Reds Quite A Few, Brewers Not So Much

Rubie sez: As I said in the comments to the Game Thread, I wrote this recap preemptively, before the game even started.  The real recap will be posted in a few minutes.

In front of crowd of 13,628 -- which one Brewers beat writer derided on Twitter as "a smaller crowd than you'd find at your local Arby's during a lunchtime 5-for-$5 rush" -- the Cincinnati Reds completed a three-game sweep of your Milwaukee Brewers, extending their division lead over the St. Louis Cardinals to a likely-insurmountable eight games.

It was Chris Narveson's turn at the whipping post tonight, as the Reds got to the Narv Dog early and often.  Having used every reliever in the 'pen save for John Axford in the last two days, and with Carlos Villanueva and Jeremy Jeffress' flight from Nashville delayed by a tragic accident at a Nashville tannery, the Crew needed Narveson to absorb some innings tonight.  The NarvDog couldn't oblige, as he got battered around in just five innings before giving way to Todd Coffey, Kameron Loe, and Axford, who was forced to cover the last two innings.  Joey Votto continued to torment Milwaukee, with two doubles and three runs driven in, and Paul Janish chipped in with two singles, a walk, and two runs scored.

Johnny Cueto, on the other hand, was throwing BBs against an overmatched Crew lineup.  The Brewers scratched out just four hits and one walk against the Reds' right-hander, who kept Milwaukee on tilt with a good fastball and a devastating slider.  On the bright side, Mat Gamel -- who, fortuitously, choppered into Cincinnati instead of taking the tannery-delayed flight that held up Villanueva and Jeffress -- made his 2010 debut, pinch hitting for Loe in the top of the seventh.  (In keeping with tradition, Gamel was the second player off the bench, as Craig Counsell got the benefit of the doubt and was picked to pinch hit for Narveson in the top of the sixth.) Gamel made up for lost time by clubbing a two-run homer on the second pitch he saw -- though, sadly, manager Ken Macha refused to acknowledge Gamel's presence when Mat returned to the dugout, opting instead to finish the "Dear Abby" column in today's Cincinnati Enquirer.

The real highlight of the game came in the sixth inning, when Brewers GM Doug Melvin called into the booth to complain, somewhat bizarrely, about the roster rules for the FIBA world championships.  "None of these guys is going to play on the Olympic team in two years," Melvin fumed.  "How is that fair?  The U.S. team should be forced to carry Tyson Chandler on its roster in Russia.  This is like changing the rules in Canadian football at the end of the year, making touchdowns worth 17 points instead of just 13."

Also: Rickie Weeks got hit by a pitch.

(How'd I do?)