I’ve been out of the loop for a week, so I might be the last one to have read this touching story. It’s about Jay Bruce and his relationship with his sister Kellan, who was born with her umbilical cord wrapped around her neck, leaving her delayed.

Yet, if you ask Bruce, he’ll say what he’s done pales to the week’s accomplishments of his 26-year-old sister, who was born with her umbilical cord wrapped twice around her neck. Although that left her with some mental challenges, she is unequalled in the human lessons she is able to impart.

….

“Kellan has always been afraid to fly — and she’s been deathly afraid of escalators, too — but she did both when we came up here for the game,” said the eldest of three Bruce children, 31-year-old Amy Gore.

“We flew from Houston to Atlanta, rode the people mover at the airport there, and then caught a flight into Dayton. Once we drove to our hotel, Kellan rode another escalator.

“So when we finally got to the ballpark and saw Jay, the first thing she told him was how she flew on a plane and rode an escalator. That was her home run. It was like she conquered Mount Everest.

OK, they lose a few points for schmaltz and overuse of paragraph breaks, but it’s obviously really a big deal for the family. Now let’s bring it on home with a quote from someone who knows nothing about it:

Although he doesn’t know anything about the relationship between Bruce and his sister, Reds veteran relief pitcher Kent Mercker talked about that appreciation the rookie shows:

“It’s amazing to watch what he’s doing. Obviously, physically he’s got everything he needs, but the thing that matters most is how guys react when they first get up here.

“Some try to play too hard and do more than they’re capable of. Others think they have it figured out before they get here. They think they belonged here long before this, and there’s a sense (of entitlement.)

“But he seems to appreciate this. He’s got a real understanding.”

That’s nice to hear, in contrast to that Homer Bailey character.

Bruce — who often calls his sister and tells her he loves her — quietly tried to explain some of this Sunday: “She didn’t get the chances in life I was blessed with and yet she enjoys everything — riding her bike, listening to music, everything. She puts everything in perspective and helps me not take anything for granted.”

I forgot to mention it in the game wrap for the Reds, but Corey Patterson made his terrible return to the Reds yesterday. I don’t have a problem with the Reds calling him up–they just lost Ryan Freel to the DL and Griffey is suffering from something unclear. There was a clear need for an outfielder.

Barring the first week of the season, Patterson has shown that he cannot hit any type of pitching, major or minor league. Where would a sensible person put an offensive liability like Patterson? Somewhere down in the bottom of the lineup, 7th or 8th. Heck, even 9th could be defensible, given the growing idea of having a speedster bat there instead of the pitcher.

Alas, the Reds manager is not a sensible person. Dusty Baker sports a HUGE man-crush on Patterson, and decided to bat him second. Cubs bloggers were turning their hair out over this fatal attraction when Baker managed there. How are Reds bloggers doing?

Not good.

Boxscore

Apparently, a broadcaster for the Cubs had said he’d grow a moustache if the team won 10 games in a row. Chicago came close, losing for their first time in the last 10 by one run to San Diego.

Another pitcher’s duel in the Central, as Greg Maddux proved a difficult problem to solve, even though he’s old and slow. Maddux pitched seven innings and allowed only one run. Yeah, I think he could help the Cubs again. Ted Lilly pitched well again for the Cubs. After his disastrous season start, he’s been making decent strides. For the Cubs to contend, he has to keep it up because the Cubs need another dependable starter.

The Cubs travel to Los Angeles, sending Ryan Dempster out against Chad Billingsley tonight at 10:10pm EDT.

Boxscore

Edinson Volquz pwned the Phillies, as he has so many teams this year. Seven innings, 8 strikeouts, and no runs, lowering his ERA to an unheard-of 1.32. That’s crazy good territory.

He faced Philly Brett Myers, who also pitched a gem of a game. Both starters had no-hitters going for the first few innings. Joey Votto broke Myers’ bid in the 7th, driving in Brandon Phillips with a double. And that was all the Reds needed for their first win on this road trip.

First win in their third game of the trip, huh? Why, that equates to a 33% winning percentage, which is exactly what they’ve done all season away from home. They haven’t been blown out, though, so there is room for a tiny bit of optimism.

Homer Bailey makes his first appearance of 2008 today, starting against Cole Hamels at 1:05pm EDT.

Boxscore

How does a team improve on an inning where they score 4 runs? They score 5 in the very next.

The Brewers demolished the Diamondbacks yesterday, thanks to overwhelming appearances from both the offense and the defense. Corey Hart and Russell Branyan homered. And can I say how impressive Branyan’s return to the Brewers has been? He’s obviously hitting way above his–or anyone’s–head right now, but there’s no doubt that his OPS of 1.262 since he’s rejoined the team has been exactly what their struggling offense needed.

Milwaukee is now 4 games over .500 and have won 6 in a row. They have a day off to think about what they’ve done before heading to Colorado on Friday.