Phillips And Votto Win Gold Gloves

By:  Coop


The right side of the Cincinnati Reds infield received some notice after an impressive season of defense. That is Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips.


This is Brandon's 3rd Gold Glove, and Votto's 1st.


"It's a lot of hard work," Phillips said. "It never gets too old. It just lets me know that I'm doing my job and the coaches and managers respect my defense. It's an honor for them to vote for me. It shows me that hard work does pay off, and I'm going to continue to do what I do."


A Reds first baseman had not won the award until now, the award has been around since 1957, quite an accomplishment for Votto.


"I'd like to thank the managers and coaches who selected me," Votto said in a statement. "It always means a tremendous amount to be selected by your superiors for any award, especially for one of this magnitude. I'd also like to thank the Reds' coaching staff for their help, with a special mention to bench coach Chris Speier."


Last year, Phillips, Rolen, and Arroyo won a gold glove, and once again this year, Jay Bruce is robbed of one.

Votto Named NL Player Of Week

By:  Coop


Reds 1st baseman, Joey Votto, has been named the National League Player Of The Week.  From July 25 through July 31, Votto tied for the league lead in home runs, with four, and also tied in RBI's with nine.  


Joey homered in 3 strait games against the New York Mets, which helped him reach a .385 average this week. 


This is the 2nd time Votto has received a weekly award in his career. 

Reds Still Winless Against Cleveland

By:  Coop


The Reds entered today 0-4 against the team from the Northeast part of the state.  Today they were trying to pick up their first win against the Indians.  Cincy sent Homer Bailey to the mound while Cleveland sent Carmona out to pitch.  Bailey did good, and Carmona, well, got hurt.  Talk more about that in a bit.  The Reds lost 3-1, here is how.


All 3 of Cleveland's runs came from one swing of the bat, which was a home run hit my Michael Brantley to right field.  That was in the 3rd inning.  But in that 3rd inning, something interesting happened.  With a runner on 1st, the pitcher, Fausto Carmona, tried to bunt the runner to 2nd.  Home Bailey fielded the ball, threw to 2nd, the umpire said Janish's foot did not touch the bag, so the runner was safe.  But while this was happening, Carmona was running to 1st, and stumbled and fell.  Okay, no biggy right?  Nope, he landed oddly on his pitching hand.  It hurt him so bad he had to be taken out of the game. He is fine though.  But that is one example of why the AL needs to get rid of DH's, so when pitchers run, they can actually make it 90 feet.


Anyways, 3-0 would be the score until the 8th.  In that 8th inning Joey Votto went yard to center field, and put the Reds on the board.  The only bad thing is, it was only a solo shot.  


That Votto home run would not be enough as the Reds lose it 3-1.


Homer Bailey pitched well, only made one mistake.  Homer went 7 innings of 3 run, 8 hit baseball, he also gave up 1 walk and fanned 7.


The Reds did not lose any ground, that is the only good thing from this game.  They remain 3 games back in the NL Central.


Tomorrow the Reds will try and salvage just one game from this Indians team and avoid the season sweep.  Game time is set for 1:10 PM ET and will be on Fox Sports Ohio.

Reds Win Series, Cordero Picks Up #300

By:  Coop


The Cincinnati Reds were trying to win their first series since mid-May.  In order to do so they would need to beat Marcum the Milwaukee Brewers.  Well they were down early, but fought back and won the game, 4-3.  Jay Bruce and Joey Votto both played a big role in this game, but Francisco Cordero's 9th inning stands out because he picked up career save #300. Here is how the action took place.


In the 1st inning, the very first batter, Rickie Weeks, went yard.  That was the 2nd time this year Weeks has leadoff the game with a home run against the Reds.  Later on in the inning, Braun hit an RBI ground out, the score was 2-0.


That would remain the score until the 4th when the Brewers added a run thanks to a Betancourt RBI single to plate Hart, 3-0 Milwaukee.


So it looked as if the Reds were gonna lose the game, and series.  But the Reds did not give up. 


In the 7th inning, the best player in the MLB right now, Jay Bruce, went yard for the 17th time this year.  It was a 2-run jack to right, and it was a 1-run game.


Next inning, with a man on, Joey Votto hit one deep to center, it was gone and the Reds took a 4-3 lead.  


In the 9th inning, Dusty Baker sent in the closer, Francisco Cordero, in attempts to seal the deal and give the Reds the win.  To lead off the inning, he fanned Lucroy.  Next batter was Betancourt, he got him to ground out for a 1-3 put out.  Then came Counsell.  He struck him out!  The Reds win it, and Francisco Cordero gets his 300th career save.  Congratulations to him.


The Reds will get a much needed off day tomorrow, and will host the Dodgers on Friday.  Game time is set for 7:10 PM ET and it will be televised on FS Ohio.

6th Inning Rally Lifts Reds Past Cubs

Jonny Gomes celebrates with teammate, Brandon Phillips, after hitting a
home run in the Reds 7-4 win over Chicago. 

By:  Coop


The Cincinnati Reds were coming off of a 3 game sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals.  Now, another foe was in town.  The Chicago Cubs hopped on a plane and headed towards the Queen City to take on the Reds for a 2 game series.  In the 1st game of the series Homer Bailey was on the hill for Cincy, while Carlos Zambrano was pitching for the team from the south side of the Windy City.  Bailey got roughed up early on, and his team was down 0-4, but a 6th inning rally by the Reds allowed them to win 7-4, here is how.


The 1st run of the game came in the 5th inning when Zambrano hit one to 3rd, Rolen came plateward with it, the throw went under Hanigan's legs, Pena was able to come in and score a run, 1-0 Chi-Town.  Same inning, Barney hit an RBI single, Zambrano scored, it was 2-0.


Then in the Cubbies 6th inning Carlos Pena hit a 2-run homer to right field, and the score was 4-0.  That was Pena's 4th homer of the year, 2nd against the Reds.


Many Reds fans, including myself, we saying to themselves "Oh boy, 4 runs, I dunno if we can do it.  Looks like this winning streak will come to and end."  But then we all remembered something.  We are the Reds, we never give up.  Some maybe, just maybe, we can get a rally at some point, take the lead, and win the game.


Well it happened. 


The Reds had a 7 run 6th inning.  The first 3 runs were scored by RBI singles by Votto, Phillips, and Bruce.  Then a Scott Rolen RBI double, and just like that the game was tied at 4.  Then a wild pitch allowed Bruce to come home from 3rd to give the Reds the lead. Then, with a man on and 1 out, Jonny Gomes came up to bat. Gomes had not hit a home run since mid-April.  But on May 16th, he went yard to right center field for a 2-run home run, his 7th long ball of the year.  You wanna talk about a guy that really needed a home run, well then talk about Jonny Gomes.  Hopefully that will end his terrible slump, and will get him back into the groove of things.


7-4 was the score after the 6th inning, and the best part about it, Homer Bailey was now eligible to get the win, well as long as his bullpen could keep the Cubs from scoring 3 runs.  Well, LeCure, Bray, and Cordero were able to do so.  


Homer Bailey needs to go buy everyone involved in that 6th inning rally a nice dinner for saving him from getting the loss.  Or he could simply just say thanks, either one.  Homer is now 3-0.  Coco Cordero picked up the save, his 8th of the year in 9 attempts.


The Reds will look for the sweep in game 2 at 7:10 PM ET.  Edinson Volquez will pitch for Cincinnati, while Matt Garza will climb the hill for Chicago.  The game will be televised on Fox Sports Ohio.

Reds Take Game 1 From Cubs

Jay Bruce (32), Drew Stubbs (6), and Chris Heisey (28) celebrate after beating
the Cubs, 5-4, Friday

By:  Coop


The Reds were coming off of a mediocre home stand, and were looking to look better on the road.  Today, they were opening up a 3 game series with the Chicago Cubs.  This was the first time this season the North Siders and the Reds met up.  The Reds absolutly dominated Chicago last year, and were looking to continue that domination.  Well, they did not really dominate them in this game, but they beat them, 5-4, here is how.


The Cubbies scored first when Matt Garza came across to score thanks to a passed ball by Ramon Hernandez, that was in the 3rd inning.


The Cubs' 1-0 lead was soon demolished.  In the 4th inning, Jay Bruce hit a long one to right field, it was a 3-run jack, 3-1 the score.  That was Bruce's 7th homer of the year, a team high, and his 75th home run of his career.


Chicago would answer back in their side of the 4th when Giovanni Soto grounded into a double play, a run scored, and we were back to a 1-run game.


Cincinnati would have a good 5th inning, as they scored 2 runs thanks to two RBI singles.  One by Joey Votto, and the other by Brandon Phillips.  Both players are having great seasons so far, and coming up big.  Joey Votto has now reached base in all of the Reds games this season, and is just 3 game shy of the club record.  Just sayin'.


So after the top of the 5th inning, the score was 5-2, but the Cubs answered back in their 5th inning when Ramirez hit an RBI single, Barney scored, 5-3.


Then in the 6th inning, Soto hit an RBI single to plate the former All-Star, Byrd, 5-4 the score, and that is how she finished. 


Edinson Volquez did not look to great in this game, but did do good enough to get the win.  He went 5 innings, gave up 4 earned runs, on 6 base hits, 4 walks, and 3 strikeouts.  Usually not good when you have more walks than strikeouts.  Edinson is now 3-1.  


Francisco Cordero gets save #5 in as many chances, as he continues to look very good thus far, hopefully he can keep it up.


Tomorrow the Reds and Baby Bears go at it at 2:20 PM ET, another day game, since we are in Chicago.  The game will be televised on Fox Sports Ohio.

Homer Bailey Shines In Return Fromm DL, Reds Win 10-4

Homer Bailey looked great in his first start since
coming off the DL.

By:  Coop


Homer Bailey was making his first start since 2010, as he was coming off the DL.  Bailey was looking to have a good first game of 2011, and help the Reds win the series vs. Houston.  That he did, he looked great, and the Reds got him enough run support as well, Cincy wins 10-4, here is how.


The Reds scored first, as in the 2nd inning, Ryan Hanigan hit an RBI single, Bruce would score, it was 1-0.


In the bottom of the 4th, Ryan Hanigan would be back at it when he hit a 2 RBI single to left, Votto and Bruce scored, 3-0.


An inning later, Edgar Renteria hit an RBI single to right, Chris Heisey would come around to score, it was 4-0.


The Astros would get on the board in the 6th when Hunter Pence hit an RBI single to plat Bourgeois, 4-1 the score. 


The Reds would answer back in their half of the 6th when hit a sac fly, Gomes scored, Reds back up by 4.  Same inning, Fred Lewis was welcomed to Cincinnati with a solo home run to right center, his first as a Red, it was 6-1 with those good ole Reds on top.


If you tune into a game where the score is 6-1, you would think it is a laugher, well it was, until the Astros 7th inning.  Aroldis Chapman came in to pitch, and suddenly the bases were loaded with 2 outs.  Jason Bourgeois walked, a run scored, 6-2.  Okay, not a bad score, 4 is still a good lead, let's just get out of this inning and then get the bats out.  But that did not happen, Hunter Pence hit a 2 RBI single, Downs and Bourn scored, 6-4 the score, and now it was a game.  But not for too long.


In the Reds 8th inning, yesterday's hero, Jay Bruce, hit a home run to right center, his 6th of the year, and the lead was  3.  The Redlegs would get more runs in the 8th.  One run was scored thanks to a Drew Stubbs RBI double, another was thanks to a Chris Heisey sac fly, and the final run was scored thanks to an Edgar Renteria RBI single. 


So the Reds win it 10-4, a lot of players looked good today, like Bruce, Hanigan, Lewis, Stubbs Renteria etc. But that is not the story of the game.  The story of the game was that Homer Bailey made his first start this year, and went 6 innings, gave up 4 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk, and fanned 7, earning the win.  Good job by #34.


Later today the Reds will hope on the plane and travel to the Windy City for a 3 game series with the Cubs.  Tomorrow they will play at 2:20 PM ET, and the game will be televised on Fox Sports Ohio.

Reds Score All 3 Runs in 9th For Walk-Off Win

Jay Bruce (32) celebrates his walk-off single with his teammates

By:  Coop


In a game that looked like the Houston Astros were just dominating the Reds, somehow those boys from Cincinnati came back and won the game.  Lemme tell ya about it.  Just sit right there, and I'll tell ya all about it.  Travis Wood was on the hill for the Reds, and pitched a solid 6, giving up 2 runs.  The Astros pitchers were great, Rodriguez, the starter, went 5 innings, giving up just one hit.  The Reds did not even have another hit until the 9th.


In the 9th, the Reds had 4 hits.  The pitcher was Brandon Lyon.  The Reds entered the 9th inning trailing 2-0, Lyon struggles started with the 1st batter, as he walked Drew Stubbs.  That was followed by a Chris Heisey single to advance Stubbs to 3rd.  Then came a Joey Votto single that plated Stubbs, and put Chris Heisey on 2nd.  Brandon Phillips then hit one between the 1st baseman and the 2nd baseman, just getting past them for a single.  Heisey was waved around, and scored, 2-2 now.  Had the ball been fielded, it more than likely would have been a double play.  The next batter was Jay Bruce.  His last walk-off hit came on September 28th, 2010 against...The Houston Astros.  That of course was the game in which the Reds clinched the NL Central.  All he had on his mind was a hit good enough to bring the winning run across.  Well, he got it.  He hit a double down the right field line, Votto scored easily, "And this one belonnnnnngsss to the Reds!".  It was pretty exciting.


Oh yeah, and those two runs the 'Stros scored thanks to two RBI singles by Bourgeois and Pence, both in the 3rd inning.


Let's talk about Travis Wood.  He went 6 innings, gave up 5 hits, 2 earned runs, walked 4, and fanned 7.  A pretty decent outing by Wood.  He looked like he would be a tough-luck loser, but he was lucky enough to get the no-decision.  The Reds bullpen looked good, as Bill Bray and Logan Ondrusek both had 1-2-3 innings.  Francisco Cordero was the man who got the win, as he pitched in the 9th, gave up a hit, but that's it. Coco is now 2-0, and is quietly having a great season thus far.


Today was a 12:35 game, and tomorrow it will be the same time.  The only difference is that tomorrow's game will be televised, it will be on Fox Sports Ohio, as always.  The reason why tomorrow's game is on TV, well, Joey Votto said it should be because he says "We'll probably win."  Let's hope so.


The Reds will enter tomorrow's game with a 15-15 record, and either 1.5 games back, or 2.5, it all depends on what St. Louis does tonight.  Let's root for them Fish tonight.

Cincy Pounds 15 Hits, Beat Milwaukee In 10

Drew Stubbs (6) celebrates his home run with teammate, Joey Votto (19)

By:  Coop

The Cincinnati Reds were trying to win the series against Milwaukee, and continue their dominance of the Brewers.  If they were going to pick up the win, Sam LeCure would need to pitch well, and the Reds would have to get enough runs off of Yovani Gallardo.  Well, Same LeCure pitched pretty well, could have been better, and the Reds got a good amount of runs off of Gallardo, as they scored 6 times against the Milwaukee pitcher.  But, those 6 runs were not enough to win the game in regulation, but in 10 innings the Reds came up with the victory, 7-6, here is how.


After the first two batters, Drew Stubbs and Jay Bruce, reached base via single, Joey Votto came up to bat.  Well, he did what he is payed to do, hit home runs.  He hit a 3-run jack to left center field, it was 3-0 Cincinnati, that was in the 1st inning by-the-way.  Still in the 1st, with Gomes on 3rd, Paul Janish hit a sac fly, Gomes would just slide in ahead of the tag, it was 4-0 Redlegs.


The Brewers would battle back, however.  In the 3rd, Carlos Gomez hit a 2 RBI single, Gallardo and Weeks would score, the Reds' lead was cut in half, 4-2 the score.  


Then, in the 4th inning, Lucroy would grounded into a fielder's choice, it would have been a double play, but the throw to 1st was just late, allowing Prince Fielder to score, and it was a 1-run-ballgame, 4-3.  


Milwaukee would tie it up in the 5th when Prince Fielder hit a grounder to 1st, Votto threw to 2nd for the out, Renteria then tried to complete an inning-ending double play, but his throw was wild, as it rolled way behind Bill Bray who was covering 1st, that allowed Weeks to score, the game was tied at 4 thanks to the E6.


The Reds would take their lead back in the 6th when Joey Votto hit an RBI single to plate Edgar Renteria, 5-4.  Then they would get an insurance run when Brandon Phillips hit an RBI single to bring in Stubbs, 6-4 the score.  Brandon Phillips has been doing very well recently, hopefully he can continue the success.  


The Reds 2-run lead would not last very long.  In the Brew Crew's half of the 6th, they would tie it up thanks to RBI's by Kotsay and Weeks.


6-6 would remain the score until the 10th inning.  At bat was Drew Stubbs.  Stubbs hit this one well, it is going back to center field, and it is gone!  It was a 415 foot home run to dead center, putting the Redlegs up 7-6.  In the bottom of the 10th, Francisco Cordero earned the save, his 4th of the year, and sealed the game up, giving the Reds a victory.  LeCure gets a no-decision, while Aroldis Chapman picks up the win, he is now 2-0 this year.


Oh yeah, and just-so-you-know, Jay Bruce had a 4-hit ballgame.


Cincinnati now has a 13-12 record, and are tied with the Cardinals for 1st place in the NL Central, but the Cards have not played yet.  If they win, the Reds are in 2nd, if they lose, the Reds are in 1st alone.  Let's root for the Astros tonight.


Tomorrow is an off-day for Dusty's Boys, and will open up a home stand with a 3-game series versus Florida.  They will play Friday at 7:10 PM ET, the game will be televised on Fox Sports Ohio.

Votto And Cairo Help Reds Beat Cards

Miguel Cairo hit a 2 RBI single, helping the Reds beat the
Cardinals 5-3, Saturday

By: Coop


The Cincinnati Reds were coming off of a tough loss to St. Louis last night, and were looking to even up the series tonight.  The Reds were on national television, as they were on Fox.  Yes Fox, not Fox Sports Ohio, but Fox.  The same Fox that American Idol comes on.  Anyways, Cincy was looking to beat the Cardinals, go over .500, and be tied for 1st place in the Central.  Well, they did win, thanks to good pitching by Travis Wood, and key hits from Joey Votto and Miguel Cairo.  The Reds won 5-3.  Here is how.


For the first time in what seems like forever, the Reds kept a team off the board in the 1st inning.  But, they failed to keep them off the board for too long.  In the 2nd inning, Davis Freese hit an RBI single to right, Berkman scored, it was 1-0 Red Birds.  Then in the 3rd, Chris Carpenter hit a lead-off double, then was bunted to 3rd, then Colby Rasmus hit a sac fly to bring him home.  Great execution by St. Louis, get em on, get em over, get em in.


2-0 would remain the score until the 6th.  Brandon Phillips was on first via walk, and Joey Votto was at the plate.  Joey Votto did what Joey Votto does.  He hit a home run, a 2-run jack, his 4th homer of the season, and the game was tied at 2.  For those of you who like to know how far it was hit, it was about 410 feet to center field.


So the Reds tied it up, but in the 7th, Albert Pujols untied it.  He hit a long, and I mean long, ball to left field, right over the Reds bullpen, 426 feet, and the Cardinals had a 3-2 lead.


After the 7th inning was completed, the game went into a rain delay, after 42 minutes of sitting, we were ready to play ball.  Miguel Bautista was the pitcher, the same guy that started last night.  In a blink of an eye, the bases were loaded for Jay Bruce and the count was full at 3 balls and 2 strikes.  Well, Jay was patient enough to watch ball 4, and bring in a run, the game was tied once again, 3-3.  The next batter, Miguel Cairo, had them loaded, and he delivered.  He hit one into left field, Votto and Gomes would score, it was a 2 RBI single for Miguel, and the Reds had a 5-3 lead.


Logan Ondrusek had a 1-2-3 8th inning, and then in the 9th, Francisco Cordero had a 1-2-3 inning, picking up save number 3.  Alroldis Chapman, who pitched in the 7th, gets the win and goes to 1-0 on the season.


The starter, Travis Wood got a no-decision, but pitched well, as he went 6.1 innings, gave up 3 runs, off of 8 hits, walked one, and had 5 strikeouts.  


The Reds are now 11-10 and tied for 1st place.  Tomorrow they will try and be in first place alone, as they battle St. Louis at 8:10 PM ET.  That game will be nationally televised on ESPN.  Nice to see the Redlegs on national television, even better when it's two nights in a row.

Reds Yield Sweep With Win Over 'Zona

Mike Leake earned the win, Thursday, helping the Reds pick up only their
2nd win in 8 games.

By:  Coop


The Cincinnati Reds had lost 5 of their last 6 games, and were trying to avoid being swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks.  If they wanted to pick up a win, and go over the .500 mark, Mike Leake would have to pitch well.  He usually pitches well every time he takes the hill, but this time, he would have to play somewhat distracted.  Why was he distracted?  Because he was arrested earlier this week for stealing tee shirts from Macy's.  Well, despite the nasty signs some fans made, and some boos from the crowd, Leake pitched well, helping the Reds go to 10-9, as they win 7-4.  Here is how.


The Diamondbacks scored in the 1st inning off of a Steven RBI single, Roberts would score, 1-0.  The Reds pitchers have gave up tons of runs in the 1st inning so far this season, not sure how many exactly, but I know the amount leads the NL.


The Reds would answer back in their half of the 1st, where they scored 4 runs.  The 1st run was plated when the bases were loaded, and Jay Bruce walked, 1-1 the score.  The 2nd and 3rd runs came across when Miguel Cairo hit a 2 RBI single, Votto and Gomes scored, the Redlegs had a 3-1 lead.  The final run of the inning was scored when the bases were loaded and Paul Janish walked, 4-1 the score after the 1st.  Not a good 1st inning for the starter Daniel Hudson.


Mike Leake went to school in Arizona, and maybe was kinda hoping the D-Backs would do something, so he helped them out.  In the 2nd inning, Hudson laid down a sac bunt, Miranda would come across to score, 4-2.  Then in the 5th, Johnson hit a long ball to right field, the Reds lead was only by 1.


In the Cincinnati 5th inning, Joey Votto hit a 378 foot home run to right, his 3rd long ball of the year, and the Reds lead was back to 2.


In the 6th inning, the Reds would score twice.  The 1st run came off of Ramon Hernandez's bat, when he hit an RBI double, Miguel Cairo would score, 6-3.  Then the 2nd run scored when Paul Janish hit an RBI single to center, Ramon would score, 7-3.


Francisco Cordero would give up a run in the 9th when Drew went yard, 7-4 the score, and that's how she finished.


Mike Leake gets the win, as he went 7 innings, have up 3 earned runs off of 4 hits, 2 walks, and 6 strikeouts. Leake is now 3-0 on the season, and 0-1 when it comes to getting away from the cops, well as far as we know.


Tonight the Reds will hop on the plane and head to St. Louis to take on the filthy Red Birds for a 3 game series.  We all know what happened last year, the bench-clearing brawl.  We'll see if any kind of scuffle happens in this series.  Hopefully the Reds put the Cardinals in their place if there is.  Game time tomorrow is set for 8:15 PM ET, and will be televised on Fox Sports Ohio and MLB Network. 

Arroyo Helps Reds Get Back On Track

Brandon Phillips makes an impressive inning-ending play in
the Reds 6-1 win over the D-Backs, Saturday.

By:  Cooper Ledford


The Cincinnati Reds were coming off of their first losing streak of the season, and had a 5-2 record after starting 5-0.  Bronson Arroyo was trying to end that losing streak and give the Reds win #6, and that he did.  Bronson looked great through 6 innings, helping the Reds get the win 6-1.  Here is how.


In the 1st inning, Scott Rolen hit an RBI single to plate Phillips, 1-0 Cincy.  A few batters later, Jay Bruce hit a fly ball with Votto on 3rd and Rolen on 2nd.  Both runners would try and tag-up, Votto just touched home plate before Rolen was tagged out at 3rd, that was the 3rd out of the inning, but the run did indeed count, 2-0 the score.


Arizona would answer back in the 6th when Melvin Mora hit an RBI single to bring in Chris Young from 3rd, and the D-Backs were on the board.  But let's rewind--how did Young get to 3rd again?  Well he reached 1st then Bronson tried to pick him off, it was a throwing error that went into right field, Young would go all the way to 3rd, that's how he got there.  I guess Bronson's hair got in the way, ha ha.


The score would remain 2-1 going into the 9th inning.  The 9th inning was great for the Redlegs, as they scored 4 runs in the inning.  The first two run were scored when Jonny Gomes hit an RBI double down the 3rd base line, Votto and Rolen would come around to score, 4-1.  The 3rd run of the inning was scored when Ryan Hanigan hit an RBI single to plate Gomes from 3rd, 5-1.  And the final run of the inning, and game, was scored when Chris Heisey hit an RBI single to bring home Hanigan, 6-1 the score, and that's how she finished.


Bronson Arroyo got the win, as he went 6 innings, have up 8 hits (yes, that is a lot) 1 run (none earned--even though it should be earned since he was the one to commit the error) did not walk a batter, and fanned half-a-dozen.  


Arroyo couldn't have won this game without the help of his team's bullpen.  Bill Bray had a 1-2-3 7th inning, Aroldis Chapman had a scoreless 8th, and Francisco Cordero had a 3 up, 3 down, 9th inning.


This was an all-around team win for the Reds, everyone was important in this one.  


While the Reds are happy, Diamondbacks starting pitcher, Daniel Hudson is not.  He pitched a great game, going 7 innings, giving up 3 hits, and 2 earned runs, but gets the tough-luck loss.


The Reds go to 6-2 on the year, Bronson Arroyo goes to 2-0, and the Reds are 1.5 games ahead of the Pirates for 1st place in the NL Central.


Tomorrow the Reds and Snakes will play in the rubber game at 4:10 PM ET.  Mike Leake will battle with Joe Saunders.  The game will be televised on Fox Sports Ohio.

Reds Win Opener Walk-Off Style

Ramon Hernandez and the Reds celebrate their Opening
Day win over the Brewers.

By: Cooper Ledford


The Cincinnati Reds were trying to win on Opening Day for the first time since 2007. At first, it looked like they had no chance, as they were down early, but Ramon Hernandez hit a walk-off three-run homer to give the Reds the win, 7-6, over the Milwaukee Brewers, here is how.


Edinson Volquez was the pitcher for the Reds, his first batter he faced was Rickie Weeks.  Guess what Weeks, did?  He hit a home run, 1-0 the score early on.  Now who is taller, Rickie Weeks or Carlos Gomez?  Well, they would go back-to-back to find out.  Yes, Gomez hit a homer too, it was 2-0 after the first two batters came to bat.  Looked pretty bad for Volquez.  But the scoring was not done yet, with Braun on 3rd, McGehee would hit a sac fly, 3-0 the score at the end of 1.

Ramon Hernandez celebrates after hitting a walk-off home
run on Opening Day.

The Reds would answer back a little bit in the bottom of the 1st.  Drew Stubbs, the lead-off hitter, hit a double, Brandon Phillips bunted him to 3rd, and then Joey Votto hit a sac fly to bring Drew in, that would  make it 3-1.  


The Brew Crew would get a run in the 2nd when Rickie Weeks hit an RBI double to plate Nieves, 4-1 the score.


That would be the score until the bottom of the 4th when Drew Stubbs hit a solo home run to shorten the lead to 2.


But, Milwaukee would get their 3-run lead back in the 5th when Ryan Braun hit a solo homer to make it 5-2. They would score again in the 7th when Casey McGehee came up to the plate, after a single + an Jonny Gomes error, and then a balk, McGehee hit an RBI single to bring in Braun, and the Brewers had their biggest lead of the game, 6-2.


Cincinnati would shorten that lead to 3 in their half of the 7th when the reigning NL MVP, Joey Votto, hit a solo home run, the score was 6-3.


There would be no scoring until the 9th, the Reds trailed by 4.  Brandon Phillips hit a single, that was followed by a Joey Votto walk, then came a crazy play in which Scott Rolen reached on a fielder's choice, and there you have it, the bases were loaded with no outs.  The batter, Jay Bruce.  We all remember how he hit that walk-off homer to clinch the NL Central, but could he hit a walk-off grand slam to give the Reds win again?  Nope, he was down on strikes.  Then came Jonny Gomes.  Gomes gave the Reds their first win of last season thanks to a walk-off home run, could he do it again?  Nope, but he did hit a sac fly to plate Phillips and make the score 6-4.  Then the catcher Ramon Hernandez came to bat.  There were two on and two outs, a homer would win it.  And guess what? RAMON HERNANDEZ HIT A WALK-OFF THREE-RUN HOME RUN TO GIVE THE REDS THE WIN "And this one belongs to the Reds!". Talk about an exciting finish!


While the Reds feel like winners, Edinson Volquez might not, as he pitched badly.  Volquez went 6 innings, gave up 7 hits, 5 runs, walked 2, and fanned 3.  Not what you want from your Opening Day starter.  He must get better.


Tomorrow the Reds will be off, as always, and will play again on Saturday at 7:10 PM ET.  Travis Wood will be the pitcher for Cincinnati, while Shaun Marcum will pitch for Milwaukee.  The game will be on Fox Sports Ohio.

Reds: Who To Watch In 2011

By:  Cooper Ledford


Last season the Cincinnati Reds had many players that people were keeping an eye on.  In the beginning of the season people were watching Votto, but as he was in somewhat of a slump, they started to watch another player.  That player was Jonny Gomes.  Gomes was red-hot in the month of May, but then he started to slow down.  Then Scott Rolen and Joey Votto were the players people followed, as they both were MVP candidates at the All-Star Break.  Then to start the 2nd half of the season, it was all Joey Votto, as he was catching the attention of many people.  Then in late August, Jay Bruce was looking amazing, so they watched him.  Now the 2011 season is here.  Who should we expect to keep an eye on?


Well, first of all, watch out for Joey Votto.  We all know what he can do, as he proved it to us in 2010.  I expect him to have an even better year this year, and be in-the-hunt for another MVP award.


Another player to watch is Jay Bruce.  Last season he was on fire near the end of the season.  He looked like he could not be stopped.  I am not saying that he will be that good all year, but I think he will be a much-improved player, and a key factor in the Reds success this year.

One last player to watch is Drew Stubbs.  Stubbs hit a good amount of home runs last season, and stole a lot of bases, but his average was very low.  Many fans wanted the Reds to trade Stubbs on July 31st, but now those fans are happy they kept him.  Drew showed a lot of improvement near the end of the season, and I expect him to have a really nice season in 2011.


So, could Votto, Bruce, and Stubbs be the new MV3?  Maybe, maybe not. I am not saying that any of them will win an MVP award or anything, I am just saying to watch these guys this season.  Expect some impressive stats from these guys.

2011 Reds Batting Order And Rotation Predictions

By: Cooper Ledford


Here is my 2011 Reds Opening Day batting order with projected stats:


1. Drew Stubbs (.286, 21 HR, 85 RBI, 40 SB)
2. Brandon Phillips (.293, 24 HR, 91 RBI, 29 SB)
3. Joey Votto (.330, 37 HR, 119 RBI, 11 SB)
4. Scott Rolen (.300, 20 HR, 90 RBI, 2 SB)
5. Jay Bruce (.320, 32 HR, 100 RBI, 15 SB)
6. Jonny Gomes (.286, 25 HR, 89 RBI, 15 SB)
7. Ramon Hernandez (.300, 10 HR, 43 RBI, 1 SB)
8. Paul Janish (.290, 12 HR, 40 RBI, 19 SB)
9. Pitcher


Now here is my Projected Pitching Rotation:


1. Edinson Volquez (12-8, 3.12 ERA, 118 SO)
2. Bronson Arroyo (16-7, 2.94 ERA, 123 SO)
3. Johnny Cueto (14-9, 2.97 ERA, 129 SO) REPLACEMENT: Mike Leake (2-1, 1.22 ERA, 13 SO)
4. Travis Wood (12-5, 2.42 ERA, 119 SO)
5. Homer Bailey (13-9, 3.11 ERA, 110 SO) REPLACEMENT: Sam LeCure (1-2, 2.00 ERA, 12 SO)
   Starting season on DL            


Bullpen Strategy:
For 2+ innings: Mike Leake/Sam LaCure/Willis
6th inning: Willis
7th inning: Ondrusek/Smith
8th inning: Chapman/Ondrusek/Smith/Bray
9th inning: Cordero/Bray/Chapman

Reds And Rangers Tie

Joey Votto hit an RBI single in Cincinnati's tie with Texas.

By:  Cooper Ledford


The Cincinnati Reds and Texas Rangers were going at it in Surprise, Arizona.  Speaking of surprise, I just found out you can tie in a baseball game.  I never really knew that.  It can only happen in Spring Training though, because I have been a baseball fan my whole life, and know for a fact you cannot tie in a regular season game.  Anyways, yeah, the Reds and Rangers tied today 5-5.  Here is how.


The Reds of Cincinnati started the scoring in the top of the 1st, when Joey Votto hit an RBI single to plate Dave Sappelt, 1-0 Reds.


Texas would strike back in their half of the 1st, when former Red, Josh Hamilton, hit an RBI single to bring in Ian Kinsler, the game was tied a 1.


Cincinnati would get their lead back in the 2nd when Chris Valaika hit a 2 RBI single, Hanigan and Lewis would score, so it was 3-1 now.


But, the Rangers were able to answer back in the 2nd when Mitch Moreland hit an RBI double to bring in Torrealba, 3-2 the score.  Texas would then take the lead in the 5th, when Ian Kinsler hit a 2-run home run, it was 4-3.


Cincy would tie it up in the 6th when Zach Cozart reached on a fielding error, which would allow Hanigan to score, so it was 4-4.  In the top of the 9th, the Reds would add a run when Kris Negron hit an RBI double, Billy Hamilton would score, 5-4.


Daryl Thompson was brought in to try and get the save in the 9th, but he failed.  Micheal Olt hit a solo home run to center to make the score 5-5.  There was no more scoring, so with that, a tie occurs.


This is good for pitchers since they cannot lose, but they cannot win either.  Speaking of pitchers, the SP for Cincinnati was Johnny Cueto, who went 2 innings and gave up 4 hits and 2 runs...not a great game for Cueto.


The Reds record is now 8-5-1, sounds like a hockey record.  Tomorrow, there will be a split-squad game, both will play visitor to the Cubbies.  The 1st game is at 3:05 PM ET, and there will be no TV, the 2nd game is at 4:05 PM ET, and WILL BE TELEVISED ON FOX SPORTS OHIO.  


This article will probably be copied to omoc sports.