Braves and Reds blow 10-1 leads, but only the Reds come out victorious

The Braves took a 10-1 lead on the Rockies Wednesday afternoon, but somehow managed to lose the game 12-10. After a Brian McCann double to lead off the 4th inning, Atlanta's win probability was 98.8%. The Braves then gave up a run in the fourth inning, three in each of the 5th and 6th innings, and 4 runs in the 8th. The Atlanta offense only mustered two hits after McCann's double in the 4th inning. I guess the only good thing about this is that the second-place Phillies lost to the Astros to keep the Braves lead in the NL East at 2.5 games. Atlanta has Thursday off before hosting the Marlins this weekend.

The Reds had a 10-1 lead on the Giants, only to see the Giants take a 11-10 lead after the 8th inning. But the Reds got some clutch hitting and a crucial error late in the game to pull out a 12-11 win in 12 innings. Homer Bailey had an RBI single in the 5th to make the score 10-1. At that point, the Reds had a 99.5% win probability. The Giants came roaring back with 2 runs in each of the 5th and 6th innings, followed by a 6-spot in the 8th to take a 11-10 lead. Ryan Haningan led off the Reds 9th with a fly out. Drew Stubbs hit a ground ball to Pablo Sandoval, but Sandoval's throwing error allowed Stubbs to reach second base. Paul Janish singled to drive in Stubbs and tie the game. After a walk to Jay Bruce, Miguel Cairo bounced into a double play to end the 9th.

The teams were scoreless until the 12th inning. A Janish single and a Cairo double put runners on 2nd and 3rd with one out. Chris Heisey grounded to short where Janish was thrown out attempting to score. MVP candidate Joey Votto did what he does best and drove in the go-ahead run with a single to right field, giving the Reds a 12-11 lead. That left Fransisco Cordero to pitch the 12th in his own heart-stopping way. After two singles, a fly out, and a strike out, there were runners on 1st and 3rd and two outs. Cordero induced Andres Torrres to ground out to end the game. The Reds win, coupled with the Cardinals loss to the lowly Pirates gives the Reds a 3.5 game lead in the NL Central. The Reds host the Cubs in a three-game series this weekend.