The Reds blew a 9-3 lead but then scored two in the bottom of the eighth to edge the Dodgers in an 11-9 pitchers duel.  The Reds needed just eleven hits to scored their eleven runs and they left just two batters on base.  Joey Votto went two for three with a home run and three RBIs.  Soctt Rolen also had a nice game and he went three for four with two runs.  Votto is now over .300 (.306) and Scott Rolen is getting there.  Even though the pitching almost blew this one, it was nice to see the bats break out.

Homer Bailey was knocked around for five runs in 5 1/3 innings and you wonder how much longer he’ll be in the rotation.  It probably didn’t help that Edinson Volquez isn’t coming back anytime soon after his 50 game suspension.  Nick Masset was also hit hard for four runs over 1/3 of an inning.  Mike Lincoln picked up the win although he got just one batter out while Francisco Cordero threw a shutout ninth (two strikeouts) to pick up his fifth save.

It was nice to see the Reds end their five game skid.  Now they need to make it a winning streak.  Tomorrow it’ll be Aaron Harang against Hiroki Kuroda.  This would be a good time for Harang to turn things around.

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Wow, the last time I wrote, I talked about how the Reds were just a breath away from first place.  Now after five straight losses, their in fifth place sitting at 5-8.  Not pretty and three of those losses have come at the hands of the Pirates who while improved, still aren’t contendors yet.  Today, Jay Bruce hit a pair of solo home runs but the Reds managed just one run on three hits outside of that.  Paul Janish doubled home Johnny Gomes for the other run.

On the flip side, Bronson Arroyo was roughed up and he fell to 0-1.  He gave up five runs on five hits and three walks with seven strikeouts over six innings.  Mike Lincoln kept the Reds in it with two innings of shutout relief but the bats never got going.

Offense has been a problem.  Jay Bruce brought his average up to .178 with todays game and he doubled his RBI total.  Brandon Phillips is hitting .224 and while Joey Votto’s .283 batting average is respectable, it’s still below expectations.

Next up are the Dodgers at home after a day off.  Homer Bailey throws in the series opener against Chad Billingsley.

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Homer Bailey is tough to figure out.  He’s struggled at the big league level but showed some life late last year.  When he gets sent down he’ll look mediocre at times but then look dominating at other.  Inconsistent is a nice easy label but you have to just wonder why.  This year he’s off to a rough start and he fell to 0-1 yesterday.  He gave up five runs on eight hits and four walks with three strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings.  You just wonder how much longer Dusty Baker will ride Bailey before he puts Micah Owings back in the rotation. It’s too bad because it wasn’t too long ago that Bailey was the top pitching prospect in baseball.

Mike Lincoln had a nice outing with two innings of shutout relief.  Unfortunately the Reds comeback fell short in the 5-3 loss.  Paul Janish was the hitting star and he went two for three with a two run home run.  Brandon Phillips drew a pair of walks. 

The finale is this afternoon.

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Pitching went out the window as the Reds beat the Marlins 10-8 in eleven innings.  Since the Reds 0-2 start, they’ve gone 5-1 since.  Me likee.  Joey Votto had the game winner with a single in the eleventh and he finished three for five with a run and an RBI.  Brandon Phillips went four for five with two runs and two RBIs while Rick Hanigan went two for four with a three run home run.  Johnny Gomes also went yard in the game.

Bronson Arroyo was pelted for five runs but he lasted six innings.  Micah Owings pitched two innings of shutout relief to improve to 2-0 while Francisco Cordero pitched a shutout eleventh for save number four.

Game number three is tonight.  Homer Bailey throws against Chris Volstad.  It’s early but the Reds are only a half game back of the Cardinals.

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Two solo home runs wasn’t enough for Scott Rolen because he came through for the Reds in the tenth with an RBI single to give the Reds their fourth win.  Three hits and three RBIs isn’t too shabby and with Rolen’s solid start, I’m not missing E-squared all that much anymore.  Orlando Cabrera also pitched in with a two run home run in the 6-5 win.

Johnny Cueto had a rough start but the pen and the hitters bailed him.  He gave four runs in his five innings of work.  Nick Massett pitched a shutout ninth and he improved to 2-0 while Francisco Cordero pitched a shutout tenth for save number three.

Game two of the series is tonight.  Bronson Arroyo gets the start against former Tiger Nate Robertson.  Game time is 7:10.

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Alright, chalk a nice one up for the kid.  The Reds 2009 first round draft pick, Mike Leake, made his MLB debut yesterday and while he didn’t get the win, he was pretty sharp outside of all the walks.  He gave up a run on four hits but he walked seven and struck out five in 6 2/3 innings.  He pitched out of some jams and he set things up for the Reds to win it.

Nick Massett threw a shutout eighth and he improved to 1-0.  Francisco Cordero pitched a shutout ninth and he picked up save number two.

The Reds did all of their damage in the final two frames.  Miguel Cairo singled home Scott Rolen in the seventh to tie the game.  Ramon Hernandez drew a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the eighth for the go ahead run and Johnny Gomes sac. flied Brandon Phillips for some insurance.

Rolen finished two for two with two walks.  All seven Reds hits were singles in this one.

The Reds finally hit the road and they head to Florida beginning tonight.  Johnny Cueto gets the start against Ricky Nolasco.

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Well, you can’t win them all.  The Reds season high two game winning streak came to an end yesterday as Arthur Rhodes gave up an eighth inning run that broke up a 3-3 tie.  Jeff Baker was the culprit.  Aaron Harang had a decent start.  He did give up a pair of home runs but he struck out seven in seven.

Brandon Phillips accounted for most of the Reds offense with a two run home run.  Chris Dickerson doubled, singled and scored a run in the 4-3 loss.

The rubber game is this afternoon.  Mike Leake makes his debut and Tom Gorzelanny throws for the Pirates.  Also, Aroldis Chapman makes his debut for the Bats today.

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Johnny Gomes belted a solo shot with one out in the bottom of the ninth to break a 1-1 tie in the Reds first win of the season. The Reds combined some mediocre hitting with some awesome pitching to take this one. Bronson Arroyo needed 109 pitches to go eight innings and he gave up just a run on four hits three walks with six strikeouts. Francisco Cordero finished things up in the ninth with two strikeouts in a shutout ninth and he picked up the first Reds win.

Arroyo helped out his own cause with an RBI single in the fifth inning to put the Reds on the board. Joey Votto continued to rake and he went two for three. It’s already his second multi-hit game of the season.

Now the Cubs come to town. Homer Bailey gets the start and a lot of people are going to be watching him closely with his past struggles. Carlos Silva gets the ball for the Cubs.

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The bad news is, the Reds have lost their first two games of the season. The good news is, we are playing the team most everyone expects to take home the division. With that, when the competition is good, you have to be on your game and so far, the Reds haven’t. Johnny Cueto had a nice enough start but then the pen came in and messed things up. Daniel Ray Herrera and Logan Ondrusek combined to give up four runs in the top of the seventh and the rest was history.

Cueto gave up two runs on five hits and three walks with three strikeouts in six innings. After the big seventh inning, Arthur Rhodes finished out the seventh and Nick Masset and Francisco Cordero pitched a shutout inning each.

The Reds managed just six hits in the 6-3 loss. Orlando Cabrera went two for four with a two run home run and three RBIs to lead the way. Ramon Hernandez also had a nice game and he went two for three with a run.

The Reds look to avoid the sweep this afternoon. It’ll be Bronson Arroyo against Brad Penny. Game time is 12:35.

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This one really wasn’t as bad as it looked. The Reds had a chance to make some noise when it was 6-4 eighth but couldn’t deliver. Then the Cardinals opened it up in the ninth with five runs off of Nick Masset hence the 11-6 final. Aaron Harang was also bounced around too which is disappointing if he’s on the decline.

Harang gave up four runs in five frames. He gave up just five hits but two of them went over the fence. One of those was by Albert Pujols who had a Nintendo-esque game with a sick four for five line with two home runs, three RBIs and four runs. Mike Lincoln didn’t fare any better and he gave up a pair of runs in the sixth. Daniel Ray Herrera had the best outing with two strikeouts in a shutout seventh inning but then Masset fell apart in the ninth.

Joey Votto led the way at the plate. He went three for five with a home run and two runs. Brandon Phillips drove in a pair and Drew Stubbs went two for two with a run and an RBI. Scotty Rolen had just one hit but it went over the fence. Unfortunately nobody was on base.

The Reds get to try again on Wednesday. It’ll be Adam Wainwright going up against Bronson Arroyo in the Reds first night game of the season. Hopefully they’ll even up their record with a win.

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