Last Game
The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Kansas City Royals 5-2 yesterday. Travis Wood started and allowed the only 2 runs, thanks to a home run. Sam LeCure, Dontrelle Willis, and Matt Maloney finished out the rest of the game without allowing anything else to cross the plate. The Reds’ scoring was provided largely thanks to a three-run homer from Drew Stubbs.

Next Game
The Reds will travel to face the San Diego Padres and a former teammate: Aaron Harang. The Reds had scheduled Edinson Volquez to start, but he hasn’t returned from dealing with his Visa issues yet. Instead, Chad Reineke will get the ball at 3:05pm EST.

Volquez, the Reds, and Tommy
The naming of Edinson Volquez to be the opening day starter caught the attention of Sports Illustrated. It takes a certain amount of guts to so quickly turn to a guy just off Tommy John surgery.

[A]s an organization the Reds are one of baseball’s best-equipped clubs in the treatment of pitchers with catastrophic elbow injuries. About a dozen pitchers in the Reds organization have had Tommy John surgery, including four in big-league camp: Volquez, Jose Arredondo, Bill Bray and Justin Lehr.

Thanks to Reds Dr. Kremcheck, who performs more than 100 of the procedures each year, the team has confidence in his knowledge about the recovery process. Of course, this is still a team with Dusty Baker at the helm, who is reviled by many for causing his fair share of arm injuries.

Reds fans can rest easy knowing that the franchise employs a more collaborative effort in determining usage, meaning that the club’s left-handed fireballer, Aroldis Chapman, is unlikely to be burned out by overuse.

That’s good to know. Give the article a read if you have the time. It gives a different insight into the Reds than I’ve seen anywhere else.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
The Reds and Cleveland Indians held a celebrity golf tournament earlier this spring that raised $19,550 for the H.O.P.E. team, a non-profit group associated with the Cancer Treatment Centers of America.