Last Game
The Reds took yesterday off, and for once, I was glad. I needed a nap.

Next Game
Our boys are back in action tonight, visiting the Miami Marlins. Bronson Arroyo (RHP, 12-7, 3.66 ERA) will face off against Jacob Turner (RHP, 0-2, 5.29 ERA). I was live and in person for Arroyo’s last start, which was a gem. I can’t speak for Turner.

Bievendios a Miami
Tonight the Reds play their first game ever in the Marlin’s new stadium, Marlins Park. “It’s almost the end of the season,” you might say, “and they’re just getting there now? Didn’t they play the Marlins forever ago?”

Why, yes they did, right at the beginning off the season. But the Marlins made the trip to Cincy for that series. Ah, those were the days, back when people thought the Marlins might be contenders. Now their record stands at 63-81. So much can change in 140 games.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
The Reds’ magic number of 8 is the lowest in the majors. The next lowest belongs to the Washington Nationals at 11.

Last Game
The Reds completed the sweep of the Pirates last night by a score of 1-2. Homer Bailey put in a very nice start for his 11th win, which is a career-high number of wins for him. J.J. Hoover pitched in the ninth inning for the first save of his career. The 2 RBI belong to…Wilson Valdez? And Scott Rolen?

Lots of unusual things happening tonight.

Next Game
Today the Reds have the day off before taking a trip to visit Miami. If it seems like they just had a day off, you’re remembering last Thursday. In fact, there are two MORE off days coming after today. I’m not sure when September became like April, schedule-wise, but I’m not complaining. The boys could use the rest leading up to the play-offs.

Looking at next year, and not in a “there’s-always-next-year” kind of way
The Reds released their 2013 schedule today. They’ll be opening the season on April 1 against the Angels. You’ll recall that the Astros will be moving to the AL next year, which will give each league 15 teams, which will necessitate interleague games going on all the time.

The Reds will play the Cardinals for weekend series a couple times, which is always exciting. They’ll visit the Cubs over Memorial Day weekend, which is our chance to dub Wrigley Field “GABP North.” And, of course, there’ll be the chance to see them face off against the Indians.

You can get an early start on memorizing the schedule by printing out of a copy of the schedule for yourself.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
Zack Cozart is nearing his return from that strained oblique that’s had him out for the last week. Nick Masset, on the other hand, had season-ending surgery that will have him recovering for 4 months. Hopefully, Aroldis Chapman is closer to the Cozart timeline.

Last Game
The Reds took the second of the three-game series against the Pirates last night. The score was 3-5 and it didn’t have to go to extras this time. It was almost like watching the July team again.

• Mike Leake threw a pretty darn good outing, which was a relief after his last, disasterous one,
• Jay Bruce, Joey Votto, and Brandon Phillips hooked up for a sweet defensive play (see video below), and
• Aroldis Chapman sat the bench to rest his tired shoulder.

Regarding that last one, Chapman will be riding the pine for the next few days or more. Fine with me. Whatever we can do to get Chapman back in time for the post-season make sense. Besides, we already have 2 other closers.

Next Game
The Reds go for the sweep tonight. Homer Bailey (RHP, 10-9, 4.03 ERA) has his work cut out for him as he’s facing A.J. Burnett (RHP, 15-6, 3.68 ERA). Burnett hasn’t gotten a win in his last four outings, and, personally, I’m more likely to say, “he’s due” than “he’s done.” Tune in at 7:10 p.m. to see how it works out.

Phillips and Hughes have no end of respect for each other now
In Monday night’s game, the Pirate’s right hander Jared Hughes hit Brandon Phillips with a pitch. Phillips did the thing no one does and pick up the ball to throw it back. Hughes shouted something at Phillips, and Phillips was visibly agitated. He yelled something that appeared to be a “tell him” message at Andrew McCutchen as they left the field.

Later, Phillips implied in a tweet that Hughes’ comment had been racially charged. It sounds like the word “boy” may have been thrown around, which is just the sort of word that can be seriously offensive to one guy while another guy has no idea that there’s anything wrong with it in any context.

But McCutchen came to the rescue and got the two guys talking to each other before the game yesterday. They apparently hugged it out, because after that, they couldn’t stop telling the media how much respect they had for each other.

Much of this information came from John Fay’s blog, so go check that out for more information.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
Jay Bruce was named the NL Player of the Week for his performance last week. This is the fifth time he’s been awarded the honor, which ties the Reds’ record for POW honors. One more and he beats Eric Davis. I think that’s pretty likely, seeing as his cold streaks don’t matter when you’re getting a weekly award. Also, he has already won it twice this year.