Reds Win, Despite Trailing 3-0

By:  Cooper Ledford

The Cincinnati Reds were hosting the Philadelphia Phillies in the final game of the three game series, and the final home game before the Reds go on an 11 game road trip before the All-Star Break.  The Reds had a tough task, as the former Cy Young Winner, Roy Halladay was on the hill for Philly.  However, the Reds did well against Mr. Perfect, and won 4-3, here's how.

The Phillies would get all three of their runs off of one swing, that was in the 4th inning when former Red, Dane Sardinha hit a three run blast to left field, and the Phils had a 3-0 lead, but that could not hold off the Battlin' Redlegs.

In the 6th inning, Joey Votto hit a line drive solo home run to right field, and the Reds were on the board 3-1.  Later on, in the 7th, Orlando Cabrera hit an RBI single to plate Ramon Hernandez and advance Brandon Phillips to 3rd, and that would make it a 2 run game.  Then, in the bottom of the 8th inning, with Jonny Gomes standing on 1st with nobody out, Jay Bruce stepped to the plate, and he crushed a home run to the sun deck in right field, and the Reds grabbed a 4-3 lead, and that would be how she finished.

So the Reds take 2-out-of-3 from the defending NL Champs, the Philadelphia Phillies, and will remain in 1st place, but the question is: Will they be tied for 1st, or 1 game ahead.  We will have to be scoreboard watching as St. Louis takes on Arizona.

Back to this game, Arthur Rhodes is the winner as he is now 3-2 and Halladay is the loser, he is 9-7.

Tomorrow, the Reds kick off a 4 game series with the team from the North Side of Chicago, as Travis Wood will make his MLB debut, but the Reds will have another tough task, being Carlos Silva.  Tomorrow's game is at 2:20 PM ET and will be on FS Ohio.

Comeback Falls Short, Reds Lose In 10

By:  Cooper Ledford

In the second game of the series, the Reds had Mike Leake on the hill, and for the Phillies, it was Joe Blanton.  The Reds needed to win this game, as tomorrow it is a pitching match up between Roy Halladay and Aaron Harang, and we all know who the better picther is between those two, and it is the one that plays in the NL East. 

In the bottom of the first, after Brandon Phillips hit a leadoff triple, Orlando Cabrera grounded out to 2nd base, but that would bring in BP, and the Reds took a 1-0 lead, but it would not last.

In the 2nd inning, Mike Leake looked like an OK little leaguer, in MLB terms, that means he looked terrible.  After walking 2 batters, the catcher Brian Schneider hit a three-run home run, WALKS WILL HAUNT, it was 3-0 with the Phillies on top.  Then, in the 4th inning, Jason Valdez hit a three run home run, 6-1 was the score.

Then, in the 6th inning the Reds would get some runs.  Ramon Hernandez hit an RBI double, that would bring in Cairo and Heisey, 6-3 was the score.

Then, going into the bottom of the 9th the Reds were down by 3, and after Brad Lidge got the first two outs, Brandon Phillips got walked and Orlando Carbrera got a base hit, in stepped Joey Votto.  And guess what, he crushed it, I'M TALKIN' 'BOUT A 3-RUN JACK to center field just shy of the power stacks, and the Battlin' Redlegs tied it up at 6.  Holy Cow!  However, the tie game would not last.

In the top of the 10th Arthur Rhodes came on to picth, so an easy inning right?  Wrong.  After giving up a double , and a walk Raul Ibanez came up to the plate, he hit it off the wall in center field, Drew Stubbs ALMOST made the catch, but was unable to, Howard would score from second.  Just like that Arthur Rhodes's scoreless streak ended (whaaa!), which was 30 innings, but more importantly the Phillies took a 7-6 lead.  8-6 would be the score when Ben Francisco hit an RBI single to bring in Jayson Werth, 8-6 was the score with still no outs.  The Phiilies were still not done in the inning, runners were on the corners with no outs, and Jason Valdez laid down a saftey squeez, Raul Ibanez scored, 9-6 was the score.  In this inning, the Reds gave Philadelphia 4 extra outs, a missed catch by Laynce Nix, a missed catch by Drew Stubbs, a dropped throw home by Ramon Hernandez, and a missed catch on a double play oppertunity by Orlando Cabrera, and 3 out of the 4 extra outs meant runs.  Had Nix, Stubbs, and Hernandez all done their jobs, it would be a scorless inning, but that;s not the case as 3 runs came to the plate for the Phillies.

As for Mike Leake, he did pretty bad as he goes 6 innings, gave up 7 hits, 6 ER, 2 BB, and 4 strikeouts.  I should not say he did bad, but he gave up 2 3-run homer which were important.  Mike Leake has not looked all that good recently, hopefully he can get back on track and start pitching better. 

The Phillies starter, Joe Blanton did well for a "bad" pitcher, as he went 7.2 innings, gave up 8 hits, 3 ER, 2 BB, and 2 strikeouts.

The winner is J.C Romero and the loser is Arthur Rhodes.

Tomorrow's game will be televised on MLB Network, and it is Roy Halladay vs. Aaron Harang as I mentioned.  Game time is set for 12:25 PM ET.  If the Reds can win this game I will be shocked.

Benson Arrested. Another Bengal, Another Mug Shot

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - Bengals running back Cedric Benson was arrested Tuesday and charged with misdemeanor assault for allegedly punching a bar employee in the face nearly a month ago.


Benson was booked into the Travis County jail where he later posted bail and was released, authorities said.

According to the Austin police arrest affidavit, Benson was at Annie's West bar in the Sixth Street entertainment district on May 30 when he got into an altercation with another patron that left him spitting blood from a cut lip. After staff intervened, witnesses told police Benson shoved a bar worker and was verbally abusive. After being asked to leave, Benson was escorted to the door.

Benson's attorney, Sam Bassett, said his client "looks forward to telling his side of the story at the appropriate time.''

"Though he does not entirely agree with the version of facts recited in the court filings,'' Bassett said, "he does not wish to make his comments public at this time.

"Mr. Benson has always been willing to cooperate with the Austin Police Department to tell his version of what happened so long as he could have a lawyer present. The Austin Police Department decided to go forward with obtaining a warrant without obtaining Mr. Benson's side of the story.''

Drafted in the first round by the Bears in 2005, Benson spent three mostly unproductive seasons with Chicago before being released in 2008. He signed as a free agent with the Bengals and led the team with a career-high 1,251 yards and six touchdowns in 2009.

Reds Win, Rolen Hits #300

By:  Cooper Ledford

The Cincinnati Reds were starting a three game series with the defending NL Champions, the Philadelphia Phillies, as it is the last home series before going on an 11 game road trip before the All-Star Game.  In game one of the series, the Reds won 7-3, as Johnny Cueto had a stellar night, as he picked up win #8, and Scott Rolen hit his 300th career home run, and also, the Lefty, Bill Bray made his first MLB appearance since 2008 after having Tommy John's surgery, here is how all of the runs were scored.

In the bottom of the 4th inning, Scott Rolen hit a 2-run homer, to give the Reds a 2-0 lead, and as I mentioned, it was his 300th home run of his career, congratulations to him.  Later on, in the bottom of the 6th, Joey Votto hit an RBI single to right field to bring in Johnny Cueto, it was 3-0 Redlegs on top.  Same inning, Scott Rolen hit a sac fly to center field, that would plate Brandon Phillips, and the Reds had a 4-0 lead.

The Phillies would get on the board when Raul Ibanez hit an RBI single after a triple off of the center field wall by Ryan Howard, it was 4-1, good guys still on top.

Cincinnati would then get two runs in the bottom of the 7th, the first run was plated when Ramon Hernandez hit his 8th two-bagger of the season, it scored Drew Stubbs, it was 5-1.  The second run of the inning was off of the bat of Orlando Cabrera, as he hit an RBI single to plate Hernandez, 6-1 was the score.  Then, in the 8th inning the Reds would pick up one more insurance run in the 8th inning, when Chris Heisey hit a sac fly to bring around Jay Bruce, it was 7-1.

Then, in the top of the 9th inning, Bill Bray took over on the hill for the first time in the MLB since 2008, after having surgery on his left arm, as I told you, and after months of rehab, he is back in the big club.  After getting the first two outs, he gave up a base hit to Jayson Werth, then Raul Ibanez made him pay as he hit a 2-run jack to right field, 7-3 was the score, but Bill Bray was able to strikeout Dane Sardinha to end the game, and the Reds hold on to 1st place in the NL Central irregardless of what St. Louis does, and they improve their record to 43-34.

Johnny Cueto got the win, as he is now 8-2, tonight he went 8 innings, gave up 6 hits, 1 ER, and believe it or not, no strikeouts, but it does not matter, as he makes another great start. Kyle Kendrick is the loser as he is now 4-3 and goes 6.1 innings, gave up 8 hits, 5 ER, no walks, and had 4 strikeouts.

Tomorrow the Reds will try and at least win the series, as it is Mike Leake (5-1, 2.92) on the hill vs. Joe Blanton (3-5, 6.53 ERA).  This is a game the Reds need to win, because in the final game of the series, Mr. Perfect, Roy Halladay will be facing off TBA for the Reds.  The pitcher is TBA because Sam LeCure was sent down to AAA Louisville. Anyways, back to game 2, the game is at 7:10 PM ET and will be televised on FS Ohio.

CONGRATULATIONS TO SCOTT ROLEN ON HITTING HOME RUN #300, AND CONGRATULATIONS TO BILL BRAY ON RETURNING TO THE MLB!

Commandos Are The 2010 CIFL Champions!

By:  Cooper Ledford and Jeff Geiser

The Cincinnati Commandos were trying to cap off a great season, as they were trying to bring championship #2 to the city of Cincinnati in 2010, but they had a tough task: beat the Wisconsin Wolfpack in the Title Game.  Wisconsin gave the Commandos their only loss of the season, coming the last week of the season, but this time, the Commandos were able to hold off the 'Pack and capture the CIFL as they won 54-40.  This is the first professional football championship that Cincinnati has had, come on Bengals, make the 2nd, next season.

Back to the Commandos game, they might say that defense wins championships, but not in this game, it was all offense.  However, the Commandos defense tied the record for most interceptions in a CIFL Title game, with three.  

Ben Mauk, Cincinnati's QB,  went 18-29 passing with 195 yards, 4 touchdowns and no interceptions, he easily capture the 2010 CIFL Title Game MVP Award.

Both teams scored on their first drives, but on the Commandos second drive, the ball was spotted on the 1 yard line, and it was 4th and goal, Cincy chose to go for it, but the Wolfpack's front 4 was able to stop Greg Moore.

Cincinnati's defense would take their anger out on Wisconsin when their was a fumble on 1st and 10 from the Wolfpacks goal line, it was recovered in the endzone by Cornett, it was 14-7 with the Commandos on top.

It appeared the Commandos were going to pull away in the second quarter when WR Brandon Boehm snatched the football out of the air between two defenders for a touchdown, increasing Cincinnati’s lead to 20-7.


But Wisconsin quarterback Matt Schabert had other plans. He led the Wolfpack to a six play, 45-yard scoring drive just before halftime, capping it off with a 1-yard touchdown pass to Marcus Lewis as time expired and putting Wisconsin right back in the game, with Cincinnati leading 20-14 at halftime.

The third quarter started off on a frenetic pace, with both teams putting together scoring drives in each of its first two possessions, highlighted by RB Ray Jackson’s 48-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Mauk threw two touchdown passes in the third period: a 27-yard laser to WR Robert Redd on a fly pattern and a 29-yard strike to Boehm to give Cincinnati a 40-26 lead heading into the fourth.

Wisconsin simply would not give up without a fight. After Schabert and Mauk exchanged touchdown passes to make the score 47-33, Wolfpack WR Brandon Wogoman, who broke the CIFL title game record with 14 receptions, returned the ensuing kickoff all the way down to the Cincinnati 5-yard line.

With Wisconsin on the brink of pulling to within one score, DE James Frazier came up with the play of the game when he swiped the football out of Schabert’s hand and Wilson recovered with 7:03 left in the game.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE CINCINNATI COMMANDOS ON A GREAT 1ST SEASON.

This will not be the Commandos final season, as some thought it would be a one-and-done deal, but no way, the Commandos will pursue another CIFL Title in 2011.  The Commandos will try and get more publicity, and get better media relations, as they could be on a better radio station, and perhaps even TV.  The Commandos are also trying to get more fans to come to the games (at the Cincinnati Gardens) and might get new logos.

Reds Push Winning Streak To 5 Games

By:  Cooper Ledford

In the 2nd game of the series, the Reds were trying to win their 5th game in-a-row, and that they did.  After a poor outing by starter, Sam LeCure, the Reds got the bats going, and the bullpen did their job, giving the Reds their 42nd win of the season, as they are now atop the NL Central with a half game lead over St. Louis.  Here is how the scoring took place.

In the top of the 1st, Carlos Santana hit an RBI double, that plated Choo, it was 1-0 with the Northern Team on top. 

In the bottom of the 1st, the Reds would tie it up when Scott Rolen hit an RBI single to plate Orlando Cabrera, 1-1 was the score.

The Tribe would take their lead back in the 4th inning when Anderson Hernandez hit a ground-rule double, that plated Jhonny Peralta and brother of Laynce Nix, Jason Nix, it was 3-1 Indians.

The Reds would make it a one run game in the 5th when Micah Owings hit an RBI single to plate Drew Stubbs, it was 3-2.  Same inning, the Reds would tie it up when Joey Votto grounded out to 1st, but that would bring Cabrera home 3-3 was the score.

Cincinnati was able to take the lead in the 6th when Laynce Nix hit an RBI single to plate Jay Bruce, it was 4-3.  But, that was not all Cincy would get in the 6th, infact they would get two more runs.  One run was scored when Cairo hit a sac fly, Nix scored, it was 5-3.  The last run of the inning was plated when "The Speeder" Brandon Phillips hit an RBI single, Stubbs scored, and it was 6-3.

Cleveland would get a run in the top of the 9th when the former Reds, Austin Kearns hit an RBI single, Trevor Crowe scored, it was 6-4.  But, Coco Cordero was able to get out of a two-on, two-out jam, and the Reds win.

The winner is Danny Herrara got the win after going a PERFECT 0.1 inning (ha ha).  Sam LeCure strugled today, as he went just 3 1/3 innings, gave up 6 hits, 3 ER, 4 BB, and 2 K's.

The Reds capture the Ohio Cup (I'd rather the USA capture the World Cup, say you're sorry Ghana!) and will try to sweep the Indians tomorrow, as it is the final game of Interleague play for the Reds.  The game will be at 1:10 PM ET and will be televised on FS Ohio.

Reds Pound Tribe

The Cincinnati Reds were trying to push their winning streak to 4 games, as they were facing the Cleveland Indians.  The Reds were able to pick up a win, 10-3.  Here is how.

In the 2nd inning, Drew Stubbs hit a 2-run home run, to give the Reds an early 2-0 lead.  Then, in the bottom of the 3rd, the Reds would get 3 runs.  The first was plated when Scott Rolen walked with the bases loaded, the next 2 were from sac flys by Jonny Gomes and Jay Bruce, the Reds had a 5-0 lead. 

The Indians would get on the board in the top of the 5th when Carlos Santana hit a 2-run homer, it was 5-2.

The Reds would answer back with a big 5th inning, as they got 4 runs.  The first run was off the bat of Scott Rolen, as he hit a solo home run, his 16th long ball of the season, it was 6-2.  8-2 would be the score after Drew Stubbs hit an RBI single which plated Gomes and Bruce.  Then, to finish things off, Ramon Hernandez hit an RBI single to plate Stubbs, it was 9-2.

The Indians would get another run in the 6th when Peralta hit a solo homer, it was 9-3.

In the 7th inning, Laynce Nix hit an RBI single to plate Bruce, 10-3 was the score, and that is how she finished.

Reds Make Gary Matthews Jr. Signing Official

The Cincinnati Reds and free agent OF Gary Matthews Jr. agreed to a minor league contract and he will report to AAA Louisville immediately. He was cut by the New York Mets in mid-June after batting just .190 and only 1 RBI. This move provides the Bats with some outfield depth and can give the Reds some veteran experience if called upon later in the season. In 2006, he joined his father Gary Matthews Jr. as the 11th father-son duo to play in an MLB All-Star game. Gary Matthews Jr. is a career .257 hitter with 108 home runs, 484 RBI's, and and 95 stolen bases in 4103 career at-bats over the course of 11 seasons.

Kentucky Makes History With Five First Round Picks

The University of Kentucky made history with John Wall being the first former UK player to be the #1 overall pick in an NBA Draft and had five players chosen in the first round which is the most every in one round for a single draft in NBA history. Should do marvelous things for UK in recruiting seeing how quick players can get to the NBA when they come to UK. Here's where everyone from the SWO Sports area who got drafted.

Kentucky Wildcats
John Wall, 1st overall drafted by the Washington Wizards
DeMarcus Cousins, 5th overall drafted by the Sacramento Kings
Patrick Patterson, 14th overall drafted by the Houston Rockets
Eric Bledsoe, 18th overall drafted by Oklahoma City Thunder, traded to the Los Angeles Clippers
Daniel Orton, 29th overall drafted by the Orlando Magic
* All Kentucky Players Drafted In The 1st Round

Ohio State Buckeyes
Evan Turner, #2 overall, drafted by the Philadelphia 76ers

Xavier Musketeers
Jordan Crawford, #27 overall drafted by the New Jersey Nets, traded to the Atlanta Hawks

Cincinnati Bearcats

Lance Stephenson, 2nd round #40 overall, drafted by the Indiana Pacers

Reds Update Around The Ball Club

For the first time in his minor league career, Aroldis Chapman pitched out of the bullpen for the Louisville Bats today. The organization decided to see how he would fare out of the bullpen since Edinson Volquez had a rehab start. He pitched two innings and allowed one run, two hits and one walk with three strikeouts. Walt Jocketty, Reds GM said that this is something "We may look at" referring to using Chapman out of the bullpen. Chapman has appeared in 14 games this season for the Bats,(13 starts) and has a record of 5-5 and a 4.12 ERA. He has given up 62 hits and 41 walks while recording 79 strike outs. He is usually limited to a 100 pitch count per game which usually lasts him about 5 innings. Aroldis has struggled with consistency and command so far this season. Advice Edinson Volquez has given Chapman while rehabbing in Louisville was “I told him to be aggressive with a hitter, use the fastball, he can do whatever he wants.”


Edinson Volquez pitched 5 innings and allowed just one run and no walks with one strikeout for the Bats in his rehab start today. He threw first pitch strikes to 9 of the 19 Toledo Mud Hens batters he faced and reached as high as 98 mph on the radar gun. Overall in two starts with Class A Lynchburg and one with Louisville, Volquez has allowed just one run and no walks over 13 innings. When Reds manager Dusty Baker was asked about Volquez and asked if he was eager for his return, he said, "If you get eager, then you'll have a tendency to rush him back out of need," Baker said. "We pay attention. We monitor him. Sure, we'd like to have him back tomorrow. He has to be right when he comes back. And when he comes back, we don't want him to have to leave again." "We just want him to feel no unnecessary soreness, just normal stuff," Baker said. "It'll be nice to have him back -- not just pitching, but to have him here. He's good for your team." Here's what Edinson Volquez had to say, “I feel great right now over there on the mound,” he said. “My arm is ready to go.” Volquez last pitched for the Reds on June 1, 2009. He underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in August. The Reds plan to give Volquez three more rehab starts in AAA Louisville and a return is not set but is possible he could return just after the all-star break as long as he has no unnecessary soreness.


The Reds will push back Mike Leake's next start from Sunday to Tuesday when the Philadelphia Phillies come to town. "We just did it this morning," Reds manager Dusty Baker said Wednesday of the change. "We knew we were going to do that with him. We made a promise to ourselves."  The upcoming pitchers for the Cleveland series will be Aaron Harang starting Friday, Sam LeCure on Saturday and Bronson Arroyo on Sunday. Johnny Cueto will start the series opener on Monday vs the Phillies. Mike Leake's following start will be on the 4th of July vs the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field. The Reds aim to keep the rookie pitcher at around 170 innings pitched on the year since he has not pitched much beyond that amount of innings before in his college career and he has no minor league baseball experience after making the jump straight from college to the MLB. Reds GM Walt Jocketty said that number of innings they want to limit Leake to is not set in stone as of yet.


Ryan Hannigan will begin a rehab assignment in AAA Louisville on Thursday where he is expected to be there from a week to 10 days. "He's on a program to DH a couple of games and catch a game," Reds general manager Walt Jocketty said. "We've patterned it like that."  Hanigan has been on the DL since May 29 with a broken left thumb. He has been able to hit for several days, but still has pain while trying to catch. He caught Johnny Cueto's side bullpen session this week and warmed up Reds relievers in yesterday's game vs the A's.

Reds Complete Sweep Of The Oakland Athletics

20 years ago the Reds swept the Oakland A's four games to none to with the World Series in 1990. The Reds will sweep the A's again with a 3-0 victory and after getting swept in Seattle, the Reds go .500 on this road trip. Johnny Cueto was brilliant today on the mound. Cueto went seven innings giving up zero runs and had four strikeouts. This was his 2nd great start on this road trip after a good game last Friday in Seattle where he got outdueled 1-0 by Cliff Lee. Vin Mazzaro threw well for the A's today going seven innings and giving up just two earned runs. Francisco Cordero picked up his 19th save of the season. Overall, this was a great pitching series for both the Cincinnati Reds and the Oakland Athletics.

The Reds would get going early in the top of the first inning when Jay Bruce singled to right fielder Gabe Gross that scored Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips. The Reds would take a 2-0 lead. Jonny Gomes in the top of the 8th inning hit his 14th double of the year to left fielder Rajai Davis and scored Joey Votto. The Reds would take a 3-0 lead and that would be all they would need to get the victory and complete the sweep over the Oakland Athletics. The Reds will be off tomorrow and will resume play Friday back at home for the Battle of the Ohio Cup as they face off against the Cleveland Indians.

Cincinnati Defeats Oakland 4-2

Bronson Arroyo becomes the first Reds pitcher to seven wins with a 4-2 victory over the Oakland Athletics. Bronson Arroyo went 8 innings and gave up just two earned runs. Dallas Braden who threw a perfect game earlier this season vs the Tampa Bay Rays received the loss going 6 innings and giving up 6 earned runs. Francisco Cordero recorded his 18th save of the season.

The Reds got going early int he 2nd inning with a Corky Miller single that scored Jonny Gomes and Jay Bruce. 2-0 Reds. In the top of the 3rd inning, Joey Votto doubled to right field scoring Brandon Phillips to give the Reds a 3-0 lead. In the bottom of the 3rd inning, Coco Crisp hits a 2-run home run to right center field scoring Cliff Pennington. 3-2 Reds. In the top of the 5th, Drew Stubbs reached on a throwing error by SS Cliff Pennington and Scott Rolen scored.

The Reds will head into game 3 already sealing up the series win vs the A's and will look for the sweep. Johnny Cueto (6-2, 4.30) will face off against Vin Mazzaro (2-1, 5.22) in a 3:35 PM ET start time. Radio broadcast only.

Reds Snap Losing Streak In Game 1 vs Oakland

The Reds snapped a 3-game losing streak with a 6-4 victory over the Oakland Athletics. Mike Leake went 6 innings and gave up just one earned run. Gio Gonzalez pitched 7 innings and gave up just one earned run as well. On for the save was Francisco Cordero at the top of the 9th but he blew his 5th save of the year. He picked up the victory though and Jordan Smith came in and picked up his first career save in the MLB. Michael Wuertz was hooked with the loss giving up 2 runs in just 0.1 innings.

Joey Votto started off the night with a double in the top of the 1st scoring Brandon Phillips. 1-0 Reds. At the bottom of the 5th, newly acquired Oakland Athletic Conor Jackson tied things up with a single scoring Rajai Davis. At the top of the 9th, Jay Bruce broke the tie with a single off of the A's closer Andrew Bailey to give the Reds a 2-1 lead. Francisco Cordero came on for the save in the bottom of the 9th and allowed a game-tying solo home run to Kevin Kouzmanoff. The Reds broke at the top of the 10th with 3 home runs. Ramon Hernandez gave the Reds a 3-2 lead with a solo blast to left field. Later Joey Votto would hit a 2-run blast to center field scoring Brandon Phillips. 5-2 Reds. Scott Rolen would make his back-to-back home runs with a solo home run to left field and gave the Reds a 6-2 lead. Oakland would score twice in the bottom of the 10th. Ryan Sweeney grounded out to Brandon Phillips and scored Daric Barton. Kevin Kouzmanoff would ground out to SS Paul Janish and score Conor Jackson.

Bronson Arroyo (6-3, 4.53) will be on the hill for the Reds tomorrow taking on Dallas Braden (4-6, 3.78) who threw a perfect game earlier this year vs the Tampa Bay Rays. Start time at 10:05 PM ET and televised on FS Ohio.

Reds Close To Signing Veteran Outfielder Gary Matthews Jr.

The Reds are expected to sign veteran free agent Gary Matthews Jr. to a minor league contract in the next few days. The 35 year old outfielder had his best season in 2006 when he was with the Texas Rangers and hit .313 with 19 home runs and 79 RBIs. He was given  a 5-year contract worth $50 million by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim after his strong season four years ago. He never lived up to his contract in what many experts say is one of the worst contracts of all time. On January 22, 2010, the Angels traded him to the New York Mets for Brian Stokes. He was released by the New York Mets on June 15th after hit for a natural cycle in a game against the Detroit Tigers with a single for his first hit, a double for his second, a triple for his third, and a home run for his fourth. On June 28th of last season, he stole home vs the Chicago Cubs. On July 1st, 2006, Matthews made a brilliant catch robbing a home run vs the Houston Astros' Mike Lamb in what would be known as one of the best catches made in baseball history.

View video footage of Matthews catch at the link below.

Gary_Matthews_Catch

Reds Get Swept By Last Place Mariners

The Reds lose to the Seattle Mariners 1-0 today in a great pitching duel. Ryan Rowland-Smith was on the hill for the Mariners. He came into the ball game winless, 0-6 with an ERA slightly under 6.00 but after 6 scoreless innings, he picked up his first win of the season allowing just 3 hits. David Aardsma recored his 15th save of the season.

Aaron Harang pitched brilliantly for the Reds. He went 6 innings and gave up 3 hits and just one run. Franklin Guttierez hit a sac fly to the centerfielder Drew Stubbs and Chone Figgins scored. Despite the excellent performance by Harang, the run support was not there today or at all in the series so Harang suffers another loss putting him at 5-7 on the season.

A series that could have very easily been reversed had the offense not went cold and the Reds would have swept the Mariners because of excellent pitching from Johnny Cueto in game one, Same LeCure yesterday, and Aaron Harang today. Good news today though, the Oakland Athletics beat the St. Louis Cardinals 4-3 so the Reds remain just 1.5 games back out of the N.L. Central lead.

The Reds will continue their long road trip to Oakland to take on the A's at 10:05 PM on FSN Ohio. Mike Leake (5-1) 3.02 ERA will face off againt Gio Gonzalez (6-5) 4.21 ERA in game one of a three game series.

Vacation

By:  Cooper Ledford

As I go on vacation, my good friend, Jeremy will be filling in for me.  He has wrote on this blog before, and I am excited for him to return for a few days.  He will be making recaps for the games of the 20th-23rd. Enjoy him.

While I am enjoying days at the beach, it will be no day at the beach for the Reds, as they continue their West Coast Road Trip, where they suck.  I hope that I can wake up in the morning, (gotta get to bed early so I can get up early and do a bunch of fun vacation stuff) and see that the Reds won and the Cardinals lost.  I hope when I come back to Southwestern Ohio I can see the Reds play as a 1st place team.

Commandos To CIFL Title Game!

By: Jess Geiser and Cooper Ledford.

The Cincinnati Commandos are going to the CIFL Championship Game (as the title told you), after beating Miami Valley yesterday, Friday the 18th of June.  The Commandos still only have one loss on the season, coming to Wisconsin, but this was an easy win over the Silverbacks, as Cincy won 48-24.

Cincinnati quarterback Ben Mauk threw six touchdown passes – two each to receivers Brandon Boehm, Johnny Long and Robert Redd – and finished the game 18-28 for 201 yards.

As the Commando offense scored on its first three possessions, the defense was busy shutting out the Silverbacks in the first quarter.

Commandos DE James Spikes recovered a botched shotgun snap on Miami Valley’s first offensive play to set up Cincinnati’s second touchdown, a 7-yard RB Ray Jackson rush up the middle to put the Commandos ahead 13-0 with 10:23 to go in the first.

On Cincinnati’s third possession, Mauk completed a 1-yard lob pass to Long for a score, increasing the Commandos’ lead to 21-0.

In the opening drive of the second half James Frazier swatted the football out of Miami Valley QB Chris Sanford’s grasp and Spikes recovered, setting up Mauk’s third touchdown of the game – a 12-yard swing pass to Boehm.

Boehm later sealed the deal when he caught a 33-yard touchdown bomb between two Silverback defenders at the 12:39 mark in the fourth quarter, extending Cincinnati’s lead to 41-12.

The No. 1 seed Commandos will face the winner of the Fort Wayne vs. Wisconsin game, scheduled on Saturday.

The CIFL championship game will start at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 26 at Cincinnati Gardens. Tickets are available through Ticketmaster.com and the Cincinnati Gardens box office.

Cueto Great, But Lee Better

By:  Cooper Ledford

The Cincinnati Reds started their six game road trip, Friday, their first stop was in Seattle, Washington.  Seattle is famous for coffe, and to Mariners fans, this game was like a cup of coffe, quick, simple, and great.  It was a pitchers' duel, Johnny Cueto vs. Cliff Lee.  Cueto shined, but Cliff Lee did even better, throwing a complete game shutout.  The M's won 1-0.

The only run of the game was off the bat of Josh Wilson, as he hit an RBI single, just dropping in front of Chris Heisey, that would plate Jose Lopez, as Lopez just missed the tag from Corky Miller, that was in the 6th inning, the Reds failed to get on the board, but that is the power of Cliff Lee.

With this loss, and the Cards winning, the Reds fall out of 1st place, as they are .5 games behind the Red Birds.

Perhaps the Reds need to play small ball in their next game, for two reasons:

1. The Reds face another great pitcher, being Felix Hernandez.
2. They are in a huge ballpark, Safeco Field, where it is hard to hit home runs, they don't need to swing at the fence, just worry about: Get 'em on, get 'em over, get 'em in, then the Reds have a shot.

Anyways, back to the game.  The loser is Johnny Cueto, even though he had a great game, as he went only 5.2 innings (pitch count was high), gave up 4 hits, 1 ER, 2 BB, and 5 K's.

Cliff Lee went all 9 innings, gave up 6 hits, 0 ER, 0 BB, and 7 K's.  Cliff Lee has only walked 4 batters this season...COME TO CINCINNATI, CLIFF!

Reds Avoid Sweep, Back To 1st Place...Alone

By:  Cooper Ledford

First of all, sorry I have not made a recap for the last few games, I was too mad to (How can you lose to the Royals and lose 12-0 to LA?)  Anyways, today the Reds were hosting the Dodgers in the final game of the three game series, and the final game of the Reds 10 game homestand.  The Reds were trying to avoid the sweep, and that they did as Bronson Arroyo was excellent with the ball, and the bat, as the Reds won 7-1, here's how.

LA got their only run of the game in the 2nd inning, when the pitcher, John Ely hit an RBI single to plate Ellis, it was 1-0 with Los Angeles on top, but not for long.

Cincinnati would get 3 runs in the bottom of the 2nd, when Bronson Arroyo hit a 3-run home run to left field, Bruce and Miller both scored, and the Reds took a 3-1 lead, and never looked back.  Later on, in the 3rd inning, Joey Votto hit his 14th homer of the season, it was a 2-run jack to to bring around Phillips, it was 5-1.  Then, in the 5th inning, the Red Hot, Brandon Phillips hit a solo home run, this one to center field, and Cincy had a 6-1 lead.  Then, same inning, Jay Bruce hit an RBI single to plate Scott Rolen, it was 7-1 and that is how it finished.

As for the winner, Bronson Arroyo, he went 7.0 innings, gave up 5 hits, 1 ER, 3 BB, and 1 K.

Next, the Reds travel all the way to Seattle to take on Cliff Lee and the Mariners, the game will be on FS Ohio and will be at 10:10 PM ET.

Gomes Hits Two 3-Run Homers, Reds Win

By: Cooper Ledford

In game two of the series, (sorry for not making a recap from last night's game...too mad) the Reds beat the Kansas City Rolyals 11-5.  After the Reds got a 4-0 lead in the 1st, Johnny Cueto blew it in the 2nd (de ja vue all over again from last night), but then the Reds re-took their lead, and held on.  Here is how the runs were scored.

In the 1st inning, the Reds scored 4 runs, the first was off of the bat of Brandon Phillips, as he hit a solo home run, his 8th homer of the season, and it was 1-0.  Then, the other 3 runs came off of the bat of Jonny Gomes, as he crushed a 3-run jack to the Kroger Bleachers in left field, and the Reds gave Johnny Cueto a 4 run cushion, but that would not last.

In the bottom of the 2nd inning, the Royals scored all 5 of their runs.  The first was when Betancourt grounded out, but that would bring in Jose Guillen, it was 4-1.  Then, the pitcher, Bannister hit an RBI doule to bring in a run, the Reds lead of 4 (to start the inning) was cut in half.  Then, after two walks, David DeJesus hit an RBI double which allowed three runners to score, and KC took the lead, 5-4.  But, the Reds would answer back.

In the bottom of the 3rd, Jonny Gomes got the green light on a 3-0 count with two runners on, and hit ANOTHER   3-run home run, once again to left filed, and the Reds took their lead back, 7-5 was the score.  Then, the next batter, Jay Bruce, hit a triple off the wall, and he would later come across to score off of a single by Ramon Hernandez.  It was then 8-5 with Cincinnati on top.

Then, in the 4th inning the Reds would get three runs.  The first was off of Joey Votto's bat, as he hit an RBI single to plate Orlando Cabrera, it was 9-5.  Then, Scott Rolen hit an RBI single to bring around Brandon Phillips, it was 10-5.  Then, the final run of the game was off of a Drew Stubbs sac fly to plate Votto, it was 11-5, and that is how she finished, as the Reds Lead, Trail, Lead, and then win.

Johnny Cueto gets the win as he is now 8-1.  He gave up 5 ER in 6.0 innings, he also gave up just 5 hits, walked 4, and fanned 6.

Tomorrow will be the rubber game, as the Reds will try and take 2/3 games in the series, as Sam LeCure (1-2) will take on Zack Greinke (1-8).  First pitch is at 1:10 PM ET and will be televised on FS Ohio.

Reds Get It Done In The 8th, Beat Giants

By: Cooper Ledford

In the 4th and final game of the series between the Cincinnati Reds and the San Francisco Giants, the Reds won 7-6, and overcame a four run deficit.  The rookie, Mike Leake had his first career "bad" start, or at least his worst so far.  However, the Reds had the bats going late in the game, and saved Leake from getting his first MLB loss.  Here is all of the scoring plays.

In the top of the 1st inning, Aubrey Huff hit an RBI double to bring in the "Panda", it was 1-0 San Fran on top.  It was 2-0 in the 2nd, after Aaron Rowand went yard for the 6th time this season, it was a solo home run.  Then, in the 3rd inning, Aubrey Huff hit a solo home run, and it was a 3-0 lead for the Giants.  Then, same inning, Bengie Molina hit an RBI single to plate Uribe to make it 4-0.

The Reds would get on the board when  Joey Votto walked with the bases loaded, Mike Leake came across to score, 4-1 was our score.  Then, same inning (the Reds would have one heck of a 3rd inning, they scored 4 runs) Scott Rolen hit a sac fly, Brandon Phillips would be plated, it was 4-2.  Then, Paul Janish would score off of an RBI single by Jonny Gomes, it was 4-3.  "The Battlin' Redlegs" (to quote Jim Day) would tie it up when Jay Bruce hit an RBI single to allow Votto to score, it was 4-4.

The Reds would give up their lead in the 5th, when Pat Burrell reached on a fielding error by Scott Rolen, Buster Posey came around to score, it was 5-4.  The G-Men would take the lead by a sixth of a dozen (2) in the 7th, when Freddy Sanchez hit an RBI single to bring around Aaron Rowand to score, it was 6-4.

Then, in the 8th inning (incase you could not tell by the title of this article) the Reds got the job done, as they scored 3 runs.  The first and second run came off of the bat of Brandon Phillips, as he hit a triple, yes, a TRIPLE, that means Brandon Phillips had to hustle, and he did.  Anyways, Hesiey and Hernandez scored, it was 6-6, and that was BP's 4th hit of the day (4-5).  Then, Joey Votto would bring Phillips home from third off an RBI single, that just got past the pitcher, Mota, the Reds took the lead, 7-6, and held on.  Yes, they held on, which means Franscico Cordero did his job, I'm talkin' about a 1,2,3 inning baby!  So, the Reds win and are now 35-26, as they split the series with San Francisco, and are now 1.5 games ahead of the Cards for 1st place in the NL Central.

As for Mike Leake, he went 4.1 innings (shortest outing of career), gave up 5 ER (most of career) and gave up 11 hits, 4 BB, and only 2 K's.  But, it's all fine and dandy as the Reds win and he is still undefeated at 5-0.  Arthur Rhodes (2-1) got the win, Cordero got the save, and Mota got the loss (0-2).

The Reds will next host the Kansas City Rolyals as inter-league play resumes.  Game one will be at 7:10 PM ET and will be back on local TV on FS Ohio.

Harang Now At .500, Reds Win

By:  Cooper Ledford


In the third game of the series between the San Francisco Giants and the Cincinnati Reds, the Reds won 6-3.  Aaron Harang got the win, as he is now 5-5, and the loser is Sanchez as he is now 4-5.  Here is the scoring plays.

To start things off, in the 1st inning, Scott Rolen hit an RBI double to plate Orlando Cabrera, it was 1-0. 

The Giants would take the lead in the 2nd, when Buster Posey hit his first MLB home run, it was a two run jack to bring in Pat Burrell, and it was 2-1. 

The Reds would tie it up in the 3rd, when Jonny Gomes was walked with the bases loaded, Orlando Cabrera scored, it was 2-2.  Then, in the 5th inning, Cincinnati would take the lead when Scott Rolen hit an RBI double (again), it plated Orlando Cabrera (again), it was 3-2. In the 6th inning, Drew Stubbs went yard, a solo home run gave the Reds a 4-2 lead.  Then, in the 7th inning, Jonny Gomes hit an RBI double to bring around Votto and Rolen, it was 6-2. 

In the 9th inning, with two outs, Andres Torres hit an RBI double, Nate Schierholtz came home, it was 6-3, and that is how she finished.  So, the Reds are now 34-26 and will be scoreboard watching, as they Reds will try to be 1 game ahead of St. Louis in the NL Central, as the Card are in LA taking on the Dodgers.

Aaron Harang went 7.0 innings, gave up 5 hits, 2 ER, 3 BB, and 3 K's.

Tomorrow, the Reds will try and take 2-out-of-4 games from the Giants.  First pitch is at 12:35 PM ET and will be televised on MLB Network.

Tough Luck Loss For Sam LeCure

By:  Cooper Ledford

In game 2 of the series, the San Francisco Giants beat the Cincinnati Reds 3-0.  Sam LeCure was on the hill for the Redlegs, while Matt Cain was on the hill for the G-Men.  Here is the scoring plays.

It was a scorless game until the 4th when Juan Uribe hit his 9th home run of the season, it was a solo home run, it was 1-0 with San Fran on top.  Later on, in the 8th, Nick Masset would give up 2 runs, the first was off of an RBI single by Bengie Molina, it plated Schierholtz it was 2-0.  The second run in that inning was off of an RBI single by the pitcher, Matt Cain hit an RBI single to score Buster Posey , it was 3-0 and that is how it finished.

Sam LeCure went 6.0 innings, gave up 5 hits, 1 ER, 4 BB, and 3 K's.

This has nothing to do with the Reds, but congratulations to Stephen Strasburg, as he got a win in his 1st game in the MLB, gave up only 4 hits, 2 ER, NO walks, and 14 yes, 14 STRIKEOUTS!  I don't think Aroldis Chapman can do that.

Do The Reds Need To Replace Cordero?

By:  Cooper Ledford

Even though Reds Closer, Francisco Cordero, is 2nd in the NL in saves, he has had his share of blown saves.  He just does not seem like the Francisco Cordero of years past.  Dusty Baker cannot always depend on Cordero to throw 1 shut-out inning, and may never be able to if he does not improve.  So, here is what some fellow Reds fans said what I asked the question "Do you think the Redsshould think about getting a new closer? Why?"

"Yes, I think we need to get a new closer because:  1. He (Cordero) is old, and we need some young energy.  2.  You saw what he did [June 7, against the Nationals], he allows runs when he is supposed to be getting his save.  3.  Lastly, as a closer your ERA should not be 3.86" --Caleb

"I say remove him from the role for a limited time and move him as a set-up man like the White Sox did with Bobby Jenks and the Brewers did with Trevor Hoffman. He can rest his arm but no way does he need to be permanently replaced. He was given a 4-year contract worth $46 million dollars to come in a nail down saves, not to be a set-up man. Cordero has gotten it done throughout his career and everyone struggles. He is one of the league leaders in saves in the N.L. this year and at one point was leading all National League closers in saves. Arthur Rhodes has given up one run this whole season and deserves a chance to save games while Cordero rests up. There is 3 1/2 months to go in this season and we need a sharp Francisco Cordero if the Reds are going to contend in the N.L. Central or for the Wildcard Spot." --Jeremy

And here is what I say.
"Yes, the Reds actually care about winning, unlike in other years, and Cordero is not helping getting wins.  Sure he gets some good, 1,2,3 innings, but those are not often.  He needs to improve if he wants to stay in Cincinnati, or Dusty Baker should only put him in when the Reds have a 10 run lead, so he give up 2 grand slams and the Reds will still have the lead" --Cooper

Reds Draft Grandal

By:  Cooper Ledford

In the 1st round of the MLB First Player Draft, the Cincinnati Reds Selected a switch hitting catcher out of the University of Miami (FL), Yasmani Grandal.  The 6-foot-2, 210 pounder, is hitting .412 so far this year (Miami is still playing in the College World Series), he had 14 home runs and 56 RBI's.  Also, Yasmani is a native of Cuba.

It is some-what of a surprise that the Reds passed up on Alex Wimmers, the pitcher from Ohio State, as he went to the Twins.

Pitchers' Duel Turns Out To Be Slug Fest, More So For G-Men

By:  Cooper Ledford

The Cincinnati Reds were hosting the San Francisco Giants to start a four game series.  It was expected to be a pitchers' duel, Johnny Cueto vs. Barry Zito, but instead it was a slug fest, tons of hits, but more hits and runs for the Giants, as they won 6-5, here is how.

To start things off in the 2nd, the pitcher, Barry Zito hit a single which plated two, and the G-Men had an early 2-0 lead.

Cincinnati would get on the board in the 2nd, as Drew Stubbs hit an RBI single to plate Scott Rolen, it was 2-1, but not for long.

In the 3rd inning, Juan Uribe hit an RBI single, it plated Sandoval and Huff, it was 4-1 with the Giants on top, so not a great start for Johnny Cueto.

In the 4th inning, Jonny Gomes hit a sac fly to plate Rolen, it was 4-2.  Same inning, Jay Bruce made it a one-run game with a solo home run, the 8th time he has gone yard this season, it was 4-3.  The Redlegs would then take the lead in the 6th inning, when Cairo hit a single which brought Bruce and Stubbs around to score, it was 5-4 and the 'Nati had the lead.  Unfortunatly, it would not last.

In the 7th inning, Uribe got two ribbies off of a single, it plated Sanchez and Sandoval, it was 6-5, and that is how she finished.  The loser is Daniel Ray Herrera, the winner is Romo, and the save goes to Brian Wilson.

Reds Rally In 9th And 10th To Beat Nats

By:  Cooper Ledford

In the rubber game of the series, between the Washington Nationals and the Cincinnati Reds, Bronson Arroyo was on the hill for the Reds, and for DC was the former Dayton Flyer (Flyers Suck...go Muskies!), Craig Stammen.  The Reds ended up winning the game thanks to great hits from pinch-hitters and Drew Stubbs, as the final score is 5-4.  Here is how the runs were scored.

In the top of the 1st, Joey Votto got the Reds started with an RBI single to plate Cabrera, it was 1-0 Cincy on top, but not for long.

In the bottom of the 1st, Ryan Zimmerman hit an RBI single to plate Guzman, we were tied at 1.  Then, the Nats would take the lead when Ian Desmond hit an RBI double, it was 2-1.

The score would be 2-1 until the Jonny Gomes came to bat as a pinch-hitter, after a double by Drew Stubbs, Gomes knocked him in with an RBI double, it was tied at 2.  Then, next batter, Scott Rolen came to bat as a pinch-hitter, and he did his job, he hit a 2-run home run to give the Reds the lead, 4-2.  But, the Nationals still had to bat in their half of the 9th.

Cordero gave up 2 runs in the 9th inning, off of an RBI double by Morse, it platedDesmond and Willingham, so we were going to extras.

In the 10th inning, Doug Slaten came in to pitch for Washington, and the batter was Drew Stubbs.  Stubbs hit an RBI single to plate Jay Bruce, it was 5-4, and that is how it finished.  Masset gets the save, Cordero gets the win, and Slaten gets the loss.

Arroyo got a ND, but deserved a W, he went 8.0 innings, gave up 6 hits, 2 ER, 1 BB, and 5 K's.

Next, the Reds return home to host the Giants in a four game series, followed by two three game series against LA and Kansas City.

Thanks For a GREAT 1st YEAR

Thank you to everyone that has viewed this website, and a big thanks to all of those that have wrote, you guys are great!

Leake Great On Hill And With Bat

By:  Cooper Ledford

The Cincinnati Reds were visiting the Washington Nationals in the 2nd game of the series, Mike Leake was on the hill for the Reds, and he did great, but not only with pitching, but he also did good with the bat as he got 3 hits in a 5-1 Reds win.  Here is the scoring plays.

To start things off, in the top of the 1st inning, Joey Votto hit an RBI double to plate Brandon Phillips, so the Reds had a 1-0 lead.  It would be 2-0 in the 5th when Orlando Cabrera hit an RBI double to plate Mike Leake all the way from first, yes a pitcher all the way from first...wow! 

Later on, in the 6th, DC would get on the board when Bernadina reacher on an error by Joey Votto which would allow Willingham to score, it was 2-1, Cincinnati still on top.

The Reds would score 3 runs in the 8th, the first was off of an RBI single by Brandon Phillips which plated Cabrera, then the next run was scored when Scott Rolen reached base on a fielders choice, the throw went home to the catcher, Nieves, and Brandon Phillips ran into him, making him drop the ball, it was a clean hit, but the umpiers made a bad scoring call and counted it as an error on Nieves, but the run did come across, it was 4-1.  Also, after the play, Brandon Phillips banged on his chest, which made the Nats think he was showing them up (which he had no intention on doing), so in his next AB, they drilled him with a pitch, anyways, back to the scoring plays.  The final run of the inning, and game, was when Jay Bruce hit an RBI single to plate Votto, it was 5-1 and that is how she finished.

Mike Leake gets the win, as he goes 7.0 innings, gives up 7 hits, 1 run, 0  ER, 0 BB, and 5 K's.

Tomorrow is the rubber game, Bronson Arroyo will be the pitcher for the Reds.  Game time is at 1:30 PM ET and on FS Ohio.

Computers Suck Sometimes

Sorry for not making any recaps in the last few days, my internet has been down, and is still not close to working 100%.  I will try and make a recap for tonights game (which will be on here by tomorrow).  Thank you.