Reds Split, Hooray 5-3

The Reds managed a split of the four games with the Brewers when Jon Gomes took one out in the 8th with a man on the basepaths. That made the Reds big weiners and allowed them to hit the road with their pride intact.

The team looked less good on the opening night, with Bailey getting knocked around, and Saturday night when Harango struggled through a patch of snakes in the 4th. Arroyo was lights out Friday. Extending his scoreless innings streak to 500. Nice job Bronson. I forget how long the effective stretches last. Four or five games followed by four or five terrible starts, I think is the pattern. Jocketty the genius will have a better idea what to do with the apparent excess of starting pitching by the time the terrible starts begin again. The most viable option appears, once Volquez is healthy, to allow the 6 starters to have some sort of complex breakdancing knife fight. The gutted fish loses his spot in the rotation.

Reds travel out west to play baseball with the Dodger and get to see Jason Schmidt, who I vaguely remember from about 3 years ago. Last I'd heard he entered the witness protection program on an Amish community. He was learning how to put up barns. That must have resolved itself because he's back facing the Reds with pitching peripherals which are not representative of the pitcher from several years past. That's what the Dusty and team have been looking forward to seeing. Willy hasn't hit a ball out of the infield in two weeks but has got his average up near .250, Encarnacion's fresh off 7 consecutive hits, and Hanigan's back in the lineup hitting singles. Not that we won't miss Hernandez but this offense is, clearly, on the verge of being the best in baseball.

Keep up the good work team. Reds! Reds! Reds!