Boxscore

When your team is 5 zillion games out since 2001 and you’ve traded away your best hitters for prospects, that’s usually the time that a baseball team calls up its young players or the prospects it just received and plays them. A reasonable person could expect that, especially when the manager of the team has gone on record as saying he would love to play young players. Just give them to him.

Yeah, well, that wouldn’t be the Cincinnati Reds. In a pointless game yesterday, Dusty Baker didn’t play Chris Dickerson and Adam Rosales, favoring Corey Patterson and Andy Phillips. Josh Fogg started, too, instead of someone who might be with the team next year. Sigh. When will that man be fired.

The Reds lost, of course. Is it any coincidence that the Pirates had their shiny new young players, you know, playing?

Boxscore

The Brewers won their 7th straight game and once again are placing some heat on the Cubs. Milwaukee is now 3 games back of first place Chicago and leads the wild card race by 4 games.

The team has had no difficulty lately beating the crappy teams in the National League. Yesterday, Jeff Suppan performed his best C. C. Sabathia impersonation, coming close to a complete game. He pitched 8 innings and gave up only 2 runs on 4 hits. That was more than enough for the Brewer’s offense.

Mike Cameron and Prince Fielder both homered to lead the scoring.

Boxscore

In the first game of the post-Dunn, post-Griffey era, the Reds won in the same fashion that they have whenever they’ve managed to scrape out a win: with home runs.

Sure, you might expect a team without two of the premier sluggers in the game to have a little less pop–and they do–but the Reds have long been a team built on the homer. That doesn’t change with the removal of two batters.

Brandon Phillips and Javier Valentí­n were the two Reds to hit homers, driving in 3 of the team’s 5 runs. Edinson Volquez allowed 1 run in 6 2/3 innings for the win.

For the Pirates, newcomer’s first start at PNC didn’t go as well as his two previous Pirates starts. His scoreless inning streak didn’t even make it out of the first. Despite that, he pitched well, giving up just 3 earned runs in 7 innings.

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Whoever had chosen the number 3 has won the “How many games before Chris Carpenter’s injured again sweepstakes.” Congratulations.

The Cubs pretty much ended the Cardinals season on ESPN for all the world not watching the Olympics to see. Chicago won the 3-game series and dropped St. Louis to a distant 3rd place. Yes, the Cardinals, who have defied the odds all season, are now 7 games back. They’re now closer to fourth place than first, and I’m afraid that they’re magical run is nearly done.

Not even the amazing Felipe Lopez can save them now.

Chicago was pretty much awesome. Sure they got blown out in the second game of the series, but that happens. The Cubs, as difficult as it is to believe, are a very good team managed by a crazy, but very good manager.

You know, the Reds had the opportunity to get Lou Piniella. I believe they stayed pat with Jerry Narron instead. Good call, Castellini.

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Okay, the title for this wrap isn’t exactly shocking, but it’s getting to the point that it’s difficult to describe how utterly dreadful the Reds are. Case in point: even reporters for the Reds are comparing the team disfavorably to the Pirates. That’s gotta hurt.

Of course, all sensible people know that the Reds are doomed, regardless of what moves are made until Dusty Baker is fired. But apparently all sensible people stopped paying serious attention to the Reds weeks ago and are now watching the Olympics in high definition.

As for the game, Aaron Harang returned too early and it showed. He gave up 8 runs in 4 innings to Houston, despite the Astros being without slugger Carlos Lee, who’s out for the rest of the year with a broken finger. “Magic Man” Gary Majewski also made an appearance and allowed 5 runs (4 earned) in 1/3 of an inning.

Beyond that, there was nothing of note. Same old, same old for a crappy team. The Astros swept the Reds and now likely have delusions of .500 dancing in their little heads, much like the Reds did at the All Star break.