Last Game
Edinson Volquez started for the second time this season and was still not very good, allowing 4 runs over 5 innings. However, all those runs were in the first, and he settled down enough after that to get the win. That was thanks to the offense, which piled on run after run en route to a 12-4 victory.

It’s been interesting hearing Sean Casey broadcast the last couple games. I get the feeling that he might be a little envious. This Reds team is a far cry from the teams he played for.

Next Game
Sam LeCure makes his first start of the season tomorrow, going for the sweep of the Houston Astros. The Astros will counter with Brett Myers. It’s an afternoon game, but it is televised. The first pitch is scheduled for 12:35pm EDT.

Attendance Up, Despite Tuesday
On Tuesday, the Reds drew just 11,821 fans to the ball park. After a great opening weekend that drew more than 100,000, that seems really low.

“(Tuesday) night was all about the weather,” said Phil Castellini, the club’s chief operating officer. “We expect better. We throw a lot of extra events on Opening Night. That’s how we’ve been able to build that up. Fireworks, a band, giveaways and all that stuff.

“It’s hard to do that every game. At some point, we’re relying on weather, opponent, team play. Unfortunately after a huge weekend and team that’s playing very hot, it’s still a challenge of Tuesday night in April when it 40 degrees or whatever.”

Forty degrees is cold for a baseball game. Attendance was up yesterday, with 17,719 showing up to see the Reds’ rout. Season ticket sales are up, and the team is projecting 2.4 million–an increase of 300,000–people to attend games this year. They’re clearly going to need better weather and better opponents. I have a feeling they’re going to continue winning.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
The Reds’ impressive start to the 2011 season is drawing comparisons to some historic previous years. The last time the team started 5-0 was in 1990 when they won their first 9. The 43 total runs they’ve scored in the first five games is also the second most they’ve ever scored, second to the 1976 team.