Reds Show Dusty They aren't an Easy W

Lets talk...losing streak first:

The month of May was rough for the Reds, and Reds' fans. An 11 game losing streak isn't going to bring anyone to the ballpark. It started by getting swept in a four-game series against Cleveland. Ouch. Losing hurts, but losing to Cleveland is just painful. My boyfriend is an Indians fan, and for him to finally be on the winning side...well lets just say I'm not too fond of it. I know they are first in their division right now and seem to have a solid team, but my hatred of all Cleveland sports prevails over any winning record they may have. Clearly I'm strictly talking baseball here because lets be honest, a winning record for the Browns is more laughable than Johnny Manziel's rap sheet. And before anyone tries to take a stand for the Cavs, please stay seated. In the NBA it's all about titles. When the entire Eastern conference is terrible and you make it to the Finals I'll give you your two clap, but that's about it. Because it's going to be the same result as last year. The Cavs will lose to Golden State, except this time there is no whining because Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love are both on the floor with Lebron. At least they were in the first two games with concussion protocol still pending for Love after game two.

Whew! I sure know how to get off topic, and I don't even like the NBA, but any who. 11 freaking games we lost in a row. Usually you have to see an entire west coast road trip for those numbers, but the first seven losses either came in Cleveland or at home. The good news is, they turned things around in Colorado. They took three of four from the Rockies, and the team's offense finally started rolling. It's not hard to do when the ball flies out of Coors Field like it does, but we'll take it!

Lets talk...series with the Nats:

Dusty Baker rolled back into town this weekend with his first place Nationals and I'm glad the Reds welcomed him back with open arms. Dusty was put in a tough position when he was fired, and I'm glad to see him doing as well as he is in D.C. That being said, when he comes back to Great American I want us to win! And win we did, taking two of three from the Nats. Hell, we almost had the sweep. We were up 5-0 yesterday when I decided to take a nap. I woke up and we're down 9-5 #BullpenProbs. They still made it interesting with a heck of an offensive comeback. Bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, Reds down 10-9...I thought it was going to be a walk-off win, but I'll take two of three any day. Although they have had mostly down days, the Reds can not only compete with division leading teams, but they can beat them. And for a rebuilding year, I call that hope. They've got an off day today, then a three-game series with the Cardinals at home. And if there's any team I hate more than Cleveland, it's St. Louis ;)

Opening Day FOMO

Lets talk...the festivities:

As I'm sitting here watching the parade, I'm thinking back to last year's Opening Day. It was about the same temperature, maybe a little warmer, and I had a delicious adult beverage in my hand. I was most likely intoxicated, if not well on my there :) Oh how I wish I was doing the same thing right about now. It's awesome that most work places allow you to dress in your Reds gear, and have the parade on TV, but I want to be there!!! I'm suffering from some serious FOMO right now, (fear of missing out for those of you who don't know). Nothing gets you in the spirit of baseball season more than Opening Day in Cincinnati. The Banks is a huge part of the celebration. It's like being surrounded by thousands of your drunk best friends because everyone is a Reds fan. And it's the first game of the season, therefore nobody is disappointed...yet.

Lets talk...the team:

I will admit that I'm not as pumped for the team that will take the field today against the Phillies. Mostly because I've never seen half of them play. Okay, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but Frazier is gone from third. The Cuban Missile is with the Yanks. Yes, we still have our staple players: Bruce, Votto, and Phillips. However; if Bruce continues to hit like he has the past couple seasons, so what if he's been here his whole career. He's got to step it up, become the power hitter he has the ability to be. If he's not going to jack out homers, than at least consistently be a threat of getting on base. Again, I'm going to try to maintain a positive attitude as the season gets underway, but with half of our starting pitching on the DL, I reserve the right to be skeptical.

The Wild, Wild West

Lets talk...west coast probs:

I'd venture to guess that the Reds are happy to be heading home after an abysmal road trip out west. They only took one game from each series against the Diamondbacks, Padres and Dodgers; yikes. For as long as I can remember, the Reds have struggled on the West coast. It's nothing new to fans that when they hit that long road trip out to the other side of the country, it's probably going to end in disappointment. This whole season has been quite the disappointment really. After the past couple years of being in contention, sitting at the bottom of the Central is not something we've grown accustomed to. It feels like the world has turned upside down, with the exception of the Cardinals who always seem to find their way to the top. But the Pirates and Cubs battling for playoff spots?! If you told me that at the beginning of the season I would've laughed in your face.

Lets talk...the Central division:

Never in my life would I have thought I would envy the Chicago Cubs, but I found myself watching the SportsCenter Featured on Joe Maddon this morning oozing with it. The Cubs, so young and so dominant and Maddon having just the right mix of passion and quirkiness to make an awesome manager. They showed his press conference from when he was officially hired as Cubs' manager and he said that next year they would be in the playoff race. Again, I laughed. I swallow my laughter painfully now as the Cubs stand atop the Reds in the Central.

Watching Maddon's life story on SC made me like him even more, and it got me thinking, what qualities do I enjoy about Bryan Price? The answer is, not many. We don't have a leader at the helm of our ship. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that Price is the reason for our less-than-stellar season, but I don't think he is going to lead us back to the winner's circle. We need a guy like Maddon with experience and pizazz, but most of all we need a guy with a winning attitude!

Lets talk...football: 

Football is back! The Bengals with the W this past Friday against the Giants. Yes, I know it's only pre-season, but that doesn't make me any less excited. I saw exactly what I wanted to see from this football team. The starters, including Dalton, came out on that first drive and took care of business. They put points on the board which is what you expect from your first team.
The starters weren't the only stars of the show, a lot of defensive guys looking to earn a spot showed they have what it takes.

In other news, the next time you find yourself at Paul Brown Stadium, there will be a few upgrades you'll notice. They have finally upgraded those outdated video scoreboards. The food in the concession stands has been revamped along with the décor. For you upper-class ticket holders, there will be all new furniture in the club seat lounges. And if you were accustomed to visiting the Pigskin Pub during a game, it will now be the Queen City Tap Room. Who Dey!

So Long Johnny Beisbol

Lets talk...the inevitable:

To say that we all didn't see this coming would be a lie. Johnny Cueto was going to be eligible for free-agency at the end of the season. We don't have the money to pay him the kind of dough he deserves. We are in fourth place in the Central, with virtually no hope of making the playoffs. Last, but not least, the Royals who are very much contenders to get back to the World Series desperately needed to add an ace to their starting rotation. Of course, that doesn't make losing our ace hurt any less. I'm sure Cueto didn't appreciate the way the trade was handled either. For a player that has spent his whole career in the Reds' organization, he was treated like dirt. Michael Lorenzen telling Cueto before a start that he had been traded. Unacceptable. Cueto was a key ingredient in the Reds' success while he was in Cincinnati. The front office should be ashamed with the way they shoved him out the door. Just classless.

Lets talk...who we got:

As a fan, it's frustrating when we deal away our best starter for three guys who will not immediately be out on the big league field. It feels like we got cheated, but who's to say that these lefties won't be our next big aces. The Reds acquired  minor league left-handers Brandon Finnegan, John Lamb and Cody Reed.  Finnegan and Lamb were sent to Triple-A Louisville and Reed to Double-A in Pensacola. Only time will tell if they can help get this club back on track. Don't be surprised if more pitchers get the boot before the trade deadline. There have been talks about dealing starter Mike Leake and reliever Aroldis Chapman.

The Todd Father is Crowned in the Queen City

Lets talk...Todd Frazier:

Well obviously he's the highlight of this post! From last year's runner-up, to this year's Derby champ, it was a heck of a night for the Reds' third basemen. I have never heard such an electric crowd down at Great American Ballpark, and I was watching on TV! Man, the love for Frazier in this town is unmatched. It's been an amazing journey starting all the way at the beginning of the all-star voting process. From the fans rallying behind him and boosting him past all the other candidates, to cheering on louder than ever to push him to a victory in the Home Run Derby! You couldn't ask for a better ending, and we still have the All-Star Game to look forward to tonight.

Lets talk...round by round:

Frazier's first round opponent was no easy task; two-time Derby champ Prince Fielder. Fielder smashed out 13 bombs with ease, and nonchalantly chomped on some cotton candy during his timeout. I was nervous for Todd, and although they would never admit it, so was the hometown crowd. Heck, even Todd was worried! "Once he had 13," Frazier said with a sigh afterward, "I said, 'Oh man.'" (ESPN.com). It was a slow start, but eventually he got going and blasted his 14th long ball out of the park just as time expired to propel him past Fielder. On a side note, with Fielder no longer a contender, Ken Griffey Jr. is still the only player to win three Derby titles.

Next up, Toronto Blue Jay, Josh Donaldson. Donaldson looking to become the first Blue Jays' player to win the title, and Frazier slams that door shut! In a low scoring second round, Frazier fell behind early. He only hit two deep in his first 12 swings, (thank god for the new format, right?). It looked like he wasn't going to be able to pull it off. Down one, he hits the ball 424 feet. To seal the deal, he lasers one 444 feet at the buzzer again!

One more round to go, and the crowd is behind him with full force. The last opponent, Joc Pederson, a young rookie from Los Angeles. If Pederson were to win he'd be the youngest player in Derby history to hold the title. He wasn't going down without a fight. After stepping over Albert Pujols to make it to the finals, Pederson had a short break before he was back in the batter's box. That youth prevailed because he didn't need much rest, blasting out an insane 14 homers and all of them were bombs. This kid has got power for days, averaging the longest home-run distance this year in the majors. Frazier had his hands full, but come on, it's All-Star Week in the Queen City! We got this.

With the Jersey boy's favorite Frank Sinatra song playing throughout the stadium, it was shaping up to be a storybook ending. Again, he was off to another slow start, down seven with only 1:30 left on the clock. But just like the last two rounds, he fired off four dingers in five swings. Two more colossal swats and it's tied! Alright, bonus time. If he can just muster up enough energy for one more, the place would erupt. Seriously, it couldn't have played out better. First swing in bonus and that baby was outta there! My boyfriend, (an Indians fan), sound asleep in the bed awakes after I jump out of the bed with excitement. He'll get over it because the Hometown Hero did it!

Lets talk...this new format:

I'll admit, when they revealed the new rules for the Derby this year I was less than thrilled. Timed rounds, bracket match ups? C'mon lets keep it the way it is. Well, I stand corrected. That was one of the most exciting derbies I have ever seen. This format keeps things moving much more quickly which keeps the fans interested. The only thing I could do without is the bonus round. I'm pretty sure every player got the bonus in every round, I mean they are in the Home Run Derby for a reason. They can obviously jack the ball out of the park, so the distance bonus would be my only revision for the future. Either give them an additional 30 seconds in the regular round, or be done with it altogether. All in all, well done MLB.

Down to the Wire

Lets talk...the series at Wrigley:

It was a series full of close games. Unfortunately, three of those games did not play out in our favor. Say goodbye to the days of old when we used to beat up on the Cubbies. At a season-high seven games over .500, they are a young team here to play. Meanwhile, Cincinnati sadly sits at six games under. Starlin Castro has become the king of game-winning hits, at least against the Reds that is. In two straight games he has drove in the winning run. Last night particularly stung with Castro striking an RBI single in the bottom of the 11th to seal the deal. After a rough first inning, Anthony DeSclafani pitched a decent game going 6 2/3 innings and allowing only one run. It wasn't enough, we just didn't have the run support in the 2-1 loss.

Lets talk...Billy the kid:

FIVE STOLEN BASES! Billy Hamilton was insane last night with a career-high, and I'll say it again, FIVE STOLEN BASES that tied the Reds' record! Granted, Billy's base stealing didn't help in the run production category, but his ability to run is unmatched by any other player. He now leads the majors in the category with a total of 31.  Hamilton told the press, "I finally got on base to even get a chance to steal a couple of bases. Lately I haven't been getting on base. I haven't been doing my job at the plate," he continued, "If I get on base more, I'll have more opportunities to do this." He's exactly right. After last night's game his average bumped up slightly to .224, but we NEED our lead-off hitter to get on base more often.

Lets talk...Bearcat football commitments:

A great snag, LaSalle's star running back, Jeremy Larkin, commits to being a Cincinnati Bearcat. According to Rivals, Larkin was receiving offers from big name schools including Boston College and Northwestern. He helped the Lancers win the Ohio Division II state championship last year. Unfortunately, LaSalle had to defeat my alma mater, the Harrison Wildcats, on the road to their championship. But that's neither here nor there. In the championship game, Larkin rushed for an impressive 104 yards and two TDs. Needless to say, this hometown boy will be a great asset to the team. He tweeted the news out to the public on Sunday night with the picture below:

JEREMY LARKIN @Deuce__8              

I want to say that I am blessed to have officially committed to play football at the University of Cincinnati

Votto Joins Great Company with Three Home Run Game

Lets talk...the record books:

Joey Votto did something yesterday that the average player won't ever do; hit three home runs in a single game. This is the third game in which Votto has gone yard three times, matching Hall-of-Famer Johnny Bench. To be in a category with one of the most prolific players in Reds' history and one of the best catchers to play the game must be something special. Two of the historic homers came off of former Red, Aaron Harang. The final blast came off of relief pitcher, Dustin McGowan. Votto wasn't the only one digging the long ball last night. As a team, the Reds put up five home runs, a season high. Shockingly, Harang had only given up four total home runs all season before last night's game. Ironically, the last time he allowed four home runs in a single game was back in 2007 when he was pitching for Cincinnati.

Lets talk...Bearcats' baseball:

Congrats to Ian Happ! He became the highest draft pick in Bearcat history when he was selected ninth overall in the first round on Monday by the Chicago Cubs. Happ was named the 2015 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year. He finished his junior season with a .369 batting average. All the best to this young outfielder, even though he will be coming up in the Cubs' system ;)

Lets Talk...familiar faces:

TJ Houshmandzadeh joins the Bengals once again, but this time as a part of their coaching staff. Thanks to the Bill Walsh minority coaching program, Houshmandzadeh will serve as a coaching intern on the staff. You may remember him from his time as a wide receiver with the Bengals, although he was a quiet contributor compared to his counter wide-out, Chad Johnson. He was a great player for the Bengals, and I think he will be an asset to the coaching staff as well as the wide receivers.

Bruce Hits for the Deuce

Lets talk...Bruuuuuuuce:

This is why we gave Jay Bruce that big fat contract, to hit the long ball. Frankly, it needs to happen more often but I'll take two in one game any day. The first homer came in the second inning. Fast-forward to the sixth with Votto and Frazier on base, Bruce jacked another one to right field. That gives him nine on the year. Fun fact; with those two yesterday, Bruce now has 116 home runs in GABP. Second only to former Red, Adam Dunn, who has 126.

Lets talk...Cueto:

What Johnny has been hoping and praying for...run support! Finally he received some help from the offense on Sunday. The main highlights of the game were obviously Bruce's two home runs, but lets not forget, Cueto pitched a heck of a game. He only gave up four hits in seven innings, striking out nine Padres' hitters. Both manager Bryan Price and Cueto wanted to err on the side of caution due to him recently coming off an elbow injury. Price says the next game he pitches will be a full go.

Miraculously, the bullpen did their job! J.J Hoover and Aroldis Chapman came in for relief and combined to retire the last 15 batters, giving Cueto the W. Speaking of bullpen, they did some revamping over the weekend. Jumbo Diaz got a big ol' see ya later and will be headed to Triple A in Louisville. The Reds also picked up the contract of right-handed reliever, Nate Adcock.

Lets talk...Mesoraco:

Big changes are in Devin's future as he can no longer catch due to the aggravation in his hip. The organization has decided to still utilize him, but in left field. The Reds have been making strides to get Mesoraco ready to play left and it has come time for the next step. He's headed to Triple A in Louisville to get some actual game experience in his new position.

Did that Really Just Chapman?

Lets talk...the Phillies' series:

As I'm watching the game last night, I turned the television off in the bottom of the eighth. Mike Leake was pitching a gem, the Reds had a 2-0 lead and frankly, I was dead tired. I thought I'd wake up in the morning and catch some SportsCenter highlights of the Reds getting the win, but of course I should know not to assume anything with this club. For the second night in a row they lose on a walk-off hit. Same score too! After the sweep of the Nationals this past weekend, fans were wondering if it was just a fluke, myself included. They've got one more shot against the Phils to prove that this is not the start of another abysmal losing streak.

Lets talk...pitching:

Mike Leake! Welcome back sir. With his previous three starts leaving all of us grimacing, he was the shining light of last night's game.  His stuff was working, there was movement on the ball and he took a no-hitter into the seventh. Leake gave up to singles in the ninth, but walked away confident with a 4-0 lead under his belt. Aroldis Chapman came in to close out the game, and he did everything but; giving up a three-run shot to Maikel Franco. Chapman has always been more reliable than not, but correct me if I'm wrong. Yes, the man can throw insanely hard, but when a pitcher throws that hard, they throw mostly fast balls. It's better odds for hitters because like Franco said, "I know he throws hard and wasn't going to throw many breaking balls, so I waited for one pitch". One fastball right down the pipe is all you need because that thing's coming in so fast if you get even a little bit of the bat on it, it's going to fly.

On the other side, Phillies' pitcher Cole Hamels pitched a decent game, only allowing two runs on six hits. He struck out eight in seven innings. Hamels was not awarded the win, but still remains a flawless 10-0 against our Redlegs.

Lets talk...what's next:

They wrap up a three-game series with the Phillies tonight. Anthony DeSclafani is on the mound for the good guys, with a familiar face on the opposing mound. Aaron Harang gets the start for the Phillies. Yes, he's still hanging around the majors, and not doing too shabby. Not a stellar record at 4-5, but a decent ERA, 2.02. The Harangutang was a heck of a guy and gave eight great seasons to the Reds' organization, but we need a win tonight so I'm kind of hoping he bombs! No hard feelings Aaron. First pitch goes out at 7:05PM, go Reds!

The Streak Plus Battle of Ohio

Lets talk...the losing streak:

I do apologize for my absence. It feels like a decade since I last blogged, but it's hard to bring myself to write about such a depressing team. Losers of five straight, this club has a lot to change. This is the longest losing streak thus far this season. Yes, they faced stiff competition during those five games. World Series Champs the San Fransisco Giants, then they took on the WS runner ups, the Kansas City Royals, for two games. BUT COME ON. That was last season's WS match up. I'm talking about winning games that matter NOW. We can't just beat up on the Brewers all season long and think we're a good team. Quality wins matter. I'm starting to question my faith in the front office. It's like they are completely fine with sitting back and doing nothing, all the while the fans are stuck watching the demise of this ball club. I'm fed up.

Lets talk...Cueto's rant:

You know who else is fed up? Johnny Cueto, and he very well should be. He spoke on Wednesday through an interpreter, but the message was crystal clear. He is doing his job, and he's tired of everyone else not doing theirs. Every time this guy goes out he's giving you a chance to win and the Reds just blow it. And I'm not talking just this season. Run support during a Cueto start has always been scarce. He's your ace for god sake, give him something to work with!

Lets talk...Battle of Ohio losing records:

Even though the Cleveland Indians just took three of four from the White Sox, they're still the bottom-dwellers of the AL Central at 17-23. But we can't say much because we're nowhere near the top of the NL Central at 18-22! The good news is, this is a rivalry series and we seem to do well against teams with losing records, who woulda thunk it? It starts with pitching. Mike Leake has got to have a solid outing. He's coming off one of the most embarrassing starts of his career giving up 9 runs and 11 hits, 3 of which were home runs against the Giants last Saturday. We'll see if it's time to swim or if the Reds continue to sink. I live with my boyfriend who is a Cleveland fan. I need them to win this series!!! First pitch goes out at 7:10.

 

Reds Rally around Rookie

Lets talk...Rasiel Iglesias:

You may remember Rasiel Iglesias from his first start back in April. He went five innings and gave up three earned runs and five hits in a 5-7 loss. The Reds sent him down after his performance against the Cardinals, but that is not the same young man we saw last night. The Cuban native was DEALING. In only his second career start, the 25-year-old rookie pitched eight solid innings, only allowing two hits the whole game. Almost every hitter he faced he would get ahead of them 0-2. Iglesias admitted that it was a good thing for him to head back down to AAA, and it helped him gain the confidence he needed for his second start in the majors. One of the best moments of the night was seeing Iglesias' reaction when the Reds got the W.

Lets talk...the dilemma:

When Bailey went out for the season for Tommy John surgery, I admit, I was frightened for our starting rotation. The only experienced pitchers we had left were Cueto and Leake, but now we've got a different problem on our hands. A good problem to have, mind you, but now we've got one too many pitchers and not enough roster spots open.  Manager Bryan Price does seem optimistic though saying, "There is a scenario that he (Iglesias) can stay with us," he continued, "he has a better understanding of where he needs to go with his pitches than most pitchers his age". After last night's performance I don't know how you could send him down again. There's talks of Iglesias and Lorenzen, (who's also only made a handful of starts), switching between the starting rotation. Both would work out of the bullpen when they were not starting. We'll see what the front office decides to do.

Lets talk...what's next:

After the win last night, we are once again sitting at .500. There are worse places to be, just ask the Braves. Todd Frazier continues to crank out the homers. He's now tied for the lead with none other than Bryce Harper of the Nationals for most HRs in the NL.  Now, we've got the Giants coming into town for a four-game series. Cueto takes the mound at 7:10 tonight, looking to improve his 3-3 record. Go Redlegs!

Offense Agrees with Interleague Play

Lets talk...run support:

Finally, we give Cueto some. It didn't hurt that he went nine innings for his longest start of the year. The Reds' offense paid their thanks by putting up double digits against the Chicago White Sox. No Joey Votto last night due to his blow up with an umpire, but luckily the Redlegs had some help from the rest of the lineup. Zack Cozart, back from his wrist injury, got things started by driving in a run. Skip Schumaker got in on the action with an RBI double. AND by God Marlon Byrd did it again! Byrd hit a three-run homer, his fourth in the past five games. Thank the sweet lord baby Jesus he's getting hot in May because he was ice cold in April.

Lets talk...Barry freakin' Larkin:

Finally, the Reds show some respect to a man that gave every year of his career to this organization. They hired him on as a minor league roving infield instructor, which I believe is just his first step in the door. The Reds need a manager that knows the game in and out, like Larkin. Who better to lead this team to victory than a man who has done it before as a player! No, it's not like they will oust Bryan Price next week and usher Barry into the position, but I do believe it's in the future. If not, it definitely should be. 

Lets talk...about the Kevin Gregg petition:

Yes, there is a petition on social media asking people to sign in support of sending Gregg down to AAA. I personally find this to be hilarious. I obviously want Gregg to succeed, he's on my team, but how many chances can we give this guy? He blows the game every. single. time. I'm over it. If I wasn't such a softy, I'd sign the dang thing. Either way Price needs to lay down the law. Either get in there and do your job, or get sent down.

Cinco de Mayo en la Ciudad de Acero

Hablemos...records:

First, can I just take a moment to address my three quarters of spanish I took in college coming in handy on this Cinco de Mayo. Second, and more importantly, the Reds take on the Pirates tonight in the steel city. Both clubs have less than spectacular records of 12-13. If you can take a trip back to the beginning of the season with me, when we were all in higher spirits because of a first series sweep. A sweep in a series against these Pirates no less. All of Cincinnati had us at 162-0. Well now reality has set in and we're one game under .500. 

Lets talk...road trip:

Before the Reds hit the road, they gave us some devastating news about Homer Bailey. Out for the season, and having Tommy John surgery this Friday on his pitching elbow. Lovely. The morale of the club is definitely down, but they did manage to split the series in Atlanta with a stout Braves team. Now they've got a three game series with the Pirates. Starting tonight on the mound for the good guys is right hander Michael Lorenzen, who was called up when the news of Homer came through. His first career start was last week against the Brewers and it wasn't pretty. Lorenzen gave up three solo home runs and eight hits in five innings in the loss. Now that's he's got his feet wet in the majors, hopefully he can give us a good outing tonight. Mix your margaritas early, the first pitch goes out at 6:05!

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

Lets talk...my night at GABP:

Last night was my first game down at GABP this season. With that said, I won't be going to my first game next year until at least May because it was FREEZING. The cold front in April did not stop the Reds' offense from being red hot against the Brewers. It's safe to say, Jay Bruce would like to play Milwaukee in every series this year. The Brewers are really the only team he's had any success against thus far, and he got things rolling last night with a two-run homer in the bottom of the second. It was a combined effort from everyone in the batting order helping out to score nine total runs. Jason Marquis pitched a great eight innings. He even helped his own cause when he hit an RBI single. 

It was an exciting, offense infused game to be at, but lets get real... we have to beat more than the Brewers if we expect to see October this season. Another great part about last night's game was Bark in the Park! So many cute pups with their owners trying to keep them steady on a leash AND manage to hold a nine dollar draft at the same time. It's a great promotion. Plus, I got a first look at all of the additions to the ballpark that the organization has made and I'm impressed. It feels like I'm at a totally different venue with all of the bars and new restaurants. I say thumbs up.

Lets talk...bullpen woes:

I left the game in the seventh, lips blue and thinking to myself, "There's no way they'll lose this one, I'm alright with heading home". But of course, the bullpen had to make it interesting. What should have been an easy wrap up, turned into a sticky situation. The pen gave up four runs, including a two-run single in the ninth by Aroldis Chapman. It's great that we were able to get the win, but come on! The offense is not going to put up nine runs every game! The bullpen and Bryan Price have got to find a way to close games.

Lets talk...disabled list:

As soon as I thought we would have our five pitcher rotation set, Homer Bailey has been placed on the 15-day DL. He has a torn ligament in his elbow, the same elbow he had surgery on last year. Hopefully it will only be a 15-day visit and not something more serious. As for starting pitching tonight, Johnny Cueto will go for the Reds and Kyle Lohse for the Brewers. Lets get those wins while we have the Brewers in town! Go Redlegs!

Two Grand Salamis and...Football? Never too Early

Lets talk...grand slams:

The grand slam is not something you see everyday at the ballpark, much less three in one game. It's probably something we won't see again in a long time. Both of the Reds' grand slams came with two outs in the inning, one from Jay Bruce and the other from Todd Frazier. We really need Bruce to come alive at the plate like that more often to round out the offensive production. The Brewers had just called up Elian Herrera early yesterday which I'd say was a good call, seeing as he hit the grand slam for the Brewers in the sixth. Zack Cozart is really having me question all the trash I talked about him last year with the way he's been swinging the bat lately. He hit two homers last night! He already has four for the year which matches his total home runs for all of 2014. All the long balls were a bit of a shock to me because Miller Park is not known for giving up a whole lot of homers.

Lets talk...about that score:

Were they playing baseball or football last night? The final score was 16-10. At least the Reds were on the winning side because Jason Marquis didn't have a stellar game. He gave up nine hits and five runs in just five innings. Despite the numbers, Marquis did get the win. That puts the Reds at an even .500 now at 7-7, winning two straight against the Brew Crew. The Brewers have the worst record in the majors at 2-12, and the Reds have two more games at Milwaukee before they make the trip back home. Cueto's on the mound tonight, so all we need is the offense to keep rolling. I hate to say it, but maybe Bryan Price's profanity-filled rant was just what this team needed. By the way, Price did publicly apologize for his language, but not the message he was trying to convey.

Lets talk...football:

I didn't fall and hit my head, I know that it's still the month of April; however the 2015-2016 Bengals schedule has been announced! Now, this schedule definitely has some beef to it. There are two NFC West teams, the 49ers and the Seahawks this year, the Broncos are back on the docket in December, and FOUR primetime games. I'm not sure if primetime equals good time given our recent bad luck under the big lights. Andy Dalton does anything but thrive in primetime, but a new year brings new expectations. Personally, I can't wait to see how the season unfolds for the Bengals.

Here's a link to the full schedule:
http://www.bengals.com/schedule/season-schedule.html

What the F#@! is Bryan Price Thinking?

Lets talk...about the crazy rant:

Alright, if you haven't heard the five and a half minute rant filled with 77 "F" bombs from the Reds' Bryan Price, then you probably have been living under a rock the past two days. I'll catch you up to speed anyway. Basically, a writer from the Cincinnati Enquirer was doing his job and just so happened to be on the same plane to St. Louis as Reds' catcher Devin Mesoraco and minor league catcher Tucker Barnhart. Being the inquisitive journalist that he is, this writer reported that both would be joining the Reds on their road trip against the Cardinals. Price did not appreciate the fact that the opposing team could easily learn the availability of these players. Plus, the organization had not had time to inform Kyle Skipworth, another catcher on the roster, that he would be sent back down to the minors. Do I understand Price's frustration? Yes. The Reds road trip has been horrendous, but don't take it out on a reporter who is...REPORTING. Price also could have used a more vast vocabulary in his tirade. Do I believe he should be suspended? No. Baseball managers are not placed on a pedestal in which they cannot curse, or throw bases, or scream at umpires. It's not that it's acceptable, but the fans understand the frustration. If anything good can come from this, hopefully it can light a fire under a 6-7 Reds team that started the year 4-0.

Lets talk...last night's game:

Another one in the "W" column, thank god! The Brewers are projected to be basement dwellers of the Central Division, but we'll take a win anyway we can right now. DeSclafani pitched another gem, holding onto a shutout through the eighth inning. He could be solidifying himself as a future ace, but I don't want to jinx the kid. The offense was working more last night than it has been this whole road trip. Zack Cozart hit a three-run bomb, yes I did say Zack Cozart. Joey Votto continues to smash the ball, hitting a two-run homer that gave the Reds a 6-0 lead. The bullpen did give up a solo home run to Ryan Braun in the ninth inning as he was sweating out what's left of the steroids. Oops, did I say that? All in all, a good win for the good guys. 

Goodbye Latos, Hello DeSclafani

Lets talk...DeSclafani:

Like me, I'm sure many of you were unfamiliar with the name Anthony DeSclafani before he killed it on the mound last night. The Reds acquired DeSclafani from the Miami Marlins in a trade for starter Mat Latos. The twenty-four-year-old righty from New Jersey had his stuff working against the Cubs. Sure, it's his first start, but have you seen what Latos has done thus far this young season? It hasn't been pretty. Not to mention him dogging our whole team publicly. I say good riddance to Latos and his poor attitude, (and ERA), especially if DeSclafani can continue to give the Reds solid outings. I remember watching and thinking, "Man, this kid has thrown 44 pitches and he's through the fourth already". I put a lot of emphasis on pitch count, especially with these young kids who are out there trying to give you seven or eight good innings each night, and throwing hard in the mid 90s.

Lets talk...bullpen:

Kevin Gregg replaced DeSclafani in the eighth and gave the same kind of performance we saw from him the last time he came in for relief. Another two-run home-run to cut the Reds' lead to one. So far, I'm not overly impressed with anyone in our bullpen except for Aroldis Chapman. The Cuban Missile Crisis did give up a lead-off single and a walk, but managed to get his third save of the year! Reds won 3-2, ending a three game losing streak.

Lets talk...Brandon Phillips:

Moving up in the batting order, Brandon's bat has been connecting more in this series with the Cubs. Of course when his offense starts heating up, the injury cloud looms. Phillips' was running to third as the Cubs' defender crashed into him. Brandon left in the fifth inning after he started feeling light headed. He has passed the concussion test though, so hopefully he'll be back in the line-up today.

Check out the highlights, courtesy of espn.go.com:

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=12692844

Reds Suffer First Loss of the Season

Lets talk...offense:

Well, there wasn't much. Todd Frazier's solo shot to left field came in the bottom of the first, (on his bobblehead day), and that was all the excitement fans got from the Reds' bats. The Reds left five runners stranded in scoring position, twice we had a man on third! The top of the order has had the hot streak. As for hitters four through eight, they are hitting .200 or less (espn.go.com). I can't wrap my head around Phillips hitting so low in the batting order. We need dat dude's bat!

Lets talk...pitching:

Johnny Cueto took the mound again today after a spectacular opening day performance. Another tough one to stomach for our ace. Other than a home run by Matt Adams in the fourth, Cueto did not give up an earned run in seven innings pitched. His record is now 0-1 on the season.

Lets talk...what's next:

The great weather we had today brought a sell-out crowd to Great American Ballpark. With sun and warm temperatures in the forecast for Sunday, it should be another big attendance day. Raisel Iglesias is the probable starter for tomorrow's match-up. He'll go up against Carlos Martinez, who will take the mound for St. Louis. We've got a chance to win two and take the series against the Cardinals tomorrow, and we all know that doesn't happen often! A win will put the Reds at 5-2, and sustain their spot atop the Central Division. 

Here's a link to deals for Sunday games that may come in handy for you:

http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/cin/ticketing/family_fun.jsp