Three wins in a row and all over the NLW-leading San Francisco Giants. Wheeee!

Everyone was having a good day, including:

• Johnny Cueto who not only threw a three-hit, shut-out complete game, but also go himself enough innings in the course of doing so to make himself eligible to be the league-leader in ERA, which he won by about a half run.
• Joey Votto, who has gone 10-for-his-last-25 and had four RBI today alone.
• Drew Stubbs, who not only went 4-for-5 today, but who also didn’t have to watch his team trade for Hunter Pence OR Michael Borne.

Yeah, it’s getting awfully late in the season for the Reds to bounce back from 6.5 back, and they pretty much failed to make the situation any better before the non-waiver trade deadline, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a good time to play out the season, and today was a good time.

Dontrelle Willis, the high yield bond of starting pitchers, put in another good starting performance tonight, and again was denied the win. Not that the bullpen was terrible–allowing just one run in regulation play to let the Giants tie it up at three and eventually necessitate extras–but unlike in recent nights, that one allowed run was actually a significant percentage of the opponent’s score.

Signed in the off-season to a minor league deal, Dontrelle straightened himself out in Louisville and then joined the Reds for a start on July 10. Tonight was his fourth start since then, and he’s been nothing if not consistent:

Of course, regardless of the pitcher’s performance, the team has to win before the pitcher can win, and the Reds haven’t been doing much of that lately in any event. But there’s always a bright side: if the disappearing act of the offense and/or the lack of support from the bullpen can keep him performing at this level in pursuit of a win, at least Dontrelle might be able to play for a good team next year.

The Cincinnati Reds were swept by the New York Mets today. It was another ugly game that makes you wonder why the Reds haven’t yet hired a general manager.

Then you remember, they do have one. And you realize, the season’s most likely over. At least, that’s what it feels like.

Walt Jocketty has seemed old and slow this year. Almost a month after he should have, he finally called up Zack Cozart. And then, for no apparent gain this season, he traded away Jonny Gomes. (I’m fine with that trade, but it does nothing to address needs for this or the next season.)

It’s just been frustrating. The team has so much talent, but is under-performing a lot. Manager Dusty Baker certainly has to take some blame. His “stay calm” demeanor worked well last year, but it’s exactly the wrong thing this year. It lead to feeling like he didn’t care when they continued sucking and losing this year.

I gotta say it again, after today’s loss, it feels like the season is over. The Reds are 50-55, with no signs of improvement and no seeming help from the alleged general manager on the way. It’s sad. I’d had hopes of a winning year again this year. I guess there’s always next year?

Clearly, that fan is Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker.

Why else would he describe the trade by the St. Louis Cardinals of promising young power-hitting, speedy outfielder Colby Rasmus like this?

There’s some level of frustration in here because the the rich teams get richer at this time of year.

I was confused by that statement about the trade because the only clear winner is Colby Rasmus. Well, and the public for being shown that the true general manager of the Cardinals is “genius” Tony LaRussa.

And then I realized why Baker thought the Cardinals were getting richer: they were getting Corey Patterson.

ESPN is reporting a complicated trade that’s resulted in, among other things, the addition of Corey Patterson to the St. Louis Cardinals’ roster:

CHICAGO — The Chicago White Sox traded pitcher Edwin Jackson and utilityman Mark Teahen to the Toronto Blue Jays.

The White Sox will receive reliever Jason Frasor and pitching prospect Zach Stewart.

A short time later Wednesday, the Blue Jays turned around and traded Jackson to the St. Louis Cardinals in an eight player deal that netted Toronto Colby Rasmus, sources told ESPN The Magazine’s Buster Olney.

The Cards sent Rasmus Trever Miller, Brian Tallet and P.J. Walters to the Jays for Jackson, Marc Rzepczynski, Octavio Dotel and Corey Patterson.

The clear winner in this trade is, of course, Colby Rasmus, who finally gets to escape from under the malevolent thumb of Tony LaRussa.