At least, I hope they can’t.

Johnny Cueto left his start against the Pittsburgh Pirates early last night with pain in his right triceps.

Cueto said he felt something “sharp” in his arm after throwing a change-up to Pedro Alvarez in the fifth. He was fine before that.

“Yeah (I’m worried),” he said. “I was feeling really good. I wanted to stay in the game.”

He’s in Cincinnati getting it checked out today. Hopefully it’s something that won’t require more than a little time off. It sounds good that it’s not his shoulder or elbow. But he shouldn’t be rushed back onto the mound, especially this early in the season. A weakness in his tricep could lead to more pressure on other parts of his arm. No, it’s best to wait and hope that he’ll miss nothing more than a start or two.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Reds (5-2)	0	0	0	1	0	1	1	1	9	13	14	2
Cardinals (3-4)	2	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	4	4	1

Boxscore

It took a while for them to go, but when the 9th inning came yesterday in a tie game, my, how the Cincinnati Reds went.

Through the majority of the game, it wasn’t looking like it was the Reds’ day. Starter Mat Latos pitched well in his second start, continuing to make progress in erasing his history of poor Aprils, but Cincinnati was lacking on defense and offense. In particular, new center fielder Shin-Soo Choo had problems with the sun, dropping two balls and allowing 3 unearned Cardinals runs to score.

With the way Jaime Garcia was striking out Reds batters, it seemed like that would be enough. But the Reds kept staying close. Then in the 8th inning, pinch-hitter Xavier Paul singled into right field to score Jay Bruce and tie the game at 4.

The game felt like it was starting to turn to favor the Reds. And then the 9th inning happened. It started with a walk to Shin-Soo Choo. After getting Chris Heisey to pop out, everything fell apart for the Cardinals and their closer Mitchell Boggs. Joey Votto was intentionally walked, allowing Brandon Phillips to come to the plate and double in the go-ahead run.

A lead was all I was hoping for. What came next was a comedy of errors and ineptitude rarely displayed by a St. Louis ball club. 12 more batters went to the plate, and the Reds scored a total of 9 runs in the inning. Choo started everything with a walk, and in his second at-bat of the inning, he erased those 3 unearned runs he’d allowed by crushing a double that cleared the loaded bases.

All in all, it was a fun game. The Reds have faced nothing but good, playoff-contending teams to start the season, yet they sit atop the standings in first place with a 2 game lead on the Cardinals.

The Cincinnati Reds are one of the best at starting their season off right. The RHM family has always enjoyed Opening Night since the new ownership decided to make it a thing. Unfortunately, this year we’ll be missing it by being out of the country for a long overdue vacation, but if you’re in the area, you should participate. It will be worth your time.

Here’s a list of everything the Reds have planned for both Opening Day and Opening Night.

Opening Day: Monday, April 1 – Reds vs. Angels, 4:10 pm (Gates open at 1:10 pm)

• Opening Day Block Party: The second annual Reds Community Fund Charity Block Party kicks off at 11 am on Joe Nuxhall Way and Freedom Way. Food and beverages will be available for purchase from Budweiser, Coca-Cola, LaRosa’s, Queen City Sausage, UDF and Kahn’s. Admission is free. Music provided by WEBN. All proceeds benefit the Reds Community Fund’s P&G MLB Urban Youth Academy.
• 94th Findlay Market Opening Day Parade Grand Marshal: Reds Hall of Famer George Foster will serve as the Grand Marshal of the Findlay Market parade, which begins at Noon.
• Ceremonial First Pitch: Joe Torre, manager of Team USA in the 2013 World Baseball Classic, will throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
• National Anthem: Cincinnati firefighter John Winfrey will sing the National Anthem.
• Honorary Captain: Bob Kevoian from the nationally syndicated Bob & Tom Show radio program will serve as the Honorary Captain of the Game.
• Game Ball Delivery: Fire Chief Richard A. Braun of the Cincinnati Fire Department will deliver the official Game Ball to the mound during pregame ceremonies.
• Flyover: Two T-28 Trojans and one B-25 Mitchell from the Tri-State Warbird Museum in Batavia will perform a pregame flyover.
• Wounded Hero Recognition: Senators Rob Portman (R-OH) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) will participate in a pregame ceremony to honor wounded heroes.
• Moment of Remembrance: To honor the victims of the tragic Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, CT, the Reds (and all MLB teams) are wearing a symbolic ribbon patch and will observe a pregame moment of remembrance.
• American Flag: Members of the Cincinnati Fire Department will hold the giant American flag during the National Anthem. The Cincinnati Fire Department is celebrating its 160th year in 2013. The Cincinnati Fire Department was organized in 1853 and is the nation’s oldest fully paid professional fire department.
• God Bless America: Local quartet The Mistics will sing God Bless America during the seventh-inning stretch.
• Rally Towels: “This is Reds Country” rally towels will be distributed at the gates (while supplies last), courtesy of Cincinnati Bell, Horseshoe Casino, Kroger, Homemade Brand Ice Cream/UDF and P&G.

Opening Night: Wednesday, April 3 – Reds vs. Angels, 7:10 pm (Gates open at 5:10 pm)

• Reds in the Fan Zone: Reds players and coaches to appear in the Kroger Fan Zone to walk the red carpet starting at 5:30 pm.
• National Anthem: Arin Ray, top 10 finalist on the X Factor and School for Creative & Performing Arts senior, will sing the National Anthem.
• 2013 Reds Calendar: The first 20,000 fans will receive a 2013 Team Calendar, presented by Kroger.
• Silver Slugger: 2012 NL Louisville Slugger Silver Slugger winner Jay Bruce will receive his award during pregame ceremonies.
• Ball Delivery: Miss Ohio Kristin Smith and Miss Teen Ohio Brittany Reid will deliver the official Game Ball to the mound during pregame ceremonies.
• Rusty Griswolds: 80’s cover band The Rusty Griswolds will perform from a stage at the new Budweiser Bowtie Bar located on the right field porch during inning breaks and after the game.
• Postgame Fireworks presented by TriHealth: The Rusty Griswolds will play live during the post-game fireworks show featuring Rozzi’s Famous Fireworks.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Padres (15-18)	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	3	10	1
Reds (11-18)	0	0	0	0	1	0	3	3	0	7	8	0

Boxscore

Yes, the Cincinnati Reds are fine-tuning their intensity.

For most of spring training, the Reds’ players were obviously testing out things other than winning. Which was fine. For the first time since I can remember, there were no true battles for roster spots. Everything was set, and everyone had time to work on things and ease back into baseball. Now that opening day is less than a week away, it’s time to practice how to win. And the Reds have done that two games in a row.

Yesterday, Mike Leake made his final start of the spring and did well. Leake pitched 6 innings, allowing 1 run on 5 hits and no walks while striking out 4.

The offense has woken up, too, and I’m certain that all the regulars playing most of the game is a factor. Shin-Soo Choogot the Reds on the board in the 5th with a solo shot. But Ryan Ludwick was the hero for this game, hitting his first spring home run in the 7th inning, a 3-run shot that broke a 1-1 tie.

Then in the 8th, Joey Votto added his own 2-run home run to extend the lead, which was good, since the San Diego Padres scored a couple more in the top of the 9th.