Last Game
The Reds lost the series opener to the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-2, failing to be an obstacle to the Cardinals’ attempt to win the second wild card. The loss was partially due to Bronson Arroyo, who allowed 3 runs in his short 5 innings of work, and partially due to the offense, which again failed to score the runs required to win.

Next Game
The Reds remain tied with the Washington Nationals for the best record in the National League. To break the tie and get home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, they’ll turn to Mat Latos, who’s been outstanding down the stretch. The Cardinals will turn to Chris Carpenter, who will be making his third start of the season. The game starts at 8:15pm.

Rewarding a pitcher named Homer
At the start of the season, it seemed clear that this year would be an important one for Homer Bailey. After 5 seasons in the majors–the last three full-time–Bailey was well-positioned to become an important contributor to the team.

This week, Major League Baseball honored him with the National League Player of the Week award. The award was on the strength of his no-hitter against the Pirates.

Like all recipients of the award, Bailey will receive “a watch courtesy of Game Time, the leader in licensed sports watches.” It’s about time.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
With Bronson Arroyo’s 5 innings last night, the Reds ended the season with 4 starters having pitched more than 200 innings. Johnny Cueto, Mat Latos, and Homer Bailey are the other 3. It’s the first time the Reds have done this since 1943. The last baseball team to accomplish this was the Chicago White Sox in 2006.