Last Game
The Reds dropped an ugly game to the Mets last night to end the latest winning streak. Homer Bailey did not have a good outing, just as he hasn’t over his last four outings. If the pitcher introduced in the double-header tomorrow makes a good start, maybe Bailey will be getting a little more rest. It’s hard to imagine how he’d contribute to a postseason team in this state.

Next Game
The Reds play host in the opening game of a series against the Cubs tonight. Bronson Arroyo (RHP, 8-7, 3.95 ERA) is looking to get the team back on the winning track as he faces off against Travis Wood (LHP,
4-8, 4.52 ERA). The Reds faced Wood last weekend and fared poorly, but the Chicago bullpen blew it and the Reds came out with the win. Hopefully the Reds can get on the smiling side of the scoreboard from the get-go tonight. First pitch at 7:10 p.m.

Ryan Hanigan and his 2-hole OBP
Sometimes it feels like the whole world of Reds fandom can be talking about something while the manager remains completely oblivious. It’s been that way with the talk about needing to move Ryan Hanigan up in the line-up.

Hanigan is hitting .282 with a .368 OBP. That’s the Joey-Votto-echelon of OBP. The dude is not fast, but he’s certainly wasted in the number 8 spot, where he finds himself on first just in time to have the pitcher end the inning.

But news of this has, in fact, reached Dusty Baker’s ears. Reds.com put up this story to tell the world why Baker says Hanigan is actually “ideal” for the role of futility batter:

Don’t expect Baker to heed those wishes. Tuesday’s game was an example of why, as Hanigan reached base three times with two outs — on a second-inning intentional walk, a fourth-inning double and a sixth-inning single.

Hanigan: on base 3 times on Tuesday; left on base 3 times on Tuesday. How, precisely, is this an argument for keeping the guy in a place in the line-up where no one will ever hit him in?

Later in the same article, Baker is quoted as saying:

“I know a lot of people are saying, ‘Hey, he should hit second,'” Baker said. “He walks a lot, he gets a lot of intentional base on balls. He would be hitting higher if he ran any better. I think he’s a perfect eighth hitter and perfect for what we need on this team.”

It’s true that Hanigan has been intentionally walked more than most guys on the roster this season. But those 10 IBBs are probably not the key to his on-base success, if that’s what Baker is implying.

Myself, I take it as a good sign. In the past it seems like Baker has made a point to justify his stupid decisions to the media just before changing them. On the other hand, this team is leading the NLC by 6 games right now. We probably won’t see Hanigan freed from the futility hole unless that margin shrinks significantly.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
You might not have noticed it, what with the long outings the starters have been putting in lately, the higher profile injuries, and the fact that I can’t find more than a 1-sentence reference to it on any news site, but our shiny new trade-deadline acquisition, Jonathan Broxton, is day-to-day with shoulder soreness. He hasn’t pitched since August 10.

Last Game
Last night, the Reds won again. With Mike Leake going against R.A. Dickey, that was NOT what I expected to happen. But Leake put in a complete game, the offense damaged Dickey’s Cy Young chances a little, and the win streak was extended to 5. Final score: Mets 1, Reds 6

Next Game
The Reds go for the sweep of the Mets tomorrow at 7:10 p.m. in Great American Ball Park. Homer Bailey (RHP, 10-7, 4.08 ERA) takes the mound against Matt Harvey (RHP, 1-3, 3.63 ERA).

Baker Contract Extension Talks
I’m not sure whether the topic of a contract extension is actually coming up in an organic way or if it’s just pushy reporters needing a story are bringing up the topic of their own accord, but there’s a story on MLB.com about the Reds extending Dusty Baker’s contract.

Reds manager Dusty Baker should not be concerned about his current contractual situation. Bob Castellini, the team’s president and chief executive, wants Baker around for a long time.

“I would like to see Dusty Baker as a member of our organization for many years to come,” Castellini told MLB.com on Wednesday, as two days of quarterly Owners’ Meetings began here at the Four Seasons Hotel. “That’s it.”

I suppose if it ain’t broke you don’t screw with it, but I can’t help but groan at the notion of the Reds marrying Baker. All his annoying habits (the catcher MUST bat eighth, not matter what his OBP) are still there; they’re just easier to ignore when the team is winning.

And the fact that they’re winning is not something I’m prepared to give him credit for. If he were the magic man here, we wouldn’t just now be getting to a serious post-season contention place in his fifth year on the job.

But now sure as hell isn’t the time to say that they’re going to be looking for a change of pace. I’m just clinging to the vagueness of Castellini’s “with the organization” comment until it matters, hopefully not until early November.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
Mike Leake’s complete game last night was his second of the season, tying Johnny Cueto and Mat Latos for the most on the team. Bronson Arroyo and Homer Bailey have one complete game apiece.

Last Game
After taking a double shut-out into the ninth inning, Jay Bruce hit a walk-off 3-run home run to beat the Mets 0-3. Mat Latos totally kicked ass through 7.0 IP for the Reds’ fourth win in a row.

Next Game
Tomorrow the Reds continue the series with the Mets, and it could be an ugly one. R.A. Dickey (RHP, 15-3, 2.72 ERA) leads the charge for the Mets, and he’s been on a hotter-even-than-usual streak. Defending the Reds will be Mike Leake (RHP, 4-7, 4.51 ERA). First pitch at 7:10 p.m.

Reds Injury Update
Of course, we’re all waiting with bated breath for the return of Joey Votto, who underwent a follow-up arthroscopic procedure on his knee on Friday and isn’t interested in joining the line-up until he’s 100% better. We might see him for the series against the Cardinals in a week and a half, or maybe not.

But there are a couple other guys hurting, too. Scott Rolen is day-to-day with back soreness that’s had him out of the line-up for a week. The team is on a 4-game winning streak, so his absence hasn’t sunk them, but it’d be nice to see him back on the field or on the DL to free up the roster spot.

Nick Masset, who had some shoulder trouble, has pitched 3 rehab innings in Louisville where he gave up his first 2 runs of his rehab. Bill Bray, who had a lumbar muscle strain, is also approaching eligibility to come back. Without obvious weak spots in the bullpen, though, it’s not clear where they’ll fit in. It was hard enough making room for Jonathan Broxton when he joined up.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
The Reds will break their streak of starting only 5 pitchers on Saturday in their double-header against the Cubs. They will take advantage of a new rule allowing them to add a 26th man to the roster for double-headers to add a starter. They haven’t announced who that starter will be, but it’s likely to be Todd Redmond.

Assuming they make it to Saturday with the same 5 guys, it will be a streak of 119 games with the same 5 starters. In fact, it’ll be 120 if Johnny Cueto starts the first game of the double-header.

Last Game
The Reds had an off-day yesterday while they made the lengthy trip home from Chicago. They can use their off-time to prepare to compensate for the loss of Joey Votto even longer: he needed a follow-up procedure to his arthroscopic knee surgery and now will be out for another 7-10 days longer than initially expected.

Next Game
Tonight the Reds open a series with the New York Mets. The Mets’ Chris Young (RHP, 3-6, 4.87 ERA) has been having a rough time of it lately. He’ll be facing the Reds’ Mat Latos (RHP, 10-3, 3.81 ERA) who allowed only 1 run while striking out 8 in 7 innings his last time out. First pitch at 7:10 p.m.

Billy Hamilton
The Reds’ top prospect is a double-A shortstop named Billy Hamilton. Even if you don’t follow the minors, you may have heard his name, since he is on the precipice of beating the minor league record for the number of steals in a season.

The record is 145, and here at August 14 with another 2 weeks to go in the minor league season, he already has 139. That’s 1.23 stolen bases per game, so barring the unexpected, he ought to blow that record away.

Of course, we in Reds country know that base-stealing ability means nothing if you can’t get on base. There’s a nice article on the Minor League Baseball site talking about how hard Hamilton has been working on his hitting. This season he’s hitting .315 with a .412 OBP.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
The Reds have gone 18-8 since Votto left the line-up to get his knee scoped on July 16.

Last Game
The Reds are a team with a streak of streaks. Last night’s 3-0 win over the Cubs gave them a third win in a row. Before that, it was 5 losses in a row. Before that, 5 wins. The last time the Reds either won or lost just one game was July 30 when they dropped the first game in the series to the Padres to break up the 10-game win streak.

Johnny Cueto pitched a helluva game yesterday. In 8.0 innings, he allowed only 3 hits and 2 walks. Aroldis Chapman closed it out. It looks like Dusty Baker wasn’t taking any chances as far as pitchers go. Jay Bruce also returned to the line-up after a couple days off and hit a big fat home run for 2/3 of the Reds’ score.

Next Game
The Reds are off today. They’ll return tomorrow to host the Mets.

Floating Cartilage Sets Votto Back 7-10
Tomorrow’s opening game against the Mets probably would have been the one where Joey Votto made his triumphant return to the line-up after being out for 4 weeks with arthroscopic knee surgery. However, after suffering from soreness after sliding drills, a new MRI discovered the utterly nauseating notion of “floating cartilage” in his knee.

So, in a similarly nauseating procedure, they re-opened the same hole they had cut into before and removed the cartilage. They should just install a zipper for ease of access next time. The new surgery will add another 7-10 days to Votto’s recovery time, so we may not be seeing our MVP until the Reds visit the Cardinals next Friday.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
Yesterday Johnny Cueto got his 15th win, which puts him in a 4-way tie for the most in the majors. The other three guys are R.A. Dickey (Mets), David Price (Rays), Jared Weaver (Angels).