Mike Leake was completely dominant for the Cincinnati Reds on their final game against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. The Cardinals had won the first two games and were looking for a sweep against a divisional rival. However, Leake prevented them from doing anything offensively and as a result, Cincinnati won 4-0 in the third and final game between these two clubs.
Leake was completely dominant but he was also efficient. The right-hander threw eight full innings and he only allowed four hits and a walk while striking out three. Leake threw 100 pitches and 57 of those were strikes so he found the zone early and often, putting the Cardinals’ hitters out of sync and looking the part of a true ace.
The Reds didn’t need much offense to win the game but they managed to muster 10 hits and scored four runs. Devin Mesoraco kicked things off with a two-run HR in the fourth and Billy Hamilton scored on the fifth after a sac fly from Jay Bruce. Hamilton added the final run on the ninth when crossing home plate after an RBI single from Brandon Phillips.
Manny Parra pitched a perfect ninth for the Reds and Cincinnati took home the game, avoiding the sweep and showing they can still be a threat to win the NL Central. As for the Cardinals, they played their worst game of the season and they are surely eager to bounce back as soon as possible.
Both teams will have a day off tomorrow and will return to action on March 11th. The Cardinals will host the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds will do the same thing against the Tampa Bay Rays.