The Cincinnati Reds got new owners this year in Bob Castellini and company, and we all know what a big impact it's had on the team.

There's another change of ownership going on right now that won't get its own press conference, but is also making a huge impact on the Reds. I'm speaking of course, of the pwnership of the Cardinals. After years of being pwned by the Cardinals, the Reds are finally turning the tables and providing a little pwnage of their own.

Tonight, our boys show off the power of tradition by sweeping the series and giving the Cards some company in first place.

Go Reds!

Last night, the Reds did something I never would have thought possible last year: Eric Milton shut out the Cardinals and the Reds tagged the Cards pitching staff as led by Chris Carpenter for seven.

Admittedly, there were some extenuating circumstances on the Cardinals' end. Carpenter was just coming off the DL and Albert Pujols is injured and out of the line-up. But that doesn't explain away Milton's performance (zero runs on five hits through seven innings) or the dead look of surrender from the Cards' offense.

Chris Hammond, proud owner of the 4.43 ERA held the Cards hitless in the eighth and Rick White of all people did the same in the ninth.

Edwin Encarnación sprained his ankle running between second and third. It looked horrible when he pulled up, but he's apparently OK. He's day-to-day with a mild ankle sprain.

Ken Griffey, Jr. went 2-for-2 with three walks. Nice to see The Kid getting some respect.

Adam Dunn snapped out of his recent funk last night, going 2-for-4 with three RBI. Felipe Lopez, Scott Hatteberg, Brandon Phillips, and David Ross each also contributed enough offense to have won this game with one RBI apiece.

The win brings the Reds' record to 34-24, one game back of the Cardinals in first, and gives them an unbelievable six-game winning streak. Tonight they send Aaron Harang to face Sidney Ponson for the entirely plausible sweep. I never would have thought that possible last year, either.

The Reds took the first of a three game series over an ailing ballclub on Monday with an 8-7 win over the Cardinals.

Brandon Claussen failed to be awesome in his five innings of work, allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits and three walks. He struck out four. All-in-all, the performance cost him 114 pitches. Rick White also failed to be awesome in the sixth, allowing two runs (earned) on one hit and one walk.

Esteban Yan got the win on Monday by allowing one run (earned) on one hit and one walk in the seventh and eighth. Todd Coffey returned to bad-ass form for the save by holding the Cards hitless in the ninth.

Ken Griffey, Jr was the story of the offense, going 3-for-5 with four RBI and notching, not one, but two home runs in the only existing major league park where he had not already homered. He'd tied with Fred McGriff for the total number of different ball parks in which he's homered at 43, but he'll have to wait until someone builds a new one before he can have the record all to himself. Perhaps the Nationals will come through for him.

Felipe Lopez was nothing to sneeze at at the plate either on Monday. He went 4-for-5 with two RBI from the lead-off spot. Rich Aurilia and Brandon Phillips also each contributed a run.

The win brought the Reds' record to 33-24. They continued the series on Tuesday with Eric Milton facing Chris Carpenter, fresh off the DL but still the defending Cy Young Award winner.

The Reds swept the Astros and got a bona fide winning streak going on Sunday when they won 6-4.

Elizardo Ramirez took the mound for the good guys and worked six innings of two-run (earned), three-hit baseball. He walked two and struck out four.

Chris Hammond, David Weathers, Kent Mercker, Todd Coffey, and Esteban Yan each took a one-inning turn in this extra-innings affair. Weathers and Coffey each blew a save by allowing a run on two hits. Coffey also got the win, which hardly seems fair.

Hammond is looking great these days; maybe the weather was just to cold for him back in April. Weathers is looking not great these days; insert bad weather joke here.

Austin Kearns had a great night, as he's been doing lately, going 2-for-4 with two RBI. Adam Dunn had a crappy night, as he'd been doing lately, going 0-for-5 with four strike outs.

But all of that was quickly forgotten in the wash of joy that was Ryan Freel's two home runs. With numbers 2 and 3 for the season (though really 3 and 4 if you count the one that was stolen from him at Wrigley), Freel knocked in and scored half of the Reds' runs.

If he can ever pull off a three-homer game, he'll forever be known as “Ryan Threel.” I look forward to that day.

The win brought the Reds record to 32-24 and their winning streak to four. They would travel to St. Louis for the final leg of this ass-long road trip, facing Brandon Claussen against Jeff Suppan on Monday.

Mark your calendars. Your friendly neighborhood Red Hot Mama (and another blogger you might have heard of) will be taking in a game on September 23, 2006.

Pencil in the game if you'd like to sit around making fun of the Cubs with me. Ought to be a rollicking good time.