Red Reposter - Unacceptably Late Edition

The Cincinnati Reds got lit up by the Cleveland Indians in the 1st game of the convoluted multi-city Ohio Cup on Monday, and manager Bryan Price was none too happy with how things played out.  It wasn't anything the Indians did that had Price frustrated; rather, it was his own team's lack of focus that drew his ire.  There have been numerous stretches this year where the offense has appeared lifeless, the TOOTBLANs waylaid even the rarest of opportunities, and the lack of execution seemed numbing, but I believe this is the first time Price has taken his players to task publicly over it.  It's a very different tactic than the dugout rally speech he used in late May, that's for sure.

Reds 3B Todd Frazier apparently picked up the same vibe coming from the team as Price did.  He thought it was...what's the word for it...lethargic.

Want an Aroldis Chapman fluff piece from MLB.com?  Here's an Aroldis Chapman fluff piece from MLB.com.  Spoiler Alert:  Chapman throws really fast really often.

Because baseball is a cruel, vindictive game that comes back to haunt you at just the absolute worst times, the San Francisco Giants found out they'll be without key starting pitcher Matt Cain for the rest of the year at nearly the same time that the Pittsburgh Pirates found out they'd be without MVP Andrew McCutchen for a month or so, at least.  These, of course, come just days after the non-waiver trade deadline came and went, meaning the search fo replacements for these two playoff contenders will involve the waiver process and a lot of hope.  Just for good measure, the Milwaukee Brewers placed pitcher Matt Garza on the DL today (retro to 8/4) with an oblique strain, too.  The Reds, on the other hand, are so hipster that they placed their big stars on the DL a month ago.

Speaking of that waiver trade process, Sports Illustrated's Jay Jaffe broke down the top candidates to be moved this August.  Exactly none of them get me even the slightest bit excited given what their current teams are asking for.  Maybe the Dodgers would just give away Ethier with a box of $45 million bucks?  Maybe.

Just when you thought that steroid allegations and scandals had been pushed firmly to the backburner in Major League Baseball, well, nope.  Biogenesis of America clinic owner Tony Bosch and Alex Rodriguez's large, sketchy cousing Yuri were both arrested Tuesday morning on charges claiming they had conspired to distribute steroids illegally.  Because the New York Yankees are old and nondescript this year and the Boston Red Sox are in last place post-fire-sale, you can expect to hear about this all day and night by most mainstream media outlets, likely with added speculation that there will be additional MLB names set to leak out in the process.  Good luck avoiding that mess (again).