Heisey looks lost.

He passes on the fastball and he won't see one again. :(

Bruce...SMH

I'd swap Frazier and Bruce.

I'd put Phillips back in front of Votto and Frazier at #4.

(04-06-2013 03:58 PM)Coopdaddy67 Wrote:  I'd put Phillips back in front of Votto and Frazier at #4.

I'd agree with that if Phillips weren't raking in the 4 hole. Heisey is just not good and Bruce has stranded about 300 RISP already.

(04-06-2013 04:06 PM)Billy_Bearcat Wrote:  

(04-06-2013 03:58 PM)Coopdaddy67 Wrote:  I'd put Phillips back in front of Votto and Frazier at #4.

I'd agree with that if Phillips weren't raking in the 4 hole. Heisey is just not good and Bruce has stranded about 300 RISP already.

If you're waiting on Dusty to make a lineup change I wouldn't hold my breath. He'll get fired before he makes a switch this early.

Nats, Reds draw aces for rubber game

By John Schlegel / MLB.com | 4/6/2013 6:00 PM ET

With all the hoopla surrounding Opening Day for the Nationals, Stephen Strasburg delivered a seven-inning performance that whets the appetite of Washington baseball fans hungry for what could be a full season of Strasburg's potential, one perhaps less encumbered by pitch and innings counts.

As he takes on his second assignment of the season, the question remains: When will Strasburg take his talents into the eighth inning of a game?

Whether that comes on Sunday remains to be seen. He'll have a tough assignment with the powerful Cincinnati Reds and right-hander Johnny Cueto opposing him, as the two National League powers play a rubber game at Great American Ball Park.

But after the way he threw in seven scoreless innings against the Marlins for openers, Strasburg certainly might have had a little more in the tank. But seven innings was his final innings tally, the seventh one of those in the right-hander's short and injury-interrupted career.

"Any other day, I would have gone further with him," Nationals manager Davey Johnson said after the opener, "but with the adrenaline going on Opening Day, he could have been a little spent. But he was outstanding.

"I didn't think he was tired, even at the end of the game. But during the first time out on Opening Day, he gave me seven solid innings, [and] I'm not pushing the envelope. I never have, I never will."

And it's safe to say the Reds have a good chance to make things difficult on Strasburg, anyway. After all, it was the Reds who put up a 15-spot on the board in Friday night's series opener before the Nationals rebounded for a wild 7-6 victory in 11 innings on Saturday.

The Reds will counter with their own Opening Day starter, who is also coming off a strong opening outing of the season. Cueto threw seven strong innings of his own, allowing just one run on three hits in a no-decision, as the game wound up being won by the Angels in 13 innings, 3-1. Cueto's nine strikeouts in that one marked the most by a Reds starter on Opening Day since Mario Soto had 10 in 1982.

Cueto is 4-2 with a 3.92 ERA against the Nationals in seven previous starts. It was in his only outing against the Reds that Strasburg claimed his final win of the 2010 season before going down that August with an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery.

But it's been a long road since then for Strasburg, one that was halted before the regular season was complete in 2012 to ensure his health, and the Nationals entered the postseason without him. Strasburg finished last season with 159 1/3 innings pitched.

Reds: Frazier, Cozart double trouble

A day after making an interesting bit of Reds history, Todd Frazier had another strong day at the plate, with a 3-for-5 performance, while Zack Cozart had a single and a sacrifice bunt. But what they did on Friday was one for the books.

When Frazier and Cozart each hit two home runs on Friday, it marked the first time in Reds history their starting shortstop and third baseman had multiple-homer games in the same game. In fact, they were the first such tandem to do that in a National League game since the Pirates' Jackie Hernandez and Richie Hebner in 1971.

• The Reds wound up lighting up the strikeouts late in Saturday's game, adding a total of nine more on Saturday to give Reds pitchers 52 for the season. The old record for five games was 45, set in 1990 and matched in 2011.

Nationals: LaRoche's back ailing

• First baseman Adam LaRoche was held out of Saturday's game with a stiff back. He might not play on Sunday, either, to give the injury two more days of rest, including Monday's off-day.

LaRoche said the muscles are "knotted up" in his back after the cold weather. He said getting back is dependent upon how he can perform, not how he feels.

"As soon as I can swing freely, even if there is still some pain there, I'm fine with that," said LaRoche, who is off to an 0-for-13 start this season.

• With one RBI on Saturday, Jayson Werth is now just one shy of the 500 mark for his career.

Worth noting

Following Sunday's game, the Nationals will welcome the Chicago White Sox for their first Interleague series of the season, starting Tuesday. ... The Reds travel to St. Louis to meet their fierce NL Central rivals in the Cardinals' home opener on Monday. ... The Reds and Nationals won't have to wait long to meet again, as they are scheduled for an April 25-28 meeting in Washington.

John Schlegel is a national reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp...e&c_id=cin

Reds miss opportunities in extra-innings loss

By Mark Schmetzer / Special to MLB.com | 4/6/2013 6:30 PM ET

CINCINNATI -- The scorebook says Cincinnati lost to Washington, 7-6, in 11 innings on Saturday at Great American Ball Park.

Solo home runs by Ian Desmond and Wilson Ramos -- his second homer of the game -- off of J.J. Hoover were the difference, after the opportunistic Reds came back from a four-run deficit to forge a 5-5 tie and send the game to extra innings.

Dusty Baker doesn't see the result the same way. The Reds' manager believes his club lost the game long before the 11th by wasting several scoring opportunities in the early innings.

"We had a chance to win that game several times," said Baker, who watched his team go a combined 4-for-17 (.235) with runners in scoring position and leave 11 men on base. "We've got to come up with the big hit. I guess turnabout's fair play."

The Nationals committed three errors, leading to two unearned runs, and Joey Votto scored the tying run in the ninth inning on Rafael Soriano's wild pitch. But that wasn't enough to overcome the Reds' inability to hit in the clutch. That problem also plagued the Reds in their other loss, a 3-1 defeat in 13 innings to the Angels on Opening Day. Cincinnati went 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base in that game.

Cincinnati's two opponents now have combined to commit 11 errors on the season. The Reds have been charged with just two.

The Reds -- who hit six homers in a 15-0 rout of the Nationals on Friday, including two each by Todd Frazier and Zack Cozart -- had runners on base in each of the first six innings against Washington starter Ross Detwiler, including the first two batters in both the third and fifth innings. But Votto and Brandon Phillips ended those frames by grounding into double plays.

That made starter Mike Leake's job more difficult. The right-hander, handed the fifth spot in the rotation after Cincinnati abandoned its Spring Training experiment with Aroldis Chapman as a starter, gave up four runs over six innings on two-run homers by Bryce Harper and Ramos.

"Leake threw well, except for the two two-run homers -- especially the second one," Baker said. "We could have pitched around Ramos there, because they had nobody loose and the pitcher would have had to hit.

"They've got a lineup similar to ours," Baker added. "Up and down the lineup, they've got guys who can hit it out. I'm sure they were saying the same thing about our lineup yesterday with Frazier and Cozart."

Harper's shot in the third was the first homer allowed by the Reds in 22 innings, since Angels third baseman Alberto Callaspo connected in the seventh inning on Wednesday.

The Reds capitalized on Desmond's throwing error in the fourth to get on the board, but Ramos gave Washington a 4-1 lead with his two-run homer in the sixth. Jayson Werth made it 5-1 with a leadoff homer in the seventh, setting the stage for Cincinnati's comeback, which didn't surprise Baker.

"I'm not worried about [resiliency]," Baker said. "Resiliency is our middle name."

The Reds scored two in the eighth and two more in the ninth, which started with Shin Soo-Choo's third home run of the season -- one each in the last three games. Votto almost hit his first since last June 24, before settling for a triple high off the left-field wall, leaving him in place to score the tying run.

The score stayed tied until Desmond and Ramos connected in the 11th against Hoover, who was pitching for the fourth time in six days while the Reds continue to deal with the absence of left-hander Sean Marshall, who is sidelined by what he has described as fatigue in his shoulder.

"I hung a slider to Desmond," Hoover said. "I felt like he knew it was coming, and he got it. With Ramos, I executed the pitch. He just got it."

"I was trying to figure it out," said Desmond, who committed two errors. "I was trying to get it together. My heart started beating a little bit. I had to stop thinking so much. I was trying to get the barrel on the ball. I don't know why [I made the two errors]. Obviously, I'm doing the same thing that I'm doing last year after a little shaky start."

"We were hoping to get through that inning and get around to the top of our order," Baker said.

Hoover (0-2) has gotten the decision in both of the Reds' losses.

"I'd rather get them out of the way now," said Hoover, "and move on to the rest of the season."

Mark Schmetzer is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/gameday/index.jsp...e&c_id=cin

Bruce hit the baseball, Bruce hit the baseball, Bruce hit the baseball!

And Johnny gave it right back. The Nats must have the best bottom 6,7,8 hitters the way they've killed the Reds.

Well Cueto didn't seem to have his best stuff but he battled and got the win. I'm sure all sportscenter will talk about is Strasburg giving up 5 runs.

Bruce seems to really be focusing on going the other way which is great to watch.

Two for two on series wins. I'll take it.

Getting on base can be painful process for Choo

By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | 4/7/2013 2:52 P.M. ET

CINCINNATI -- Through one week of the regular season, center fielder Shin-Soo Choo has given the Reds something they hoped he would bring -- someone who gets on base, a lot.

Considering Choo had reached base in half of his plate appearances over his first five games, he has been more than just successful. Besides having an on-base percentage of .500, he was batting .350 (7-for-20) with three home runs and two walks entering Sunday.

"If I get on base, I have a lot of confidence I'm going to score. That's my job," said Choo, who had scored a team-high seven runs.

Last season, the Reds had a .208 average and .254 on-base percentage from their collection of leadoff hitters. That was the catalyst for acquiring Choo in a December trade with the Indians.

"If I walk, get a hit-by-pitch ... there are a lot of options to get on base," Choo said.

Choo has been hit by pitches already a Major League-leading four times, including once vs. the Nationals on Saturday. Only one other player in baseball -- Minnesota's Trevor Plouffe -- had been hit twice in the young season.

Being hit by pitches is nothing new to Choo, who was struck 14 times in 155 games last season for the Indians. His career high is 17 in 2009 for Cleveland.

"I don't think they're trying to hit me," Choo said Sunday. "I don't mind getting by hit by a pitch. The second game [vs. the Angels in the ninth inning], I scored after getting hit by a pitch.

"I used to worry about it, but now I've changed my mind. Before I was a little defensive, now I'm not scared anymore. ... I know a lot of pitchers keep throwing the inside pitch, but I'm not changing anything. I just keep my approach."

Reds manager Dusty Baker is not entirely thrilled about seeing Choo staying in the box and getting plunked.

"The amateurs holler 'take one for the team' -- that ain't the way to get on," Baker said. "When you've been hit, that means they're pitching you inside. There's a very small margin between -- it's only two or three inches between an inside strike and hitting you. He's going to get hit because they're going to pitch him inside until he proves they can't come in there.

"As long as they hit him in the legs -- those big tree trunks he has. You just don't want him to get hit in the hand or the elbow or anything. You shouldn't get hit there if you're moving out of the way properly, unless one gets away from you and you don't see it."

Paul's first start in left comes against Nats' ace

CINCINNATI -- Reds outfielder Xavier Paul welcomed getting his first start of the season in left field Sunday, even if that meant facing Nationals ace Stephen Strasburg.

It's not easy to sit for a few days and then face anyone, let alone Strasburg, but Paul is used to the role of a fourth or fifth outfielder.

"I think as time has gone on, I found a little bit better way to prepare myself mentally and physically," Paul said. "It's tough. The biggest challenge is keeping your body physically in good shape, keeping your legs loose after sitting down for four days and then playing nine innings without hurting anything."

Paul keeps busy before and during games by doing extra running, sprint and agility drills -- and of course, extra swings.

"After that, it's just mental," Paul said. "It's mentally telling yourself, 'Hey, I can get the job done.'"

Reds manager Dusty Baker batted Paul second between Shin-Soo Choo and Joey Votto to give three straight lefties for Strasburg to face. Last season, lefty hitters batted .271 vs. Strasburg vs. .185 for right-handed hitters.

Baker acknowledged that Paul's job is not an easy one.

"I think him playing as much as he did during Spring Training, it's only been about a week since we were there, it gives him an advantage than if I had waited a month," Baker said.

Worth noting

• Top Reds prospect and center fielder Billy Hamilton was in the lineup for Triple-A Louisville on Sunday after sustaining what Louisville called a minor calf strain. Hamilton had not played since Friday, when he exited Louisville's game against Toledo.

• Playing second base in Louisville's 6-4 win over Toledo on Saturday, Jason Donald was 4-for-5 with two doubles.

Mark Sheldon is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his blog, Mark My Word, and follow him on Twitter @m_sheldon. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=...n&c_id=cin

Reds top Nationals in series finale
Three-run sixth inning, strong bullpen propel Cincinnati to fourth win of season
Apr. 7, 2013 4:23 PM


Reds Xavier Paul runs to home plate as Joey Votto isn't too far behind scoring in the first inning. / The Enquirer/Amanda Davidson

Written by
C. Trent Rosecrans

The low-scoring pitcher's duel that was expected at Great American Ball Park was as absent as the forecasted rain.

After both starting pitchers allowed three-run innings early, the Reds scored three in the sixth inning to take a 6-3 victory over Stephen Strasburg and the Nationals.

Pinch-hitter Derrick Robinson singled off of Strasburg (0-1) for his first career big-league hit to start the sixth before going to third on Shin-Soo Choo's single. Robinson, who signed to play cornerback at the University of Florida, then scored on Xavier Paul's chopper to second to give the Reds the lead. Choo scored on Brandon Phillips' single that chased Strasburg from the game. Right-hander Ryan Mattheus came into the game to face Jay Bruce, who hit a soft grounder to short, scoring Paul for the inning's third run.

The Reds scored three off of Strasburg in the first, while the Nationals answered with three of their own in the top of the second to tie the game in the second.

Jay Bruce hit a double with the bases loaded to give the Reds a 2-run lead in the first, and then Brandon Phillips scored on Todd Frazier's groundout to make it 3-0.

Johnny Cueto, who needed nine pitches to get through the first, needed 30 in a 3-run second. After Ian Desmond doubled and Danny Espinosa walked, catcher Kurt Suzuki homered to tie the game. Opponents catchers -- all batting in the 8th spot -- have hit four homers against Reds pitchers this season.


The Reds' Brandon Phillips hits for a single in the first inning of the Cincinnati Reds vs. Washington Nationals game, at Great American Ball Park, on Sunday, April 7./ The Enquirer/Amanda Davidson

On a day the Reds could've used Cueto (1-0) to go deep into the game to help the bullpen, he lasted six innings, allowing three runs on seven hits. He walked three and struck out six. Sean Marshall made his first appearance of the season, pitching a perfect seventh, striking out Bryce Harper to finish the frame. Jonathan Broxton followed with a perfect inning of his own and the game was finished off by Aroldis Chapman, who picked up his second save of the season.

Strasburg's final line was six runs on nine hits with five strikeouts and four walks in 5 1/3 innings.

Quote:Up next: Reds vs. Cardinals

When: Monday, 4:15 p.m. EDT
Where: Busch Stadium, St. Louis
TV/Radio: 700 WLW/Fox Sports Ohio

The Skinny: The Reds play their first road game as the Cardinals open their home season with Monday afternoon's showdown of divisional foes in St. Louis. The Cardinals' mercurial left-hander one his first game of the season at Arizona, but he's traditionally been much better at Busch Stadium than away from it. He's 20-11 with a 2.48 all-time at Busch Stadium and 15-12 with a 4.40 ERA away from home. He's 6-0 with a 2.11 all-time at home against the Reds and 8-2 with a 3.33 overall against Cincinnati.

Pitching matchup
Reds starter Mat Latos (0-0, 4.05 ERA ) vs. Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia (1-0, 1.59 ERA)

Reds 6, Nationals 3

Associated Press

CINCINNATI -- Johnny Cueto outlasted Stephen Strasburg in a highly anticipated matchup of young aces and Jay Bruce drove in three runs as the Cincinnati Reds wrapped up an impressive opening week homestand with a 6-3 win over the Washington Nationals on Sunday.

Cueto needed 108 pitches to get through six innings, allowing seven hits and three runs. He walked three and struck out six. Aroldis Chapman allowed one hit and had two strikeouts in the ninth for his second save.

Strasburg (1-1) allowed nine hits and six runs with four walks and five strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings. He threw 114 pitches, 73 for strikes.

Bruce, Shin-Soo Choo, Xavier Paul and Brandon Phillips each had two hits to back Cueto (1-0) and help the Reds win the rubber match of their three-game series with Washington. They finished 4-2 at home against the Nationals and Los Angeles Angels, two teams expected to contend this season for post-season berths.

Cincinnati left-hander Sean Marshall pitched the seventh in his first appearance of the season after getting over what he described as shoulder fatigue. Jonathan Broxton worked the eighth.

The Reds knocked Strasburg out with a three-run sixth. Rookie Derrick Robinson, called up on Wednesday to replace the injured Ryan Ludwick, led off with his first major league hit, a sharp one-hopper just out of the reach of diving third baseman Ryan Zimmerman.

Robinson went to third on Choo's single to center and slid across the plate with the go-ahead run just ahead of second baseman Danny Espinosa's throw on Paul's fielder's choice.

Both runners moved up on Joey Votto's chopper to Strasburg and Phillips singled to left through the drawn-in infield to drive in Paul and end Strasburg's day. Ryan Mattheus relieved Strasburg, and Bruce greeted him with a run-scoring infield single to shortstop Ian Desmond.

The duel between the two right-handers nearly fizzled early.

Strasburg allowed as many hits in the first inning Sunday as he did while throwing seven shutout innings against Miami during a 2-0 win in Washington's opener on April 1. Four straight runners reached base, including Paul and Phillips with infield singles and Bruce with a bases-loaded, two-run double. Phillips scored the Reds' third run of the inning on Todd Frazier's groundout.

The Nationals immediately tied the score in the second on Desmond's double to left-center, Danny Espinosa's walk and Kurt Suzuki's 357-foot home run into the left field seats.

Game notes

The Reds begin their first road trip of the season Monday with three games in St. Louis, where they've won just three and split two of their last 27 series, starting in 2003. ... Washington returns home after a brief three-game road trip to open a six-game homestand, starting Monday with the first of three interleague games against the White Sox. ... Zimmerman's third-inning error was the 12th committed by a Reds opponents in the first six games of the season. The Reds have been charged with just two.

http://scores.espn.go.com/mlb/recap?gameId=330407117

A little off-topic here, but interesting:


Dodgers trade Aaron Harang
Updated: April 6, 2013, 5:49 PM ET
By Mark Saxon | ESPNLosAngeles.com

LOS ANGELES -- In an exchange of former battery mates, the Los Angeles Dodgers traded pitcher Aaron Harang and cash to the Colorado Rockies Saturday for catcher Ramon Hernandez.

The Rockies immediately designated Harang for assignment, meaning they are likely looking to trade him.

The move allows the Dodgers to unclog a logjam of starting pitchers and to acquire a veteran backup for catcher A.J. Ellis. Hernandez, 36, is a former All-Star who the Rockies designated for assignment near the end of spring training. He and Harang, 34, were teammates on the Oakland A's in 2002 and 2003.

According to reports, the Dodgers are sending Colorado $4.25 million. Harang is earning $7 million with a $2 million buyout for next season. Hernandez is earning $3.2 million.

Harang went 10-10 with a 3.61 ERA in 31 starts for the Dodgers last year, but was shifted to the bullpen after the Dodgers acquired pitchers Zack Greinke and Hyun-Jin Ryu in the offseason. Harang met with manager Don Mattingly Friday to discuss a role that appeared to be minimal. He had not appeared in a game this season.

Hernandez is a .264 lifetime hitter with 166 home runs and 751 RBIs in a 14-year career. He has played for the A's, San Diego Padres, Baltimore Orioles, Cincinnati Reds and Colorado.

"Ramon gives us invaluable veteran experience and additional leadership at the catching position," Dodgers general manager Ned Colletti said in a statement. "He's worked with great pitching staffs in the past and we feel he will provide solid contributions to our pitchers and be a great resource for A.J."

The Dodgers may not be done dealing spare pitchers. Starter Chris Capuano is currently in their bullpen and veteran Ted Lilly is about a week away from being able to come off the disabled list.

http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/story...-hernandez

was a beautiful day for baseball

go reds!