Today is the day when the long-time shortstop of the Cincinnati Reds Barry Larkin is inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame.

Larkin was never my favorite player during my fandom. I always enjoyed the smaller guys who lacked the amazing talent and athletic ability that Larkin possessed. Yes, I enjoyed the Nick Esasky’s and Hal Morris’s more.

But I always knew Larkin was one of the best shortstops in the history of the game. And it was always a pleasure to watch him. I definitely took special notice of him anytime I caught a Reds game in person in his last few years. It was something special to see Larkin on the field with Ken Griffey Jr and know I was watching two future Hall of Famers.

And Larkin is a Hall of Famer. A no-doubt-about-it one for me. He was overlooked in the small-market of Cincinnati, but he was amazing, balancing excellent defense with excellent offense. He contributed mightily to the 1990 World Series win and the playoff appearance in 1995, when he won the National League MVP.

There’s been a lot written about Larkin, by many who knew him better and watched him play more than I did–I missed 1995, having given up on baseball after the horrendous strike–and it’s really cool to see the Reds get some positive attention.

I’ll raise a glass to Larkin for his induction into the Hall. And I’ll hope he can return to the Reds sometime in the future and pass on his knowledge.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Brewers	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	2	6	1
Reds	4	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	-	6	10	0

Boxscore

It was a nice, easy win for the Reds yesterday: they scored big early and led the whole time.

Bronson Arroyo finally got his fifth win of the season last night. He put in 6.0 innings of work, allowing 2 runs (earned) on 5 hits and 2 walks. Jose Arredondo, Sean Marshall, and Sam LeCure each got two outs without allowing a run. Logan Ondrusek pitched a hitless ninth.

The majority of the scoring happened in the first inning. With one out, Zack Cozart, Brandon Phillips, and Jay Bruce each singled, with that last single bringing in Cozart. Scott Rolen hit a sac fly to bring in Phillips, which just took him off base for Ryan Ludwick’s 2-run home run. Phillips hit a 2-run homer in the seventh for the rest of the scoring.

The win brings the Reds record to 54-40. Four guys went 2-for-4, which is the sort of thing that helps makes the absence of Joey Votto a little easier. The Reds are 4-2 since Votto has been out for arthroscopic surgery on his knee. He has already stopped using his crutches after the surgery and will probably be back in less than the 4 weeks initially suggested. Hopefully the team can keep this going even when they have him back.

The Reds go for the sweep against the Brewers today at 1:10 p.m. Johnny Cueto (RHP, 11-5, 2.28 ERA) defends against Mike Fiers (RHP, 3-3, 2.01 ERA).

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Brewers (44-48)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	6	1
Reds (53-40)	0	0	0	1	0	0	2	0	-	3	8	0

Boxscore

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the Cincinnati Reds had a good start. And this one from Homer Bailey was great.

For the third time in his last 4 outings, Bailey went 8 innings. He dominated the Milwaukee Brewers of that time, allowing just 6 hits, walking none, and striking out a career-high 10. In short, it was an amazing performance. And it’s one that’s becoming more and more customary from Bailey.

So far in 2012, Bailey is turning in the best year of his career. He has his lowest ERA at 3.74 (and highest ERA+ of his career at 112). He’s got his lowest WHIP at 1.271, and is approaching career highs in games started, innings pitched, and strikeouts. Wins aren’t the best measure of a starter, but with the win last night, Bailey did tie his career-high of 9 wins. Oh, and did I mention he’s just 26 years old?

Despite how long it feels like Bailey’s been with the Reds, he’s still young. And more and more, it’s looking like the year he really puts things together. He’s come a long way from looking like Keanu Reeves’ grandmother.

Of course, Bailey couldn’t win the game by himself. The offense had to score some runs. All 3 of the Reds’ run came from solo shots. Zack Cozart hit his 10th, Jay Bruce hit his 19th, and Scott Rolen hit his 4th.

Bruce broke a bad 0-19 slump with a 2-3 game. With Joey Votto out, this would be an awesome time for Bruce to go on one of his patented Player-of-the Week tears. And Rolen was playing with more energy than I’ve seen all year. He went 2-3, as well. The fastball he hit for his homer was hit with more authority than I’ve seen him swing with since 2010. If Bruce, Rolen, and Brandon Phillips–the hero of the previous game–can keep stepping up, this stretch without Votto could turn into a big positive for the team.

The win keeps the Reds in first place, 1/2 game ahead of the Pittsburgh Pirates. The Reds look to increase that lead when they play their second game against the Brewers tonight. Bronson Arroyo will start against Yavani Gallardo. The first pitch is scheduled for 7:10pm EDT.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Diamondbacks	1	0	1	0	1	3	0	0	0	6	14	1
Reds	0	0	0	0	0	3	4	0	-	7	6	0

Boxscore

It was another short outing for a starting pitcher, followed by a stellar performance from the bullpen to allow the Reds to rally in the late innings for the win over the Diamondbacks yesterday.

Mike Leake started for the Reds and lasted 5.1 innings. He allowed 6 runs (earned) on 11 hits and 1 walk in that amount of time. As I listened to the crackly AM signal of this non-televised game, I can tell you spirits were pretty low.

But around the time Alfredo Simon took the mound for 1.2 innings, the Reds started their rally. He allowed 0 runs on 1 hit. Logan Ondrusek was next, and he didn’t allow any hits in his .2 innings. Sean Marshall did give up a couple hits, but they didn’t amount to anything in the remainder of the eighth. Aroldis Chapman shut it down in the ninth by striking out 2.

Brandon Phillips is the hero of this game. He went 2-for-4 and hit the 3-run home run in the sixth inning that finally got the Reds on the board, plus he doubled in two more guys in the seventh. Honorable mentions go to Wilson Valdez, who got on base three times and scored twice, and Devin Mesoraco, who busted up the no-hitter that Arizona had going into the fifth.

The win brings the Reds record to 52-40 and earns them a split in the 4-game series, even without the services of Joey Votto. Tonight the Reds welcome the Milwaukee Brewers. Will Homer Bailey (RHP, 8-6, 3.93 ERA) give the bullpen a break when he takes on Marco Estrada (RHP, 0-3, 4.13 ERA)? Probably, but answering those questions is why they play the game. First pitch at 7:10 p.m.