The eternally pesimistic Reds fan was rewarded Friday night.  You know the fan.  The one who says, "They will find a way to blow it."  Late Friday night, they were sitting with their arms crossed telling you, "I told you so."  And they did.

As disappointed as the Reds fans felt after Game Two of the Playoffs, the Reds themselves had to feel worse.  For the first half of the game, they showed why they won the National League Central and hope was alive.  Wednesday's no- hitter was a distant memory and a split in Philadelphia looked certain.  Then came the bottom of the fifth... cue meltdown and cue five realities from Game Two...

1.  Outside of playing Orlando Cabrera and not batting Jay Bruce higher in the lineup, Reds Manager Dusty Baker managed a great game.  His subsitutions and matchups were perfect.  It was his players who caved- not him- when the game got late.  Could he have helped his players cope with the pressure?  Yes, but that opportunity escaped Baker during the last week of the regular season when he did not play to win and sacrificed the #2 seed and home field advantage.  If the Reds had home field to start the playoffs, they probably would have felt more relaxed and these uncharacteristic physical errors may not have occured.

2.  The ball looks like a pea coming out of the pitcher's hand:  a.  Scott Rolen  b.  Orlando Cabrera  c.  Jimmy Rollins  d.  Ramon Hernandez  e.  Ryan Howard if the pitcher is left handed

3.  The ball looks like a watermelon coming out of the pitcher's hand:  a.  Jayson Werth  b.  Jay Bruce  c.  Chase Utley  d.  Brandon Phillips  e.  Shane Victorino

4.  Cole Hamels is 6-0 lifetime against the Reds with a 1.07 E.R.A.  This season, Hamels pitched only one game versus the Reds.  On Sunday July 11th, the last game before the All- Star Break, he went seven and two- thirds innings, gave up no runs, six hits, three walks, fanned three and won the game 1-0.  He faced a lineup of Phillips, Janish, Votto, Rolen, Gomes, Bruce, Stubbs, Miller and Maloney.  Of note:  Janish had two hits off of him and he will probably play shortstop Sunday.  Bruce went 0-4 with a strikeout, but that was during Bruce's deep slump and he is not the same hitter today.  Rolen had no hits, but he had two walks- we'll take that tomorrow as Rolen looks as lost at the plate as Lawrence Welk at a Kiss concert.

5.  Johnny Cueto has pitched against the Phillies twice this year and had plenty of success.  He is 1-0, and in 15 innings he has given up just ten hits, four walks, two earned runs while striking out three.  The Phillies hit .208 off of him.  The only number that causes concern is the three strikeouts.  Cueto missed very few bats which means that the element of batted ball luck will be a factor Sunday night.  He is pitching at home though and his performance this season has been better at home:  95.2 IP, a 1.22 WHIP, 75 strikeouts and a .258 opponents average against him.  On the road, his line looks like this:  90 IP, 1.33 WHIP, 63 strikeouts, and a .257 opponents average against him.  Also of note, baserunners are only 3-7 in steal attempts against him.

The prediction:  We predicted a win in Game Two for the Redlegs and the same holds true for Game Three.  The Reds have had a short memory all season and that should not change.  If Cueto is on, the Reds win 5-2.  If Cueto struggles with his fastball, the Reds win 5-4 in extras.  Let's cut the suspense Johnny and throw some strikes.

MLB 2010 mlb playoffs, cincinnati reds, philadelphia phillies