After two wins in a row where they’ve scored 17 runs and had 25 hits, perhaps Cincinnati is getting their offensive production on track.  Edwin Encarnacion had five hits over those two days – it’s like a light bulb is on for him now.  Curiously, only two of those 25 hits were home runs.  I think that’s a good thing.  It’s telling that while the Reds (12-13)have held teams to three runs or fewer in 15 of their 25 games, they’ve scored three runs or fewer in 12 of their 25 games.  You just hope the pitching holds up as the bats heat up. 

Adam Dunn moved out of a sixth place tie with Eric Davis for career Reds home runs with his home run yesterday, his 204th in a Cincinnati uniform.  George Foster is fifth with 244.  Johnny Bench leads all Reds career players with 389 dingers. 

Transactions: 

• LHP Rheal Cormier was designated for assignment and RHP Brad Salmon was brought up from AAA Louisville.  Salmon did not allow an earned run in the Spring and can maybe breathe some life in a bullpen that has been shakier than Samuel L. Jackson as”Gator” in the movie Jungle Fever.   
• OF Chris Denorfia was traded to Oakland for two players to be named later and some cold hard cashola.  Considering that Denorfia never really had much playing time in the bigs for the Reds, is coming off Tommy John elbow surgery and how hard Oakland was jonesing for him (they gave up two players AND cash?) you wonder what Billy Beane sees in him.  Seems like a Red Herring to me, but Beane has written the book on finding diamonds in the rough.  It’s hard to see Denorfia cutting into the outfield lineup for the Reds in the foreseeable future with Josh Hamilton going bonkers in his rookie year and Freel signed to a deal this year.  Let’s keep an eye on Denorfia in the next couple years to see what we were missing.

Tribute – Yesterday was a sad day for the family of former Reds player Josh Hancock and the Cardinals organization.  It’s always a shock when someone so young (Hancock was 29) passes away so soon.  He hit a parked car on the side of the road.  It’s something I always worry about when I see stalled or broken down cars on the highway – it could happen to any of us.  My wife was the person who told me about it but she gave me an incredible shock when she said Josh Hamilton had died – a few hurried keyboard strokes later I corrected her about the last name. 

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