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

Boxscore

The Pirates took the game and split the four game series last night by winning 5-3.

It was Homer Bailey leading the charge from the pitching mound, and he performed admirably. In 6.0 innings of work he allowed 2 runs on 6 hits and no walks. He struck out 8. It was Alfredo Simon who was the goat this time. He took over in the seventh inning and let two guys on before getting Jordy Mercer to bunt pop out. When he walked Andrew McCutchen, they brought in Tony Cingrani to replace him. Cingrani was the one who actually let the runners score, but his line is clean.

Shin-Soo Choo and Joey Votto each had 2-for-4 games, but with no one doing anything around them, it didn’t result in much. The team only left 5 on base yesterday. I wouldn’t have minded a whole lot more LOB if it had meant more runs.

Jay Bruce hit a solo shot in the fourth inning. It looks like Bruce is fixing to start one of his trademark hot streaks again. That’s 4 home runs in his last 5 games and 5 home runs in his last 7 games. Hopefully it lasts through the west coast trip.

I really wanted the Reds to win this one, but they didn’t. We’ve suffered through so many years of Cardinals domination, the last few with the Reds as the feisty upstart. Now it feels like the Reds are finally participating in their share of the domination, and here come the Pirates as the upstarts. I was really hoping for a “wait your turn” kind of smackdown win of the series yesterday.

The Reds will just have to smack down the west coast now. Tonight they take on the Arizona Diamondbacks (39-33). Wade Miley (LHP, 4-6, 4.64 ERA) will defend the snakes against Johnny Cueto (RHP, 4-0, 2.08 ERA). First pitch is at 9:40 p.m.

Shin-Soo Choo leads the league in receiving HBPs (19 this season) and the Pirates lead the majors in delivering them (37 this season). So maybe it was no surprise when Choo was hit in the leg by the first pitch of last night’s game. Maybe it was inevitable.

The Reds’ starting pitcher last night, Mat Latos, had something to say about it after the game, though. From the story on Reds. com:

“I think it’s time that somebody steps up and starts disciplining the team that’s drilled the most guys in the league,” Latos said after the game. “They’ve hit a lot of guys, whether it’s intentional or it’s by accident. Something has got to be done about it.”

It’s easy for me not to mind the HBPs myself, seeing as I’m not on the bruised end of the ball, but Brandon Phillips just finally made it back after having to sit out from an HBP. It’s all fun and games until our All-Stars can’t play.

That being said, the overwhelming timber of the comments I’ve seen on this topic has been of the “just take care of business and don’t talk about it” variety. And I have to agree.

I appreciate that Latos got fined the last time he retaliated, and I would be pissed off too if I were in his shoes, thinking that the Pirates weren’t getting any comeuppance. But my big concern about talking about it to the media is that the Reds will become the Cardinals. The last thing I want is for some Pirate to call the Reds “little bitches” like Brandon Phillips did the the Cards and be just as justified in doing it.

ESPN went out in search of some of the most obscure scenarios that can happen in a baseball game, created hypothetical situations with real player names, and set it all to the tune of a quiz you can take to test your knowledge of MLB rules.

I liked it because the very first question features hypothetical Todd Frazier:

1) The Phillies have Ben Revere on second base and no outs when Michael Young hits a shot to Reds third baseman Todd Frazier, who is playing at normal depth. On the pitch, Revere attempts to steal third and is hit by the batted ball while sliding into the base. Even though Revere was on third base when struck by the batted ball, he should be called out because he interfered with Frazier and kept him from making a play. True or false?

You can take the quiz for yourself on ESPN.com. My 1 out of 10 score suggests that you decide which answer makes the most sense and then choose the other one.

Businessweek published its list of America’s 50 best cities based on leisure, colleges, economics, and air quality, and Cincinnati made it into the top half. Interestingly, the primary reason for its high ranking seems to be Great American Ball Park.

Cincinnati
Rank: 21
Population: 292,050

Nestled on the Ohio River, Ohio’s third-largest city has a picturesque downtown that includes one of the country’s most beautiful pro sports stadiums, the Cincinnati Reds’ Great American Ball Park on the riverside. Other city stalwarts: the acclaimed Cincinnati Pops orchestra and major employer Procter & Gamble (PG).

Bars: 105
Restaurants: 600
Museums: 18
Libraries: 35
Pro sports teams: 2
Park acres per 1,000 residents: 21
Colleges: 8
Percent with graduate degree: 8.9
Median household income: $49,048
Percent unemployed: 7.2

If you’re curious about the rest of the NLC cities, Pittsburgh fared best with a #11 ranking. Milwaukee (26), Chicago (28), and St. Louis (47) all trailed the Queen City.

The Cincinnati Reds signed former Pittsburgh Pirate pitcher Zach Duke today.

Duke is expected to join the AAA Louisville Bats.

As far as the signing goes, I think the key part about it is that Duke is left handed. Currently, the only left-handed relievers in the Reds’ bullpen are Manny Parra and Aroldis Chapman. Chapman is the closer, and in MLB the way it is today, the closer pitches the 9th inning and the 9th inning only. As for Parra, his attempts to fill the role that injured reliever Sean Marshall had has failed spectacularly. His 7.50 is not getting it done.

I have to think that should Parra continue to struggle, we might see Duke. Duke has not done well in limited time with the Washington Nationals this year, but I sure can’t fault the Reds for searching for other options.

Hopefully, though, Marshall will return sooner than later. This team needs him putting up zeros in the late innings.