Last Game
Anybody else staying up for the late-night West Coast games? It wasn’t easy, but I did manage to outlast the Crack Technical Staff to see both the Cardinals lose and the Cincinnati Reds win. The Reds, down early to the Arizona Diamondbacks, kept their calm and came back. Although it appeared that Bad-rroyo was the starter, he definitely turned it around, too, after the 2-run shot he allowed in the first. Scott Rolen drove in 3, but Paul Janish hit a solo shot to break the tie in the 7th. With the way he’s played, it almost makes me wish Orlando Cabrera could be on the DL for the rest of the year. Or at the very least, the bat boy.

Next Game
Thanks to the Cardinals loss to the Brewers–thanks Felipe Lopez!–the Reds now find themselves where they were a week ago before the Cardinals sweep, with a 2-game lead. The Reds attempt to continue their winning ways tonight when Edinson Volquez starts against Rodrigo Lopez at 9:40pm EDT.

Hello Yasmani Grandal, Goodbye Micah Owings
The Reds signed their top draft pick on the last day they could. Catcher Yasmani Grandal received a 4-year deal worth about $3 million, and a coveted spot on the 40 man roster. The reason the deal took so long was because Grandal wanted the major league roster spot.

“You’d rather not do that,” said Walt Jocketty. “He has the same agent as (Yonder) Alonso. It was hard not to do it. We have confidence that he will move pretty quick. He’s an established college hitter.”

We’ll see if it works out. The Reds have done this 3 times before to Alonso, David Espinosa, and Dane Sardinha, and it hasn’t worked out yet.

To make room for Grandal, Micah Owings was designated for assignment, which is what has to be done to remove him from the 40 man, even though he is already in the minors. An average starting pitcher with a great bat is very likely to attract some attention on the waiver wire, even though he is arbitration-eligible after this season. The Reds have never seemed to know what to do with Owings. They never exploited his hitting skills to their fullest, and didn’t even seem to work too hard to get him into ballgames. Maybe his next team will have an idea where Owings can fit.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
The Reds have a 5-game road winning streak, which ties their season high. This most recent win pushed the Reds to a new season-high of 17 games over .500, at 68-51.