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The Reds tipped the Jays yesterday to avoid a sweep
There wasn't much offense aside from Miguel Cairo's two-run home run, but that was more than what the Reds had put up the prior two days. In any event, it was all the help Bronson Arroyo needed. Reds fans exhaled in relief as Goodroyo appeared, unlike his prior outings against the Jays. -
The Reds continue interleague play in hosting the Yankees
The Reds haven't played the Yankees since 2008, and haven't hosted them since 2003. There is of course a rich World Series history between the two franchises, with the Yankees triumphing in 1939 and 1961 but the Reds getting payback in 1976. Bronson Arroyo has his own history with the Bombers from his time in Boston. He talks about his memories of the 2004 ALCS here, and specifically Alex Rodriguez's infamous glove slap: "I was like, yeah, I'm fine. I'm looking around and I'm kind of squatting down. I'm just waiting. In my mind I'm thinking, there's six umpires here, somebody had to see this. It's impossible for this to happen." Brandon Phillips is looking forward to getting a look at the NYY staff in case the teams meet again: "I'm happy to be playing the Yankees here. I think it's good for the fans, that's how I look at it. Interleague [Play] is good for baseball because it's good for the fan base, it's good for us to see teams in case we meet them in the World Series. That's a big thing about it." -
Chapman's about to get called up, or isn't
Time's up on Aroldis Chapman's rehab assignment. Tomorrow the Reds will need to either call him up to the big league team or option him to the minors. He's had mixed results pitching for Carolina, pitching 7.1 innings and allowing six walks, 11 Ks, and five runs. The Reds are non-committal so far, and my guess is that Chapman continues to work on his control for the Bats. A more likely call-up candidate is Sam LeCure, who also ends his rehab assignment soon. He pitched three scoreless innings for Louisville on Saturday, striking out three. Baker: "He pitched well, which is big. We’re going to have tough decisions, which is no different than coming out of spring training. We’ve got a lot of good young arms. We’ll have tough decisions. There was a time a month ago when we didn’t have any decisions." -
The Blog Red Machine sat down with Zack Cozart
Nice work by the BRM. Cozart, as you'd expect, doesn't demand a promotion but would certainly welcome it: "I try not to think about [getting called up] too much. What can I control? The only thing I can control is what I do here and let the big guys upstairs make the decisions. I know my wife stresses about it more than I do and I’m like, "Why are you wasting all your energy on that?" I just come to the park trying to play hard everyday and everything will take care of itself." -
The Coz and 'Roco are getting pub outside of the Reds blogosphere as well
BPro's Jason Parks ranked Devin Mesoraco as the top catching prospect in the game: "Seriously, Mesoraco is an incredibly strong man. He can sell out a bit when looking for the power stroke, but his contact ability hasn’t suffered this season; in fact, he is barreling the ball like a plus-plus hitter.... Behind the plate, Mesoraco is slowly improving, but he’s never going to be a special defender. His arm is in the 60/65 range, and his release and accuracy make him a good weapon in controlling the running game." Meanwhile, Parks considers Yasmani Grandal as a potential "solid everyday catcher at the major-league level." -
RotoHardball bangs the "Free Zack Cozart" drum
This is more fantasy-oriented, but an SBN writer wonders what the Reds are waiting for regarding calling up Cozart. "Add to this his being 26 in August and he might not have the period of adjustment a younger call up normally would.... With the Reds currently sitting 2.0 games out in the competitive National League central, I'd be curious to learn why the organization is operating as if the league worst -.5 WAR Cincinnati shortstops have produced is not a key factor in the team being in third place instead of first. At present, there may not be a more obvious call up candidate in all of minor league baseball than Zack Cozart based on AAA production and need at the big league level."
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Interleague weekend made a small dent in the Central Standings
The Cardinals took two of three against Kansas City, with each game decided by one run. They won yesterday on a walk-off HR from Skip Schumaker. But not everything went their way. Albert Pujols had to leave yesterday's game with a sprained wrist. They say it's not as serious as his writhing on the ground would lead you to believe, but he'll undergo tests today, and the team isn't saying whether a DL stint will be necessary. Meanwhile, the Brewers dropped two of three in Boston. Yovanni Gallardo got rocked yesterday, possibly hexed by the Boston Bruins parading the Stanley Cup around Fenway before the game. St. Louis and Milwaukee are tied at the top of the Central, with the Reds two games back. UPDATE: Kenny Rosenthal tweets Albert is out 4-6 weeks. -
Well, he wasn't Mayor Mallory-bad
But you would expect more from one of the most explosive athletes in the NBA. Washington Wizard guard and former UK star John Wall "threw" out the first pitch at the Washington Nationals game on Friday night, skipping a ball well short and wide of the plate on a ball that only Juan Francisco would swing at. -
Minor leaguer Jose Raga tests positive for steroids, suspended 50 games
Raga, 17, is a catcher for Cincinnati's Venezuelan Summer League team. He tested positive for Stanozolol, an anabolic steroid which is slightly less powerful than Stanozorofl. -
SweetSpot Blog - Are teams smarter than they used to be?
An interesting comparison of the top paid players of 1985 and today. You might think that teams more rationally value talent today, and pay them accordingly. You would be wrong. But the mid-'80s teams have perhaps an insurmountable advantage - they were cheating. Teams freely exchanged negotiation information amongst eachother and thereby controlled compensation levels. This not only depressed annual salaries but also the length of contracts, which is what really creates the fiscal headaches. For the Reds, the '85 top two salaries went to Mario Soto and Dave Parker, two of their best players. In 2010 it was Francisco Cordero and Aaron Harang, who definitely were not. -
6/20/1911 - Milwaukee Sentinel calls out the Reds for the use of "dark skinned ball players"
In 1911, Armando Marsans and Rafael Almeida became the first Cubans to play in MLB since 1873. When Reds President/Owner August Herrmann greeted the two at the train station "he gasped when he saw two young black men come out of the train." To the relief of Herrmann, they were the players' assistants. The Reds went to great pains to convince their fans of the players' whiteness, touting that they were "two of the purest bars of Castille soap that ever floated to these shores." HT to BBTF. -
Lou Barletta (R-Pa.), still rues the Reds for rejecting him
Not really. But Barletta did unsuccessfully audition for the Reds in Florida as a 21 year-old in 1977. The rejection most likely hardened him into the hardball politician he later became. He is now looking to draw upon his prior prowess on the diamond to defeat the Democrats in the 50th annual House baseball game. Barletta throws lefty but is otherwise as righty as you can get (cue slide whistle) - he's most known for his anti-immigration policies while mayor of Hazelton, Pa. No shame in being cut by the late-dynasty Reds, however. Among the 65 cut in 1977 was George Clooney.