Apologies

I'm sorry about the lack of posting going on around here lately. I haven't had time to watch a half-hour sitcom, let alone an entire baseball game, in the last several weeks. Between trying to finish up an internship and being made The Boss at the pizza place, all I've had time for are Girl Scouts, angry customers and employee drama.

In the meantime, apparently the Reds made a decent, last-minute run at the Cardinals, coming up just a few games short. I didn't even realize they'd made up any ground on them until I saw a blip on the bottom of a TV screen that said St. Louis had taken the division. After learning of this themselves, the Reds apparently gave up on trying to play. They let the Pirates walk all over them. The end result of Reds Baseball 2006 was yet another losing season, but much closer to .500 this year (.494). They finished the season in third place, only 3.5 games behind the Cardinals, much higher than the last place predicted for them. Adam Dunn was once again the king of home runs with a nice, even 40, which is 10 times the number of games I attended this year.

The only game I think I saw during the last two weeks of the season happened to contain Griffeys' first at-bat off the toe injury. If he's going to hit game-winning three-run homers every time he comes off an injury I might actually learn to deal with the frequency of them. There's lots more to write about, but I've gotta go be a responsible adult now. Boo.

Wow!

Since I have failed to report on anything in a while, let it be known that the days that I did not write contained mostly humiliating losses to the lowly last place Cubs and the not-so-lowly Wild Card leading Padres, along with a loss to the Astros. The one win over the Cubs in the duration was once again behind Bronson Arroyo's recently fantastic pitching.

Now onto something I actually saw (on TV) and can actually write about.

Holy crap! They won! Harang has 14 W's! The bullpen tried to keep it familiar, though. They certainly tried their darn'dest to blow the lead. Stormy came through to preserve the win, though, a 5-4 win. After Sunday's debacle it seemed impossible that the Reds would ever win again, but they did. Barely.

Houston scored first, when Luke Scott's RBI triple tried to kill Brandon Phillips (sure, it might actually have been Freel's throw that hit him in the eye, but I'm blaming Scott). Denorfia would have none of it, though, and quickly responded with his first Major League homer, a 2-run affair that put the Reds up by 1. They continued the scoring in the 5th, and by the middle of the inning Cincinnati was up 5-1. The Reds, however, failed to score again, and Cincinnati fans spent the rest of the game holding their breath.

Harang gave up a run in each of the 5th and 6th innings, bringing the score to 5-3. He ran into heaps of trouble in the 8th and handed the ball over to Schoeneweis, who allowed 1 run (credited to Harang) and didn't get anyone out. Weathers stepped in to finish the 8th and 9th rather uneventfully. The Reds scraped out a win and their fans finally breathed again. Is "breathed" a word? It sounds very wrong, but dictionary.com says it is right. Of course, some things that are right sound wrong anyway. Like "dived." Apparently "dove" is no longer a word, so instead of saying, "I dove into the water," you must now say, "I dived into the water." Who decides these things? I want to be on that committee. "Oscillate" must go.

Right, back to baseball. Bronson Arroyo takes the mound in Houston today at 2:05. It's on ESPN! Go Reds!

Tales of Interest

First off, apologies to Matt Groening for stealing the title from an episode of Futurama (which, by the way, was a fantastic show).

I wanted to point out a few things I've come across/had pointed out to me lately.

• Daedalus has introduced the world to a new voodoo doll. Here's hoping this one works as well as Voodoo Albert.
• RHM finally got her latest podcast up and running. I can't listen to it because DIAL-UP SUCKS. Call her hotline!
• Write On Sports is a new site dedicated to blogs of all kinds of sportiness. Some of the members of the Reds blogosphere are listed there and I'm sure more are on their way. I haven't really had a chance to check it out much, but since they were kind enough to link to us, we'll return the favor.
• Eddie Guardado seems to be in pretty good spirits after having his arm cut open. His only complaint was that the scar "messed [his] pretty arm up." The part about Eddie is underneath the main story about Ross's foot pain, also a tale of interest.

One Game Closer

That was a close one. For some reason, though, I never felt like the Reds were going to lose. That could be because I didn't get to actually see Franklin blow yet another lead. Brandon Phillips and Jason LaRue get big kudos for their efforts. LaRue did not look very excited about winning the game, though. In fact, he looked a little po-ed. But maybe he's just like that; all business and no fun.

The Reds chipped away at the Padres hold on the Wild Card in what I'm sure was heartbreaking fashion for San Diego. After jumping all the way out to a 1 run lead in the 2nd, the Padres hopes were dimmed a bit when Rich Aurilia smashed a 3-run homer in the 3rd. Cincinnati retained the lead until the 6th, when Ryan Franklin decided to make things interesting (I suppose I should point out that Eric Milton was the starting pitcher. He went 5 innings and gave up one run before leaving with a sore elbow). After Franklin allowed 3 runs on 3 hits in 2/3 innings, the Padres were back on top, 4-3.

In the 8th, however, Brandon Phillips's grounder got Edwin Encarnacion home from 3rd and tied the game at 4's. Neither team scored again until the 11th. Jason LaRue came up to bat with nobody on and 1 out in the 11th for the Reds. He swung at and missed the first pitch, but the second was sent sailing into the stands in left field, fair by mere feet. LaRue came home to the traditional beating and marched his way straight to the dugout, no smiles, though he did take the time to hit a few rocks on his way. When all was said and done, the Reds had won 5-4 and taken a small step closer to making it to October.

Bronson Wins 3 in a Row

It's amazing! Bronson Arroyo is determined to own the world for the rest of September. He's had 3 great games in a row, all of which led to W's. We like W's! That's why the blog starts with one. Okay, not really. Arroyo pitched 8 innings and allowed only 2 runs. Scott Schoeneweis pitched the 9th, giving up a hit and no runs.

During the 2nd inning, Gameday says Juan Castillo grounded out, and was also out on batter interference. I have no idea what that means. He was batting, he grounded out, he was the 3rd out, and then he was out again? Obviously, this is a baseball concept I do not understand. It'd probably make more sense if I knew what actually happened. Other than that, there wasn't much action until the 6th inning.

In the top of the 6th, Chris Duffy and Jack Wilson singled for the Pirates, and later scored on Freddy Sanchez's single. The Reds responded with 3 runs in the bottom of the 6th. Aurilia, Encarnacion and Dunn all scored a run to put the Reds up 3-2. Royce Clayton doubled in the 7th and Aurilia brought him home with a single to bring the score to its final 4-2.

The Reds now sit just below .500 with a record of 71-72. They are 4 1/2 games behind the Cardinals in the NL Central (just barely holding onto 2nd place), and 3 1/2 games behind the Padres in the Wild Card (just barely holding onto 5th place). That's still better than a lot of the early predictions.

Lies

Apparently I was wrong. We did go to the game Saturday after all, but I went with Christina instead of my mom. And we got tickets for free, rather than half-price. Christina's parents' neighbors, whoever they are, are awesome people. They were the best seats we've ever had at Great American, and even more best because they cost 0 dollars.

Our fabulous seats

Unlike the last three games I've been to, it was warm and sunny. A great day for a game. We got there a little late, and instead of sitting down to watch the rest of the 2nd inning, we went hunting for food. We discovered that one hot dog vendor will sell hot dogs for $3.75, while the one right next to it sells them for $8.75. I hadn't noticed that ever before. Apparently people will buy 9 dollar hot dogs, though.

At some point we missed Jason Bay's home run and we came back to a 2-1 game. Jackass and Loudmouth, the two old men sitting in front of us, ruined any chance we had of enjoying a game that had so little to enjoy. The Reds kept it close for a while, but all the while Loudmouth kept yelling about how much he hated the guys. I was moments from smacking him when he started laying into Coffey. Jackass kept moving his head so that I couldn't see a damn thing that was going on. I'm not tall, so that's a problem to begin with anyway.

Memorable moments:

• Free team photos to every fan but me
• Brandon Phillips's two-run homer right after we were noting the game's level on the Meter of Suckitude
• Helmet Sundaes (now with M&M upgrade)
• Mr. Red stealing a Pirates fan's hat (returning it after rubbing it under his arm)
• I couldn't see the corner in right field and thought Dewayne Wise's double in the 7th was a home run
• Seeing more of Great American than I have ever seen before
• Finding Adam Dunn's apartment (we really just saw a Texas flag hanging off the balcony of an apartment near the ballpark, but it could have been Adam's)
• I made Buckeyes and am very proud of myself for not screwing them up

Unfortunately, the Reds lost this game 7-4. I blame Ryan Franklin. Or, more appropriately, Narron for using him again and again, knowing that he blows close games again and again. I also blame the cat for waking me up this morning by sticking his claws in my foot. At least the dog just lays on me.

Evil Kitten

Reds Beat Stuffing out of Pirates

Take your best record in the NL Central since the All-Star break and shove it, Pirates! Your bad assness was not strong enough to overcome the power of Kyle Lohse's unusually pronounced name, or Freel's lead off home run, or Javy's multiple home runs, or Dunn's 40th home run (for the 3rd straight year). Winning 9-1 last night makes me kind of sad that we decided against the game tonight. But, if we did go, I'd just have to listen to my mother complaining that she's missing the Ohio State/Texas game.

Lohse looked grand once again, with 7 innings pitched and 1 run earned (on 7 hits). Todd Coffey and Gary Majewski (who has been out so long I couldn't remember his first name) finished out the 8th and 9th innings respectively without allowing any more runs.

As previously mentioned, it was all about home runs for the Reds last night. It was all about home runs for the Pirates, too. Their one run was scored on a homer from Ryan Doumit. If the Reds can just do that every night for the rest of the month, maybe there's still hope. The Cardinals were soundly thrashed by the Diamondbacks last night. That helps.

Tea for Two

Two more series, two more wins. And two wins in a row for Bronson. There's a refreshing change of pace. Unfortunately, post-season hopes are dwindling, and fast. The Reds are now 6 games (I think) behind St. Louis and have several teams ahead of them in the Wild Card. And, with their win last night, Houston is now creeping up and threatening to move between the Reds and Cardinals in the division. Alas! But all hope is not lost. Though there are several teams to overtake in the Wild Card, there are only 4 1/2 games between Cincinnati and San Diego (and only a game and a half between Cincinnati and everybody up to San Diego). The Marlins are making the last bit of the season interesting.

On the bright side, Arroyo pitched a pretty nifty 3-hit shutout against the Giants on Tuesday. I missed the last inning because somebody had to watch the end of Big Brother. Or perhaps it was the beginning of Rockstar Supernova. Either way, reality television ruined my evening. The offense garnered only 3 runs, but they were more than enough, thanks to Arroyo's shutout. Arroyo's other win was against the Padres this past Friday (reverse chronological order! AHHHHHHHH!). It was another lopsided game, with the Reds winning 6-2. Is it an indicator that Arroyo is ready to blast us through September like he did at the beginning of the season? I hope so. I also hope that a few more people jump on board and follow suit. Like, the whole team.

Aurilia has been tearing the place up lately. He's had several multiple hit games and has been making some very nice plays on the defensive side. He's jumping on board. Freel's always on board. Griffey can't be on board right now, as he dislocated his toe trying to emulate Freel. No word yet on when he'll be back.

Eddie Guardado will not be back at all this season. Turns out he has a torn ligament in his arm. That's quite a bit worse than tendinitis. Guardado was placed on the 60-day DL to make room for Jason Johnson, whom the Reds acquired last week and I think I didn't mention. He's a pitcher of the long-relief variety. Long-relief for now, anyway.

Cincinnati also picked up Sun-Woo Kim from the Rockies. His 19.26 ERA was scary as can be, but he allowed just 2 runs in his start yesterday. He's going to need a few more of those before I stop being scared for him, but that was a good way to start (Edit: I had no idea the game was on ESPN yesterday, and now that I've read what other people have to say about it, maybe Kim's start wasn't as good as it sounds).

Cincinnati is finally done with California for a bit, as they take on Pittsburgh this weekend. I might be at the game Saturday. I don't know yet. Half-price tickets are awfully tempting.

Happy September!

Let's make it 6 in a row. I expected the Dodgers to be tough, but I was holding out hope for at least one win. I'm not going to be depressed about it, though. Last year the Reds tore through the West Coast and it did very little for them. Considering that, perhaps they can be torn up by the West Coast this year and have very little done to them. Last year they weren't on the brink of making the playoffs, true, but there are only 1 1/2 games between Cincinnati and San Diego and 3 games with San Diego coming up. Plus 3 more later this month. That's plenty of opportunity to stay in the Wild Card race. We'll just have to do something about the Phillies. Kidnap Howard? Don't.

In light of the off day (even though every day feels like an off day when the Reds are in California) Edit: It is not an off day. That was yesterday. I guess that proves my point. I was going to give you a whole bunch of links. However, graduating from college has left me reliable-internet-less. Cursed dial-up is all I have, and right now it refuses to cooperate in any manner, save at least allowing me access to my own blog. I really hate dial-up.

In general, those links were going to consist of:

• Daedalus has lots of stuff to link to. Chelipe was particularly entertaining
• RHM says her blog is worth a bit more than $23,000 in internet money or something. We are worth a measely $8,000 and change
• JD's peeps took over a Dodgers blog
• Rumblings about David Wells (all for naught, as the Padres apparently got him)
• And others

Not Like Last Year

So far the rest of the road trip hasn't gone so hot, huh? It seems these guys have an affinity for consistency, though. If you're going to lose, at least you can lose by the same score two days in a row. It confuses everyone who didn't actually see the game. After the first 4-1 loss to the Giants I just figured that the 4-1 I saw the next day was still the same game and they accidentally put it up twice. I had hope for a brief moment that they might have won.

The same thing happened today. Lost to the Dodgers 6-5 on Monday, and when I watched Sports Center or something this morning, I saw 6-5 again, and had another brief moment of optimism.

Anyway, if one wants to find a bright spot, there is always the fact that though the Reds have lost 5 games in a row, they didn't lose the Wild Card lead until last night, and they're only a half game back. At least everybody else has been sorta crappy, too. That's not really bright, but it's all I've got.

Harang gets to try to stop the skid tonight. Well, actually, the whole team gets to try that. Harang starts tonight while the whole team tries to stop the skid. That sounds more appropriate. 10:10 again, because we're still in California.

1 Down, 9 to Go

The Reds are tied for first place again! Yay! I tried to watch the game. I got through the first 3 or 4 innings and then fell asleep. Unfortunately I missed the good part. I saw Eric Milton giving up home runs all over the place despite the pitcher-friendly nature of AT&T Park. I saw Brad Hennessey mowing down our lineup like it was his job (haha. I'm funny). I saw a 3 next to SF and a 0 next to CIN on the TV screen.

I did not see Encarnacion's RBI single that started off the Reds' scoring. I did not see the Reds' bullpen mow down the Giants like it was their job. I did not see Ross's solo home run in the 8th that broke the 3-3 tie. I did not see the 2 insurance runs they put up in the 9th. But all of these things happened, and Cincinnati won 6-3.

Dave Williams helped the Mets demolish the Cardinals, and in so doing helped the Reds into the first place tie. Way to still be a team player, Dave!

Aaron Harang looks to keep the good times rolling tonight. It's another 10:15 game.

Coffey Gets to Eat his Jell-O Early

I had been kind of upset earlier that I didn't get to see what got Coffey thrown out of the game this afternoon. Happily, there is a replay of it on the Reds' site. I don't think it warranted getting tossed. That was a bad time to toss the guy, too. I can't imagine what kind of pressure Franklin must have been feeling, having to come in to a 3-1 count with the bases loaded. And a tied score, no less.

I didn't think Coffey was the kind of guy that would react in a way that would get him ejected. I don't think he did, either. All he said was "Right down the middle" or something to that effect. Can't be positive because I'm basing it on lip reading. On the other hand, his gesture, while probably meant to show the ump where the ball was, kinda looked a little more like where the ump should shove it. However, I maintain that Mr. Bell was just pissy. I did not see these pitches, so I cannot comment on the accuracy of the calls, but I really don't think ejecting Coffey was necessary. Ross was in his face, but he got to stay in the game (not that I'm complaining).

Anyway, though the Reds jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the 1st inning (off Roy Oswalt, no less), a whole lot of bullpen mess later in the game resulted in a 7-3 loss for the good team. I can't say that Coffey remaining in the game would have changed the result, but I'd like to believe that he would have had a better shot at striking out Ensberg than Franklin had at that point.

Chris Michalak started and had a pretty good game, allowing only 1 run in 6 1/3 innings. Coffey came out for the rest of the 7th, walked some people to load the bases, and we know how that one ended. Franklin succeeded in walking Ensberg, and was then taken out in favor of Rheal Cormier, who allowed some runs, but at least finished out the 7th inning. Bray and Belisle allowed 1 hit and no runs between them in the 8th and 9th innings. Cincinnati's 3 RBI were courtesy of Griffey, Hatteberg and Hollandsworth.

So, not the exciting finish I had been hoping for in Houston, but the Reds still won the series. And we can look back fondly on the thrashing they gave the Astros yesterday.

Up next is a little trip out West, starting with San Francisco and their Giants (who just swept the Diamondbacks, which is kind of scary). I'm not a big fan of staying up until 1 in the morning anymore, so I probably won't be seeing the ends of many of these games. But who knows? Tomorrow is my last day of college for the rest of forever (or at least until I finally accept the fact that I'm going to need a Masters degree to get any kind of liveable salary). Maybe I'll celebrate by staying up super late every night until I get a real-life job. Because that's smart.

Eric Milton against Brad Hennessey at 10:15 tomorrow night. Go Reds!

Hot Doggie!

The Reds asserted their dominance over the Astros in the most thrilling way possible tonight. Kyle Lohse finally got his much deserved win, holding the Astros to just 4 hits and no runs through 8 innings. Matt Belisle closed it out with a hitless 9th. Meanwhile, the offense was lighting up Jason Hirsh, who allowed 10 runs in his 2 2/3 innings for Houston. Dave Borkowski had a slightly less unpleasant evening, giving up another 4 runs through 4 1/3 innings. The remaining inning was handled by Brad Lidge, who had a much better night than the other two, though it didn't matter at that point, as the score was already 14-0.

Brandon Phillips, Scott Hatteberg, Adam Dunn and David Ross all hit home runs for the good guys. The homers accounted for 8 of the Reds' 14 runs. Ken Griffey Jr. and Rich Aurilia were both pulled from the game after the 4th, because it's nice to let some of the other guys play when you're up by 13 runs. Norris Hopper and Juan Castro took their places in the lineup. Dunn was pulled in the 7th and replaced by Todd Hollandsworth. Even Jason LaRue came in to catch for the 9th. Just about every position player got in the game (except Javy and McClayton (I don't know who first started calling him that, but I can't not call him McClayton anymore (also, I move that double negatives be acceptable when you actually mean it to come out that way))). Every starter contributed to the hit parade, save Griffey, who was walked in every at-bat he had. Every starter scored a run and 6 of them contributed RBI. What a night for the offense and the pitching. It's great when everything comes together like that.

Here's the box for your viewing pleasure.

Tomorrow it's Chris Michalak against Roy Oswalt. The game's at 12:35, so of course it won't be on TV. There's always Gameday and the radio, though. Give Marty and Steve some love.

Tuskegee Airman

This is kind of neat. I listened to Col. Warren's interview with Marty on the radio on Sunday. I think it was Marty, anyway. He's a funny guy. Real sharp. Since Steve's not going to be back, I think they should hire him.

Three in a Row

Three posts in one day AND three wins in a row for the Reds! Amazing!

I suppose if I don't like how a game is going I should just write about it on here. I did not like seeing guys strike out with the bases loaded with 2 outs. I wrote about it, and TADA! Rich Aurilia hits a 3-run homer in the 8th to tie the game. Brandon Phillips and Todd Hollandsworth followed with singles and Royce Clayton, of all people, hit the game-winning RBI single. Unfortunately for Bronson, he had already left the game behind 2-0, and so he starts a new chase for another win. Scott Schoeneweis looked awfully good playing closer tonight. He gets the save and Ryan Franklin gets the win. Arroyo actually had a pretty decent outing, going 6 innings and only giving up 2 runs. The offense was just a little slow in backing him up.

Cincinnati's record now stands at 65-60, 2 games behind the Cardinals, who did not play today. Still leading the Wild Card by 2 1/2 games. Tomorrow Kyle Lohse goes against Jason Hirsh. Unless the Astros do something crazy and use Roy Oswalt instead. He's slated for Wednesday, but who knows what's going to happen?

Loaded

I haven't been able to watch the game continuously, but every time I get a chance to check in they've got the bases loaded with 2 outs and somebody strikes out. That's getting old real quick.

Cardinals and Pirates

Check it out! Another week without posting! I'm slacking.

Anyway, down to business. I'm not exactly sure where I left off in the games, so I will just point out that the Reds only managed to win one of the three games against the Cardinals. No matter, though, we are still winning in the games won category, 9-6. The two don't play each other again during the regular season, so, if nothing else, the Reds have succeeded in beating the Cardinals more than the other way around. The most interesting news to come out of the series could perhaps be that Bronson finally has win number 10 under his belt.

Harang did not look so awesome on Tuesday as the Reds were shut out 5-0. Wednesday was way cool, with Griffey, Dunn and Aurilia all hitting a home run a piece, not to mention EdE's two. Combined with Arroyo's 7 innings of 1 run baseball, Cincinnati pulled off the win by a score of 7-2. Kyle Lohse looked grand again on Thursday, also pitching 7 innings and giving up only 1 run (on a home run to Rolen). Unfortunately, Jeff Weaver also only allowed 1 run (a home run to Griffey). Then, to make things interesting, Ryan Franklin allowed a run to the Cardinals in the 9th, forgetting that they were in St. Louis and the offense did not get a chance to make up for it. Or at least, that's what I'm pretending happened. The Cardinals would go on to beat up on the Cubbies like they haven't all year, so maybe we can take solace in the fact that they may not have lost the series to the slumping Stupid Birds, but to the recovering Stupid Birds.

Bring in the Pirates. Game one on Friday, Chris Michalak did not live up to my hopes born of reckless optimism and instead looked about like everyone else thought he would. But he still had that one great game. He'll always get to remember that. Michalak gave up 6 earned runs in his 4+ innings. The offense never really got much going, and despite a credible attempt at a 9th inning rally (which included another late-game home run from the only Javier Valentin), the Reds went down 7-3. Saturday was much more exciting. After the Reds went up 6-0 in the 1st inning, the Pirates came back in a frightening fashion and by the 7th inning the score was tied at 7's. Our heroes, however, would have none of that, and put up 7 more runs in the bottom of the 7th. What a day for the number 7. Freel also attempted to take out Ronnie Paulino while running to home plate, which was rather humorous, given that Paulino is fairly large and Freel is not at all. Cincinnati won 14-7. The game ended on a bit of a sour note, though, as Eddie Guardado left the game with what turns out to be a pretty nasty case of tendinitis and has been placed on the 15-day DL. The Reds are now without a designated closer once again. Matt Belisle has been recalled to take his place on the roster. It's about time. The Reds scored first on Sunday despite the Pirates best efforts to take the lead early (including a few attempts at bunting with Freddie "I Lead the League in Hitting" Sanchez). The Reds scored first in a big way, thanks to 2 2-run homers from Hatteberg and Dunn in the 3rd. Harang had an awesome day and got himself his 13th win, allowing just one run in his 7 innings. Schoeneweis (turns out I can pronounce his name, just can't spell it) and Weathers both kept the Pirates hitless and Cincinnati won 5-1. Hooray!

I'm Never Going to be Able to Pronounce his Name

The Reds picked up a new pitcher today, Scott Schoeneweis. He comes via the mythical land of Canada. Scott's got a record of 2-2 and a not so pretty ERA of 6.51, but he's a lefty, and we like those. He is also apparently a jack-of-all-trades when it comes to pitching. Jerry Narron described him thus (courtesy of the article linked above):

"He has started, he has done things out of the 'pen, he's been long, he's been short, he's been a specialist," manager Jerry Narron said. "He has some very good numbers against left-handed hitters in the past. He is a ground-ball guy. He has a lot of experience."

Also, Kent Mercker's career seems to be officially over. He blew the crap out of his elbow. Poor Kent. Best of luck to you in whatever endeavors you embark upon now.

And since we're talking about sad things, it appears that both of Ken Griffey Jr.'s parents are battling cancer. I'm quite impressed with his decision to play this week, knowing that. Many sympathies to the Griffey family.

Another Player of the Week for the Reds

Edwin Encarnacion was named National League Player of the Week for the week of August 7 through 13. Go EdE! A great boost for the Free Edwin Encarnacion campaign. You might recall that one Brandon Phillips was also awarded Player of the Week honors earlier this year.

Among other things, our beloved third-baseman had 4 home runs and 8 RBI last week. He is also in the midst of a fantabulous 10-game hitting streak. Congrats to Edwin!

Reds Finally Defeat Phillies

After some really boring games the last time the two teams met up, the Reds and Phillies actually provided some edge-of-your-seat entertainment in this series. 14 innings for Friday, which were exciting until the Phillies had to go and win the game. Using every available pitcher in the bullpen plus a few starters was also entertaining, though ultimately problematic for Elizardo Ramirez. Saturday, after a very disappointing inning and a third for the Lizard Man, Chris Michalak (I feel compelled to inform you that the "c" in his name is a mirage, because everyone else mentioned it, too) put on one heck of a show. It seems most people don't think he'll repeat the performance. I'm going to err on the side of reckless optimism and assume he'll do it a few more times. Sunday was another extra-innings nail biter, punctuated by battles between my uncle and I over whether or not the Reds suck. The Reds won the battle for me in the 11th inning, also winning the game and thus the series. Wahoo!

Now you get recaps of some sort because I get some kind of extra joy out of beating the Phillies compared to beating any other team (save the Cardinals and the Yankees).

Friday Kyle Lohse, who also spells his name differently than he pronounces it (as if I have room to talk about funny name spellings), gave up just one run over 6 1/3 innings and struck out 8. Good job Kyle! Bill Bray, unfortunately, got knocked around a bit, giving up 3 runs in his 2/3 of an inning. Not so good a job Bill! Eddie Guardado and Elizardo Ramirez gave up a run each, Ramirez got stuck with the eventual loss, as his one run was the Phillies' winning run in the 14th inning. Encarnacion had 2 home runs and Valentin had another (something he's been very good at lately). All of the Reds runs were scored on these home runs. Unfortunately, the Phillies had one more run up their sleeves than the Reds. They held onto it until the 14th inning, when Aaron Rowand hit one to center off Ramirez and David Dellucci scored.

Ramirez came back on Saturday to start, which turned out to be a bad idea. Brave and commendable in theory on his part to even try, but very bad in practice. After 1 1/3 innings and 5 runs, poor Mr. Lizard was pulled from the game and shortly returned to Louisville. Chris Michalak came to the rescue, and rescue the Reds he did. The Phillies managed just one run off of him in 6 2/3 innings. Quite a Reds debut for him. The offense was alive once again, scoring 6 runs in the first 4 innings. With the exceptions of Dunn and Griffey, everybody had a hit. Freel, Hatteberg, Valentin and Phillips all had multiple hits. One of Phillips's was a home run in the 4th. The Reds entered the bottom of the 8th up 6-5, where Michalak gave up his one run, a home run to reigning Home Run Derby King Ryan Howard. Tied at 6 going into the 9th, the Reds decided they wanted to win this one within 9 innings. Luckily the Phillies used Rick White to pitch and the Reds put up 3 runs on singles from Encarnacion, Valentin and Phillips. Eddie Guardado gave up a run in the bottom of the 9th, and then with 2 on and Ryan Howard batting, it appeared that all might be lost, but Howard failed to work his home run magic and instead struck out, giving Cincinnati their first win against the Phillies this year, a 9-7 victory.

Today Eric Milton took on Brett Myers. It seems that I was playing the part of bad luck charm today, as every bit of the game I saw was something good happening for the Phillies, and thus bad for the Reds. So, I watched a bit of everything else that was on television (including NASCAR) to avoid feeling responsible for a loss I really had no control over. It worked, as the Reds won 7-5 in 11 innings. Encarnacion, Dunn and Aurilia hit back-to-back-to-back home runs in the 6th (which is something ESPNews failed to mention in their little story, I might add). The Reds were up 5-3 in the 9th, when Eddie Guardado allowed 2 runs, and the Phillies tied the game, and it went to extra innings for the second time in the series. This time Cincinnati came out the winners, scoring 2 runs on a double from pinch hitting Juan Castro. Interesting choice for pinch hitter if you ask me, but it worked, so no complaints. It seems Milton had a not too awful start again, though he only made it through 5 1/3 innings, so maybe it was kind of awful. I didn't really see him. Coffey, Cormier, Weathers and Bray all worked hitless innings or parts thereof. I seem to recall hearing that Brett Myers is a bit of a Reds killer in the pitching department, so it's nice to see that he didn't do that today.

Now, thanks to the Pirates' sweep of the Cardinals (HAHAHA!), the Reds are a mere game and a half back of 1st place going into another series with St. Louis. The ESPN types seem to think Cincinnati has a pretty good shot at overtaking the Cardinals in the division (glad to see they're finally on board, bandwagon bunch of jerks (I've got a thing against national media, just so you all know)). Hopefully they are entirely demoralized and falling apart because of the sweep, and not about to become a holy terror born of vengeance. We find out on Tuesday, when Harang and Carpenter face off in St. Louis.

Oh yes! Along with Elizardo going back to Louisville, Mr. Kent Mercker has been put on the DL yet again (the reason Michalak is with the Reds), and this time it might be the end of the road for his career. That's too bad.

Splits

This was supposed to be posted yesterday, but Blogger sucks, as usual. Anyway, on with the show.

It figures that that Cardinals would be in town when I have to be working my butt off every night/morning for the fake campaign in my poli-sci class. Instead of watching dramatic walk-off home runs, I am watching our Lone Shark ad over and over. Granted, it's hilarious, but there comes a point when you've seen it too many times. I'd much rather watch David Ross own the world. I did get to see Ryan Freel's AHHHmazing catch Tuesday before heading out for a rare night of drunken debauchery. Though I was not drunk, nor was there much debauchery, just painting. And, even though I didn't get to see much of it, it's good knowing that we made up a few games on the Cardinals. Monday is a day I'm going to try to forget. I do not recall ever losing to the Cardinals 13-1. Tuesday, however, thanks in very large part to Ryan Freel, the Reds took the Cards down, 10-3. Apparently they also punched the stupid birds in the gut with a dramatic 8-7 last minute win last night. I wish I'd seen it. I liked the picture in the paper today, though. Ryan Freel looks crazy. Bronson Arroyo failed to get his 10th win yet again today. I wonder if he's thinking too much about getting that 10th win. Maybe he needs to forget about the win all together and just play baseball. I would think that at this level he would know that, but I bet it's hard to do, after trying and failing so many times. He's up to what, ten attempts now? All together that adds up to a series split, but for the season as a whole, the Reds are up on the Cards 8-4. Take that Birds!

I think there are many new people in the Reds dugout/bullpen now that I haven't mentioned yet. One Mr. Rheal Cormier (pitcher type), has a spectacular name, but I'm not too sure on his skillz yet, as I haven't seen him very much. He came from Philly. Justin Germano went to Philly for him. That's kind of sad, as I rather liked Germano. Kyle Lohse (also a pitcher type) used to play for Minnesota, but now he plays for Cincinnati. Zach Ward (minor league pitcher type) went to Minnesota in his place. Ryan Franklin (another pitcher type) also came to Cincy via Philly. They get a PTBNL. And last but not least, Wednesday Todd Hollandsworth was snatched away from Cleveland and is now in Cincy, too. He's not a pitcher type, he's an outfield type. The Indians get a PTBNL too!

Oh, apparently Ryan Freel has a little dude in his head (mad props to RHM for the link).

Boo Cardinals

I guess we knew the Cardinals had to come out of their hideous slump sometime, but did it have to be last night? And like that? Couldn't they have waited just 4 more games? Poor Lizard Man. It was just not a good night for him, though it was a short one. Thanks to paper writing I missed the last three runs the Stupid Birds scored, but it didn't really matter. The game was over in the 1st, if you can call that a game. 13-1 is pretty darn bad. Especially against Jeff Weaver, who is supposed to suck.

At least Javy did something with his rare start. He was responsible for the Reds' lone run, a solo home run in the second. At that point, the game didn't seem lost, but it didn't take long to get there. Freel, Griffey, Encarnacion, Hatteberg, Valentin and Clayton all had hits, but it didn't produce much. Just a bunch of runners left on base.

It's okay, though. The Cardinals spent all of their energy yesterday. And remember that time when the Brewers won 11-0 and the Reds won 11-0 the very next day? Maybe they'll do that again and we can take joy in knowing that we got the last laugh. Even though there are two more games after tonight.

Oh! Also, since I have failed to mention it yet, the Reds took two of three from the Braves over the weekend. Gary Majewski is pretty much the reason for the loss on Sunday, and he's on the DL with inflammation in his right shoulder now, so at least we have a reason. Also, it looks like Brandon Claussen won't be returning this year. Mercker has finally escaped from the DL and pitched a scoreless inning last night to celebrate his return. I think Matt Belisle is also off the DL, but hasn't been reinstated for some reason. That's what I read in graphics on TV, anyway. The Reds also picked up Ryan Franklin from Philadelphia, who pitched quite a few innings last night due to Ramirez's early leave. He did alright. It's probably not best to judge his performance based on last night, though. That was a bad night all around.

The Blame Game

I don't really know who should be pinned with the blame for the tragedy playing out in Cincinnati right now. The Lizard would be a seemingly obvious choice, as he is the one that gave up the Cardinals' first 7 runs before the end of the 2nd. However, somebody on TV pointed out that perhaps Javy is to blame, for he is the one calling fastball after fastball that the Stupid Birds are apparently pretty good at hitting tonight. I'd also like to blame the Cardinals, because who doesn't? And while we're at it, I also blame George Steinbrenner, because he's evil, and I'm sure he had a hand in this somehow.

Not to say that I've entirely given up hope on this game, but I have chosen to write a paper comparing Kay Bailey Hutchison to John Cornyn rather than watch this game right now. Partly because I have to have the paper done by tomorrow, and also partly because I just don't think I can bear to witness this right now.

Poo-Holes smells funny.

Still Miss Kearnsy

I've missed the last week posting wise, but as it was all pretty much a bunch of the same old, same old, I don't think I'll waste your time with endless recaps. The Reds are currently riding a 4-game losing streak. Luckily the Cardinals are on a 6-game losing streak, so it's not as bad as it could be. In fact, the only teams in the NL Central who have played above .500 in their last 10 games are the Cubs and Pirates. Isn't that sad? Somehow, though, the Reds maintain the lead in the Wild Card, though they are currently tied with the Diamondbacks and Padres.

It helps to know that the Dodgers are at least kind of on fire at the moment. While Cincinnati is on their losing streak, Los Angelos is having a lovely 5-game winning streak, and only 2 of those have been against the Reds, so we're not the only one's getting their asses beat. If only the offense hadn't been broken. Dunn went on a tear for a bit, but he can't do it by himself. Now it looks like Griffey's starting to pick it up, but no one else is doing that with him, so it's still a one man show.

Our shiny new bullpen hasn't been looking so new lately. I've been seeing a lot of the old faces trotting (or sprinting) to the mound, which makes me even happier that we don't have Kearns and Lopez. It's nice that the guys have been doing a mostly decent job, but I want losing two good, every day players to be worth it. This blog started out with a Bring Back Kearns Campaign. Maybe we should bring it back. I've been trying to avoid complaining about him being gone too much, as there's very little to be done for it, but I miss him (and Lopez, too). He was my favorite. We'd have to make the campaign a bit fancier. There wasn't much to it last time (although it did succeed). It's a fruitless endeavor, though. I don't think we'll be getting him back. He's not in Louisville this time.

Hump Day Sadness

Wednesday's loss can pretty much be blamed on Bronson Arroyo. After leading 5-1, the Reds were treated to quite an implosive spectacle. Rather uncharateristically, at least this year, Bronson lost his head in the 5th and gave up 6 runs in one inning. Not something I've come to expect from him. Given his last few outings, though, I think I'll be much less surprised if it happens again. Narron, in a less surprising but still highly disappointing move, brought him back for the 6th and 7th innings. The 6th wasn't so bad, but Arroyo served up a longball in the 7th, putting the Astros up 8-5.

Aurilia and Dunn carried the offense. Aurilia was 3-5, contributed a run and scored 3 himself. One of his 3 hits was a home run in the 2nd inning. Dunn, continuing to be much more awesome lately, was 4-4 with an RBI and a run. Our beloved EdE was actually in the lineup, and contributed a run as well. Unfortunately, all their hard work was for naught. Though Shackelford and Weathers both held the Astros hitless, there was no more offensive display of power and the Reds went down, 8-5.

The third and final game of the series is on TV right now. The Lizard is pitching, and Encarnacion is once again sitting on the bench. Seriously, the kid's not going to get any better on defense by sitting around watching everyone else. And I can call him a kid. He's all of 14 days younger than me.

Germano to the Rescue

Marc says Justin Germano is likely to be the starter Saturday, as Joe Mays has been given the boot. I like this. I'm not entirely positive why I like it, but I do.

Reds on TV and They Win!

In lieu of going to sleep, I bring you the story of Tuesday's game, told only through my thoughts at the time. Because it's fun. For me.

Oh crap! They're on TV tonight. Finally! Oh yay! Dunn scores! Hooray for Hatteberg! They're totally gonna own Clemens. Maybe I shouldn't say that. It could jinx them. Okay, I won't say it out loud, but they're totally going to own him.

Inning two! Clayton and Freel on base. Hooray! No! Clayton, you're a bonehead! That wouldn't have happened to Lopez! <--- See the bitter?

The next four innings pass in relative obscurity.

Inning 7! Harang's the man again! Way to help yourself!

No, no, no, Narron. You've tried using Coffey as the closer before. You know it doesn't work very well. Told you! Now where's that Guardado character? Bill Bray? Okay, I'll take it. Yay Bray! Reds win 2-0.

------------------------BREAKING NEWS----------------------------

Okay, not so breaking. It's a few hours old, but anyway. Joe Mays DFA'd?!?! Can it be? Yes! Don't know who's going to start Saturday. Sounds like it could be anybody. Mays was designated for assignment to make room for Ross's return from the DL.

Free EdE!

Tired of seeing Edwin sitting on the bench? Join the cause! Free Edwin Encarnacion!

Poor Cubbies

Looks like Derrek Lee is back on the DL. Too bad for the Baby Bears. And for Mr. Lee.

Off Day Madness

Madness only in that since I have neglected the blog for a while again, this is probably going to be maddeningly long.

First off, TheBaseballReport.com is giving away copies of "Tales From the Reds Dugout," (Tom Browning's book). The e-mail said they hoped I could put in a few lines about it, so here's those few lines. If you don't already have the book, you can register here to win it. I have not read the book, nor do I have it, but I hear it's an interesting read. It is Tom Browning, after all.

To The Games!!!

Thursday Bronson Arroyo failed yet again to secure win number 10. To be fair, it wasn't exactly his fault. He only allowed the Mets 2 runs in 8 innings, it's just that Tom Glavine also only allowed 2 runs. Majewski got the official loss. The game went into extra innings with the score tied at 2. Majewski gave up 2 more runs in the 10th. The Reds failed to respond, losing 4-2. They also lost the series to the Mets.

The Brewers strolled into town on Friday. With so few of these games on TV I've had a hard time keeping up. It sounds like the Reds made a heck of a comeback Friday night, though. The Lizard got pounded in his 5 innings for 5 earned runs on 11 hits. When Elizardo left the game the Reds were down 5-0. Jason LaRue belted out a home run in the bottom of the 5th to get the Reds on the board. Encarnacion's 2-run homer brought the Reds to within 2. Since he contributed so nicely, he got to sit out the next game. In the bottom of the 9th, with Phillips and Hatteberg on base, Derrick Turnbow walked Freel to load the bases. Dana Eveland replaced Turnbow, he then walked pinch hitting Valentin to give the Reds another run. Griffey chose this day for another dramatic game-ender; a walk-off 2-run single. The Reds won 6-5.

The Reds also won on Saturday despite Joe Mays. Freel's two home runs as well as Hatteberg's just being plain awesome these days really helped. Freel hit a solo shot to lead off the 1st. Later in the same inning Hatteberg smacked a two-run homer. Unfortunately, Mays decided the Brewers needed to have 3 runs as well, which he promptly gave them in the top of the 2nd. After much battling, 6 pitchers for the Reds, and an 8th inning solo home run from Freel, Cincinnati came out on top 8-7. Standridge, it must be noted, had now made it through two consecutive appearances without allowing a single run or hit. Amazing!

Sunday was a sad day. Milton got a bad break on the numbers. Though it shows 4 runs, only 2 of them crossed the plate while he was still out there. Things looked bad for him from the beginning. He loaded the bases in the 2nd, from the which the Brewers gained 2 runs on the Reds' 0. The only run for the Reds came in the form of a Brandon Phillips home run, which I hadn't seen in a while. It was apparently his 8th this year. Majewski inherited some runners from Milton in the 7th (I still don't think he should be out there past the 6th) and allowed two of Milton's guys to score. Coffey worked the 9th, where no runs scored. All in all, a sad day for the Reds, as they lost 4-1.

In notes of presumed interest, Kent Mercker found himself on the 15-day DL with an inflamed elbow, retroactive to Friday, I believe. Retroactive is such a great word, don't you think? I love saying it. Man of Misfortune, Brian Shackelford, came back from Louisville to take his place. I have heard rumblings that David Ross might be back in the rotation as early as Wednesday this week. He was to be having a rehab assignment in Chattanooga today.

Tuesday Cincinnati starts a series in Houston, where Aaron Harang faces off against Roger Clemens. Scary scary. Clemens's record of 2-3 isn't so scary, but his 2.43 ERA is a little. And his picture is a lot.

Game Stuff Bullet Style

Some quick points on the last few days:

• Saturday and Sunday's games combined with the previous two to equal a sweep for the Reds. Take that Colorado! The games still weren't on TV
• Monday a whole lot of nothing happened. I think. Nothing game related happened on Monday
• Milton failed to save the day on Tuesday, giving up a 7th inning grand slam to seal the Reds' fate. I told Narron not to bring him back for the 7th. I sat there in front of the TV and said, "Don't bring him back. He's going to blow up. You know he is." So Narron brought him back and he blew up. Our heroes tried to rally but it was not to be.
• I missed most of last night's game. Before the rain delay they were down 4-0. When I woke up in the morning I had a message from my sister taking credit for the win. Apparently the rain threw the Mets off their game and they scored no more, while the Reds scored 7 after the rain. Also, Edwin Encarnacion has resurfaced for at least one game. He even contributed to the score.
• No more games on TV until Tuesday. And to think, FSN was bragging about their increased Reds coverage last month.

Rambling and Game Wrap Sandwich

Someone had the audacity today to tell me that discussing the whereabouts of Austin Kearns is not viable as "a little somin' somin'." If that someone weren't in Italy I'd totally smack him in the face. As he is a friend of mine, I am allowed to smack him in the face for saying such heinous things. Though he'd probably smack me back, and I'm not a big fan of pain.

I'm trying very hard not to be all cynical and sarcastic about the guys coming in from D.C. (not to mention a few other things). After all, it's not like they're the ones that took Kearns away. However, it is awfully hard for me to not be at least sarcastic about anything, and I'm still mad that my Kearnsy is gone, so I'm entitling myself to some cynicism. I'm just hoping Krivsky's magic touch is still working and what looks like a long-dormant volcano about to blow its top might actually turn out to be a lot of steam and a little fizzle followed by much rejoicing (and I'll have to admit here that Daedalus got me thinking about Monty Python and rejoicing peasants).

Anyway, two games with the Rockies have passed and the Reds have two more marks in the win column. Neither game was on the glorious idiot box, but I wouldn't have been able to watch them even if they were.

Jason Standridge once again attempted to sabotage the team's designs on winning. Eric Milton pitched 6 innings and gave up just 3 runs on 5 hits and a walk during Thursday night's game with the Rockies. Weathers, in a surprising twist, allowed no runs in the 7th. Coffey also allowed no runs in the 8th. The offense held up their end of the bargain, putting up 9 runs throughout those 8 innings. Adam Dunn, playing his patootie off last night, had 2 RBI and a stolen base. LaRue and Encarnacion also had good nights, both going 2-3. And who'd have thought the 3-run home run would have come off Juan Castro's bat? Griffey also hit a homer, a solo shot in the 7th. Castro's was also in the 7th (an inning in which the Reds put up 5 runs).

Standridge's 13th inning catastrophe a few games back apparently wasn't the only trick he's got. No, he can also give up 4 runs in the 9th while only managing to get one out. Why he was in there in the first place I cannot figure out. Didn't we just get Everyday Eddie to close for us? Apparently Narron remembered this after the 4 runs, and Guardado finished out the last 2/3 of the 9th, getting the save as the Reds won 9-7.

Standridge, it seems, has not quite worn out his welcome in Cincinnati. In order to make room for our new pitchers, Estaban Yan was DFA'd today and I guess Matt Belisle went back on the DL. Poor guy. Here's a link for those stories plus a few more moves that were made, including the aquisition of yet another Nationals player, as well as updates on Freel and Ross.

After this there came another game. Our hero, Aaron Harang, going for win number 10, finally crossed the milestone off his list. The offense wasn't as active as Thursday, but their three runs (started off by a home run from Adam Dunn) were enough to get the job done. Harang held the Rockies hitless until the 5th, and scoreless through his 7 innings, during which he gave up only 3 hits. Newbie Majewski gave up the Rockies' single run during his 2/3 in the 8th. Mercker got the last out of that inning without much fanfare. Guardado took care of the 9th in sublime fashion. I feel compelled to share with you that Royce Clayton, our upgrade on Lopez's not so stellar defense, committed one of the two Reds' errors in the game. The other belongs to Aurilia. The errors just get tacked onto the Reds already formidable list, and are rather inconsequential now, as they won 3-1.

Two more games to come in the series. Tomorrow evening Bronson Arroyo, All-Star party boy, takes the mound to look for his 10th win. Aaron Cook is up for the Rockies. This game, shockingly, also un-televised.

My Heart, She Doth Ache

Mere days after publicly proclaiming Austin Kearns my favorite Red, he up and gets traded to the Nationals, along with Felipe Lopez and Ryan Wagner. I called Christina to tell her that we sure as hell better be getting the Nationals entire pitching staff in return (though probably with a few more expletives). We got Gary Majewski and Billy Bray for the bullpen and Royce Clayton as a shortstop. A few more players I'm not sure I recognize made it an 8-man trade.

My poor, poor Austin. Even though he is always referred to as a building block for the team's future, I always thought Dunn would be the first of the two to go. How wrong I was. William Bergolla and Chris Denorfia have been recalled to take Kearns and Lopez's spots on the roster.

That article, by the way, makes it sound as if Lopez was the sole source of Cincinnati's defensive problems. I'm fairly certain, however, that there were a few more people contributing. Also, I like how the headline says nothing about who Cincinnati gave up in return.

I will miss my Kearnsy. And I will miss Lopez, too. Wagner, however, I am rather indifferent on at the moment. I sure do love the way he wears his socks, but Denorfia does it, too. And he's much nicer to look at.

Also, I meant to mention the blog's birthday, which was Tuesday. So, happy belated 1st birthday We Heart The Reds blog!

Night of the Roundtable

It's All-Star break time! Well, it was All-Star break time, now it's Back to the Grind time and the Rockies are in town for a little visit. In honor of the All-Star game, the halfway point of the season, and because you know you love it, here's some Roundtable Goodness for your eyes to feast upon. We had our fun Monday night during the Home Run Derby (congrats to Ryan Howard on the win) and you'll notice we seem to have a fondness for Jell-O. Even if it is made of horses.

And now, without further ado, my part (part 6, question 5) of the roundtable extravaganza. Links to the other parts to follow.

Shawn: OK, Question 5 coming up....
Shawn: Who is your favorite Red? (and why?)
Red Hot Mama: I really like Phillips. He's like Pokey Reese, only cooler.
Daedalus: Griffey - liked him since he played high school baseball. Will always like him. He has such a beautiful swing.
Red Hot Mama: I'm very pleased with Kearns this year--for a change
JinAZ: I'm pretty enamored with Brandon Phillips too. Love his energy.
Shawn: I have a soft spot for Dunn. Big, goofy guy, hits the ball a mile. My kinda guy.
JinAZ: I also love Harang. Big, solid, consistent, effective...
JD: Brandon Phillips
JD: Good defense, good offense, seems to have fun with things
Jacci: Austin Kearns. I have no idea why. Probably the goofy ears
Doc Scott: My favorite Red... probably Adam Dunn. Fairly unique skill set, although I wonder what's going to happen to him as he gets older.
Shawn: I think Dunn will be finished at 30.
JinAZ: And I have a decade long man-crush on Griffey. Still do. :)
Red Hot Mama: I hope Dewayne Wise will be giving us all a reason to love him
Jacci: Phillips is really close behind Austin for me
Ashlee: Dunn... even with all of his problems. I just think he's going to get better. Favorite pitcher: Harang. He's a solid, tough, awesome machine.
Doc Scott: you mean DeWayne "Rally Time" Wise?
Doc Scott: it's Reggie Taylor in a mask, man
Shawn: Heeheehee
Red Hot Mama: I base my opinion of Wise on talking to him more than watching him play
Red Hot Mama: So na na na na na
Doc Scott: hey, I root for 'em all... even Juan Castro (with my teeth clenched)
Jacci: I like Phillips more for his post-hit celebrations than for his skill, but he's certainly got skillz
Red Hot Mama: Coffey?
Shawn: I like Denorfia too, but he's not on the roster.
JinAZ is typing one-handed now
Doc Scott: and Coffey as well, once I found out he was a former game geek
Red Hot Mama: 8-o
JinAZ: I love Coffey. Hope he can get straightened out soon.
Doc Scott: good thing I haven't eaten dinner yet
Shawn: It's a slump
Doc Scott: the "pitch tipping" explanation for Coffey makes a lot of sense
JinAZ: Maybe we can send Coffey jello....
Jacci: Yeah, I think I'll love Coffey whether he stinks for the rest of forever or not.
Shawn: He likes Jell-O?
Jacci: Everyone likes Jell-O
Jacci: Well, except my cousin
Doc Scott: of course, they said that about Danny Graves, and two new pitching coaches couldn't fix that slide
Red Hot Mama: There's always room for Jell-o
Red Hot Mama: He might switch to the sugar-free variety
Daedalus: Jello is made from horses
JinAZ: Coffey's only been struggling for a month or so, and could just be tired. He's close to 50 innings, no?
Red Hot Mama: Mmmm...horsey
Shawn: Graves never was that good. His command slipped a bit, and he was toast
Jacci: Which is what makes it delicious?
Doc Scott: and what good have horses ever been compared to that fruity goodness?
Jacci: Horses are awfully pretty. I'm rather biased on the subject, though
Daedalus: i like lime.

Parts of Other

One - Shawn's Reds Blog (Shawn's blog)
Two - Church of Baseball (Daedalus's blog)
Three - Reds (and Blues) (Doc Scott's blog)
Four - ..."and this one belongs to the Reds!" (Ashlee's blog)
Five - Red Reporter (JD's blog)
Six - Right here (I'm Jacci)
Seven - On Baseball and the Reds (JinAZ's blog)
Eight - Red Hot Mama (Red Hot Mama's blog)

What happened to that whole "The Braves suck this year" idea? I'm sure I heard that more than a few times lately. Then they had to go and be all not sucky. Granted, our sparkly bullpen sure didn't help. On Thursday, after the offense made up a 5 run deficit in the 9th, Todd Coffey gave up a perfectly timed RBI hit of some kind to give the Reds loss number 1 of the 4 game series. I am really sick of having issues loading pages that would be important to writing this. Like a box score would really be useful. In any case, things were bleak, then they looked radiant, and the bullpen threw them back into darkness. I have a hard time being mad at Todd Coffey, though. He was the only bright spot in the bullpen for so long I think I can forgive him for just about anything. Especially since he obviously isn't all that comfortable as closer.

Friday was a thing of beauty. After a run in the 1st, the Reds offense remembered that they own the world in the run scoring department and put up 8 more runs in the 2nd. Milton managed to hold the Braves scoreless until the 4th, where they put up 2 thanks to a home run off the Jones of Slightly Lesser Evil (that being Chipper). Milton decided to see if he could make the game a bit closer and gave up 2 more runs in the 6th, making the score 9-4 for the Reds. Milton hung around in the 7th just long enough to allow two more runners on base. I'm sure you'll be surprised to learn that his replacement, David Weathers, gave Chipper Jones a single that allowed one of his inherited runners to score. Freel responded by stealing 3rd in the next inning and dashing home on an errant throw to 3rd. Thus would be the final score, 10-5. And if you hadn't noticed, I gots me a box score and even a working Gameday on that one. Newly aquired Eddie Guardado (formerly of the Marlins and a closer of notable repute) came in to save the day, and did so properly with no hits or runs or anything. Now maybe Coffey can return to his former greatness as setup man.

Saturday was a sad day for Harang. Though he struck out 8, the Reds had no offense behind him, as they lost 4-1. I didn't see the game, but it appears as if it's not really the fault of the offense. Apparently the pitchers battled it out all evening and poor Harang had a not so happy 7th. Scott Hatteberg scored the lone Reds run on a sacrifice fly from Griffey. Aaron did pitch his 4th complete game of the season, throwing the ball a whopping 135 times. If nothing else, he sure is a stayer.

Sunday was a sad, sad day for Bronson Arroyo and the rest of the Reds really. Arroyo lasted all of 4 1/3 innings, though he did get his pitch count up to 105, so I suppose he might feel like he pitched 6 or 7 innings. Sadly, though, he did not. Freel also left the game with a sore right shoulder. The only bright spot for the Reds was a three-run homer off Dunn in the 6th, putting the score at 6-3 with the Braves on top. Cincinnati got two more on base after the home run, but pinch hitting Griffey struck out to end the threat, the inning, and all the hope the Reds had of making it out of the game with a win. The final score was 8-3.

Freel's shoulder soreness is just that as far as I know. He was supposed to have an MRI sometime today. Hopefully it's not too serious. Also taking a few days off for injury was David Ross, who was pulled from Friday's game in the 2nd due to a lower abdominal strain. Due to Ross's injury, Arroyo was robbed of his personal catcher for Sunday's game. LaRue played in Ross's stead.

I hope the All-Star break is all the Reds need to get things in gear again. July has so far been atrocious, with the Reds only winning 1 game so far this month. A few days off to regroup and what have you better be enough to turn this month around. Good luck to Bronson in Pittsburgh and GO REDS!

Ain't What She Used To Be

Jason Standridge's nickname might be The Stallion, but last night he was the Old Gray Mare. After 12 1/2 innings of rather frustrating baseball, Standridge finally threw in the Reds' towel and gave the Brewers the win and the sweep without getting a single out in the bottom of the 13th. Everybody's allowed an off day once in a while, but what a bad day to choose. I even stayed up for the end of the game thinking that if it had gone on this long the Reds were sure to win. Adam Dunn's 10th inning home run and especially Juan Castro's run in the 13th had me believing the deal was sealed. But every time someone just had to go and let the Brewers catch up. Elizardo had yet another quality start that he won't get a W for.

Milwaukee put up 3 runs in the 3rd. Cincinnati took a few innings to catch up, but by the end of the 6th they were tied at 3. In the 7th, Corey Koskie and Bill Hall combined for one of the craziest defensive plays ever. Felipe Lopez hit a short fly ball to left, Koskie had it, but when he hit the ground it popped out of his glove. Bill Hall, with his Reds killing psychic super powers, knew this was going to happen and was right there to catch the ball before it hit the ground. So awesome was the play that even Felipe applauded the catch. The 9th inning ended with the score still tied.

Each team put up a run in the 10th, both on home runs, the Reds' from Dunn and the Brewers' from Jenkins (who, by the way, was also pretty much the sole reason the game went into extra innings in the first place. Making that ridiculous diving catch). No score in the 11th and 12th innings brought the game to the 13th, where Castro scored from second on Aurilia's sacrifice bunt. Impossible, no? Apparently not. So, here are the Reds, in the bottom of the 13th, up 5-4. Standridge, who had come in for the last out of the 12th, comes back. After a single, a walk, and two more singles, the Reds had lost, 6-5. Standridge failed to get anyone out in the 13th. And so, at 12:30 in the morning, after 4 1/2 hours of baseball, the city of Cincinnati went to bed crushed. On the bright side, if you ignore Standridge and the home run off Coffey, the bullpen did very well last night. Lots of zeros for Weathers (despite loading the bases), Mercker, Yan and Shackelford (who has been arrested?), especially in that all important "R" column.

Bullpen Woes: Surprised?

I'm feeling a little devious. I hijacked a library computer to bring you this lovely update. Apparently I hijacked the wrong computer, though, because this one keeps closing out programs that I'd like to keep using. Apparently the library closes in half an hour, too. What nonsense. During regular school it's open until midnight. Guess this'll have to be quick.

Despite the bullpen's attempt to blow it again, the Reds managed to pull off a win in the final game of their series with the Royals, meaning they also won the series. Griffey hit a home run in the 1st, giving him a home run in 4 straight games. In spite of this, however, he is not going to the All-Star game. It's nonsense. Arroyo, who was pitching for this last game, is. That's not nonsense, just related. Lopez and Dunn got in on the home run action as well, and Dunn won the game with an RBI double in the 8th after the bullpen gave up 3 runs.

The series with the Indians did not go so well. Our boys won the first game but lost the last 2. Combined with the first Reds-Indians series, though, the Battle of Ohio ended in a tie, with each team winning three games. Given this computer's extreme sucking skills, all I can really get info-wise for the games are the scores. Friday Cincy won 9-8, and I'm pretty sure there were more bullpen woes involved. Saturday the Reds lost 12-7. I was torturing myself in the heat and bugs at a friend's house and failed to see what happened in this game, but I'm probably better off not knowing. Based on when the score went sky-high, though, I'm going to assume that the bullpen is once again to blame. We wanted to go to the game on Sunday, but due to a large amount of indecisiveness we ended up watching from the couch while the Reds lost the last game of the series 6-3. I'm not too upset about missing out on the opportunity to sit in the billion degree heat, though.

Now we're currently in a series with the Brewers. The Brewers failed to take a series with the Royals and then were swept by the Twins. It's okay to lose to Minnesota. They're on a mission to prove that there are more than two teams in the AL Central. But even so, you'd think they'd be a little demoralized. They showed their low spirits by so far taking two games with the Reds. Monday was a fierce battle that eventually ended in the Reds losing in the bitter end 8-7. Tuesday I was apparently being un-American as I wanted to watch the Reds instead of the World Cup, but I lost and watched soccer anyway. While Italy was staging a very oddly timed victory, the Brewers were beating up on the Reds, defeating them 5-2. They play the last game of the series tonight at 8. If they don't win this my heart really might break. With the exception of the stupid bullpen they've really been playing pretty well. Not spectacular, but they've put up enough runs to win, the starting pitching has mostly made their runs stand up, and they've been scoring late. Damnable bullpen wastes it all, though.

And now, as I am about ten minutes away from being kicked out of here, I take my leave. Go Reds!

Interleague Action Ahoy!

Goodness. It's been, what, a week since I've been back here. Stupid summer classes with professors who think I should be doing homework or something. Bah!

After the Mets the Reds took a trip to Cleveland, a surprisingly struggling team, and did about what I had hoped they'd do. Friday night the Reds shut out the Indians 3-0. I am currently house-sitting for my aunt and uncle while they take a lovely vacation to Nag's Head or something. One of the Heads in North Carolina, anyway. They have a super cool HD TV and Sports Time Ohio has a super cool HD version of their channel, so I got to see awesomeness in high definition. I just wanted to share that because it was highly entertaining to my simple mind. Harang pitched a complete game, allowed 7 hits and looked simply fantastic. Ryan Freel was also fantastic with his first ever 5-5 game. He scored two runs (RBI's go to Lopez and Aurilia). The other run was thanks to Kearnsy's single that plated Hatteberg.

Saturday was a reverse of Friday. With Arroyo pitching the Reds were shut out 4-0. I guess if Harang is getting run support someone else has to suffer for it. This game was not broadcast on the lovely high definition channel because the Reds finally had a game broadcast on a national network. Whoo! Not a good time for a shut-out, but it's okay (I've got the game on in the other room and I would like to point out that Griffey has been a home run machine of late). The Indians hit a couple of homeruns off Arroyo, only had 7 hits, but it was enough to beat the Reds, who tallied just 5 hits on the evening.

Sunday, with Ramirez on the mound, the Reds exacted their revenge in the form of a 4-2 win. Griffey and Dunn both hit two-run homers. They were the only runs scored, but they were enough. Griffey's home run was the 549th of his career, putting him at 11th on the all-time list, now ahead of Mike Schmidt. Coffey pitched a perfect 9th inning. Good stuff.

Cincinnati had Monday off and returned home for a series with the Royals. "Hooray!" we thought when we first saw the schedule for the season. Given the Reds massive offensive power and the Royals awesome sucking power, this should be great. It seems, however, that the Royals had other ideas in mind. Kansas City scored first when Emil Brown hit a home run in the 2nd. The Reds responded brilliantly with 5 runs in the 3rd. Dunn, Griffey, Hatteberg and Kearns got the RBI. Griffey got two for his home run. Milton was pitching well until the 6th, when he spontaneously combusted. He gave up a home run in the 5th and another in the 6th. The home runs combined with a lot of small ball to give Milton 6 earned runs in 5 1/3 innings. After another Royals run in the 7th, the Reds were down 7-5 after having been up 5-1. Ross and Valentin drove in two runs in the 8th to tie to score. Coffey gave up a 2-run homer in the 9th. The Reds had a comeback staged, but the rally stopped at Hatteberg's solo homer and the Reds lost to the Royals 9-8. I think that might have been the most heart breaking loss of the season to me.

Wednesday's game was much better. Harang was on the mound again. The Royals scored first once again, another solo home run in the 2nd. The Reds put up 5 runs in the 3rd again. The Reds scored one on the 2nd before that this time, though. Griffey homered in the 7th. Grudzielanik doubled off of Weathers to drive in Kansas City's second run in the 8th. Newly activated Belisle pitched the 9th, did a great job, and the Reds won 7-2. Lopez, Aurilia and Hatterberg (in addition to Griffey) all hit home runs. We haven't seen all that many home runs in recent series, so I hope this means the offense is finally returning to its full glory. Also raising my hopes for the offense, LaRue looked good in his at-bats, going 2-4. He came close to hitting a home run, too, but the wall was just a little too far back.

In non-game related news, Krivsky and Narron were each given extensions on their contracts with the Reds. Good to know they'll be sticking around for a while. Much better than having a new manager every season like the last several years. Both were given two-year extensions with club options for a third year, so they'll be here until at least 2008.

Reds Split Series with Mets

So much for my becoming a featured clairvoyant on the Psychic Network. I had been hoping that my premature celebrations of a series win against the Mets were actually premonitions of the future, but it was not to be, as the Reds fell to the Mets by a score of 6-2.

Everything looked on track for a win up to the middle of the 4th, when the Reds were ahead 2-0. It was a sacrificial kind of day. Kearns scored a run in the 2nd on Ross's sacrifice fly. The Reds second run came in the 4th when Hatteberg scored on Phillips's sacrifice fly. Dunn had a reasonably good day, going 2-3 with a walk, but none of it contributed to the score. Otherwise, the offense had a pretty slow day again.

Milton had his first non-quality start since his first game back from the DL. I suppose I can cut him some slack. He can't be perfect all the time. But today would have been a great day for him to continue being awesome. He pitched just 4 1/3 innings, giving up 6 runs on 8 hits. Oddly enough, the bullpen prevented further scoring from the Mets, with Standridge, Yan and Burns all pitching shutout innings and giving up a combined total of 3 hits through 3 2/3 innings. Unfortunately, the offense had already taken off for the day and thus it was a loss. Still, though, the Reds split the series with the owner of the National League's best record. That, combined with the Cardinals being swept by the White Sox (in spite of Poo-Holes's return), leaves the Reds in 2nd in the division, 4 games behind the Stupid Birds, still on top in the Wild Card race.

My Day = Made

Though the game appeared lost going into the 9th, the Reds pulled off a thrilling victory, thanks in large part to one Brandon Phillips (who has eclipsed Ryan Freel in the quest to earn my love. He still has Kearns to overthrow, though).

It occurred to me that I haven't had any Least Favorite anythings for a while. Jose Reyes and his 4-5, 2 run, 1 RBI night landed himself the position as my Least Favorite Met. Jose Valentin was a close second, but I just couldn't do that to Javy's brother.

First, since I don't have anything about the first two games of the series on here, Bronson Arroyo was the man once again, pitching a complete game on Monday, which the Reds won 4-2. Elizardo Ramirez was not quite as spectacular as he had been last Wednesday, but his performance Tuesday wasn't as awful as the 9-2 final score makes it look. In fact, a large part of why the game got so out of reach for the Reds was the bullpen. Again.

Now for Wednesday's game. Considering all the mystery and doubt surrounding Joe Mays's ability as a starting pitcher, he did a-okay, going 6 innings, giving up 2 runs, striking out 5 and walking 2. Hammond came in for the 7th and gave up 3 runs. Standridge and Coffey each pitched a scoreless inning.

While that was going on, the offense was trying to put together some effective innings of their own. The first started out much better than Tuesday. Freel made it safely to 2nd on an error rather than being thrown out at 2nd. He scored shortly thereafter on Griffey's sacrifice fly. Reyes started the night off on my bad side, hitting Mays's second pitch for a home run.

Griffey's 2 RBI double in the 3rd put the Reds up 3 to 1. A Scott Hatteberg double in the 5th got Kearns to the plate and gave the Reds a 3 run lead. Reyes tripled in the bottom of the 5th, continuing to anger me, and scored on a wild pitch from Mays.

In the 7th, with Hammond pitching, Wright singled to score Beltran. Jose Valentin was the next batter up, and he promptly homered, to put the Mets up 5 to 4. Woe! The Reds did not respond in the 8th, but continuing with their affinity for drama, our boys saved their best for last.

With two outs in the 9th, Kearns and Ross (pinch hitting for the pitcher) walked, McCracken came in to run for Ross, and Aurilia (pinch hitting for Hatteberg) singled. The bases are loaded with two outs. Brandon Phillips comes to the plate. He singles! Kearns and McCracken score! The Reds are up 6 to 5! Javy then struck out to end the inning.

Coffey came in for the save, and got it. Reds win! And if you're me, you forget there is another game to come and you taunt the television, making fun of the Mets for losing the series.

At Least It's Not Just Us

Sure, the Reds were banged up by the Mets yesterday, but the White Sox helpfully destroyed the Cardinals at the same time. While they embarrassed the Reds, too, at least we didn't give them 11 runs in one inning.

Reds Lose, Many Times

You may want to get yourself a snack or a drink or something. I have a feeling this is going to get pretty long.

So, in the last week or so, the Reds have played the Cubs, Brewers and White Sox. Of the 10 games made up by those three series, the Reds won a grand total of 2, one win against the Cubs, one against the Brewers.

Cubs

The Cubbies were in town last Thursday through Sunday. The first game was a solid, uplifting defeat of the Cubbies. 7-1 was the score. Arroyo was pitching, and aside from giving up a first inning home run to none other than Tony Womack, his was a good day, with just 5 hits and that 1 run. The bullpen, in the form of Mercker and Esteban Yan, continued with the goodness and all was wonderful. Freel, Phillips and Ross all hit home runs to account for 4 of the 7 runs. The remaining 3 RBI belong to Freel, Ross and Aurilia.

After Thursday everything went to hell. Ramirez pitched Friday, did rather well, but the defense failed to back him up. Valentin in particular. I felt bad for him, two errors in one inning, one right after the other. Ramirez gave up 3 runs, Hammond gave up 3 runs, the Reds scored a total of 5 runs. Reds lose 6-5.

Saturday was Claussen's day to pitch, and what a day it was for him. I'm not saying lights out or anything, but for Claussen it was great. He went into the 7th having given up 0 runs, earned or otherwise. He got through 2/3 of the 7th, loaded the bases, and was taken out in favor of Esteban Yan, with whom I had no issue before this day. Then his second pitch of the game became a grand slam home run. The Reds only mustered 2 runs in response and lost, 4-2.

Milton pitched Sunday. Again, decent outing by the starter, mucked up by the bullpen and an offense that has lately seemed incapable of showing up for more than a few days at a time. The final score on Sunday was 9-3.

Brewers

The Reds and Brewers rumbled Monday through Wednesday. Monday and Tuesday were both losses. Close losses, at that. Continuing a theme, we got pretty good pitching from starters and crap from the bullpen. Harang started Monday against newbie Zach Jackson. Despite 4 home runs, 5 runs scored and Harang's 4 earned runs, the Reds were vanquished 6-5 because Mercker had to give up 2 more runs. Coffey also had a pretty rough time in his 1/3 of an inning. He got out of it without damaging his ERA, but it was very much not pretty.

Tuesday's game pitted Arroyo against Davis. Again there were several home runs for the Reds, again the starting pitching didn't dig a hole too deep to escape (as 4 earned runs isn't all that great by Arroyo's standards), and again it still wasn't enough. The Brewers just had to have 6 runs again. And the Reds only wanted 4. They should be more greedy sometimes.

Wednesday the Lizard Man was fantastic. Super fantastic. So-good-I-wish-I-could-have-seen-it fantastic. While I was in Toledo, Ramirez was striking out 10 Sausage Boys and giving runs to none of them. At the same time, Brewers pitchers Villenueva, Shouse and Capellan were doing the same thing, with fewer K's. After 9 innings home plate had yet to see a single runner's foot. The 10th went by in pretty much the same manner. The top of the 11th was yet more of the same. Finally, in the bottom of the 11th, Griffey and Aurilia singled and Dunn followed with his well-timed only hit of the game, a 3-run home run, giving the Reds just their 2nd win since sweeping the Astros and Cardinals.

White Sox

Being swept by the White Sox in and of itself is not a total disappointment. After all, they did win the World Series and all that jazz. But the way it happened was practically unbearable. Apparently Claussen's shoulder was bothering him pre-game time Friday, but he played anyway. He played all of 2 innings. The first inning contained a grand slam, for the White Sox. Aurilia got the Reds back in the game with a 3-run homer in the 1st. Chicago and Claussen responded with 2 more runs. After giving up three hits and a run to the first three batters in the 3rd, Claussen was out and Joe Mays was in. Mays allowed 3 more runs to score, but made it through the rest of his 4 innings relatively uneventfully. The White Sox added 1 more run in the 6th on Aurilia's error. Kearns gave the Reds their last run of the game with a solo shot in the 7th. And just for kicks the White Sox put up run number 12 in the 8th. So that would be White Sox 12, Reds 4.

Saturday the game was very possibly stolen from us by mean old umpires. After much struggle and spending much of the game in the lead. After Milton's 6 innings the Reds were up 5-3. Weathers and Hammond both gave the bothersome Sox a run, leaving the score tied at 5 going into the 9th. Coffey has been having some trouble since becoming Mr. Official Closer, and proved it again, giving up 3 runs (2 earned) in the top of the 9th. However, the Reds refused to give up. Ross scored on Lopez's ground-out. Valentin and Freel were still on base and Griffey, Master of Drama, was up to bat. On a 2-2 pitch, Griffey attempted to check his swing when the ball went in the dirt. It sure looked to me like he checked it. However, the umpire did not see it that way, called it a strike out and ran away, as the entire Reds dugout was probably about to pounce on him. I know Narron was on his way. It's possible Griffey would have struck out on the very next pitch, but losing like that is rotten.

Today would have been a great day for vindication. Instead it was a great day for an 8-1 loss. No scoring occurred until the 6th inning. After that there was much scoring for the White Sox and very little for the Reds. The only run for the good guys came in the 9th on Dunn's RBI grounder. Harang gave up 3 runs through 6 and 2/3 innings, Mercker threw 1/3 without allowing any runs, Yan gave up 2 runs in the 8th and Mike Burns gave up 3 in the 9th.

Your Questions Answered

What came of Claussen's bothersome shoulder? And what is Mike Burns doing back in Cincinnati? Claussen has been placed on the 15-day DL with rotator cuff tendinitis in his left shoulder. Joe Mays gets his spot in the rotation and Mike Burns was recalled from Louisville (again) to take his spot on the roster.

What about that Rick White fellow? He was DFA'd today. Jason Standridge shall be coming to Cincinnati for him. I guess his stats look pretty good right now, but I believe they looked pretty good when they brought him up last year, too, and we all might remember what they looked like at the end of that. Here's hoping this year will be different.

Who is this Juan Castro person? Juan Castro played for the Reds before (2000-2004). Last year he played for the Twins. I guess he must really like Cincinnati, as the story on the official site says he was "ecstatic" when he heard he was coming back. The Reds picked him up on June 15 and optioned poor Olmedo back to Louisville. I really can't say I know anything about Mr. Castro. I have read, however, that he's got mad defensive skillz but not so mad get-on-base skillz. What I saw of him the last couple of days backs up the not so mad on base part. But he does love the 'Nati, and I'll like him for now for that.

How is Tiny Casey? Tiny Casey is doing very well. He was returned from the kidnapping in fairly good condition. He happens to be missing a finger, though. He and Tiny Dunn get along splendidly, as should be expected with the Mini Mayor.

Catching Up A Bit

One of these days I'll get around to telling the story of the last 5 games. Though, since we only won 1 of those 5, do you really want to hear about it? You're going to hear about it anyway, so I guess it doesn't matter. Lucky for you, that won't happen today. Today we're going to put together a "Things I've Failed To Mention" list. This list will also include links to things of interest that are mostly more than a few days late.

First on the list we have Voodoo Albert. Voodoo Albert is a creation of Daedalus over at ye olde Church of Baseball. After his inception the stupid birds lost a series to the Cubs and were swept by the Reds. He also had the somewhat unfortunate side effect of landing real life Albert on the DL. Sure, I like that he wasn't around for the series with the Reds (not that I think he would have helped), but it's never fun to see people hurt.

September 23rd looks to be Hang with Red Hot Mama and JD at Great American Day. That's really all the info I have on that. You'll have to check with them for more details. You should go, though. I'm sure it'll be good times.

Though he's only played in 4 or 5 games since, Todd Coffey was named as the Reds' closer last week.

Encarnacion's ankle sprain was apparently more significant than originally thought. He went on the 15 day DL a few days ago. Ray-Ray takes his place on the roster.

As I mentioned a few posts back, Christina's dad finangled us some pretty nifty seats for the game on Saturday. I did in fact curse us by noting the forecast a few days in advance. Instead of being 76 and sunny like Wednesday's forecast, it was under 60 and raining. So, for the year, we have 100% crappy baseball weather. It was still a good time, despite the rain, loss and that ridiculous grand slam. Claussen probably could have gotten out of the jam and allowed fewer runs to score than Yan did.

That's all I've got for now. I'm sure there are plenty more things that I've missed, but I'm tired of fighting the internet. It's time for the game, anyway. Go Reds!

Boo Dial-Up, Yay Reds

The Redlegs have got their second sweep in a row under their belts and are preparing to show the Cubs what they forgot to bring to Chicago last time. In sweeping the Cards this week they also moved into a tie with them for first place. Wahoo! Also, did you know that you can say "hell" in the newspaper? Twice even. And it's not referring to the town in Michigan everyone was so in love with Tuesday.

I'm slowly drowning in dial-up for the next week, so here's what little detail I could remember from Wednesday/what the newspaper will tell me. Harang started, looked awesome for 5 innings, then suddenly lost it in the 6th. Hammond finished out the last third of that inning by continuing to be awesome. True to form, Weathers gave up a run in his 2 innings. Coffey picked up the lost awesome vibe and pitched a shut-out 9th, making that save number 4 for the man.

Aurilia and Hatteberg both had good nights, going 4-5 and 2-3 respectively. Aurilia hit a 3-run homerun in the 6th. By the end of it all the Reds won 7-4, bringing their winning streak to 7.

Off the field, it appears that Edwin's ankle sprain is not all that bad. He will take a few days off and the doc says he probably won't be going on the DL. Griffey has been out of the lineup the last couple of days with a sore quad. No one is willing to say anything's day-to-day with Griffey anymore, but neither Griffey or Narron believe it's anything serious. After all, Griff was still able to do that lineup card thing he does so well. Also, several days ago, Joe Mays was brought up to the big club. He's going to be a bullpen guy for now, but speculataion has it he might be looking at Claussen's job before too long. Justin Germano was optioned back to Louisville to make room for him.

Sixth Win in a Row

Games like this are what give me probably-too-high expectations for the rest of the season. But just imagine if the rest of the season could go this well. Amazing.

The Reds continued their winning ways this evening. Eric Milton had another great outing. Carpenter had a not-so-great outing, which is all the better for the Reds, as they won 7-0. Lopez, got the scoring started off with a home run in the 1st while I wasn't watching. In the 3rd I decided it was shower time, which is when the Reds put up two more runs. Runs 4 and 5 were scored while I was drying my hair. I actually managed to witness runs 6 and 7, putting an end to my newly hatched They-Only-Score-When-I'm-Not-Looking theory. Milton bowed out after the 7th and the bullpen managed to hang on to the shut-out despite Rick White coming in for the 9th. For the record, the pitcher I skipped over in the 8th was Hammond. He did well again. White did well for that matter. After what seems like 3 years Dunn hit home run 18 in the 7th. Griffey was even on base for it. All but one of the rest of the runs were results of doubles.

The only real down side to the game was Encarnacion leaving the game with a sprained ankle. He pulled up between 2nd and 3rd in the 7th, collapsed on the ground and laid there for quite some time. He was at least able to walk off the field on his own, but I don't imagine we'll be seeing him for several days. He was said to be listed as day-t0-day.

And so we don't end on a sour note, the win puts the Reds' winning streak at 6 and means they win the series. Tomorrow Harang and Ponson face off for the finale at 8:10.