Last Game
The Reds had a well-deserved day off yesterday. I thought I’d enjoy a night off of baseball myself, but ended up turning on the Cardinals/Nationals game. The Nationals won, by the way, 8-1.

Next Game
The Reds head to Houston today to face off against the dismal 40-91 Astros.

Mike Leake (RHP, 6-8, 4.51 ERA) was hit hard in his last outing last Saturday against the Cardinals, but he didn’t give up many runs. His opponent will be Fernando Abad (LHP, 0-1, 3.62 ERA) who will be putting in his second start for the Astros this season.

Chapman on MLB Network
I suppose I ought to be talking about Joey Votto’s recent comments that he was holding back in his rehab assignment to protect his ouchie knee, but I’m tired of writing a post every time Votto turns around. Let’s save some of that compulsive Votto obsession for when he’s actually back in the line-up.

Instead, I’m going to share this MLB Network video about Aroldis Chapman. Dang, that guy can throw fast.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
While the Reds have been going about their business, the race for second place in the NLC has been more interesting. The third place Pirates beat up on the Cardinals to pull themselves to within half a game of second. The Cardinals are now 8.5 games back while the Pirates are 9.0.

Last Game
The Reds kicked some Diamondback butt yesterday afternoon, sweeping the three-game series. They’re the first team to reach 80 wins, and the Nationals and the Rangers, who are tied for the second-most wins in baseball, only have 77.

Mat Latos bounced back nicely, allowing 2 hits and striking out 7 in 7.0 innings of work. And the home run bats suddenly woke up, too. Three Reds hit home runs: Dioner Navarro, Brandon Phillips, and Chris Heisey hit 2.

Next Game
The Reds have today off. Funny how it doesn’t feel as much like they needed it after a sweep, but at least they’re going into their travel day on a high note.

ESPN Helps Me Google-Stalk Todd Frazier
There was a nice, meaty story about Todd Frazier on ESPN.com yesterday. It talks about the normal stuff, like his unorthodox swing and his rookie-of-the-year chances, but it also covers some more personal details that we often don’t really get about the players.

For example, did you know that there’s a sandwich named after him in his home town of Toms River, NJ? Or that he played in the Little League World Series (pictured)? Or that he’s getting married to former Rutgers gymnast Jackie Verdon in December?

Well, now there’s an interesting tidbit. Google “Jackie Verdon” and on the very first page of results is the couple’s wedding registry at Bed, Bath & Beyond.

So, the next time you think champagne flutes would be the perfect way to thank Frazier for getting the offense going or even if you’d just like to try to finagle an autograph via a thank you card, you can find something to send the happy couple.

If they get everything on this list, they’re going to need a freakin’ wing of the house to store all the crystal. I didn’t even know there were two different sizes of blended Scotch tumblers. Must be the sort of thing you need to be a gymnast to know.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
Joey Votto got a hit last night in his second rehab game with the Dayton Dragons. In the first game he’d walked and struck out.

Last Game
The Reds won the second game of the series against the Diamondbacks last night, 5-3. Todd Frazier and Ryan Hanigan each went 2-for-4 with 2 RBI, Johnny Cueto became the first pitcher in baseball this year to reach 17 wins, and the Reds overtook the Nationals for the best record in MLB. It was quite a night.

Next Game
Tomorrow the Reds go for the series sweep against the Diamondbacks. Mat Latos (RHP, 10-4, 3.84 ERA) will challenge Patrick Corbin (LHP, 5-5, 3.91 ERA). Latos is coming off a real stinker of an outing against the Cardinals, but Corbin’s apparently be struggling lately, too. First pitch at 3:40 p.m.

Votto Takes the Field as a Dragon (again)

I know we just talked about Joey Votto’s rehab stint a couple days ago, but he actually took the field today. What else could we possibly talk about??

Votto played five innings with the Class A Dayton Dragons and reported feeling good. He walked once and struck out swinging once. He’s being emphatic that he’s not 100% yet, and Dusty Baker is being emphatic that we won’t see him in a Reds uniform before Saturday, when the Reds visit the Astros.

Till then, we can see him on the Dragons’s field via this video, courtesy of the Cincinnati Enquirer:

Having been drafted by the Reds and in the Reds’ system all along, it’s a bit of a homecoming for Votto to play for the Dragons. The last time he was there, though, he didn’t fill the stadium to bursting. The 9,198 who showed up for the minor league game was the most for the Dragons this year, and that’s saying something. That place is *always* sold out.

I bet he’s filled out a little since the last time he was there. (Obviously this picture isn’t from his time with the Dragons, but it’s isn’t very long before it, and I wanted an excuse to dig this one up again

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
Scott Rolen worked a 15-pitch at bat when drawing a walk in the second inning of last night’s game. Way to drive up that pitch-count single-handedly!

Last Game
The Reds won the first game in their series against the Diamondbacks last night by a score of 3-2. The hero of this game was Bronson Arroyo, who hit a solo home run in the sixth inning to give the Reds the lead that they would eventually win by.

Next Game
The Reds continue the series in Arizona tonight. Johnny Cueto (RHP, 16-6, 2.47 ERA) will take the mound for the Reds. He’s a rock-star, but he won’t be hitting any home runs, and he’s coming off a real crappy outing against the Phillies on Thursday where he didn’t even make it through six innings. He will be facing off against Wade Miley (LHP, 14-8, 2.80 ERA) who’s been killing it this year. First pitch at 9:40 p.m.

Reds to host first interleague Opening Day
John Fay says that the tentative 2013 season schedule features the Cincinnati Reds hosting the first ever interleague Opening Day:

As it stands, the Reds will open on Monday, April 1, against the Los Angeles Angels at Great American Ball Park.
….
The Angels, with Albert Pujols and likely Rookie of the Year Mike Trout, are obviously a top draw.

The need for an interleague Opening Day is due to the fact that the Houston Astros will become an American League team next year. That means that each of the AL and the NL will have an odd number of teams (15), so any given day when everyone is playing, there’s going to have to be an interleague game.

How cool that the Reds should get to be the first. They’ve been the first at so many things throughout history. Now if only they’d be the first to bat Ryan Hanigan second.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
Joey Votto was supposed to start his rehab stint with the class A Dayton Dragons last night, but didn’t after all due to the rain. Can this guy ever catch a break?

Last Game
The Reds never led in the last game of the series against the Cardinals last night, and they ended up losing the game 8-2 and the series 2-1. Homer Bailey had another rough outing, giving up 5 runs (earned) on 9 hits in 6.0 innings of work. The real question, though, is why no player made it on base more than once last night. The offense could only muster 7 hits in its 32 ABs.

Next Game
Despite everyone’s need for an off-day, the Reds head to Arizona tonight to take on the Diamondbacks. Bronson Arroyo (RHP, 10-7, 3.87 ERA) tries his luck against Tyler Skaggs (LHP, 1-0, 2.70 ERA). It is only Skaggs’ second major league start, so he certainly has the benefit of surprise. First pitch at 9:40 p.m.

Awaiting the Return of Votto
At long last, the Reds are willing to say when they expect to have Joey Votto return to the line-up. The plan is to have him play a couple rehab games with A Dayton starting Tuesday (as if it weren’t already hard enough to get into a Dragons’ game) and then rejoin the Reds when they visit Houston on Friday.

We haven’t seen Votto in the line-up since July 16. He should have come back from arthroscopic surgery on his knee a long time ago, but then he did more damage to his knee doing sliding drills and had to have a follow-up procedure on August 10.

In case you’re wondering, the answer is no: he won’t be doing any more sliding drills before his rehab start.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
We may not be getting Nick Masset back when the rosters expand after all. After experiencing some soreness in his shoulder, Masset has undergone an MRI. The word is still out on how it will affect his chances of playing this year.