The Reds just left for a roadtrip starting with tonight’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers, but there are a couple deals in place for when they get back.

Lower-Level Field Box Discount August 14-16


Reds.com says:

The Reds won five of seven games on the homestand vs. the Padres and Pirates and now you can save $20. That means Lower-Level Field Box tickets (regularly $34) for the upcoming Mets series (August 14-16) are just $14!

so I guess that means they took $4 off the price for each win? Seems like an unusual number, but maybe it was in honor of Brandon Phillips’ jersey number, since he’s featured prominently on the page where you buy the tickets. Whatever the reasoning, it’s a nice deal. Go here to buy tickets.

Jay Bruce Tweet-Up August 16
But the discounted tix aren’t your only option for August 16. That same night there will also be a “JAY BRUUUUUUUCE tweetup”

What makes it a “JAY BRUUUUUUUCE tweetup” as opposed to just a “REGUUUUUUULAR tweetup”, you ask? Why, Bruce’s Twitter handle is on shirt you get with your admissions, of course.

For only $25, the special #RedsTweetUp package includes:
* One Sun/Moon Deck ticket (reg $25)
* An exclusive, limited-edition Reds BRUUUUUUCE TweetUp t-shirt

Just make sure to keep an eyes on the field from time to time. It would be just too ironic for Bruce to hit a tweet-up attendee with a home run ball because they were too busy tweeting to see it coming. Go here to buy tickets.

Boxscore

The Reds broke another winning streak yesterday afternoon by losing to the Pirates 6-2.

Homer Bailey has officially started a streak of his own: yesterday was his second bad outing in a row. He lasted only 4.2 innings, giving up 4 runs (earned) on 9 hits and a walk. But unlike last Tuesday, the offense could not bail him out this time and he got his seventh loss of the season.

Jose Arredondo finished the fifth without allowing a hit. Alfredo Simon pitched the next three innings and gave up 3 hits but no runs. Logan Ondrusek didn’t fare as well in the ninth: he allowed 2 runs (1 earned) on 3 hits, but those weren’t the runs that made the difference anyway.

The Reds have been short-staffed for a while now. Joey Votto is finally almost back after arthroscopic knee surgery, and Brandon Phillips was a late scratch on Saturday, being almost ready to play after his calf tweak. Devin Mesoraco remains on the concussion DL, and apparently it was no one else’s turn to be the hero.

Only Drew Stubbs, Jay Bruce, and Ryan Ludwick even managed a single hit against AJ Burnett (each also drew a walk). Stubbs scored both of the team’s runs: one thanks to a Bruce double after a walk in the bottom of the first, and the other on a solo shot in the third.

That loss brought the Reds’ record to 66-42. The lackluster performance ends an otherwise good homestand on a low note and makes things feel worse than they really are. Today will be a better day: the Reds head to Milwaukee to take on the Brewers. Bronson Arroyo (RHP, 7-6, 3.87 ERA) faces off against Yovani Gallardo (RHP, 9-8, 3.92 ERA) at 8:10 p.m.

As you no-doubt noticed from the ads that are in regular rotation here and at other baseball sites, State Farm is again offering an opportunity for you to win World Series tickets by playing the Go to Bat game.

The game itself is a home-run hitting contest. The higher your score, the better your chance to win the World Series tickets. You could dedicate your Angry Birds time to this game instead and add “chance to go to the big game” to the long list of benefits you already get from playing.

Here’s Ohio-native and Reds fan John Legend talking about this program. I’m not really sure how the list of presidents ties in to the rest of the stuff, but everyone likes to watch a video, right?