Reds Treat Nationals Like They're Still the Expos. Reds 15, Nationals 0.

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

There's never a bad time to draw attention to what Reds 3B Coach Mark Berry is going through, and the success of the team tonight makes it seem as good a time as any. Cancer can be a debilitating disease, and regardless of its extent or results, it's an issue that will put its patient through physical and mental hell. Many of us have known people who have bravely fought the disease, and unfortunately, all of us will know someone who will fight it in the future. Coach Berry is currently undergoing both chemotherapy and radiation to fight the cancer that was found in both his lymph nodes and his tonsils, and since it was diagnosed early, his prognosis is good. That doesn't diminish the amount of effort he will have to put forth the fight the disease, and he will need, and deserve, all the support possible during his fight. If you have any questions, or are in a position to help Coach Berry's (and everyone's) fight against cancer, I suggest you check out www.cancer.gov. Get well soon, Coach.

The Reds sure did make it easy on the acting 3B coach tonight, as they opted to hit a plethora of homers that required few runners to be waved around. Zack Cozart broke out of his early season slump. Jay Bruce broke out of his early season slump. Todd Frazier showed us all that, in fact, there is no Todd but Todd. Joey Votto had 3 hits, Shin-Soo Choo was on base 3 times, Homer Bailey cruised through 6 innings and hit an opposite field double, and Devin Mesoraco got a hit in his long-awaited first appearance of the season. Hell, even Manny Parra got in on the action with 2 scoreless innings and a single of his own. Xavier Paul had a pinch hit Macho Burrito, Brandon Phillips had 3 hits and a sure-fire Web Gem...you get the point.

Key Plays

• Todd Frazier homered.
• Zack Cozart homered. Then, Zack Cozart homered again. Then, before Cozart could hit a sac fly, Choo homered...and then Cozart hit a sac fly.
• Jay Bruce doubled in Phillips. Then Frazier homered. Then Paul quadruple homered. Then Frazier singled in Jay Bruce. Reds win, 15-0!

<iframe src="http://www.fangraphs.com/graphframe.aspx?config=0&static=0&type=livewins&num=0&h=450&w=450&date=2013-04-05&team=Reds&dh=0" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" height="450" width = "450" style="border:1px solid black;"></iframe><br /><span style="font-size:9pt;">Source: <a href="http://www.fangraphs.com/livewins.aspx?date=2013-04-05&team=Reds&dh=0&season=2013">FanGraphs</a></span>

Other Notes

• This was Zack Cozart's first career multi-homer game, and his 5 RBI were a career high. He entered the night with a season line of .000/.000/.000. That improved.
• Todd Frazier had his second career multi-homer game, and his 4 hits were a career high.
  
• The Nationals' announcers are still bitter that the Reds moved the fences out before the top-half of each inning. They'll happily note that if this game would've been played in a bigger ballpark, the Reds would've only won 12-0. Stupid small ballpark.
• Tune time! This one's for ken, since he writes everything always and likes these guys. I do, too, and since I'm working the late nights, I can empathize.
• And just to mix it up a bit, here's some advice to the Reds since they've got an early start again tomorrow: there's never no time to play, gotta keep workin' everyday!