Cincinnati Reds get Ryan Ludwick back, get 2-0 win over Chicago Cubs
By Jason Marcum
The Cincinnati Reds are hitting their most critical stretch of the 2013 Major League Baseball regular season, and tonight, they got two big boosts that could help determine who ultimately wins the division, and who ends up a Wild Card team.
The Reds have reinstated outfielder Ryan Ludwick from the 60-day disabled list before their game Monday against the Chicago Cubs. Then they proceeded to go out and shutout the Cubs behind a solid outing from Matt Latos en rote to a 2-0 victory.
This comes after a dramatic win in Sunday, highlighted by first-baseman Joey Votto’s sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 13th inning to give the Reds a 3-2 victory over the San Diego Padres.
Ludwick has been out since Opening Day when he tore cartilage in his right shoulder during a head-first slide into third base against the Los Angeles Angels. Ludwick had shoulder surgery and couldn’t swing for three months. In 2012, Ludwick hit .275 with 26 home runs and 80 RBIs.
With him back in the fold now, the Reds are now just 4.5 games behind the Pittsburgh Pirate for the NL Central lead, and now look like they have the firepower to overcome them with less than 50 games remaining.