Boxscore

Well, that didn’t last long.

Remember, like, just 3 days ago when it seemed like the Cincinnati Reds season was over because the St. Louis Cardinals swept them? No? Well, then you weren’t one of the hundreds of people throwing in the towel on Twitter and all the other places fans can express their opinion.

As we’ve seen time and time again this year, the 2010 Cincinnati Reds do not give up. Let me repeat that because it’s important and not something Reds fans are accustomed to. The 2010 Reds. Do. Not. Give Up.

Case in point: they beat the Florida Marlins for the second straight time tonight. And this was with Dusty Baker suspended. (The Reds maybe should consider “suspending” him more often.) Mike Leake contributed a quality start, and Nick Masset bailed out a shaky showing from Arthur Rhodes to pitch two shutout innings. Francisco Cordero came on for his typical walks-filled, bases-loaded ninth, but he got the save.

Thanks to another continuing-to-stay-with-it offensive performance, the Reds gained the early lead and added runs in the 5th and the 8th. And thanks to the Cubs defeating the Cardinals in St. Louis today, the Reds are once again tied for first place.

Homer Bailey returns from the disabled list to start in place of a suspended Johnny Cueto tomorrow and close out the Marlins series. The Reds have already won the series, but I think they can sweep it.

MLB just issued a press release with the the results of fines and suspensions for this week’s brawl between the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds.

Major League Baseball has issued discipline to five players and the two managers as a result of the on-field incident that occurred in the bottom of the first inning of Tuesday’s game between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati . Bob Watson, Vice President of On-Field Operations for Major League Baseball , made the announcement.

Reds pitcher Johnny Cueto has received a seven-game suspension and an undisclosed fine for his violent and aggressive actions during the incident. Unless appealed, Cueto is scheduled to begin serving his suspension on Friday, when the Reds are scheduled to host the Florida Marlins. If appealed, the discipline issued to Cueto will be held in abeyance until the process is complete.

Reds manager Dusty Baker and Cardinals manager Tony La Russa each have received two-game suspensions and undisclosed fines as a result of their actions on Tuesday. Baker will serve the two-game suspension on Friday and Saturday as the Reds host the Marlins. La Russa will serve the two-game suspension on Friday and Saturday as the Cardinals host the Chicago Cubs.

Four players have been fined undisclosed amounts as a result of the incident: Cincinnati second baseman Brandon Phillips and pitcher Russ Springer, currently a disabled list player who came onto the field during the incident; and St. Louis catcher Yadier Molina and pitcher Chris Carpenter.

So the only player to receive a suspension is Johnny Cueto. Both managers will have to miss a couple games, but that’s unlikely to have any negative effect. (The joke could be made by both team’s fans that those will be the 2 best managed games all year.)

I saw the suspension for Cueto coming. I don’t think it was malicious, as I’ve felt the panic when dozens of people press against you, cramming you up against an immovable object. The fact that he caused a concussion to Jason LaRue and was wildly kicking does require some response. With off-days, I don’t think it will affect the Reds much.

I am surprised that Chris Carpenter, Yadier Molina, and Brandon Phillips received nothing. Molina and Phillips started it, with the chest bumping and shouting at each other. And then something Carpenter did or said caused it to ignite once the first calm had been reached. Perhaps the video that MLB receives has audio, though, and lets them know things we weren’t privy to.

So, last night, Brandon Phillips went to the press to let them know his opinion of the St. Louis Cardinals:

We have to beat these guys. I hate the Cardinals. All they do is bitch and moan about everything, all of them, they’re little bitches, all of ‘em. I really hate the Cardinals. Compared to the Cardinals, I love the Chicago Cubs. Let me make this clear – I hate the Cardinals.

Exquisite. I mean, it’s exactly what I’ve been saying since the opening series, but just beautifully put. The eloquence brings a tear to my eye.

And ain’t it the truth? Here’s an excerpt from a post here on RHM back in May:

The Cardinals don’t seem to realize what a serious problem they have. Carp getting huffy when someone shows frustration, Card bloggers saying Gomes shouldn’t flip his bat, Card commentators saying the umps should show respect to Pujols. It’s one thing to go onto the field expecting to win; it’s another thing to go onto the field expecting people to let you win. This sense of entitlement screams sick culture. If the Cards were a Fortune 500 company, they’d be on their way to hostile takeover.

See? Phillips said it a lot better.

And it hasn’t changed a bit since then. Carpenter was bitching at Brendan Ryan just yesterday for being a minute late getting on the field because he was back in the batting cage. How dare he make the great one wait for the likes of practicing?

And now today, as Phillips approached the plate to take his AB, Yadier Molina did the totally-non-bitchy thing and kicked his bat. Before you know it, the benches and the bullpens are cleared. In the words of a person who actually saw it:

But it erupted when Rolen went after Chris Carpenter. Several wrestling matches broke out. Johnny Cueto, the starting pitcher, could be seen kicking at someone.

Dusty Baker was in the middle of it, shouting at someone. A couple of players were in a pile on the ground. Jonny Gomes came out of it with a torn shirt.

It all ended with the manager ejected and the fans itching for more. There may be some street fights in the streets after the game. Tomorrow, we’ll think about suspensions, but tonight, we enjoy the glee that comes from smacking down a little bitch.

When I first heard about the Reds trading Chris Dickerson to Milwaukee, straight up, for Jim Edmonds, I was pretty upset. Actually, I bit the head off a baby seal in my rage. But after watching a few innings of Edmonds’ stellar performance (not to mention the team’s improvement thanks to his veteran leadership), I’ve got better perspective and I’m completely sold on the deal. Here’s why:

The Reds have had so much excellent defense this season, and it’s clearly been holding the team back. If they want to ascend to that next level, they need the albatross of a 40-year old center fielder around their neck. He’ll be like those ankle weights that middle-aged women wear while power-walking: counteracting him will make them stronger.

Furthermore, the intra-team competition between Drew Stubbs and Chris Heisey was causing internal strife. The production these two young guys were putting together thanks to their struggle was well-outweighed by the damage it was doing to their friendship. Far better to take the responsibility off both of them and give it to someone older and wiser, who knows how to handle the pressure. Pressure made all the heavier the fact that he didn’t earn the responsibility.

And anyway, the net present value of Chris Dickerson is far less than the value brought to the team in one year by Edmonds. He was the best, most logical player they could get for him. The Reds had a surplus of outfielders: it only made sense for them to deal one of them. And once they did, well, then they were down an outfielder, so it only made sense for them to bring one aboard.

But the most important thing that swayed my opinion was the FSOhio text poll–where the kind of insightful fans who call in to sports radio and wear “In Dusty We Trusty” shirts show off their technological prowess by dialing six whole numbers–showed that the majority of fans are in favor of the move. I mean, how can 3,000 cell phone users be wrong?