Hanigan and Paul's Late Game Heroics Give Reds 5-4 victory over Cubs

Over 130,000 fans came to Great American for a four game, three day series against the Cubs, and the Reds capped it off with some ninth inning magic thanks to Xavier Paul and Ryan Hanigan.

Mat Latos pitched an amazing game, giving up only 6 hits in 8 innings, 4 runs (two earned) and striking out 6 and also getting an RBI single.

The Good
- Xavier Paul had a pinch hit triple to lead off the bottom of the 9th. About as an exciting of a hit that I've seen from the Reds in a few weeks.
- Mat Latos continues to be a great investment, throwing 114 pitches in 8 innings, but failing to get the win. His line actually looks worse than how he pitched, only two of the runs given up while Latos was on the mound were earned.
- The most under rated player in baseball Ryan Hanigan also had a great day, with a few amazing defensive plays and getting 2 RBI's on 2 hits, including driving in the winning run in the bottom of the 9th. He's now hitting .284
- Zack Cozart got it done today from the lead off position, getting  two hits in four at bats.
- Jay Bruce also had two hits in 4 at bats, including an RBI and a run.
- Aroldis Chapman had a rare 8th inning appearance, having two stirkeouts and giving up a rare hit. His ERA is still an amazing 1.35.
- While Ryan Ludwick didn't have a hit, he did reach base with two walks today.
- Todd Frazier had a great heads up play late in the game to save a run after being pulled off the bag by an errant throw
- Wilson Valdez had an RBI, a hit and crossed the plate in a rare start at 3rd base.

The Bad
- The Reds had an unusual horrible day defensively, with Valdez, Bruce and Cozart all having errors, two of which allowing runs to score.
- Drew Stubbs and Brandon Phillips both failed to produce. Neither reached base and both struck out once. Stubbs ended up leaving 3 men on.
- While Frazier had a great day on the diamond, he didn't at the plate. The NL Rookie of the Year candidate went 1 for 4 and left 3 men on.

The Notables
- 41,615 showed up at Great American today to watch the Cubs lose.
- The weather was a perfect 79 degrees and partly cloudy. A slight wind didn't help many balls to leave the park.
- The Reds now have a commanding 7 game lead in the NL Central over the second place Pirates. The Cardinals are now 8 games back and now tie the Nationals for the most wins in baseball.
- The Reds now head to Citizens Bank park for a four game series against the Phillies, who are currently in fourth place in the National League East. The Reds then host the division rival St. Louis Cardinals for three games.
- Tomorrow's game kicks off at 7:05 PM EST. Mike Leake (5-7 4.29 ERA, 95 SO) takes on Phillies ace Roy Halladay (6-7 3.80 ERA, 92 SO)