Boxscore

Stephen Strasburg brought the heat in his start against the Cincinnati Reds last night, but couldn’t finish the 6th and didn’t even have a quality start. Still, he picked up his 5th win, thanks to Bronson Arroyo also being unable to get out of the 6th.

Strasburg struck out 7 in 5 2/3 innings and allowed 3 runs in his start. Arroyo struck out only 1 in his 5 2/3 innings and allowed a whopping 7 runs. It was Arroyo’s worst start in a while.

For the offense, the Reds missed several opportunities to tie the game or take the lead late in the game. The best was in the 8th when Cincinnati loaded the bases with no outs, but only managed to score 1 run on a ground-out by Joey Votto.

The bullpen was again a strong-suit for the Reds, with Bronson Arroyo’s bad showing giving the Nationals more than they needed for the win.

The loss puts the Reds 1.5 games behind of the streaking Cardinals. The Reds have been solid since the Break, with a .667 winning percentage. If they can keep that up the rest of the year, they’ll end up with 97 victories. Of course, at the Cardinals current pace, they’ll end the season with 121 wins.

MLB Network’s simulcast of the Washington Nationals at Cincinnati Reds “MLB Matinee” game tomorrow, Thursday, July 22, will be available in the Reds’ home television market live at 12:30 p.m. ET/11:30 a.m. CT. MLB Network will carry MASN’s call of the game. Livan Hernandez is scheduled to pitch for the Nationals against the Reds’ Edinson Volquez.

MLB Network is available in Cincinnati on Comcast channels 279 or 258 (HD), Time Warner channels 326 or 1326 (HD) and DirecTV channel 213.

Dang, I wish I didn’t have to work. I’d love to sit home all day and watch baseball.

There was a lovely Scott-Rolen-is-a-Saint story in the Toronto Sun yesterday. It’s about the camp he’s built for kids who are sick or who have sick family members who need a week of outdoorsy fun.

It is not specific to children attacked by one cruel disease.

“It’s for the kid walking home from school, head down, kicking stones,” Rolen said. “He may be healthy, but maybe mom is sick, or his father. It’s for kids who have spent too much time in the hospital.”

The Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis makes the recommendations.

Four cabins have been built, along with a man-made lake. There are paddle boats, a petting zoo, a lodge with a fireplace, two horses, a Little League diamond, a soccer field and a tree house. And they’re not finished.

“My brother, Todd, and I came up with the idea of building a camp for children and their families for a week,” Rolen said. “To have fun, have a blast. Let’s play. ”

That’s what they do.

It’s the kind of do-good-goodness that will have you furtively wiping away a tear before anyone walks by your cube and sees you crying like a little girl.

This little bit, right at the end struck me:

“This game we play, it isn’t real,” Rolen said. “The game has given me great value in my personal life. It’s like I always tell Joey Votto. There’s no karma in baseball: Bad guys can do well in this game. You can be happy in this game and not be happy in life.

“Would you rather be 4-for-4 with, two home runs and knock in six and be divorced? Or would you rather go home to your family?”

I just wonder: why single out Votto for this message? I imagine work-life balance would be particularly challenging when your work *is* a game. What do you do for relaxation? Lay bricks?

It’s been an all-too-common sight at Great American Ball Park: a young stud pitcher taking the mound, awesome in his own rite but forced to waste away on a terrible team. But for a change, we’re not talking about a Red.

Tickets are going fast for Wednesday’s game when Stephen Strasburg leads the Washington Nationals against Bronson Arroyo and the Reds. I clicked the Buy Tickets link and the “Best Available” option that was presented to me was section 303. Gets yours now if you want to make it to this game.

I only left the All-You-Can-Eat Seats ad in the screen grab because I can’t believe they’re still using that graphic. That must be the least appetizing picture of food ever put together by a Photoshop-challenged intern.

Finally, because the Nationals are in town, my mind turns immediately to Adam Dunn and wondering whether a guy that big has really still managed to remain invisible to the media, teams, and fans. On a tip from a guy at work, here’s his line compared to “All-Star” first baseman Ryan Howard:

Just sayin’.