Two years ago when the Cincinnati Reds won the NL Central and made the playoffs for the first time since 1995, they were young and exciting. The team was hit with a sudden dose of reality as they matched up against the defending world champion Phillies in the first round and were swept in three games.
Flash forward two years, those same Reds are now an experienced team that has the look of a World Series contender.
Starter Bronson Arroyo pitched a game for the ages and the Reds broke out offensively as Cincinnati defeated the San Francisco Giants 9-0 on Sunday night to take a commanding 2-0 series lead as they head home.
Arroyo was stellar for the Reds, allowing only one hot in seven innings while striking out four. The bullpen added two innings, allowing only one more hit the rest of the way.
"We couldn't put ourselves in a better situation," Arroyo said to the Associated Press. "It doesn't mean you're going to close it out, but for us personally, I know the fans are going to be as jacked as they have ever been in that ballpark since it has been built, which is going to be nice."
Due to the new playoff format, the Giants opened the first two games of the series at home even though they had a worse record than the Reds. Now Cincinnati heads back to Ohio needing to win just one out of three games to advance to the NL Championship Series.
Cincinnati got off to a fast start, adding one run in the first off Ryan Ludwick's solo home run and then three in the fourth off RBI singles from Scott Rolen and Ryan Hanigan. Later in the eighth inning Jay Bruce hit a two-run double before the Reds really poured it on.
"Coming on the road, you think about getting one as a success and victory," Bruce said. "To be able come here and get two is very important."
Hanigan hit an RBI single before Drew Stubbs blasted a triple to center field, pushing the lead to 8-0. Brandon Phillips doubled to add another run, leaving the Giants wondering what went so wrong on this night.
The San Francisco bats went silent for the game, with Brandon Belt and Pablo Sandoval collecting the only two hits.
"You hate to get beat like that, especially at home," Giants manager Bruce Bochy said. "It happened. We know where we're at right now. We know our backs are to the wall. ... They've done a great job all year bouncing back."
Giants starter Madison Bumgarner was ineffective on Sunday, giving up four runs and seven hits in just 4.1 innings.
Since they were swept two years ago, it still had been 17 years between playoff wins for the Reds before the Game 1 victory. Tonight's game wasn't much of a nail biter. At least for some.
"You're not comfortable at all until it's over," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "We've been there before. It's hard to take the last breath out of anything."
Baker was happy and healthy in the dugout after the game, only a few weeks after dealing with a mini-stroke and heart issues. He missed 11 games towards the end of the season while he recovered.
"He's kind of the heartbeat of this team," Bruce said. "To have him back for the last series and starting the playoffs, especially in San Francisco, where he obviously has a ton of history and is a storied manager here, it's good. It gives us a vibe that's pretty easy to play for."
Two years after the Giants won the World Series and the Reds made the playoffs after a lengthy absence, the two teams seem to have flipped positions in the playoffs. The Giants now are the overmatched team with the Reds taking the place as the dominant squad looking to win a championship.
If they keep playing this way the Reds may end up in their first World Series since 1990.
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