Its been a very very long time since I woke up more than 30 days into a baseball season and the Reds were in first place in their division.  Its a refreshing place to sit, and to see the game from that point of view.  They beat the Cardinals yesterday, the second time in two days to win the series.  Albert Pujols, in this piece by Joe Strauss, says that winning the series is the key- the end of the season is really the only first place that counts. And he is right.  The Reds can’t just be in first place in May, but at the end of September too.  But the Reds spending one day in first is good for those in the locker room.  It gives them a warm feeling.  It rewards them for their hard work.  It tells them that they belong there.

When you get to this level, believing in yourself and your teammates counts for a lot.  Feeling deserved of first place is important.  Don’t know if the Reds are to that point yet, but at least they get to try it on for a minute and see if it fits.

The Reds start a series against Milwaukee tonight, and so don’t get to spend too much time thinking about how lucky they are.  But luck didn’t have that much to do with it.  Bronson Arroyo pitched a complete game, the third complete game in the past 5 days.  That helps a lot.  The Cardinals are 4-9 when their starter gives up two runs.  You can’t play winning baseball if your starting pitcher must keep the other team under two runs.  I don’t expect that streak to last for the Cardinals for long.  But perhaps the Reds might have found a key.  They know they can hit.  They just need to know they can pitch too. We will see how long it lasts.