Bryan Price has been the pitching coach for the Cincinnati Reds since taking over for Dick Pole in 2009.

The Cincinnati Enquirer ran a profile on him over the weekend.

Detailing his accomplishments with the Reds, the article notes that in his first three seasons the Reds ranked seventh, 12th and third in team ERA. Prior to his arrival, the Reds were often seen in the middle of the pack, if not worse. Last year was arguably the team’s best pitching performance in the history of the franchise. In addition to finishing third in team ERA, the team set a record for the total number of strikeouts with 1,248, finished first in the Major Leagues in relief ERA (2.65) and saves (56), first in the NL in opponents’ BA vs relievers (.219) and fourth in the NL in starters’ ERA (3.64). Not to mention none of the starters missing a single regular season start.

Yeah, the guy’s good. But what makes him so effective? What’s his approach

“It’s very similar to what everyone else talks about: Being aggressive, working ahead and staying ahead in the count, composure, preparation and accountability,” he said. “The last one is the hardest. When you don’t succeed, it’s hard to own your own failure and not look for other places to blame.

“That’s real hard. Character is hard to find. We really try to make sure the starters understand their obligation to pitch innings. That’s one thing we’ve impressed upon them wherever we’ve been. Relief guys aren’t supposed to be in 80 games a year. And when they are, it’s because the starting rotation isn’t getting the job done.”

Homer Bailey has high praise for Price, crediting him with not only finding problems but having plans on fixing the problem. And given Bailey’s rough time at the beginning of his tenure as a Red, that’s saying something. Bailey seemed close to un-coachable his first couple years. That’s changed, and everybody’s happy with Bailey’s improvement.

And to think, the team was close to losing him. Lest you forget, in the off-season Price was considering interviewing for the Miami Marlins job. Given the ineptitude of the Marlins team that just lost 3 of 4 to Cincinnati–and were very close to being swept–I have to think Price feels he made the right choice.

I know I’m happy he signed that extension. As awesome as Shin-Soo Choo has been in this first month of the season, retaining Price as the pitching coach is the most important move the Reds made during the off-season.

Corky Miller, a fan-favorite, shows off his excellent facial hair-growing skills.

Hanigan had been dealing with an injury to his right thumb, but Reds manager Dusty Baker said Hanigan hurt his oblique in the ninth inning of Frida’s game against the Marlins when he reached high to catch a fastball from Aroldis Chapman. The time on the DL will also help give his thumb time to heal.

Between a sore thumb and a strained oblique, no wonder he was struggling.

In Hanigan’s place, fan-favorite Corky Miller has been called up from Louisville. He, and his mustache, were in uniform for Sunday’s game. While he’ll get a few starts, the bulk of the catching time will be given to Devin Mesoraco.

Mesoraco, unlike Hanigan, is off to a solid start this year. And with the presence of Miller, his mentor, he’s likely to continue doing well.

Boxscore

Tony Cingrani mowing down Marlins batters.

Except for criticizing Joey Votto, but that’s lead to a fabulous new meme.

Yesterday had everything. Good pitching, good offense, and a feel-good story about a bat boy.

Tony Cingrani made his first major league start, in place of an injured Johnny Cueto, and showed that he has the stuff to compete. Granted, it was against the Miami Marlins, so it’s hardly a step above the AAA competition he’s used to, but Cingrani still did well. In five innings, he allowed one run on five hits and three walks and struck out 8.

Cingrani’s clearly a work in progress, as that’s too many people to allow on base to be successful against actual major league teams on a prolonged basis. Additionally, his pitch count of 102 was too high for five innings. Still, there’s some promising stuff there. If I remember correctly, Cueto wasn’t dissimilar to that when he first arrived.

As for the offense, they started in the third and hardly stopped for the rest of the game. While Votto was at the plate, Jose Fernandez unleashed a wild pitch that allowed Shin-Soo Choo to score the Reds’ first run.

In the next inning, the Reds really felt comfortable with Fernandez and put together four hits, a walk, and a sacrifice fly to push their run total to five. They weren’t done, but that was all they’d need. In the fifth, the Reds scored four more. And then in the sixth, Todd Frazier hit his fifth home run of the season to give the Reds 11 runs on the day.

The bullpen held the Marlins scoreless for the rest of the game, ensuring Cingrani’s first start would also be his first win.

The Reds look to extend their win streak tonight when Mat Latos goes against Kevin Slowey. The first pitch is at 7:10pm.