Paul bracket: Reds (09) defeat Senators (69) in five games

Game One: 09 Reds 8, 69 Senators 2
WP: Arroyo (1-0)
LP: Coleman (1-1)
HR: Votto 2 (3), Maye (1), Phillips (1)

Game Two: 09 Reds 5, 69 Senators 3
WP: Burton (2-0)
LP: Higgins (0-1)
Save: Cordero (4)
HR: Howard (3), Votto (4), Phillips (2)

Game Three: 09 Reds 4, 69 Senators 3
WP: Cueto (3-0)
LP: Bosman (2-1)
Save: Cordero (5)
HR: Maye (2), Gomes 2 (2)

Game Four: 69 Senators 3, 09 Reds 1
WP: Hannan (1-1)
LP: Bailey (0-1)
Save: Knowles (3)

Game Five: 09 Reds 10, 69 Senators 4
WP: Arroyo (2-0)
LP: Coleman (1-2)
HR: Gomes (3), Phillips (3), Nix (2), Maye (3), Howard (4), Epstein (3)

The 2009 Cincinnati Reds averaged two home runs a game in powering past the 1969 Washington Senators.

Joey Votto homered twice in the series opener at Washington's RFK Stadium with solo shots off Joe Coleman in the first and fourth innings. The Reds nicked Coleman for one run in the first, two in the second, another in the third and chased him in the fourth with two more. Bronson Arroyo allowed just one run in six innings, a homer by Lee Maye in the third. Votto scored three runs for the Reds; Brandon Phillips drove in three, two of them on an eighth-inning homer. Jay Bruce was injured in the sixth inning and missed the rest of the series.

The Reds never trailed in Game Two either, but the Senators tied it twice. Phillips homered in the third to give Cincinnati a 1-0 lead; Frank Howard tied it with a homer in the fourth. Votto's two-run shot in the sixth gave the Reds a 3-1 lead, but Washington scored one in the bottom of the inning and another in the seventh to even the score. In the top of the ninth, Senators reliever Dennis Higgins walked Laynce Nix. Alex Gonzalez sacrificed Nix to second. Johnny Gomes walked. Second baseman Bernie Allen booted Drew Stubbs' grounder to load the bases. Chris Dickerson grounded into a force out at the plate for the second out of the inning, but Phillips singled home two runs. Phillips was 4-for-4 with three runs and three RBIs.

The series shifted to Cincinnati and Great American Ballpark for Game Three. Gomes homered twice off Dick Bosman and Votto drove in the other two runs on a bases-loaded walk ans a single. Johnny Cueto allowed just four baserunners in the first six innings, but he didn't get an out in the seventh. Arthur Rhodes retired three straight hitters with one run in and two on base to escape that jam. Maye hit a two-run pinch-hit homer with two out in the ninth to make the score close.

Jim Hannan, Bob Humphreys and Darrold Knowles kept the Senators alive in Game Four. Hannan allowed one run in five innings, and Humphreys induced two double-play grounders in his three shutout frames. Mike Epstein drove in two of Washington's three runs.

Washington opened Game Five with back-to-back homers from Maye and Howard. But the Reds evened the score in the second -- Gomes homered, Scott Rolen doubled and Ryan Hanigan singled -- and blasted Coleman for six runs in the third, highlighted by Phillips' two run homer. The Senators never challenged after that.

Players of the series: Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips each went 10-for-20 with three homers and five runs scored. Phillips had one more RBI (eight to seven) and a steal, but Votto drew more walks. Split it between them.

Player availability: Bruce is eligible for Game One of Round Three. With four days off, the pitching staff will be fully available.

Projected rotation: Arroyo-Cueto-Aaron Harang-???-(Arroyo)-(Cueto)-(Harang)