The Brew Crew Mash Redlegs

Zack Greinke

Milwaukee (30-25) raced past host Cincinnati (28-28) by a tally of 7-2 Tuesday night in front of 14,294 fans at Great American Ball Park.  Former AL Cy Young Award winner Zack Greinke turned in six solid innings for his club, allowing just two runs on six hits while walking three and striking out six.  Corey Hart and Jonathan Lucroy each clubbed homers for the Brewers en route to only their second victory over the Reds in eight attempts this season.  Chad Reineke surrendered five runs and five walks in 6 1/3 innings of work in his Reds debut after being promoted from Triple-A Louisville earlier in the day.  The Brew Crew and the Redlegs will go at it once more in the rubber game of the series Wednesday night at 7:10 PM.

Tuesday, May 31, 2011
 

MIL	0	0	4	0	0	1	1	0	1	7	7	0
CIN	1	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	2	7	2

WP - Greinke (4-1)
LP - Reineke (0-1)
2B - (MIL) Morgan (CIN) Stubbs
HR - (MIL) Hart, Lucroy      

Notable:
-Jay Bruce drove in his NL-leading 44th RBI of the season with a single scoring Drew Stubbs in the bottom of the first inning. 
-Bruce also garnered NL Player of the Week honors for his play during the week of 5/22-5/29. The 24-year old batted .353 with four homeruns and 13 RBI's during that stretch. 

Reds Wash Down Brewers

Travis Wood

The Reds (28-27) kicked off a nine-game homestand with a 7-3 victory over red-hot Milwaukee (29-25) Monday night at Great American Ball Park.  Jay Bruce continued his torrid hitting as of late collecting three hits and three RBI's, including his league-leading 16th homer of the season in the bottom of the fourth.  Prince Fielder tallied three base knocks in the contest albeit in a losing effort.  The depleted bullpen of Cincinnati posted three scoreless innings in relief of starter Travis Wood who tossed six innings of seven-hit, three-run ball.  The two inter-division rivals will collide once again for game two of the series tomorrow night at 7:10 PM on the shores of the Ohio River.  Here's a look back at the action from tonight:

Monday, May 30, 2011

MIL	0	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	0	3	10	1
CIN	0	1	0	4	0	2	0	0	x	7	9	0

WP - Wood (4-3)
LP - Narveson (2-4)
2B - (MIL) Braun, Fielder (CIN) Gomes
3B - (CIN) Bruce
HR - (MIL) Gomez, Wilson (CIN) Bruce

Notable:
-Cincy has now won six of the seven meetings versus The Brew Crew this season. 
-Jay Bruce now has 12 homers and 32 RBI's in the month of May alone.  That is tops of any hitter in the NL for the month. 

Series Preview vs. Milwaukee Brewers

The reelin' Redlegs (27-27) stagger back home to the friendly confines of Great American Ball Park against Milwaukee (29-24) for a three-game series beginning Monday night.  It has been nearly two weeks since the Reds last played at home and after a torrid 2-8 road trip, some home-cooking may be exactly what this club needs.  Dusty Baker's bunch enters play Monday as losers of ten out of their previous twelve contests including five of those losses coming by exactly one run.  Meanwhile, the Brewers have quietly snuck into sole possession of second-place in the division after winning thirteen games in their past sixteen tries.  Will the depleted arms of the Cincinnati pitching staff be able to contain Ryan Braun and The Brew Crew, or will both franchises continue to go in opposite directions in the NL Central standings?  Here's a look at the game times, pitching probables, and notables on the series:

Monday 5/30 7:10 PM
MIL Narveson (2-3, 4.20 ERA) vs. CIN Wood (3-3, 5.11 ERA)

Tuesday 5/31 7:10 PM
MIL Greinke (3-1, 5.79 ERA) vs. CIN TBA

Wednesday 6/1 7:10 PM
MIL Marcum (6-2, 2.80 ERA) vs. CIN Leake (4-2, 5.10 ERA)

Notables:
-We meet again. Cincy has won 16 of the past 20 meetings versus Milwaukee including a 5-1 mark thus far in 2011 (3-0 at GABP).
-Road trip woes. Although The Brew Crew sport a NL-best 21-7 record at home, they have floundered on the road this season with a 8-17 record which is tied for the league worst with Houston. 
-Power surge. The Reds and Brewers rank 1st and 3rd, respectively, in the National League in homeruns this season (CIN-59, MIL-56).  The series will feature three of the top ten homerun hitters in the NL including the NL-leader, Jay Bruce, who has smacked 15 dingers on the year.
-Not pitchin' in? The Redlegs pitching staff owns the third-worst team ERA in the league this season at 4.39 and have permitted the second-most walks in the NL with 198...trailing only Chicago's 199. 
-Glove it up! The two clubs have been known to flash some leather this season as evidenced by their rankings in two key fielding categories. Cincy has committed the second fewest errors in the NL this year (25) and are also tied for second with the league's best fielding percentage.  The Brewers have committed the fourth fewest miscues in the league with 26 and are tied for third in the NL in fielding percentage.
-An old foe. In 116 games versus Milwaukee, Reds 3B Scott Rolen boasts lifetime statistics of .306/.380/.560 (BA, OBP, SLG) including 24 homeruns and 91 RBI's.  His 24 lifetime homers versus the Brewers are his second-most against any team in MLB trailing only the 26 that he has launched against (ironically) Cincinnati.  
-Votto-matic. Joey Votto sits in the top five in the league in several offensive categories including batting average (.333/4th), runs scored (36/4th), hits (64/4th), on-base percentage (.463/2nd), walks (46/1st), and intentional walks (7/1st).
-On-point. Milwaukee's Shawn Marcum (Wednesday's probable starter) has the fourth best strikeout/walk ratio in the league at 3.94. Only the Phillies dynamic trio of Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Cliff Lee have higher ratios in the NL. Cincy hitters better step up to the plate ready to hack.

Braves Edge Cincy 2-1

Martin Prado

Braves starter Jair Jurrjens out-dueled Johnny Cueto as host Atlanta (30-24) edged out a 2-1 win over visiting Cincinnati (27-27) Sunday night at Turner Field.  Both Cueto and Jurrjens surrendered homeruns in the contest, however, Cueto's came with a man on as the only offense from either clubs came from longballs.  Jay Bruce drilled his NL-leading 15th homer in the top of the second providing the only real offensive firepower for the Redlegs all night.  Martin Prado deposited a ball into the left-field seats with Jordan Schafer aboard in the bottom of the seventh to score the tying and eventual game-winning runs.  With the conclusion of tonight's game, the boys from the Queen City will return home to host the Milwaukee Brewers (29-24) after a dreadful 2-8 road trip.  Here's a look at tonight's box score:
Sunday, May 20, 2011

CIN	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	7	0
ATL	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	0	x	2	5	0

WP - Jurrjens (7-1)
LP - Cueto (2-2)
S - Kimbrel (15)
HR - (CIN) Bruce (ATL) Prado

Notables:
-The game took just a speedy two hours and twenty-nine minutes to complete.
-The Reds placed RHP Sam LeCure on the 15-Day DL due to a strained right forearm and recalled LHP Tom Cochran from Triple-A Louisville to take his place on the roster.
-Cincinnati is now 7-13 in one run games on the year.

Atlanta Tomahawks Reds in Extras

Cincinnati (27-26) lost yet another extra inning affair on Saturday night when host Atlanta (29-24) squeaked out a 7-6 win in twelve innings at Turner Field.  Chipper Jones stroked a RBI single in the top of the twelfth to score Jordan Schafer in what proved to be the game-winning run.  Freshly-promoted, reliever Carlos Fisher took his second loss in three days.  Braves catcher Brian McCann and Reds left fielder Jonny Gomes each had 4-5 nights and scored two runs.  The rubber match of the series will take place tomorrow in Atlanta with a special 8:05 start time on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball.  Here's the recap of tonight's ball game:

Saturday, May 28, 2011

CIN	0	0	0	5	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	6	16	0
ATL	1	2	2	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	7	14	0

WP - Linebrink (1-1)
LP - Fisher
2B - (ATL) Freeman, Ramirez (CIN) Gomes, Stubbs, Phillips
HR - (ATL) McCann (2), Freeman

Notable:
-Jeremy Horst made his MLB debut for Cincinnati after coming into the game in relief of starter Bronson Arroyo.  He then proceeded to notch his first career major-league hit in the bottom of the fifth in his first major league at-bat.  The last Reds pitcher to get a hit in their first MLB at-bat was Pat Zachry in 1976.

Leake Helps Sink Atlanta

Cincinnati (27-25) picked up a much-needed victory Friday night when they defeated Atlanta (28-24) 5-1 at Turner Field.  Mike Leake, who was recalled from Triple-A Louisville earlier in the day by the Reds, turned in a quality start for his team surrendering just one run on seven hits in his six innings of work.  Ramon Hernandez blasted his seventh homer of the season in the top of the ninth while Fred Lewis, Paul Janish, and Jay Bruce all added one RBI a piece in the affair.  Jordan Schafer and Brian McCann each two hits for the Braves in a losing effort.  Game two of the series will take place tomorrow at 7:10 PM when two crafty veterans square off in the likes of Bronson Arroyo (3-5) and Derek Lowe (3-4).  Here's the box score from tonight's game:   

Friday, May 27, 2011

CIN	0	1	0	1	1	0	0	0	2	5	10	0
ATL	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	x	1	9	3

WP - Leake (4-2)
LP - Hanson (5-4)
2B - (CIN) Lewis, Leake (ATL) McCann
HR - (CIN) Hernandez

Notables:
-The two clubs combined to use eleven pitchers in the contest (CIN-5, ATL-6).
-The win marks just the second in the past ten games for the Redlegs and now brings their current ten-game roadtrip record to 2-6 with two games to go. 
-Drew Stubbs was 0-4 on the evening with four strikeouts earning the dreaded "Golden Sombrero" label.
-SP Mike Leake was promoted from the Louisville Bats after Cincy placed Homer Bailey on the 15-Day DL due to a shoulder injury .

Series Preview @ Atlanta Braves

Free falling Cincinnati (26-25) hobbles into The Peach State for a three-game, weekend series against the Braves (28-23) beginning Friday night at Turner Field.  Dusty Baker and the Reds enter Friday losers of eight of their last nine games and look to right the ship with a couple of victories in Atlanta.  The Braves on the other hand, have won seven of eleven including a two-game sweep of the Pirates in Pittsburgh in their most recent series.  Can Jay Bruce and the Reds salvage what is left of their nine-game road trip, or will Fredi Gonzalez's bunch prevail victorious on their home turf?  Tune into the games this weekend to find out.  For your viewing pleasure here is a look at the game times, pitching probables and notables regarding the series:

Friday 5/27/11 7:35 PM
CIN Leake (3-2, 5.70 ERA) vs. ATL Hanson (5-3, 2.72 ERA)

Saturday 5/28/11 7:10 PM
CIN Arroyo (3-5, 5.28 ERA) vs. ATL Lowe (3-4, 3.53 ERA)

Sunday 5/29/11 8:05 PM ESPN
CIN Cueto (2-1, 2.19 ERA) vs. Jurrjens (6-1, 1.56 ERA)

Notables:
-Atlanta won three of the five meetings between the two clubs in 2010 including a 2-0 mark at Turner Field (One of those victories by the Braves saw them rally from an early 8-0 deficit and eventually score seven runs in the bottom of the ninth to win 10-9).
-Thall shall not steal. The Bravos have attempted only 21 stolen bases on the year and have been successful only eight times (38%).  They rank last in MLB in stolen bases, stolen base attempts and stolen base percentage. 
-Pitchin' in. Atlanta's pitching staff boasts a NL-leading team ERA of 2.97, a MLB-leading .221 opponent's batting average, and is tied for first with the most shutouts in all of baseball with 7.  The only chink in the armor for Braves pitching this year is that their bullpen has blown 11 saves in '11, that is tied for the most in MLB. 
-Offensive juggernauts. Despite their recent woes, the Reds have still managed to score the most runs of any team in the NL this season (254) and have also launched an NL-leading 57 longballs in 2011.
-Nice to see you again. In twelve career starts against the Braves, Bronson Arroyo (Saturday's probable starter) is 6-3 with a rather modest 5.29 ERA.  Furthermore, he is 3-2 with a 4.73 ERA in six career starts at Turner Field.
-Nice to see you again II. Derek Lowe (Saturday's starter for Atlanta) is 4-2 with a 3.00 ERA in six career games versus Cincinnati. 
-A chip of the old block.  In 117 career games versus the Redlegs, 3B Chipper Jones owns a .302 batting average, 21 homeruns, 79 RBI's, 78 runs scored and 36 doubles.  That my friends is what you call getting it done.
-Hello and goodbye. This series will mark the only time the two franchises will play one another at Turner Field during the remainder of this season.  However, the two teams will see each other once again for a three-game series in Cincinnati in late-July.

Woes Continue As Phils Hammer Reds

After a 19-inning affair that lasted long into Thursday morning, Philadelphia (31-19) won again on Thursday when they ousted slumping Cincinnati (26-25) 10-4 at Citizens Bank Park.  Every Phillies starter recorded at least one hit in the game including four players who recorded two.  Cliff Lee didn't have his best stuff this time around, however his eight innings of four-run, eight-strikeout baseball were more than enough for the NL East-leading Phillies to take the series 3-1.  Jay Bruce deposited his NL-leading 14th longball of the year into the right-center field seats in the top of the 6th in the losing effort.  Miguel Cairo added three hits and scored two runs in his spot-start at third base.  Next up for the struggling Redlegs is a trip to Atlanta to take on the Braves (28-23) for a three-game weekend series.  Here's a recap of the action today:

Thursday, May 26, 2011

CIN	0	0	0	2	0	2	0	0	0	4	10	0
PHI	1	0	3	0	0	3	2	1	x	10	13	0

WP - Lee (4-4)
LP - Thompson (0-1)
2B - (CIN) Cairo (2) (PHI) Lee, Howard, Brown, Martinez
HR - (CIN) Bruce (PHI) Ibanez, Utley

Notables:
-The Phillies have now won eleven of the last fourteen meetings versus Cincinnati dating back to the beginning of the 2010 season. 
-The Reds recalled P Daryl Thompson from Double-A Carolina after placing P Matt Maloney on the 15-Day disabled list retroactive to 5/24/11.

Reds Can't Answer The Bell in Philly

The Phillies (30-19) outlasted the Redlegs (26-24) 5-4 in a 19-inning marathon last night at Citizens Bank Park .  Raul Ibanez's sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 19th to score Jimmy Rollins sent what was left of the 45,706 Philly fans home happy.  Travis Wood matched Phillies starter Roy Hallady step-for-step in this one with both pitchers surrendering just three runs in their respective outings, however both pitchers wound up receiving no-decisions for their efforts.  Both bullpens turned in outstanding innings in relief, but in the end it was the Philadelphia 'pen that proved to be just a bit better. The visiting Reds outhit the home team by a tally of 15-13 including two hits from four of its starters and three hits from Jay Bruce.  Both clubs will hit the diamond again Thursday afternoon for a game tentatively scheduled for a 1:05 PM start.  Here's a look at the incredibly long box score from last night:

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

CIN	0	0	0	0	1	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	15	1
PHI	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	5	13	1

WP - Valdez (1-0)
LP - Fisher (0-1)
2B - (CIN) Renteria (PHI) Ruiz, Valdez
3B - (PHI) Ibanez
HR - (CIN) Bruce (PHI) Howard, Francisco     

Notable:
-Tonight's contest was the longest ever in Citizens Bank Park history and the longest game in MLB this season (6:11).
-Wilson Valdez is the first position player to earn a win since August, 2000 when Colorado catcher Brent Mayne accomplished the same feat.