Reds News

"The Reds have put reliever Kent Mercker on the 15-day disabled list because of lower back pain. The move on Friday was made retroactive to Tuesday. The Reds recalled left-hander Bill Bray from Triple-A Louisville. Bray didn't allow a run in four appearances for the Reds from April 28-May 4. He was 0-0 with a 3.00 ERA and one save in nine relief outings at Louisville."

"Shortly after the Reds' game was called Friday night, manager Dusty Baker was jotting down lineups. "I'm trying to figure out a way to win both games," he said. Friday's game was rescheduled as part of the day-night double-header today."

"Reds manager Dusty Baker is surprised by the lack of talk about Ken Griffey Jr. approaching 600 home runs. "It's really been kind of quiet nationally," Baker said. "It's been quiet, period." Griffey's going to reach the mark the year after Barry Bonds broke Hank Aaron's all-time record of 755. That might have taken away some of the luster. "It shouldn't - 600 is 600," Baker said. "That's a lot of home runs. It's a lot of practice and hours and being on the field.""

" Last night's Shea Stadium rainout left the Mets and Reds with a day-night doubleheader scheduled for today. The first game will begin at 1:10 p.m., with the nightcap slated for 7:30. "

"Most of the talk lately about the Reds' future revolves around Adam Dunn and Ken Griffey Jr. Dunn's a free agent after this season, and the club holds an option on Griffey. So there's a good chance that one or both is concluding his Reds career. But the Reds have 11 other potential free agents. Thirteen is believed to be the most of any team in baseball."

"I was in elementary school when the Mariners drafted Griffey. Not long after, I bought Griffey's first baseball card, part of the 1987 Bellingham Mariners team set, at a card show at the Greenlake Community Center gym. The price, if I remember correctly, was $4.95. That was a major investment, considering my allowance -- my entire weekly income -- was five bucks. (And not a bad investment -- that team set goes for about $200 on eBay. Though, if I'd bought Microsoft stock in 1987, my $4.95 would have turned into about two grand.) The baseball card was the first of many things I'd buy with Griffey's face on it, a cavalcade of goods that matched my interests as I grew older. I bought the Ken Griffey Jr. chocolate bar; I was in middle school. A friend of mine put one in the freezer because he thought it would be worth something someday, but a power outage melted that dream. As a high schooler, I bought "Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball" for the Super Nintendo."

"Jon Lieber became only the second pitcher in Chicago Cubs history to give up four homers in an inning, and Joey Votto connected three times in all as the Cincinnati Reds powered their way to a 9-0 victory on Wednesday. Votto started a four-homer second inning off Lieber (2-2), who was making his first start of the season. Adam Dunn and Paul Bako also had solo shots, and Jerry Hairston Jr.'s two-run homer completed the history-matching rally. Votto and the Reds weren't even close to finished for the afternoon."

"Edinson Volquez is a little surprised by it himself. Volquez ran his record to 5-1 and dropped his ERA to 1.06 Wednesday with a 9-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs. "I think I have to say yes," he said. "The last two years I didn't throw the ball like I'm throwing right now." Volquez, a 24-year-old right-hander, was 3-11 with a 7.20 ERA in three stints with the Texas Rangers. He says he's a smarter pitcher now."

"The seven home runs were nice. The seven shutout innings from Edinson Volquez were great. Joey Votto's three-home run game was sweet. But the thing the Reds were happiest about Wednesday was winning the series. The 9-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs before a crowd of 28,418 at Great American Ball Park gave the Reds the series, two games to one."

"''It's a little frustrating. You don't want to give back what you've gained,'' said first baseman Derrek Lee, whose Cubs were jockeying with Arizona for the best record in baseball barely two weeks ago. Since then, it has been a 4-9 tailspin during which they've lost four straight series, including two against important division rivals, and had every area of the game break down at some point -- bottoming out, so far, with a 9-0 loss at Cincinnati on Wednesday in which the Reds clubbed seven home runs."

"The Colorado Rockies are pursuing depth for their pitching rotation, and officials there have their eye on Josh Fogg, The Denver Post reported Monday. The Rockies are seeking a player to stabilize their rotation until next month, when Franklin Morales, Greg Reynolds and the hurt Jason Hirsh are prepared to contribute. The Post said Rockies GM Dan O'Dowd is looking for one pitcher "for six or seven starts." Fogg, who has about $1.2 million left on his deal, won 10 games last season for the Rockies and is well-liked there, The Post said. Reds fans aren't so enamored. Fogg is 1-2 with a 9.27 ERA in seven games."

"After a USA Today article incited speculation about Ken Griffey Jr.'s desire to play in Seattle, both the player and his agent said the buzz was overblown. In the national publication's Tuesday editions, Griffey said it's "everybody's dream to go back to where they started." The Reds' foundering record has many wondering what sort of lineup shakeups could happen here - and the ninth-year Reds player is eligible to enter the market as a free agent after this season if the Reds don't pick up his $16 million option for 2009. The USA Today story said Griffey expects the Reds to approach him before the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline seeking his approval for a trade."

"The glimpse of offensive gumption the Reds showed Monday was nowhere to be found Tuesday. Chicago Cubs ace Carlos Zambrano shut out the home team and the Reds mustered only four hits in a 3-0 defeat at Great American Ball Park before 21,153 fans. The Reds snapped a five-game losing skid Monday night but returned to the "L" column once again after stalling at the plate. They dropped to 13-21 overall."

"The Cubs don't have a powerhouse team, they don't have as soft a road to the playoffs as a year ago and they don't have the luxury of being able to make mistakes and still expect to win, says their manager. But they do have Carlos Zambrano, and the Cubs' ace made a lot of their recent troubles go away for one night in Cincinnati with three-hit pitching through eight innings -- so good he covered for another low-scoring night and another pair of errors to win 3-0."

"With the Cubs in the middle of their annual May malaise, it was left to Carlos Zambrano to right the ship Tuesday night at Great American Ball Park. Zambrano did exactly what Lou Piniella needed him to do, throwing eight shutout innings to lead the Cubs to a 3-0 victory over Cincinnati."

"Right-handed reliever David Weathers was activated off the 15-day disabled list Monday, giving the Cincinnati Reds their top set-up man for the start of a series against the Chicago Cubs. The Reds optioned left-handed reliever Bill Bray to Triple-A Louisville to open a roster spot."

"Reds reliever David Weathers was listening to the radio on his way home from working out Sunday when he heard Jeff Brantley say something he didn't like. So when asked about it Monday, Weathers let Brantley have it. "All I said is, if it's this easy to play baseball, he should find a uniform and play," Weathers said. "I was basically taking up for my teammates. I heard some comments that he thought guys were quitting. "I didn't feel that way. It's easy to say that when things are going tough for a team. It's easy to dog-pile. I felt like he was doing that." Brantley stood by the gist of what he said. "I said there are guys on the team that obviously are trying much harder than some of the other guys," Brantley said."

"Ken Griffey Jr. originally was not in the lineup for Monday's game. Reds manager Dusty Baker thought Griffey would want to be out after hearing Griffey's best friend, Frank King, had died earlier in the day. "I figured spiritually he wouldn't be focused and ready to play," Baker said. "I talked yesterday in the meeting about playing for someone. He said that was what his friend would want . . . It was a big deal for him to play." King and Griffey had been friends most of their lives. King was a Cincinnati native and Aiken High grad. He was 38. He had been suffering from cancer."

"The Reds' five-game losing streak did not die easily - not easily at all. The Chicago Cubs loaded the bases twice against closer Francisco Cordero in the ninth inning but did not score as the Reds hung on 5-3 before a crowd of 20,289 at Great American Ball Park. "It got a little edgy at the end," Adam Dunn said. "But I don't care how we do it as long as we win.""

"While they wait for internal options to heal their wounds and fix their mechanics, the Rockies are actively pursuing depth for their rotation, discussing trades with the Reds for Josh Fogg and the Red Sox for Julian Tavarez. The Rockies also have kicked the tires on Oakland's Rich Harden and Joe Blanton and Texas' Kevin Millwood. Harden is hurt, limiting interest; Blanton is currently not available. And while the Rangers will listen on Millwood, they want the right players in return, not salary relief. The Rockies' motivation is shaped by their need."

"You couldn't blame this one on the pitching. But that doesn't mean the Cubs don't have problems. You can add a few more to the list after a 5-3 loss Monday night in which the Cincinnati Reds didn't score an earned run and the Cubs reached base 15 times on hits, walks and hit batters -- and came away empty in the ninth after loading the bases with one out."

"After ripping Cubs fans last month, Reds announcer Marty Brennaman proved he's an equal-opportunity offender, proclaiming during a loss to Atlanta on Sunday that Cincinnati "may never win another game." But the Reds proved him wrong Monday night with a 5-3 win over the Cubs before 20,889 at Great American Ball Park, scoring five unearned runs off Ryan Dempster."

"The Reds are concerned enough about Bronson Arroyo that they want to get him examined physically. Arroyo is 1-4 with an 8.63 ERA. Sunday's 1 1/3-inning outing was the shortest of his career. Seven of the eight batters he faced in the second inning reached. The other hit a sacrifice fly. Reds manager Dusty Baker was asked if Arroyo might need a stint in the bullpen to get himself straightened out. "We're kind of lost right now," he said. "We're going to get him checked out, maybe something is wrong with him."

"The Reds will likely make one move today. David Weathers is eligible to come off the disabled list. He's ready, so he'll be activated. But, in the wake of Sunday's 14-7 beating by the Atlanta Braves, the Reds would seem to be a team ripe for a shake-up, a major shake-up. The Reds have lost five straight. They went 3-6 on the road trip. They are tied for worst the record in baseball at 12-20."

"Chipper Jones homered and drove in five runs, and the first three in the Braves' lineup totaled 10 hits and 10 RBIs in a 14-7 win Sunday at Turner Field. The Braves pounded starter Bronson Arroyo and the Cincy bullpen to complete a three-game sweep."

"Reds manager Dusty Baker wasn't sure if Ken Griffey Jr. was kidding or not when he volunteered to hit second during spring training. Baker found out Saturday by placing Griffey in the No. 2 hole for the game against the Atlanta Braves. Griffey was OK with it. "I'm moving on up," Griffey said. "Table-setter. I'm trying to get to leadoff.""

"The Reds' bullpen - good all year - was very bad Saturday night. Mike Lincoln, Jeremy Affeldt and Jared Burton combined to give up six runs in the seventh inning in the Reds' 9-1 loss to the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field. "That's a good game - a real good game - that went bad in one inning," Reds manager Dusty Baker said."

"Did you know ... That Reds manager Dusty Baker is letting his relievers pitch longer than Jerry Narron did? Sticking with pitchers builds confidence and tends to establish roles. Last year: Through 30 games, the Reds had 97 distinct relief appearances tallying only 79 innings pitched. This year: through 30 games, there have been 84 appearances for 932/3 innings pitched."

"With John Smoltz gearing up for a move to the bullpen, and Mike Hampton stuck on the shelf for at least another month, Jo-Jo Reyes had an opportunity to do a lot more than beat the Reds on Saturday night in his first major-league start of the season. He could make an impression on Bobby Cox, who's taking a hard look at how the rotation might evolve after the latest round of injuries. Cox liked what he saw Saturday in a 9-1 victory over Cincinnati — and gave Reyes a hearty pat on the back as he took the ball from him in the sixth inning."

"All Reds manager Dusty Baker wants is one big week from one of his big bats. "We've got to get the big boys in the middle going," Baker said. "If we can get one of them hot . . . how about being MVP for a week. We need one MVP for a week." The Reds No 3, 4 and 5 hitters - Ken Griffey Jr., Brandon Phillips and Adam Dunn - combined for 13 home runs and 39 RBI in the month of April."

"In his last three starts entering Friday, Edinson Volquez had gotten nine runs, eight runs and 10 runs of support. "I needed a couple of them tonight," he said. He certainly did. Volquez pitched up to the lofty standards he set for himself this year, but his defense and offense let him down in a 2-0 loss to the Atlanta Braves before a crowd of 32,057 at Turner Field Friday."

"Tim Hudson is way too nice and too mellow of a guy for all the questions about his pitching form to get a rise out of him. But he pitched Friday night like it had been eating at him. From the first inning on, Hudson pitched with velocity, command and authority that had been missing for parts of his past three starts and dominated the Reds on Friday night for a 2-0 complete-game shutout."

"It's fitting that May begins with a semi-crucial series for the Reds. The three-game series that opens today with a 7:35 p.m. game with the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field isn't going to vault the Reds into first place. It's not even in the division. But it represents a chance to have a winning road trip. The Reds are 3-3 so far. So if they win two of three or sweep in Atlanta, they come home after a successful trip."

"The Cardinals' leadoff hitters' .400 on-base percentage is third-best in the National League, the No. 2 hitters' .301 batting average and .380 OBP rank third each in the NL, and that spot's .513 slugging percentage is the best in baseball. The cleanup spot continues to be a struggle, though Rick Ankiel went three for three in Wednesday's 5-2 victory. No. 5, however, had the fifth-best OBP (.395) and second-best slugging (.589) entering play Wednesday. After that spot, the Cardinals' numbers slide toward the bottom of the league."

"Braden Looper worked six solid innings and Rick Ankiel had three hits and two RBIs, helping the St. Louis Cardinals hand Aaron Harang another tough luck loss with a 5-2 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday. Aaron Miles had a pair of RBI singles and Jason Isringhausen earned his ninth save in 11 chances for the surprising Cardinals, who won a franchise-record 18 games the first month of the season."

"On second thought, Johnny Cueto will get the extra rest. The Reds on Tuesday said they were juggling their starting pitching rotation to keep Cueto, Edinson Volquez and Aaron Harang on their turns. But after Tuesday night's 1 2/3-inning, seven-run outing by Cueto, they re-juggled. Cueto will get extra rest instead of Bronson Arroyo, who will start Sunday in the series finale in Atlanta. Cueto will start Tuesday at home against the Chicago Cubs."

"Wednesday's game was one the Reds really wanted. It represented the difference between winning or losing a series. It was a chance to get on track after having a three-game winning streak snapped the night before. The team's ace, Aaron Harang, was on the mound. That's about as sure a bet as you'll find. But it didn't work out. The team lost 5-2 at St. Louis before a crowd of 40,629 at Busch Stadium."

"But on Sunday, Ankiel drew two straight walks in front of Pujols, the second igniting a four-run, game-winning rally. Since that day, Ankiel, hitting fourth again now, is eight for his last 13 with five runs batted in, including three singles and two RBIs Wednesday afternoon in a 5-2 win over the Cincinnati Reds at Busch Stadium. The victory was a record 18th for the Cardinals in April, a month in which they lost just one of 10 series."

"By the time Bronson Arroyo pitches again, he'll be ready to swim the English Channel. After winning his first game of the season Monday, April 28, Arroyo revealed that he is strengthening his shoulders with daily dips in swimming pools, but it will be seven days between that start and his next one."

"The 22-year-old Cincinnati Reds rookie wasn't around long enough to be recognized by witnesses or immediate family — just 1 2/3 innings, the shortest showing by a Reds starter this season. In that short span, he was rockem-sockemed for seven runs (six earned) and eight hits by the St. Louis Cardinals on their way to a 7-2 victory."

"Former Reds general manager Wayne Krivsky has kept busy making phone calls and thanking people he worked with as GM. When he is through with that, he's not sure."

"The Reds' bullpen setup corps - the major weakness of last year's club - has been good this season and great lately. Right-hander Jared Burton worked a scoreless seventh inning, and left-hander Jeremy Affeldt threw a 1-2-3 eighth while protecting a 4-3 lead Monday."

"The Reds juggled the rotation to keep Johnny Cueto on his turn. After Tuesday night's start, they might want to reshuffle. Cueto did not get out of the second inning in the Reds' 7-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals before a crowd of 35,356 at Busch Stadium."

"Keep in mind, he's 38, has put on weight, has a tendency to get hurt, and isn't what he used to be, but he's still Junior Griffey, hit 30 homers last year, and you stick him in the middle of the lineup on either side of Chicago and he's going to be a postseason presence."

"Eight seasons after Griffey came to the Reds as the superstar to hitch a pennant on, a hometown boy and a stabilizing force, all he has known is change. The hiring last week of Walt Jocketty at general manager meant Griffey is playing for his fourth GM. That's four more times than he's been in the playoffs as a Red. "

"The Cardinals merely stayed out of the Cincinnati Reds' way in a nine-inning spoof that ended as a 7-2 decision before 35,356 at Busch Stadium. "

"Bronson Arroyo finally made a quality start. The Reds finally got a win in the opening game of a series after losing nine times. But the defining moment of the 4-3 victory over the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium came in the seventh inning."

"The Reds' 4-3 victory ended their nine-game losing streak in the first game of a series. That's a streak everybody knew couldn't continue."

"The Cardinals' early-inning magic disappeared Monday night, and it cost them and starting pitcher Todd Wellemeyer dearly in a 4-3 loss."