-- You score 6 runs against Mark Prior and you really ought to win. The Reds bullpen is just awful right now. These aren't updated through tonight's game, but look at what the Reds are working with so far:
Danny Graves: 4.32 ERA, 8.1 IP
Kent Mercker: 4.50 ERA, 8.0 IP
Ben Weber: 5.87 ERA, 7.2 IP
David Weathers: 6.30 ERA, 10.0 IP
The Reds starting pitching hasn't been great by any means, but it's deserved better than this. There's no doubt in my mind that DanO's going to be patient with these guys, but I have to wonder if that's the wisest course of action. Weber and Weathers should both be on shorter leashes simply because they both struggled last season. There are relievers pitching brilliantly in AAA so far, and it wouldn't be a terrible thing to give some of those guys a shot.
-- Ken Griffey Jr. went 3-5 on the night. Hopefully a sign that he's coming around.
-- Dunn's home run to right was monstrous, and a poignant reminder that every run counts. It didn't seem like that big of a deal when Neifi Perez hit his three run home run to make it 10-3, but it became quite a bit more important when Dunn hit his three run shot. 7-6 is a bit more doable than 10-6.
-- Rich Aurilia watch: 1-4 on the night. The bottom of the order has been something of a black hole this season. It's down a bit on the list of things that need fixing, but the 7-8 hitters have definitely been struggling. LaRue's average is all the way down to .204.