Boxscore

It was another short outing for a starting pitcher, followed by a stellar performance from the bullpen to allow the Reds to rally in the late innings for the win over the Diamondbacks yesterday.

Mike Leake started for the Reds and lasted 5.1 innings. He allowed 6 runs (earned) on 11 hits and 1 walk in that amount of time. As I listened to the crackly AM signal of this non-televised game, I can tell you spirits were pretty low.

But around the time Alfredo Simon took the mound for 1.2 innings, the Reds started their rally. He allowed 0 runs on 1 hit. Logan Ondrusek was next, and he didn’t allow any hits in his .2 innings. Sean Marshall did give up a couple hits, but they didn’t amount to anything in the remainder of the eighth. Aroldis Chapman shut it down in the ninth by striking out 2.

Brandon Phillips is the hero of this game. He went 2-for-4 and hit the 3-run home run in the sixth inning that finally got the Reds on the board, plus he doubled in two more guys in the seventh. Honorable mentions go to Wilson Valdez, who got on base three times and scored twice, and Devin Mesoraco, who busted up the no-hitter that Arizona had going into the fifth.

The win brings the Reds record to 52-40 and earns them a split in the 4-game series, even without the services of Joey Votto. Tonight the Reds welcome the Milwaukee Brewers. Will Homer Bailey (RHP, 8-6, 3.93 ERA) give the bullpen a break when he takes on Marco Estrada (RHP, 0-3, 4.13 ERA)? Probably, but answering those questions is why they play the game. First pitch at 7:10 p.m.

Boxscore

A lightning storm blew through before the game, prompting the team to open the gates early to let the fans who were already waiting in line for their Jay Bruce bobbledheads find shelter. The rain made the bobblehead boxes soggy, but it didn’t cancel the game, which was maybe too bad for the Reds.

Mat Latos was the starter and he had his worst appearance since that debacle against the Indians last month. He only worked 4.2 innings, but he gave up 5 runs (earned) on 6 hits and 2 walks.

Sam LeCure scorelessly finished the fifth and took on the sixth. Bill Bray got a chance in the seventh and didn’t allow so much as a hit.

Jose Arredondo didn’t fare so well. He gave up 2 more runs (1 earned) on 3 hits before he could get the third out in the eighth. Logan Ondrusek finished off the inning and the game with no more runs, but it was far too late by then.

There wasn’t much scoring to talk about on the Reds’ part, but there were plenty of hits. Drew Stubbs continued his shocking about-face toward goodness by going 2-for-4 with the team’s only RBI.

Todd Frazier, who’s got some pretty big shoes to fill while filling in at first base, also went 2-for-4. His AVG is .277 (second highest in the line-up last night to Brandon Phillips) and his OBP is .343 (second in the line-up last night to Ryan Hannigan). They aren’t Joey Votto numbers by a long shot, but if there’s a silver lining to the arthroscopic cloud, it may be consistent playing time for Frazier.

The loss brings the Reds record to 51-40 and pushes them back into a tie with the Pirates. They try to split the 4-game series today at 12:35 p.m. Mike Leake (3-6, 3.96 ERA) defends against Joe Saunders (4-6, 3.52 ERA).

Boxscore

After dropping the first game of the series, the Reds bounced back yesterday with a 0-4 win.

Johnny Cueto started for the Reds after being pushed back a couple days with a blister problem. It must have been mostly cleared up, though, because he worked 6.0 innings of shutout baseball. He gave up 4 hits and 4 walks and found himself pitching out of jams later in the appearance, which is how he ended up with a pitch count of 105 despite the short (for him) appearance.

Jose Arredondo and Sam LeCure pitched the seventh and eighth innings, respectively. Each gave up one hit and zero runs. Sean Marshall came in for the ninth, but just when you thought he might finish a game out, Baker swapped him out for Aroldis Chapman for the last out of the game. There were two guys on, making it a save opportunity for Chapman, but it seems like kind of a dick move to yank Marshall. I wish Dusty Baker were as hard on actually bad players as he’s been on Marshall.

The offense was a one-man story. Ryan Ludwick owns all three of the Reds’ RBI for the night (the first run having come on a wild pitch and therefore didn’t have a corresponding RBI). He hit a long ball over the left field wall while Zack Cozart and Brandon Phillips were on to provide plenty of padding for the rest of the game.

There were a lot of walks to be had last night; in fact, the Reds got on base more from walks (6) than from hits (5). The much maligned Drew Stubbs got aboard twice: once on a hit and once on a walk. That’s just the same as Cozart and Ludwick (and once less than Scott Rolen, who walked twice) but it feels like more of an accomplishment in Stubbs’ case.

The win brings the Reds’ record to 51-39. Tonight the series continues with Arizona at 7:10 p.m. Mat Latos (7-2, 4.10 ERA) defends against Ian Kennedy (6-8, 4.55 ERA).

Boxscore

The Reds dropped the series opener to the Arizona Diamondbacks last night, 5-3.

Bronson Arroyo was Badroyo last night. He pitched only 3.0 innings, but allowed all 5 of the Diamondbacks’ runs in that amount of time, all earned, on 8 hits and a walk. It was a sad trombone kind of night for the Reds’ righty.

The bullpen was good, though. Alfredo Simon put in as much time as Arroyo but allowed 0 runs on 3 hits. Bill Bray put in a scoreless inning, as did Jose Arredondo and Logan Ondrusek.

Unfortunately, the offense couldn’t string quite enough together to overcome the early-inning deficit. Incredibly, Drew Stubbs was the big producer, going 2-for-3 with a walk and 2 RBI. Let that sink in for a moment.

Chris Heisey and Brandon Phillips also had 2-hit nights, and Phillips supplied the other RBI. But they’re going to have to do better than that with Joey Votto out for the next month after arthroscopic surgery to be done on his knee today.

The loss brings the Reds record to 50-39. Fortunately for the Reds, the Pirates lost too, meaning the Reds keep their 1-game lead in the NLC. Tonight they try again against the Diamondbacks as the series continues in Cincinnati. Johnny Cueto (10-5, 2.39 ERA) will hopefully be back from his blister problem enough to defend against Trevor Bauer (1-1, 5.40 ERA). First pitch at 7:10 p.m.

Boxscore

The brooms were out as the Reds completed the sweep of the Cardinals last night on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball (Presented by Taco Bell).

Johnny Cueto would have taken the mound, but was suffering from a blister. How he got a blister over the All-Star Break, I don’t know, but it wasn’t too big a deal since everyone else was rested. Homer Bailey took his place and totally rocked it. He pitched 8.0 innings, allowing 2 runs (1 earned) on 9 hits and 2 walks. He even got the win, since the Reds took the lead in the bottom of the last inning he pitched.

Aroldis Chapman struck out the last three guys for the save. It was the third game in a row that he pitched, so I imagine we won’t see him in tonight’s game.

For the offense, Chris Heisey went 3-for-4 and Joey Votto snapped his 2-game hitless streak with a 2-for-3 night, plus a walk. Brandon Phillips, Devin Mesoraco, and even Homer Bailey each contributed a hit.

It was, however, Scott Rolen’s night to shine. With 2 outs in the bottom of the eighth and runners on second and third, the Cardinals intentionally walked Ryan Ludwick to load the bases and get to Rolen. He made them pay with a line-drive single to right field that won the game.

The win brings the Reds record to 80-58 and once again gives them sole possession of first place in the NLC. Tonight they host the Diamondbacks who are fresh off being swept by the Cubs. Bronson Arroyo (4-5, 3.73 ERA) faces off against Wade Miley (9-5, 3.04 ERA). First pitch at 7:10 p.m.