Tonight the Reds take on the Royals. At first glance, you like the Reds' chances, but on the other hand it's impossible to forget their recent beatings at the hands of the Cubs. Milton's already given up a home run and is up to 32 pitches here in the second inning.

George Grande just said that Chris Welch is away because his father passed away this week. They gave the information on the visitation tomorrow morning, so if any of you are interested in paying your respects, you can probably find that out with a little research. Condolences to all the Welch's from Red Hot Mama.

How about them Cardinals, huh? They're currently on a seven-game losing streak, which has allowed the Reds to find themselves just one-and-a-half games back despite a rough-ish patch lately. Of course, even the Cardinals' recent doldrums can't compare to the skid by Pittsburgh. The Pirates' losing streak is 11.

Barry Larkin bobblehead night is tomorrow. It's apparently the second bobblehead in the series of three “Power of Tradition” figurines honoring three generations of short stops. If this information appears on Reds.com, I can't find it. I did find it on zipscene.com, if you'd like to get a little more information.

Milton's out of the top of the inning. Now Kearns is on first and Phillips is working the count. Go Reds!