Yeah, I know that this game happened yesterday, but I actually watched this one, plus--hey--our boys actually won!

Aaron Harang put in 122 pitches worth of a start, and managed to come out of the ordeal with the win despite the ill-advised decision to send him back out in the sixth. However, you know good things are happening for the team when Mike Stanton comes in to get the last out and doesn't allow any runs.

The pinch hitter was ready to take over Stanton's position in the bottom of the sixth, but then David Ross went and cleared the bases with a 2-run homer (w00t!1) and Stanton got to take his turn at the plate after all. He made some good contact but was thrown out, so I wondered whether that was the reason that he didn't take the mound at the beginning of the seventh.

Actually, he pulled his hamstring and is now on the DL. After he left, Brad Salmon, Jon Coutlangus, and David Weathers each got a turn with only Coutlangus giving up a run in the eighth. It was OK, though, because Ross hit another homer (double-w00t!1) in the eighth inning to get the run back.

Ken Griffey, Jr hit a couple home runs, too, the day before Father's Day for a change. I think I heard them say that he hadn't hit any home runs on the date of June 16th before, so that's something special, too.

Oh, and some guy no one has ever heard of, let alone wants to trade for, hit a home run, too.

The win brought the Reds' record to 27-42. They went on to finish the series today, but we'll just be glad that they managed to take this one from a team the quality of Texas. Tomorrow they'll be in Oakland for a game that starts at 10 p.m. I bet you'll all be staying up for that one.

Mike Stanton got to his for himself last night, but then didn't come out to pitch the next inning. We soon found out why:

CINCINNATI -- The Reds purchased the contract of left-hander Michael Gosling from Triple-A Louisville and placed left-handed reliever Mike Stanton on the 15-day disabled list on Sunday.

Stanton is suffering a pulled hammy. Lest you think it was one of those nagging injuries that had been hurting his performance all along, it appears that he actually suffered this ailment during that fateful at-bat.

He *did* make good contact, though.

Speaking of nagging injuries that might quietly be hurting our team's performance, I do hope that they're giving Bronson Arroyo a full-body MRI sometime in the near future.

Reds fandom (and baseball fandom beyond) is abuzz with the prospect of trading Adam Dunn. Makes sense, I suppose: there isn't much else to be abuzz about in Redsland these days.

In some cases it's just speculation based on a feeling that Dunn's time is up, such as at Diamod Hoggers:

As I get older I am starting to realize that baseball is just a business. There was a time when an organization would be happy with a guy showing up, playing every day, and hitting 40+ home runs every season. That time is apparently not now.

In other cases it's based on apparent conjecture presented as uncited fact, such as Joe Sheehan's article at Baseball Prospectus:

Of course, we were here just a year ago, with disastrous results. Wayne Krivsky blew up what was a fringe wild-card contender by overpaying badly for relievers Bill Bray and Gary Majewski. Sending away Austin Kearns and Felipe Lopez killed the team’s strength, its offense, while providing absolutely no gains anywhere else. To his discredit, Krivsky is again largely focused on adding a reliever, in particularly a closer, in a Dunn deal.

In the case of Ken Rosenthal, his sources seem to say the talks are there, but the options aren't many:

The Dodgers are interested in Dunn, sources say, but seemingly have no place to put him; Dunn is below-average in left field, and neither he nor the Dodgers' current left fielder, Luis Gonzalez, would be adequate in right.

The Padres like Dunn, but have had no recent discussions with the Reds. The Twins are looking for a designated hitter, but Dunn, earning $10.5 million, is beyond their price range. The Angels have shown past interest in Dunn, but manager Mike Scioscia generally prefers more well-rounded players.

FWIW, I'm stunned that Wayne Krivsky hasn't done any more to help this foundering team than twiddle with the bullpenners in Cincinnati and Louisville, and his lack of activity makes it feel like something big just has to go down soon. At the same time, if a year of Kriv-dawg has taught us anything, it's that he never does what you expect.

I imagine that Dunn, like everyone all the time, is available. With the Reds so far out of it, I think that Krivsky is less likely to make a hasty move ala The Trade, so unless something really compelling comes along, I think we'll be seeing Dunn in Red next year.
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But it's sort of fun to speculate. At least it gives us something else to talk about.