Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Reds (45-34)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0
Athletics (46-34)	0	0	0	4	0	0	1	0	-	5	8	1

Boxscore

The Cincinnati Reds were swept by the Oakland A’s in their two-game series, the exact opposite of that great 1990 World Series. The loss drops the Reds’ record on the road trip out west to 1-4.

There were no stars of the game for the Reds. It was a terrible, uninspired, and boring game from start to finish.

Homer Bailey got the loss, giving up 4 runs over 6 innings. He struck out 7, which was nice, but those 4 runs. Ouch.

Not that it mattered. Even if he’d shutout the A’s, the Reds still would’ve lost. The bullpen gave up one run over its 3 innings. But the offense continued to fail to show up. In 9 innings, they managed no runs and just 2 hits.

The lack of passion the Reds have been playing with lately is difficult to watch. I hope they can turn it around. It’s no longer early.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Pirates	0	0	1	0	0	1	3	0	0	5	10	2
Reds	1	0	0	1	0	0	1	0	0	3	8	1

Boxscore

The Pirates took the game and split the four game series last night by winning 5-3.

It was Homer Bailey leading the charge from the pitching mound, and he performed admirably. In 6.0 innings of work he allowed 2 runs on 6 hits and no walks. He struck out 8. It was Alfredo Simon who was the goat this time. He took over in the seventh inning and let two guys on before getting Jordy Mercer to bunt pop out. When he walked Andrew McCutchen, they brought in Tony Cingrani to replace him. Cingrani was the one who actually let the runners score, but his line is clean.

Shin-Soo Choo and Joey Votto each had 2-for-4 games, but with no one doing anything around them, it didn’t result in much. The team only left 5 on base yesterday. I wouldn’t have minded a whole lot more LOB if it had meant more runs.

Jay Bruce hit a solo shot in the fourth inning. It looks like Bruce is fixing to start one of his trademark hot streaks again. That’s 4 home runs in his last 5 games and 5 home runs in his last 7 games. Hopefully it lasts through the west coast trip.

I really wanted the Reds to win this one, but they didn’t. We’ve suffered through so many years of Cardinals domination, the last few with the Reds as the feisty upstart. Now it feels like the Reds are finally participating in their share of the domination, and here come the Pirates as the upstarts. I was really hoping for a “wait your turn” kind of smackdown win of the series yesterday.

The Reds will just have to smack down the west coast now. Tonight they take on the Arizona Diamondbacks (39-33). Wade Miley (LHP, 4-6, 4.64 ERA) will defend the snakes against Johnny Cueto (RHP, 4-0, 2.08 ERA). First pitch is at 9:40 p.m.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Rockies (30-28)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	2
Reds (36-22)	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	-	3	9	0

Boxscore

This may not be fair to Bronson Arroyo, but it felt like forever since good-rroyo had shown up to put down the Cincinnati Reds’ opponent. Arroyo did that and then some this time against the Colorado Rockies, throwing 8 innings of shutout baseball to improve his record to 6-5.

In his 8 innings, Arroyo allowed 4 hits and struck out 3. After he was finished, Aroldis Chapman came on to pitch the 9th. Chapman was solid, walking one and recording 3 strikeouts to pick up his 15th save.

On the scoring side, the game was a pitcher’s duel. Until the 4th, the game was a shutout. However, in the fourth with two outs, Jay Bruce singled, continuing his improved May hitting into June. After Bruce stole second base, Todd Frazier singled to drive in the only run the Reds would need for the entire game.

Bruce added some insurance runs in the 8th with his 9th home run, driving in Zach Cozart. After that, there was no doubt about it. The Reds won, erasing that last loss to the Pirates from the fans’ memory and keeping pace with the first place St. Louis Cardinals.

The Reds go for the series win today when they send Homer Bailey out against Juan Nicasio.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	R	H	E
Cubs (19-30)	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	3	0	1	5	10	1
Reds (31-19)	0	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	5	1

Boxscore

The RHM crew headed out for its first Cincinnati Reds game of the season over Memorial Day weekend, catching the final game against the Chicago Cubs on Sunday.

Johnny Cueto started the game, and I felt fairly confident that the Reds would both sweep the hapless Cubs and provide us with the 11 strikeouts for the free LaRosa’s pizzas. Sadly, neither of those things happened, thanks to a bullpen meltdown by the Reds.

Perhaps due to the fact that it was my first in-person game of the season, I went a little photo happy. The best of them are available below.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Reds (24-16)	1	0	0	2	0	1	0	0	0	4	11	0
Marlins (11-29)	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	11	0

Boxscore

The Cincinnati Reds grabbed the series win from the Miami Marlins yesterday, thanks to a monster performance from Shin-Soo Choo.

Choo, who’s looking more and more like the best acquisition of the off-season of any team anywhere, was 4-5 on the game, and was involved in 3 of the Reds’ 4 runs. In the first inning, Choo scored the first and only run the Reds would need following a single when Brandon Phillips doubled him in. Then in the fourth, Choo hit a solo home run, his eighth of the year, to make it 2-0. Finally, in the sixth, Choo hit his ninth home run of the year, another solo shot, to score the Reds’ fourth run of the game.

It was an amazing show by Choo yesterday, and for the entire season. The stats he’s accumulating are likely to make him in high demand after 2013 is over, but I hope the Reds can make an offer.

Choo wasn’t the only highlight, though. The Reds pitching staff did shutout the morose Marlins. Mike Leake started and threw 6 2/3 shutout innings, despite allowing nine hits and one walk. After getting into some trouble in the seventh, the bullpen relieved him and the combination of Sean Marshall, Sam LeCure, and Aroldis Chapman secured the shutout and the win.