny has been very consistent all year. He’s been our best player year all year, probably Todd and him are duking it out for best player,” Votto said. “Another strong outing by him. I ended up being the one to come through in the last inning. It was good for the ballclub. I think it was going to happen for the next guy up and the next guy after that.”

Like Cueto, Votto viewed the win as the No. 1 priority, not how it was obtained.

“The more I play, and the more I become one with the organization, the only thing I care about is winning, bottom line,” Votto said. “If I hit that home run early in the game and we ended up losing, I would have been sour today. I think that’s something we have going on in this clubhouse, a team of typically unselfish players that just care about winning.”