Yesterday, the Cincinnati Reds didn’t play baseball. At least, I assume they didn’t. With them being on their first west coast trip of the season, the games start so late that I could easily miss them.

The Reds have been struggling lately, which is never how you want to see them when they’re heading out west. My, there’ve been some seasons lost out west. That won’t happen this year; this team is too good. But after losing 2 of 3 in their first road series against the Arizona Diamondbacks, one has to hope the day off will help erase the jet lag that often accompanies the games in time zones other than central or eastern.

The Reds will have a short, two-game series against the Oakland A’s this evening. Bronson Arroyo will start and try to right the Reds’ ship. The A’s have been a good team this year, although they’ve been losing a lot lately. Hopefully, the Reds bats will be rested enough to score so many runs so that no bullpen mishaps can doom them. Or, hell, let’s go crazy with hope and think the bullpen is well-rested enough to put its crappy outings behind it for a week or two.

We won’t know until 10:05 pm tonight. Until then, see how well you know Corky Miller with the Cincinnati Enquirer’s quiz.

The third base coach for the Cincinnati Reds, Mark Berry, was diagnosed with cancer during spring training. The treatment for the cancer in his left tonsils and lymph nodes was so strong that it forced him to take a leave of absence from his duties with the Reds.

I’d been wondering how the treatment has been going, but there haven’t been many updates. Reds beat writer Mark Sheldon took care of that today with a nice, in-depth profile of Berry’s new life with cancer.

Berry decided against the more invasive surgery and opted for chemo and radiation. He hoped to work home games at night as the bench coach, since he would be getting treatments at University Hospital during the day time. Bench coach Chris Speier moved to the third-base line during camp.

The reality soon set in that it would not be possible for Berry to work at all.

The idea of trying to work in a professional sport while getting chemotherapy seems ridiculous in hind-sight. I’m glad that approach was quickly abandoned, allowing Berry to focus on nothing but getting better. And it sounds like the treatments have been effective.

While the treatments are over, the cloud of cancer is not gone from above Berry’s head. He is scheduled to undergo a final PET scan on Sept. 4 to determine if the cancer is gone. If it’s not, surgery would be a potential option.

Right now, things look good. The feeling of marbles in the lymph nodes is gone and Berry said a scope already showed doctors that the tumor had been greatly reduced. The burnt skin inside his throat is turning into new skin again.

“You want to be positive,” Berry said. “Deep down, I think I’m going to beat it on the first go around, but there’s always that little doubt.”

I would recommend reading the entire article. Berry’s gone through a terrible time, but it looks like things are improving for him. I do hope he gets to return to the third base coaching box later this season and gets to high five Reds players as they round third after a home run.

Boxscore

Bruce’s home run trot doesn’t look like the running of a man on fire, and yet. (AP Photo/Al Behrman)

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.

Let’s everyone just cool down a little, huh? No need to air our dirty elephants in the room in public.

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.

You know you’ve made it to the big time when your name gets mentioned in ESPN quizzes.

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.