If you were looking for Joey Votto leading off because you’re a mad sabermetrician, maybe next time. Dusty Baker’s lineup is pretty close to the one with which he finished the season, including Brandon Phillips hitting leadoff:
Reds reveal Game 1 lineup
1. Brandon Phillips - 2B
2. Zack Cozart - SS
3. Joey Votto - 1B
4. Ryan Ludwick - LF
5. Jay Bruce - RF
6. Scott Rolen - 3B
7. Ryan Hanigan - C
8. Drew Stubbs - CF
9. Johnny Cueto - P
The Reds will face Matt Cain, who loves pitching at AT&T Park, which puts him in the strange subset of baseball players known as “pitchers.” The Reds also do a good job going left-right-left-right in the middle of their order, though the Giants have three lefties in their pen (four, if you include Barry Zito), so they probably won’t be shy about mixing and matching in the late innings.
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