Last Game
In a game that the CTS found so exciting, it put him to sleep for the final 3 frames, the Reds lost the rubber game of the series with the Cardinals in shutout fashion, 6-0. Aaron Harang got the loss, but he had another solid start. Not his best, but not his worst. Of course, it would have taken more than his best against Chris Carpenter.

Next Game
The Reds return home from a good road trip, where they went 4-2. Tonight they’ll host the New York Mets, sending out Mike Leake against Oliver Perez. Perez has been murder on the Reds in the past; we’ll see if that holds up tonight at 7:10pm EDT.

Joey Votto is Awesome
Interested in finding out what’s going through the mind of Joey Votto as he stands at the plate, with his jaw clenched and his locked-in, piercing gaze at the pitcher? John Fay has the answers for you.

I spend all day preparing for each of them. It’s a culmination of all my focus throughout the day that goes into that minute and a half or however long I’m out there. I do my best to concentrate.

Others would do well to emulate him.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
The Reds are .500 at home (6-6) and 1 game under on the road (6-7).

Last Game
The Reds finished their sweep of the Astros, winning the final game 4-2. Bronson Arroyo got the win, Roy Oswalt got the loss, and the Reds are back at .500. No word on how long Dusty Baker will wait before reportedly asking again for an extension.

Next Game
Johnny Cueto takes on Brad Penny, the latest in a long line of miracles performed by Dave “Pitcher-Whisperer” Duncan, when the Reds play the St. Louis Cardinals tonight at 8:15pm EDT.

Dickerson Sprained Right Wrist Playing Baseball
Chris Dickerson has had a bum right wrist for a little while, and he injured it even more during a swing yesterday. I’d expect him to be sent to the DL and someone from Louisville called up. John Fay says outfielder Chris Heisey is a likely option, “He started slowly, but he’s hitting .295 over his last 10 games.”

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
Mike Leake is a candidate for National League Rookie of the Month, which is apparently an award, after going 2-0 with a 3.25 ERA in 4 starts.

Last Game
Dusty Baker shocked everyone by changing up his lineup yesterday. The shortstop was moved to 6th, Brandon Phillips was moved to 2nd, and Scott Rolen was moved to the cleanup spot. And the universe did smile upon the better lineup, and the Reds did score 6 runs. Aaron Harang had his best start of the year, as well, pitching 6 innings of 2-run ball and getting the second win by a Reds starter this year. Sure, it was only the Houston Astros, who aren’t too far removed from a AAA team this year, but don’t forget that the Reds were swept by the Pirates already this year.

Next Game
The Reds attempt to continue their winning ways, and have their best starter to assist, when Mike Leake takes the mound at 8:05pm EDT versus Felipe Paulino.

Old Harang Back for One Night Engagement Only!
It felt like Aaron Harang was back to normal last night, like the ace he was for a couple years with the Reds. He was much more aggressive and got ahead of hitters with more regularity, which was something pitching coach Bryan Price encouraged him to do. Even Harang agreed about the change in his performance, “It kind of felt how it was a couple of years ago.”

For the Reds to even sniff a winning record, they need Harang to overcome his poor pitching from early this season. The big test will be his next start against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Cardinals lineup is far better than that of the Astros, but since he’ll be going up against Chris Carpenter again, it sure would be great to see another of their epic pitcher’s duels.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
Brandon Phillips is 4 home runs away from 100 for his career.

Last Game
The Reds managed not to get swept by the Reds, although they continued to display poor fundamentals, ending innings early with poor running decisions twice. Manager Dusty Baker was OK with it, though, because they won 5-4.

Next Game
The Reds had an off day to prepare for the mighty Houston Astros. The Astros had a terrible start to the season, but have rebounded and are currently a half-game ahead of the Reds in the standings. Aaron Harang will try to reverse that against Bud Norris at 8:05pm EDT.

Reds Pitching, Like Fire, Bad
Entering the season, there was a lot of optimistic talk about the Reds and their pitching. The words “good” and “pitching” have not intersected much for the Reds since then.

Tom Groeschen of the Enquirer ran the numbers.

Cincinnati entered Monday’s off-day ranked 29th in the 30-team majors in earned run average (6.02) and starters’ earned run average (6.52). The Reds rank last in the majors in wins by starting pitchers, with one (by rookie Mike Leake).

The bullpen has been better, but not by much, ranking in at 24th in the majors. It’s a rather inauspicious beginning for new pitching coach Bryan Price. We’ll see if things improve against the Astros, a team not nearly as good as the Padres or Dodgers.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
The Reds have now won 7 of their 8 games with runs they scored in their final at-bat.

Last Game
Mike Leake, the Reds best starter so far this year, took to the mound in the deciding game of the Dodgers series yesterday, and had his worst start in his young career. So of course, he picked up his first–and the Reds rotation’s first–win. The offense and bullpen were stellar, too, with a home run by Jay Bruce to power the Reds to a 8-5 win.

Next Game
The Reds start a series against the San Diego Padres, with Kevin Correia taking the mound against Johnny Cueto at 7:10pm EDT.

Shuffling Relievers on the Titanic
With the Reds’ struggling, the idea of a major shake-up being used as a motivation tool isn’t outside the realms of probability. The team hasn’t done that, although there was a minor roster move yesterday. The Reds sent down rookie reliever Logan Ondrusek and called up Carlos Fisher.

Ondrusek was a long-shot to make the club in Spring Training, but pitched very well. Unfortunately, that hasn’t transferred over to the bigs, where he accrued an ERA of 11.25. Another reason not to base too much on Spring Training results. Ondrusek will head to the Louisville Bats where he’ll work on rediscovering how to throw strikes. I understand that’s important in baseball.

Fisher debuted with the Reds last year and was average. He’s been almost perfect in 8 innings with the Bats this year, but again, small sample sizes.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
Drew Stubbs played his first game of 2010 where he wasn’t batting lead-off. He responded to the smaller amount of pressure by going 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored.