Last Game
The Reds managed not to get swept by the Reds, although they continued to display poor fundamentals, ending innings early with poor running decisions twice. Manager Dusty Baker was OK with it, though, because they won 5-4.

Next Game
The Reds had an off day to prepare for the mighty Houston Astros. The Astros had a terrible start to the season, but have rebounded and are currently a half-game ahead of the Reds in the standings. Aaron Harang will try to reverse that against Bud Norris at 8:05pm EDT.

Reds Pitching, Like Fire, Bad
Entering the season, there was a lot of optimistic talk about the Reds and their pitching. The words “good” and “pitching” have not intersected much for the Reds since then.

Tom Groeschen of the Enquirer ran the numbers.

Cincinnati entered Monday’s off-day ranked 29th in the 30-team majors in earned run average (6.02) and starters’ earned run average (6.52). The Reds rank last in the majors in wins by starting pitchers, with one (by rookie Mike Leake).

The bullpen has been better, but not by much, ranking in at 24th in the majors. It’s a rather inauspicious beginning for new pitching coach Bryan Price. We’ll see if things improve against the Astros, a team not nearly as good as the Padres or Dodgers.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
The Reds have now won 7 of their 8 games with runs they scored in their final at-bat.