Hanigan's Blast Helps Reds Take Series From Rays

By:  Coop


The Reds were trying to win their 1st Interleague series of the year today against the Rays.  In order to do so they would have to beat a great pitcher in James Shields.  Shields had pitched back-to-back complete games, but today his streak ended.  Edinson Volquez was the better pitcher today, and Ryan Hanigan was the star of the game.  The Reds won it 4-3, here is how.


There was no score until the 4th.  With 2 on and 2 out, Ryan Hanigan came up to bat.  He delivered with a 3-run jack to left field, Hanny's 3rd homer of the season, it was 3-0 Reds.  That was Ryan's 1st home run since that 2-home run game back in early April against the Brewers.


Tampa Bay would get 2 runs in the 6th when Evan Longoria hit a 2 RBI double, Zobrist and Damon would score.  And oh yeah, Johnny Damon reached on a single.  What's so special about that?  Well he tied Ted Williams on the all-time hit list.  Congrats to Damon.


In the top of the 7th, Fred Lewis hit a 2-out double left, Jonny Gomes scored, the score was now 4-2.


B.J. Upton had not been a good hitter at home this year, and was 0-9 in the series, but in the Rays 7th, he went yard to left center.  His 12th long ball of the year, we were back to a 1-run game, 4-3.


That would remain the score going into the bottom of the 9th.  Francisco Cordero came in hoping to get save number 16.  He got Longoria to ground out for the 1st out.  Then gave up a single to Joyce, but then Kotchman grounded into a 6-3 game-endining double play.


So the Reds win the series against Tampa Bay, and now have a 6-10 record against AL teams this year.


Edinson Volquez pitched well, as he went 6.1 innings, gave up 3 earned runs, 4 hits, walked 3, and fanned 7. A nice outing for sure.  Edinson is now 5-3 this year.


If the Brewers lose today, the Reds will be only 2.5 games back.  Ryan Hanigan says "We're getting closer" and added that he thinks the Reds "are about to go on a run".  Let's hope he's right.


The Reds will enjoy an off day tomorrow, and then start a 3-game series with the in-state rivals, the Cleveland Indians.  The Reds will have to sweep just to tie for the Ohio Cup.  Game 1 will be on Thursday at 7:10 PM ET, you can catch the game 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 Win With A 6-Run 11th

Jonny Gomes (31) scores from 1st on a go-ahead double by
Ryan Hanigan.

By:  Cooper Ledford


After the Reds beat the Padres 3-2 in game 1, they were looking to get the series win.  In order for the Reds to get the win, they would need Sam LeCure to pitch well, and they would need to get some runs off of Clayton Richard.  Well, LeCure pitched great, but the Reds did not get many runs off of Richard, they got them off of the San Diego bullpen in the 11th inning.  This was a crazy game, the game was tied at 2 until the top of the 11th inning, where the Reds scored 6 runs all with 2 outs! Now that is amazing.  The Reds win it 8-2, here is how.


In the 1st inning, Jonny Gomes put the Reds on the board with an RBI double to plate Phillips, 1-0 Cincinnati.


The Padres would answer back in the 2nd when Gonzalez hit one into right field, Hundley would score, to tie the game.  But on that same play, while Gonzalez was going toward 3rd base, there was a throw that got past the Reds 3rd baseman, Scott Rolen, Gonzalez would try to take advantage of it and go home, but Scott Rolen gunned the ball to home plate for Hanigan to apply the tag for the out.  That is why Scott Rolen wins Gold Gloves.


The game would remain tied until the top of the 5th, when Drew Stubbs grounded out, but Bruce was able to come home from 3rd, 2-1 Cincinnati on top.


San Diego would once again tie it up in the 8th when Patterson hit an RBI ground-out Hundley scored, the score was 2-2.  But, the Padres would have taken the lead if it wasn't for the awesomeness of Brandon Phillips.  With a man on 3rd, and Venable was the batter.  Venable hit one to 2nd, almost in shortstop territory, Brandon Phillips barehanded it, and made the off-balanced throw to 1st for the out.  It was crazy, go to Reds.com to see the play.  


Okay, so the game still tied at 2, and we are going to the 11th inning.  There are two outs and a man on.  Hanigan is batting.  Hanigan hit one to left, it would be an RBI double, Gomes would come in to score, and the Redlegs had a 3-2 lead.  But, that was just their first run of the 6 they would score in this inning.  The next run would score when Chris Heisey hit an RBI single, Hanigan scored, 4-2.  The next run scored when Edgar Renteria hit an RBI single to center, Jay Bruce scored, 5-2.  Then, with two on and two out, Drew Stubbs made this one a laugher.  He hit a 3-run home run to center, 406 feet, and the score was 8-2.  That would be how the game finished.


Everyone is talking about this 6-run 11th, but right now I am going to talk about Sam LeCure.  Sam did great, going 6 innings, giving up only 1 hit, 1 earned run, 2 walks, and struck out 8, a career high for him.  Unfortunately he got a no-decision, but he proved a lot in this game.


So the Reds are now 8-3, and are 2.5 games up on Pittsburgh and Milwaukee for 1st place in the NL Central.


The Reds will look for the series sweep as Travis Wood will pitch for the Reds, while Stauffer will pitch for San Diego.  Game time is set for 6:35 PM ET and will be televised on Fox Sports Ohio.

Hanigan And Arroyo Help Reds Complete Sweep Of Brewers

Ryan Hanigan rounds 3rd after hitting a 3-run home run,
Sunday vs. Milwaukee.  Cincinnati ended up winning 12-3.

By: Coop


The Cincinnati Reds were hosting the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday. The Reds were looking to complete the sweep, and go to 3-0 on the year.  If they were going to reach 3-0, Bronson Arroyo would need to look like he did in his last Spring Training start, and the Reds offense would have to get some damage done again Randy Wolf, who has been a Reds killer throughout his career.  Well, Bronson looked great, and so did the Reds offense.  The Reds won 12-3, here is how.


In the 1st inning, the lead-off man, Rickie Weeks, who hit a home run in game 1, went yard.  A solo home run, and the Brewers were up 1-0 early on.


The Reds would answer back in the 2nd when Johnny Gomes hit a long one to left center, Jonny's first hit of the season, and the game was tied at 1.  Paul Janish was not a fan of the tie, so in the same inning he hit an RBI single to plate Jay Bruce, 2-1 Cincinnati on top.


In the 3rd inning, the pitcher, Randy Wolf, hit a double, then Rickie Weeks would bring him home with a double of his own.  The game was tied at 2.


The Redlegs would answer back in the 4th when Drew Stubbs reached on an infield single, Ryan Hanigan would score, the score was 3-2.  Same inning, Brandon Phillips hit his first homer of the year, it was a 3-run jack to left, 6-2.


Then in the 5th inning, Ryan Hanigan hit a solo home run to put Cincy up by 5, 7-2.


In the top of the 6th, Ryan Braun went yard off Bronson Arroyo, 7-3 the score.


In the 6th, Scott Rolen hit a sac fly to bring in Brandon Phillips to put the Reds back up by 5.  Still in the 6th, with two men on, Ryan Hanigan hit his 2nd home run of the game, and Cincinnati had an 11-3 lead.


In the 7th, Miguel Cairo hit an RBI single to center, Heisey would score, 12-3 the score, and that's how she finished. 


While Hanigan was the star of the game, Bronson Arroyo can not be overlooked.  Arroyo went 7 innings, gave up 6 hits, 3 earned runs, did not walk a batter, and fanned 5, he got the win.  A nice outing for a guy who has mononucleosis, if you ask me.  Also in this game, Reds fans got to see Aroldis Chapman for the first time this season, as he had a 1-2-3 inning in the 9th, reaching a top speed of 103 mph.  


So the Reds drink the brew, and sweep Milwaukee.  They will next play host to the Houston Astros.  The first game of that series will be Tuesday at 7:10 PM ET, you can catch the game on Fox Sports Ohio.

Reds End Spring With Win Over Tribe

By:  Cooper Ledford


The two teams that were share Goodyear, Arizona, as their spring home, the Indians and Reds, were going at it today.  The Indians were playing host.  This was the final Spring Training Game for the Reds, as they will soon head back to Cincinnati and get ready for Opening Day.  This looked like it would be interesting, as the Reds had Bronson Arroyo on the hill.  If you missed it, Bronson has mono, and people were worried about him, and how good he would do this season.  Well, today, he looked fine, looked really good, but I'll talk about him later.   Back to the game, the Reds beat the Indians 8-3.  Here is how.


In the top of the 1st, Jay Bruce hit an RBI single to bring in Phillips, 1-0 Cincy.


Cleveland would answer back in their half of the 1st when Shin-Soo Choo hit a solo home run to tie the game.


Jonny Gomes must not like tie games, because in the top of the 4th, Jonny Gomes, who hit a homer yesterday, went yard, a solo home run, 2-1 the score.  The Reds would add another run in the 5th when Joey Votto hit an RBI single to plate Stubbs, the score now 3-1.


But, Cleveland would bring back the one-run game in the 5th when Choo hit his 2nd jack of the game, another solo homer, 3-2 the score.


There would be no scoring until the Reds half of the 8th when Juan Francisco hit an RBI single to bring in Mike Costanzo (remember him from yesterday?), 4-2 the score.  But that was only the 1st of the 4 runs the Reds would score in that inning.  The 2nd run was scored when Chris Heisey hit an RBI one-bagger to plate Francisco, 5-2.  The 3rd run was scored when Paul Janish grounded into a force out, but with Denis Phipps on 3rd, that would be an RBI, as Phipps would score, 6-2.  The final run of the inning was scored when Jake Kahaulelio hit a RBI single to left, Janish would score, 7-2 the score at the end of the rally inning.


The Tribe would add a run in their 8th when Jordan Brown hit a sac fly to bring home Sanchez, 7-3 the score.


In the top of the 9th, just for the heck-of-it, Ryan Hanigan added a run with an RBI single to plate Heisey, 8-3 the final, and that is how she finished.


As promised, I will talk about Bronson Arroyo.  The high-kicking #61 went 6.1 innings, gave up 6 hits, 2 earned runs, walked 1, and struck-out  3.  So a nice final Spring Training outing for Bronson in front of 4108 people in Goodyear, Arizona.


The Reds finish Spring Training Games with a 17-14-2 record.


So Reds fans, are you excited like me?  You better be, because Opening Day is only 2 days away.  Don't forget about it.  The Cincinnati Reds will battle the Milwaukee Brewers, Thursday, at 2:10 PM ET, the game will be televised on Fox Sports Ohio, and Local 12.  Pitching in that game will be Edinson Volquez.

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.

Reds Tear Up Harang, Beat SD

By:  Cooper Ledford


Remember Aaron Harang?  Of course you do.  Who could forget his Cy Young Caliber seasons, or shall I say season with the Reds, and then his....terribleness for the following years.  Well, Harangatang was starting for the Padres today.  The Reds scored 7 runs off of him, and went on to win 15-5.  Yeah.


I am not gonna say all the scoring plays, as I do not have time (seriously, I gotta go eat dinner in 30 minutes), but I will give you some good bullet points to what happened in this game.

• Aaron Harang went 3 innings, gave up 7 hits, 7 ER, walked 1, and struck out 1.  He is the loser.
• Reineke got the start for Cincinnati, and had 2 scoreless innings of work, his only blunder was one walk.  He picks up his 2nd win of the Spring.
• Dave Sappelt looked good once again, as he had 2 RBI's.
• Ryan Hanigan, Chris Heisey, and Juan Francisco all hit home runs.
• Todd Frazier got in on some action today, as he had an RBI single. 

Tomorrow the Reds will head back to Goodyear to play host to the San Francisco Giants.  Game time is at 3:05 PM ET, and sadly there will be no TV...again.