Power Pros Forum

Oh mets got him? Sorry, didn't pay much attention, but the name stuck out lol. The Mets got him! That gives me more reason to like him then...

Haha!

I actually have a ton of old Mets pitchers. Armas Jr. (swingman.long reliever) was a Met for a second, and Feliciano (my setup man) was too. And then Vargas and Padilla (both in AAA) were Mets.

That's it though on this Reds team. I thought Joey Gathright used to be a Met but alas, not the case.

Zito dominates again, Reds lose 2-0 in Series Opener

Scott Mathieson (4-6) did all he could in this one, But Barry Zito (6-8) truly has the Reds number this season.

Coming off a compete game 3 hit shutout a week ago, Zito pitched another CG, though this time with 7 hits and a little more drama. Though the hits were, for the most part, spaced out well, the Reds had a chance in the top of the 7th when Brayan Peña and Ben Zobrist both hit one out singles. Reggie Willits came in to pinch hit, but a botched hit and run ended with both runners being thrown out on the base paths and the end of the inning.

"You can't win when you lose your head like that," said Manager Joe Stekova. "Scotty gave us a strong 7 today, and to let him down like that when he only gave up 2 runs all game...that's just no good."

Mathieson's only slip up was in the bottom of the 5th, when he loaded the bases with no outs. He then got a force out at home and a strikeout, but Omar Vizquel's ensuing RBI single produced all the runs the Giants needed today.


Reds get one back, win 6-1 on the back of Arroyo

This hasn't been the season Bronson Arroyo (7-9) expected, but for one day he showed the Reds the ace he can truly be.

Pitching 7 solid innings and going 2-3 with an RBI at the plate, Arroyo supported his own cause all day. Other players who came to the party included Ben Zobrist, Joey Gathright, Shin-soo Choo, and Jose Lopez, whose bat is truly coming alive after struggling while Zobrist was on the DL.

"Today felt great, really great," said Arroyo. "I feel like I was hitting my spots, and the guys were making plays behind me too. I know Zobrist had a sick catch in the 7th to finish off my inning, and I can't tell you how good it feels to have a gold glover like that back there behind you."

Zobrist, who was named player of the game for his early RBI and nice catch, feels like he's truly getting back into the zone. "The more reps I get, the better I feel, and I can't wait to get this team win after win over time," said Zobrist.


Defensive implosion allows Giants to win it 4-3 in 9th inning

As Billy Zane once said, "It's a walk off." The Giants are so hot right now, and the Reds were unfortunate victims today.

Aroldis Chapman (0-5) took the mound in the 9th inning up 3-0. He got one quick out, but then gave up back to back singles, bringing up Dave Roberts. Chapman got a ground ball that went right to 3B Edwin Encarnacion, but Encarnacion booted it and the bases were loaded. Pedro Feliz then singled in a run, causing Coach Stekova to call in lefty Pedro Feliciano to face the top of the Giants lineup with Randy Winn. Winn singled in two runs, tying the game and putting Dave Roberts on third with the potential winning run. And Feliciano got a double play ball to SS Ben Zobrist, but Jose Lopez's throw to first was wild and got past Brayan Peña, allowing Roberts to score and the Giants to win.

For the Reds, it was ultimately a game of disappointment. Three batters into the top of the 1st it was 2-0, and the combo of Joey Gathright and Shin-Soo Choo produced a 2nd run in the 6th that seemed to put the game away. But Kameron Loe and Vinnie Chulk (8-4) received a lot of help from their defense, including an excellent catch by Vizquel on a liner that would've scored one and two great catches that stranded Jose Lopez after a one out triple.

"I can't believe I let the team down like that," said Lopez after his 9th inning blunder. "Eddie and I have been practicing defense as a group every day lately and yet then we go and do something like that and let the team down. Just no good."


General Notes
- The Reds will have the day off before a 6 game homestand of the Astros and Pirates. This homestand will give them a chance to gain ground on those Astros and their Central competitors in general, as the Reds are currently 28 games back of the Cardinals and 3 back of the Astros. The Pirates are last in the division, at 34 games back.

- Madison Bumstead received an ultimate display of respect from the Giants in the third game, when they elected to pinch hit for Great Gonzalez with righty Jerry Brownlie. Bumstead, who induced a weak fly from Gonzalez the game before, was able to get Brownlie to pop into foul territory. "The kid's got a bright future in this game," said Giants manager Bruce Bochy. "You have to tip your cap to him." Bumstead was highly touted as a starting pitcher out of college and has a future in the Reds rotation, but for now his role of LOOGY/MR has suited him just fine for the Red and White.

- Arroyo's 2/3 performance in game two continues the Reds strong pitcher hitting this year. Arroyo is hitting in the .270's, while both James Shields and Elizardo Ramirez have stayed above .300 all year. Ramirez even has several stolen bases to his name thanks to his D speed rating and some weak catchers.

- Tracking the recent tradees, Vic Zambrano pitching an inning in game one, getting one strikeout and a double play after a Randy Winn bunt single. Julio Lugo has entered all three of his Mets games as a defensive replacement, but has yet to take an at bat with the New York club.

Shields dominates, Reds gain ground with 3-0 win

For the bulk of the season, James Shields (6-7) has been one of the Reds better pitchers. When it comes to the Astros, he's just straight up dominant.

Facing a Lance Berkman-less Astros lineup for the first time, Shields pitched 7 strong innings, allowing just 3 hits. Francisco Rosario took over in the 8th inning and, other than a near homerun by Jason Kubel, finished the Astros off with one out of help from Aroldis Chapman. But the story was all Shields, who at one point caused 5 straight pop ups to the catcher by Astros hitters, showing utter dominance. "My fastball was just clicking today," said Shields. "I mean the Astros offense without Berkman hits about as well as my Grandma, but it was nice to get in a rhythm and dominate against this lineup."

Brad Hawpe hit a two run homerun (22) off of Brandon Backe (3-8) in the first inning, and Ben Zobrist (who is heating up) went 3-3 with the other RBI in the game to supply all of the runs.

Reds tie it up late, fall in 13th 2-1

When the Astros traded Lance Berkman to the Indians for Jake Westbrook, the entire league laughed, as he was their whole offense. For one game at least, Westbrook showed he may have been worth it, though that lack of Astros offense almost made it all for naught.

Westbrook and Reds starter Scott Mathieson each dominated through 8 innings, with Westbrook supplying all of the offense with a gapper double that scored Ryan Shealy. It was looking like that run would decide the game, but then in the bottom of the 9th Westbrook loaded the bases with one out before hitting Spanky Rodriguez with a pitch, knocking in the tying run. Ben Zobrist stepped up with a chance to win it, but his grounder to 1B Shealy was turned into a double play, and the game went to extras.

The teams traded zeroes up until the 13th, when pinch hitter Chris Traber hit his first career homerun off of Francisco Rosario (3-7). The ball barely cleared the left field wall, with Freddy Bynum just steps away, but the damage was done. Dan Wheeler then pitched around a one out Joey Gathright 2B to earn his 19th save. Chad Qualls (3-1) pitched the 12th inning for the win.

More 9th inning drama, but this time the Reds WIN 2-1 in a walkoff

As much fun as we've made of the Astros offense, the Reds offense might be just as bad. But for one day, thanks to Jose Lopez, they did just enough to win.

A Brad Ausmus RBI in the 4th was the only run scored through 8 innings thanks to some nice pitching from Bronson Arroyo, and with 2 outs in the bottom of the 9th Joel Piniero seemed to have his first complete game win in the bag. But with Joey Gathright on 2B, Jose Lopez knocked a base hit into short right field to knock in the tying run. Josh Sharpless (2-1) then pitched two solid innings of relief before Lopez came up again in the 11th with the bases loaded on and repeated his heroics. Dave Borkowski gave up the game winner, allowing an inherited runner to score after an exhausted Chad Qualls (3-2) hit 3 straight batters, loading the bases.

Lopez, who made the midseason All Star game before slumping while Zobrist was out, seems to be all the way back, and quite heated that the rest of the team isn't matching him. "You look at Zobrist in the 9th inning yesterday, and Tulo with his popup before me today - we can't keep f%#@ing up in those situations," said Lopez. "I just felt so frustrated by that stuff and let it fuel me today, and the result was those two clutch RBIs - we need more of that so hopefully the guys follow my lead."

General Notes
- When asked about Lopez's comments after the Astros game, which seemed slightly negative towards his teammates, Coach Stekova had all good things to say. "Fire is fire, and you love that competitive spirit however it displays itself." Others were less appreciative of the comments, as SS Troy Tulowitzki simply stated "No comment" when asked about Lopez's thoughts.

- Speaking of Tulo, he had an awful series against the Astros, with an 0-3 performance in pinch hits, something he used to excel at. Reggie Willits went 2-2 this series, and given his switch hitting ability he may take some of the pinch hitting role away from Tulowitzki in ensuing weeks. With relief arms tiring and Freddy Bynum showing capable middle infield defense, one has to wonder if Tulo might get sent down in ensuing days for Jason Vargas or Juan Padilla.

- All Star Jose Lopez may be hot, but the team's other All Star representative, 3B Edwin Encarnacion, is decidedly not. After failing to execute the double play that would've ended the game in the last series, he had just one hit in this series and hasn't homered in nearly a week. Coach Stekova mentioned that the lineup could see a chance with Brad Hawpe moving to third, Lopez to 4th, and Encarnacion to 5th, and the Pirates series coming up could be a good time to try that change.

- The Reds running game will certainly be happy to move on from the Astros, as Brad Ausmus shuts them down, even guys like Joey Gathright. For the series the Reds were 2-7 on stolen base attempts, with the only two successful steals coming after Ausmus from removed from the middle game and replaced with Hector Giminez.

Reds eke one out over last place Pirates, 2-1

Damian Rolls has had his 5th spot in the rotation skipped regularly over the past few weeks. If he keeps pitching like this, the team may skip him no more.

Rolls (3-3) pitched a solid 5 1/3 innings of 3 hit ball, and a combination of Tony Armas Jr. and Madison Bumstead (save #1) closed things out in the 2-0 victory. Rolls did give up a homerun to Cliff Floyd in the top of the 4th inning, but a Brad Hawpe homerun (23) off of Kirk Saarloos (2-7) in the bottom half with Shin-Soo Choo on base answered back and gave Cincy a lead they would not relinquish.

Bumstead, who almost started the game for Cincinnati given his recent prowess, got the save opportunity with Aroldis Chapman having pitched in the last several games. The Pirates pinch hit for both Adam LaRoche and Floyd due to the lefty lefty matchup, again showing the high level of respect that Bumstead had around the league.

This game also featured the debut of the Reds new lineup, with Hawpe homering and Edwin Encarnacion going 2-3 with two singles. "With all the righties in our division, it feels good to put some first inning scare in them," said Hawpe. "Me and Eddie are gonna set some records with this new lineup - just you watch."

Stekova's head in the clouds; Reds lose to "lefty" Ian Snell 8-1

Every time Ian Snell pitches against the Reds, the Reds put in their left handed pitcher lineup. The only problem is, Snell isn't a lefty. You'd think Coach Stekova would know that by now.

Dispelling the mostly righty lineup with ease, Snell (7-8) pitched a complete game. Edwin Encarnacion did hit a homerun (31) to avoid the shutout, but otherwise Snell was dominant, allowing only five hits and besting Elizardo Ramirez (6-11) by a longshot.

Ramirez was good early, but the wheels fell off in the 4th when he allowed a Jermaine Dye homerun before putting a man on first. An Encarnacion error put men on 1st and 2nd, and several hits later the game was 3-1, Pirates. An inning later, Dye homered again, and Adam LaRoche followed with a back to backer to make it 5-1 Pirates. Ramirez now leads the MLB in hits allowed by a decent margin, and despite a sub 4 ERA, is clearly not living up to the high standard he set in last year's Cy Young season. A third homerun by Dye and a homerun by Cliff Floyd (both off of reliever Josh Sharpless) finished the damage for Pitssburgh. Converted 1B Micah Owings pitched a clean 9th, and was the only person to get Dye out all day.

"It's frustrating man," said 2B Jose Lopez. "You watch this team blast homeruns, and you know we have the ability to do it, but we just don't match up with them. You can't hate on Lizard - he's been killing it for us this year - we've got to work for him too."

Reds lose game, heads; 7-6 score; suspensions on the horizon?

For so many games this year, a Reds loss has come from blown chances. In this game, too many blown chances led to blown tops, and suspensions appear to be coming as a result.

Zach Duke (7-6) pitched a gutsy 7 innings for Pittsburgh, and though the Reds constantly had men on base, they weren't really able to muster runs until the final inning, when it was too little too late. Three times the Reds had the bases loaded against Duke, and only one time did it lead to any runs at all. Edwin Encarnacion and Ben Zobrist both hit into inning ending double plays, and Troy Tulowitzki ended a small 8th inning rally with a grounder to first base and the score 7-3.

The Reds threatened in the 9th inning versus closer Dan Majewski (Save #17) with a long Brad Hawpe fly and Edwin Encarnacion's 32nd homerun of the year. But Spanky Rodriguez flew out to third base, and that's when the sparks really flew for the Reds. After Tulowitzki's grounder, Jose Lopez was seen in the dugout smashing the water cooler and throwing bats, and he and Tulo shared some words as they passed in the dugout. After the game ended, Lopez had some more words for Tulo and punches were thrown, with Brayan Peña and Freddy Bynum also getting involved and Ben Zobrist and Edwin Encarnacion stepping in to break it up.

None of the players would comment after the game, but speculation around the league is that several suspensions may be laid down by Reds management, and that Coach Joe Stekova may be on the hot seat if he can't get his team under control.

James Shields (6-8) took the loss for the Reds, and gave up all 7 runs, including 3 in the first after a Lopez error. Jermaine Dye also hit another two homeruns in this game, giving him 5 in 2 days and 25 for the year.

Suspension/movement update
- The Reds have announced that they are suspending 2B Jose Lopez 3 games and 1B/C Brayan Peña 1 game due to their actions following tonight's game. The Reds have also announced that they are sending SS Troy Tulowitzki to AAA and bringing up Jason Vargas. When asked if this was a result of the tension between Tulo and Lopez, Coach Joe Stekova denied that it was, explaining instead that a 13th pitcher could be crucial in an upcoming series with the Astros, who have a habit of taking the Reds into extra innings.

General Notes
- The Reds will BADLY miss Lopez and Peña. Lopez for his bat - he knocked in 4 of the 6 runs the Reds scored in the final game, and has continued to produce quite well as of late. Peña will be missed for his defense - he leads the league in range factor by a substantial margin, and has been a decent contributor at the plate as well. Expect Freddy Bynum to step in at 2B for Lopez, with some combination of converted pitcher Micah Owings or an out of position Brad Hawpe stepping in at 1B for Peña's one game out.

Lidge dominates as Reds lose in pitching duel, 1-0

The Reds are without one of their two All Stars for three games, and were without another offensive stalwart as well in this one. It showed, as the team was only able to scrap together 3 hits off of the reliever game unit of Brad Lidge, Chad Qualls (4-2) and Dan Wheeler (Save #21) in a 1-0 loss.

Scott Mathieson brought the noise (and the funk) for the Reds, allowing just 4 hits over a complete game's worth of 8 innings. But in the bottom of the 8th, pinch hitter Hector Giminez hit a bloop single with 2 outs that scored the game's only run, spoiling an otherwise fantastic pitching performance.

Mathieson's ERA for the year is now a team leading 3.29, and he has quickly turned into one of the team's most durable starters after spending last year as a swingman. "I feel really comfortable out there right now," said Mathieson. "My fastball was clicking and my slider worked nice, and we'll get 'em next time out."

The Reds only offense came thanks to Brad Hawpe (two singles) and Spanky Rodriguez (one single, one HBP).

Reds come up huge in the final innings; win nail biter 6-5

Shin-Soo Choo, Brad Hawpe, and Edwin Encarnacion bat 2, 3, and 5 in the Reds lineup. Maybe they need to be spaced out a little bit more, because these guys seem to provide almost all of the meaningful offense for the Reds these days.

The trip combined for 4 doubles, 1 triple, 5 runs and 5 RBI in this one, including an epic double by Encarnacion to drive in Choo and Hawpe in the top of the 9th to win the game off of Chad Qualls (4-3), who the Astros are apparently intent on running into the ground by pitching him every single game. The win went to Francisco Rosario (4-7), who pitched the 8th and Aroldis Chapman pitched a clean 9th for his 26th save.

The game was a back and forth affair throughout. The Reds 2-3-5 guys made it 2-0 in the first, and Bronson Arroyo pitched himself out of a jam in the bottom of the 1st to keep things 2-0. A bases loaded Luke Scott double made it 3-2 in the 3rd, but Josh Hamilton and Encarnacion replied with timely hits to make it 4-3 in the 7th. Madison Bumstead, in a rare moment of weakness, allowed two inherited runners to score in the bottom of the 7th, giving the Astros a 5-4 lead. But then Encarnacion et al led the charge again, resulting in a 6-5 win.

"Today felt GREAT," said Encarnacion, who accounted for 4 of the RBI on his own. "Even without Lopez and some other guys, it felt like we were on base all day, and the result was a huge W for us. Can't beat that."

Reds, Rolls on a roll, win 3-0

Damian Rolls got his 2nd turn in a week, and once again was dominant. The Reds might need to pitch this kid more often.

Rolls (4-3) pitched an effective 5 2/3 innings in this game, pitching himself out of several jams, including a bases loaded, one out, bottom of the 5th, and again showing he belongs in this Reds rotation. Madison Bumstead finished the game off for the Reds in yet another dominant display, and the combination of the two was enough to beat Astro ace Roy Oswalt (5-10)

"Last year was tough, being bounced around from a relief role to a spot starter role to the minors," said Rolls. "This year, I got the starter role once (Ervin) Santana was traded, and I feel like I just get more and more comfortable as the weeks go by now."

For the Reds, the first run came from a Brad Hawpe homer (his 24th) and the 2nd and 3rd came off a homerun from Brayan Peña (his first). Peña actually hit his first TWO extra base hits of the year, with that homer and a 9th inning bomb of a double that just missed clearing the wall once again.

"Someone told me I could hit the c button and switch to a power hit," said Peña. "I never really realized that before...I might have to keep trying that from here on out!"

General Notes
- In the third game, many of the more contact driven players tried out hitting for "power," with amazing results. Joey Gathright hit a triple on a deep fly to center, and Peña had that double and homer. Go figure. It ought to get even better, especially with Jose Lopez coming back next game.

- Speaking of next game, after a day off, the Reds will move on to Pennsylvania for a three game away match versus the Pirates. The team will then face the Rockies for three games before returning home.

- In the 2nd game, the Reds faced Jake Westbrook - and you'd never know it given their 17 hit performance, which is a high point for the year for the team. Last time the Reds faced Westbrook, he dominated them in a 2-1 complete game, so it's nice to see that kind of progress from the offense.

- With guys like Bumstead, Rolls, and Mathieson pitching so well, it's worth wondering if the other three pitchers in the rotation (Arroyo, Ramirez, and Shields) will be back next year. Arroyo leads the league in homeruns allowed, Ramirez leads the league in hits allowed, and Shields has the highest ERA on the team, so all of the three are having down years. Ramirez and Shields both have youth and salary on their said, as Arroyo is much older and paid many more thousands.

This is a very good and detailed log, reminds me of ERISA Dude's. Keep it up!

Thanks! I'm having a lot of fun writing it, even if I can't win 3 games in a row lol.

Can I agent Edwin and Zobrist?

Yup, you got 'em!

Gimme Spanky and Arroyo

Also Brayan Pena (love hitters with double flap helmets)

You got em!

Snell, Dye, continue dominance against Cincinnati, win walkoff 1-0; Coach Stekova makes guarantee

Coach Stekova had the right lineup in this time versus Ian Snell (8-8). It didn't matter, as he couldn't had two lineups and double the outs and Snell probably still would've destroyed the Reds, as he went the full 9 in this 1-0 victory with just 4 hits allowed.

Elizardo Ramirez matched him frame for frame in one of his better pitching performances of the year, allowing just 5 hits. But when he came up in the 8th, the Reds sent up a pinch hitter, meaning he had to be replaced. Reliever Francisco Rosario (4-8) started the 9th with a groundout, but Jermaine Dye quickly finished the game with a 2nd pitch homerun off of Rosario's splitter, ending the game instantly.

For the Reds, it's yet another heartbreaker in a season that has been heart breaking. The loses continue to pile up, as well as the negative personal milestones, and it's taking a toll on the team. As a result, Coach Joe Stekova made the ultimate ultimatum after the game - the Reds win these next two games, or he's fired. "The Pirates are like 5 games back of us, and other than Dye, frankly, they suck. If I can't manage wins in the next two games, I don't deserve to manage. It's as simple as that." said Stekova.

Winning will be hard if the offense continues to be this stagnant. Brayan Peña stayed hot with a 2nd inning triple, and Jose Lopez had two outs within 3 feet of the wall, but that was about it for Cincinnati in this one.

Reds lose ANOTHER walkoff, 4-3; Stekova walks off; New manager in town?

Coach Stekova promised two wins or he'd quit. He won't get a 2nd game to win, as the Reds lost the first one at the end yet again. So the team is now coachless, and winless for this series.

The game started well enough, with a Brad Hawpe sac fly, Tony Armas bloop 1B, and Hawpe homerun (his 25th) putting the Reds in a 3-0 lead. In the bottom of the 6th, however, Armas tired, and it was 3-1 with men on 1st and 2nd. Madison Bumstead came in to stop the bleeding against lefty Daryle Ward, but the veteran Ward made Bumstead look human with a double that tied the game up. The two teams then traded 0's back and forth until the bottom of the 9th, where defensive replacement Joaquin Arias hit his 4th homerun of the year off of Pedro Feliciano (4-1) to win the game. Saloman Torres (4-12) pitched several relief innings for the win.

The big story of the game though, obviously, was what it meant for Stekova. After the game he gave a teary eyed, pretty much indecipherable speech where he mentioned heart a bunch of times and also ranted on about business ethics. He did not mention a replacement coach being in place, so at the moment many in the industry feel the interim job may go to Spanky Rodriguez Sr., the team's hitting coach and the father of starting catcher Spanky Rodriguez.

When asked for a comment regarding a possible job, Rodriguez Sr. simply said "No hablo ingles señor."

Reds bridge score gap, language gap, in 7-6 victory

Say what you will about the Reds - at least they keep it interesting!

After going down 5-1 early in a rare poor game from starter Scott Mathieson, the Reds stormed back behind the usual suspects to tie things up and win the game in the top of the 10th inning off the bat of team hero Edwin Encarnacion, giving interim coach Spanky Rodriguez Sr. his first win as a major league coach.

"Me encantó la forma en que jugamos fuera allí hoy," said Rodriguez Sr. "Espero más de lo mismo en el pescado."

"I don't understand 95% of what that guy says," said Edwin Encarnacion. "But man, it gets me pumped up!"

The Reds started early against Livan Hernandez, with Shin-Soo Choo belting his first homerun of the year in the top of the first. A parade of singles and Joey Bautista's 11th homerun made it 5-1 after 3, but the reds stormed back in the 5th and 6th innings, first by loading the bases and hitting a ton of singles, then by Encarnacion hitting a homer (his 33rd) to tie in 5-5. In the 8th, Hawpe hit a homerun (his 26th) that seemed to seal it, but Saloman Torres had a ridiculously lucky double and was then knocked in by Chris Duffy to re-tie the game. From there Reds nation collectively held their breaths given the team's constant late inning trouble this year, but a Hawpe 1B, Lopez 2B, and Encarnacion sac fly knocked in the team's 7th run off of John Grabow (8-6), ensuring they would win the game.

For the Reds, Pedro Feliciano (5-1) scored the win thanks to some excellent relief after Aroldis Chapman pitched several innings. Josh Sharpless pitched the 10th for his first save of the year.

General Notes
- The Reds now head to Colorado for a three game set before receiving a day off and returning home.

- The last game of the series contained all sorts of drama. In the 7th inning, Jermaine Dye missed a homerun by inches and ended up at second base, and the Pirates responded by replacing him with Nate McLouth. This made some sense at the time, but ultimately proved foolish when McLouth came up in the bottom of the 10th and harmlessly grounded out.

- Even bigger, in the bottom of the 8th, after Duffy singled, he moved to third base after a single. With two outs a fly ball was lofted to left, and Shin-Soo Choo dove to make a game-saving catch. Without Choo's heroics, this was a Pirates win for sure.

- It's interesting to see Peña and Choo both hit their first homeruns of the year lately. That makes 5 members of the Reds' starting lineup who have homered - it remains to be seen whether Ben Zobrist, Joey Gathright, and Spanky Rodriguez can join in on the fun, though all three have shown warning track power in the past.

- Finally, after weeks of talking up Scott Mathieson, he finally had a bad game. He now sits 7th in the league in hits allowed, an unfortunate weak point for the Reds. Elizardo Ramirez leads the league, Bronson Arroyo is 3rd, and James Shields is 10th. Clearly the pitchers need to miss more bats going forward for the team to be successful.

Pre-game, August 18th
"Béisbol, barbacoa, y fuegos artificiales. Perfecto para el 4 de julio," said Coach Rodriguez Sr.

"Dad...what are talking about...it's August," said Spanky Jr.

"No sabes nada. Todo somos solo peones en el juego de los Power Pros" replied Spanky Sr.

Spanky Jr. was stunned. "..."

"Your Dad is so weird," said Brayan Peña. "But I guess as long as we win, who cares?"

Reds cook up some extra inning magic, win 11-5 in 10

Maybe it's just because the hitting coach is the head coach, but for whatever reason Reds bats have been coming alive these past few days, and the team is winning as a result. This game saw deep doubles and homeruns from a number of Reds batters, including the first homerun of Spanky Rodriguez's young career, as the Reds took care of Rockies pitching all day in this one.

Joey Gathright set an early tone with a leadoff double off the center field wall to start the game against Aaron Cook, and several hits later it was 2-0, with Brad Hawpe knocking in his 100th RBI of the season. A Shin-Soo Choo double drove in Bronson Arroyo and made it 3-0 in the 3rd, and Rodriguez's first career HR made it 4-0 in the 4th. An exhausted Ricky Nolasco entered the game in the 6th, only to be greeted with an Edwin Encarnacion blast that made it 5-0, seemingly putting the game away for the Reds. However, Bronson Arroyo, who had been rolling all day, gave up several singles in the bottom of the 8th, and reliever Francisco Rosario could not stop the bleeding, as a Clint Barmes bases loaded double and Matt Holliday two RBI double quickly made it 5-5, and a whole new ball game.

The two teams traded zeroes in the 9th, but the 10th was a whole different story. Pinch hitter Josh Hamilton singled off of Kyle Snyder (5-5), pinch runner Freddy Bynum stole 2nd, and Joey Gathright knocked him in on a double to make it 6-5. The team then didn't make an out until the 8th batter of the inning, with several timely doubles and triples (and a bloop Brayan Peña single) making it 11-5. Pedro Feliciano (6-1) pitched the 9th for the win with Vic Zambrano finishing things up.

This game makes Spanky Rodriguez a perfect 2-0 to open his career, and it'll be interesting to see if he's able to continue to have a positive impact on his son's hitting. The junior Rodriguez was very excited about his homer after the game, explaining, "I've never had a lot of power, so this was my first homerun since Little League man. It feels great." When asked about his son's power display, the coach simply stated, "A veces eres la piñata, a veces eres el bate."

Reds crusise to another win 6-4 thanks to three homeruns

Brad Hawpe must really enjoy playing against his former team. It's a shame it can't happen every day, because then he'd easily lead the league in homeruns.

Hawpe homered twice in this one for his 27th and 28th homers of the year off of Brian Lawrence (6-5), and Jose Lopez broke out of a mini slump to add his 10th in a game the Reds were fully in control of from start to finish. Damian Rolls (5-3) continued to pitch well in an effective 6 innings of 2 run ball, and even scored on Hawpe's 2nd homerun after singling himself aboard, adding to the Reds current potent offense. To be fair though, Rolls' defense and the Rockies ineptitude helped Rolls out a lot in this one. Edwin Encarnacion made a diving catch in the bottom of the 5th that saved at least one run, and the Rockies ran into outs three times on the base paths, including two failed suicide squeeze plays and a Willy Taveras pickoff at first base. Nonetheless, Rolls and the Reds looked great today, and the game wasn't even as close as the final score indicated, as the Rockies scored a few late runs off of Jason Vargas and Aroldis Chapman (Save #27).

Hawpe was reached after the game, where he was icing his shoulder after being hit by a pitch by Manny Delcarmen. Delcarmen, interestingly enough, was one half of the trade package (the other part being Ricky Nolasco) that brought Hawpe to Cincinnati, so many wondered if there were any weird feelings there. "It's just a guy missing his pitch," said Hawpe. "I don't think it was in retaliation to those two homers - he's a younger dude and things happen. Best of luck to him from here on out, but he better watch out for my bat if I face him again!"

Reds nearly pull off the sweep but lose on a late Helton HR, 7-6

Well Coach Rodriguez Sr. couldn't win forever. But if he's smart, he may pitch Francisco Rosario in some lower leverage situations until the guy figures things out.

Rosario (4-9) gave up a homerun off a slider that caught too much plate, wasting a furious 7th inning comeback by the Reds offense and ruining the potential for a three game sweep for the first time in months. Cressend (8-5) pitched the 8th for the win, and Brian Fuentes pitched a dominant 9th for his 18th save.

This one was a back and forth affair throughout. Brayan Peña gave the Reds two early with a bomb (his 2nd of the year) to dead center off of Taylor Buchholz, but James Shields gave it all back plus one with a Corey Hart homerun and some back to back singles in the 3rd to make it 3-2. A Clint Barmes error made it 3-3 in the 6th, but then Shields loaded the bases and gave up a few more singles to make it 6-3. The Reds then rushed back in the 7th, with a Ben Zobrist double starting things off and being followed by several timely hits, including a Joey Gathright double, to make it 6-6. But that was as many runs as the Reds would score in this one, as Helton's homerun then put the team in a hole that they would not be able to climb out of in the 9th.

Neither Shields nor Rosario had a good pitching day in this one, and several media members wondered after the game if it might be wise to replace Shields with Tony Armas Jr. in the rotation and to make Rosario a mop up man for a bit. If that's what is going to happen, Rodriguez Sr. hasn't tipped his hand yet, as he said after the game, "Toma mi consejo. Yo no uso de todos modos."

General Notes
- The Reds now receive a day off before traveling to Milwaukee for three games. It's then back home to face these same Rockies again before going back on the road - what a weird freakin' schedule.

- Rodriguez Sr. wouldn't say anything, but according to James Shields twitter account he appears to be bumped from the rotation for the time being. His most recent tweet simply read "Ready 4 the new challenge ahead of me #Thetimestheyareachangin'" which has indicated to many that he may have lost his starting spot. If so, Shields wll likely share swingman/longman duties with Madison Bumstead.

- Brayan Peña's bat has sprung to life in the past 6 games, with his first two homers, first two triples, and first double of the season. If he can continue to produce offensively like this, he may be in for a huge raise in the offseason as one of the team's stars given his already stellar defense.

- Speaking of newfound power, Spanky Rodriguez's first career homerun was one of the weirder homers you'll ever see. He hit a towering blast to left, which hung up in the air forever - long enough that left fielder Matt Holliday climbed the wall and stood there waiting for the ball. The ball seemed to go through his glove though as if some kind of video game glitch and counted for a homer. When Edwin Encarnacion homered a few innings later it was a similar hit, but with more distance, so Holliday simply watched it soar over his head.

Fun fact: Brad Hawpe hit an absolute moonshot homer off Manny Delcarmen in the '07 WS.