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

Boxscore

The brooms were out as the Reds completed the sweep of the Cardinals last night on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball (Presented by Taco Bell).

Johnny Cueto would have taken the mound, but was suffering from a blister. How he got a blister over the All-Star Break, I don’t know, but it wasn’t too big a deal since everyone else was rested. Homer Bailey took his place and totally rocked it. He pitched 8.0 innings, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 9 hits and 2 walks. He even got the win, since the Reds took the lead in the bottom of the last inning he pitched.

Aroldis Chapman struck out the last three guys for the save. It was the third game in a row that he pitched, so I imagine we won’t see him in tonight’s game.

For the offense, Chris Heisey went 3-for-4 and Joey Votto snapped his 2-game hitless streak with a 2-for-3 night, plus a walk. Brandon Phillips, Devin Mesoraco, and even Homer Bailey each contributed a hit.

It was, however, Scott Rolen’s night to shine. With 2 outs in the bottom of the eighth and runners on second and third, the Cardinals intentionally walked Ryan Ludwick to load the bases and get to Rolen. He made them pay with a line-drive single to right field that won the game.

The win brings the Reds record to 80-58 and once again gives them sole possession of first place in the NLC. Tonight they host the Diamondbacks who are fresh off being swept by the Cubs. Bronson Arroyo (4-5, 3.73 ERA) faces off against Wade Miley (9-5, 3.04 ERA). First pitch at 7:10 p.m.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H	E
Cardinals (46-42)	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	2	8	1
Reds (49-38)	0	0	0	0	1	1	0	0	0	1	3	10	1

Boxscore

The Cincinnati Reds finally won a 1-run game, and they did it in dramatic, walk-off fashion, thanks to left-fielder Ryan Ludwick and his just-barely home run in the bottom of the 10th inning.

The journey to that exciting ending was entertaining, too. Mike Leake started and did very well, shutting out the Cardinals for the first six innings of the game. The offense had given the team the lead, too, with Jay Bruce doubling in Brandon Phillips in the 5th inning to plate the first run. Then in the next inning, Scott Rolen singled to start the inning, moved to third thanks to a single from Devin Mesoraco and a sacrifice by Mike Leake, and then scored on a sacrifice fly by Zack Cozart.

When Leake went back out for the 7th, though he was suddenly not as effective. He was unable to retire anyone, giving up a solo home run to Yadier Molina and a couple other hits. Sean Marshall relieved him, but couldn’t keep the Cardinals from tying the game thanks to a safety-squeeze bunt from Rafael Furcal. Leake’s final line: 6 innings, 7 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, and 3 strikeouts. His 5th straight quality start.

From then on, the bullpen pitched scoreless baseball. Lodan Ondrusek, Bill Bray, Aroldis Chapman, and Sam LeCure combined for 3 shutout innings, sending the game to extras and giving the offense enough time to come back. Ludwick provided that with a solo home run on the 9th pitch of his at-bat against Victor Marte to lead off the 10th inning.

The win returns the Reds to 11 games over .500 and keeps them tied for first place with the Pittsburgh Pirates, who beat the Milwaukee Brewers yesterday.

Today, the Reds will be nationally televised again, as a part of ESPN Sunday Night Baseball. Jake Westbrook will start for the Cardinals, while the Reds will send out Homer Bailey to start in place of Johnny Cueto, who has a blister on his right finger. The Reds will be going for the sweep at 8:00pm EDT.

He got a chance to be the Cincinnati Reds’ full-time shortstop in 2011, but he’s spent all of 2012 in AAA. And today the Cincinnati Reds traded Paul Janish to the Atlanta Braves for some starting rotation depth.

In parts of four seasons with the Reds, from 2008-2011, Janish hit .221 with 7 homers and 70 RBIs. His fielding percentage at shortstop in 2009 was .991; in 2010, it was .981; and in 2011, it was .974. He also pitched in two games in 2009, allowing 11 earned runs in two innings, walking two and striking out three.

Janish was a fifth-round pick of the Reds in June of 2004. He’s 29 years old. He was hitting .237 this season for the Bats at the time of the trade.

How could we ever forget Janish’s pitching performance in 2009? Over the course of 2 innings, he allowed 11 runs, all earned. He struck out 3 and finished the year with a 49.50 ERA. There’s just something so awesome about position players pitching, and I greatly enjoyed Janish bullpen-saving effort.

Janish had a solid year in 2009 and finally got his chance to be a starter in 2010, but was unable to grab hold of that opportunity. I always liked the guy, and enjoyed watching his defensive prowess. My son has an autographed ball of his from the final year of Spring Training in Sarasota, Florida. Hopefully, Janish will get a chance to succeed in Atlanta.

For him, the Reds received Todd Redmond, a 27 year-old right-handed pitcher. He’s never appeared in the majors, but this year in AAA, he’s 6-6 with a 3.58 ERA in 18 starts. And he strikes out about one batter an inning, with 96 strikeouts in 105 2/3.

The Reds have used just 5 starters to this point in the 2012 season, but the odds are that is unlikely to continue. At this point, I’d be hard pressed to say who they could call up to cover for a starter out for a few starts. This trade will help that. And with shortstops Didi Gregorious and Billy Hamilton getting closer to the majors and Zack Cozart doing very well in the majors, dealing Janish was dealing from a position of strength. Overall, it seems like a trade that could benefit both teams.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Cardinals (46-41)	0	1	1	0	0	0	0	1	0	3	9	1
Reds (48-38)	0	0	0	0	1	0	3	1	-	5	7	0

Boxscore

For the first baseball game after the All Star break, the Cincinnati Reds started their first series at home in more than two weeks and took on the St. Louis Cardinals. After that wretchedly late West Coast trip before the break, it was really nice to have baseball back.

A decent pitching duel seemed possible, with Adam Wainwright going against Mat Latos. Unfortunately, Mr. April showed up for the Reds. Latos allowed 2 runs, 4 hits, 3 walks, and struck out 5. After 5 innings, his pitch count was at 97, and he was done.

Wainwright was better than he’s been in the past, but he’s clearly not fully recovered from his Tommy John surgery. Not everybody returns to 100% from that, and his inconsistent year, coupled with Chris Carpenter out for the year and Jaime Garcia out for who knows how long, that can’t have the Cardinals feeling too good about their rotation.

The wagon-maker was strong early, allowing just 1 run and 2 hits over the first six innings, but his wheels fell off in the 7th. Brandon Phillips and Jay Bruce both singled to start the inning. Ryan Ludwick bunted both runners over first the first out–a play I’m convinced was a stupid waste of an out. Then Ryan Hanigan swung at the first pitch he saw and beat out a poor underhand toss from the first baseman to Wainwright covering at first base. Both Phillips and Bruce scored on the play, giving the Reds a 1-run lead. Zack Cozart finished the scoring in the inning with a sacrifice fly.

Alfredo Simon was the pitching savior for the Reds, pitching two scoreless innings and allowing the offense time to come back. Jose Arredondo struggled to get through the 8th, having to be relieved by Sean Marshall, but the two got the job done. And Aroldis Chapman closed it out for his 12th save. Sadly, there were no somersaults afterwards.

Today, the Reds and Cardinals will go at it again, with Cincinnati sending out Mike Leake to face off against former Red Kyle Lohse. The first pitch is at 4:05pm EDT.