Reds Look to Forget Yesterday's Wrigley Beatdown in Sunday Finale

Well, that was ugly. The Reds got absolutely boat-raced at Wrigley yesterday, 17-5, in a game that felt over before the seventh-inning stretch. Chicago hung a dozen runs on Cincinnati's pitching staff and made it look easy doing it. DarkHorse backed the Reds at +1.5 in that one and got torched right along with them—sometimes the house money burns fast.

Now we've got the Sunday rubber match, and the question is simple: can Cincinnati show any pride, or are they still seeing baseballs the size of beach balls after yesterday's shellacking? The Cubs are riding high, bats hot, and Wrigley's been a house of horrors for visitors all weekend. Meanwhile, the Reds need to find some semblance of pitching competence after surrendering 17—a number that should require a football.

DarkHorse hasn't weighed in yet on this finale, which tells you something about the uncertainty here. Do the Reds have a bounce-back in them, or does Chicago keep the foot on the gas and make it a weekend sweep in spirit if not in series count? After a 12-run demolition, trust is earned, not given. The Cubs look like the side with all the momentum, and momentum in baseball is just tomorrow's starting pitcher—until it isn't.