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Boxscore

Okay, this is getting old. The Cincinnati Reds lost to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays tonight, dropping their record to 41-40.

That’s 81 games total: the halfway point. Feeling good about the prospects of this team for the rest of the season? Because Walt Jocketty has shown his complete lack of ideas on what to do to improve the .500 team. And manager Dusty Baker’s calm, toothpick-chewing ways aren’t exactly lighting a fire under the under-performing team’s ass.

Tonight, the Reds wasted another brilliant start by Johnny Cueto. Cueto went 7 2/3 innings, allowing 3 runs–two of which were allowed to score thanks to a rare bad appearance from Bill Bray. And then Logan Ondrusek allowed a walk-off home run to lose it in the 9th.

The Reds continue to be a tough team to watch, and the lack of apparent caring by anyone in charge of the team doesn’t make it any easier. I’m not one to panic, but 81 games into the season is no longer early. That’s a long enough time to get a good idea about the team’s problem areas. And the 2011 Reds are weak on starting pitching and have gotten no offense and not good enough defense from shortstop. Waiting and seeing isn’t going to make things any better.

Boxscore

Wait, what?

I know what you’re thinking, looking at the title of this post, but it’s true. The Cincinnati Reds actually won an interleague game! And this was the first game of the series against the Tampa Bay Devil Rays.

Mike Leake started for the Reds and did very well, going 6 shutout innings, allowing 4 hits, walking 2, and striking out 3. He picked up his 7th win. The bullpen closed out the shutout and the game, thanks to Sam LeCure and Nick Masset.

The offense still left 8 players on base, but they did drive in 5. Brandon Phillips was the hero, going 4-5, driving in 2 and scoring 2. Jonny Gomes returned to his former ballpark and did well, too, hitting a home run in the 4th.

All that added up to a shutout win. And it gives the Reds two chances to win their first series in about a million years.

Not that the team has been so great to watch lately–it’s hard to see them get thiiiiiiis close (|—-|) every night–but it’s bound to come together for them sooner or later, and it who knows, it might well be this Friday when they retake third place from those wily Pittsburgh Pirates.

So with that possibility in mind, the Red Hot Family has taken July 1 off from work and is including a quick 2.5 hour drive to Cincinnati in the four-day weekend. The Indians will be in town, so it shouldn’t exactly be one of those games that people have to be talked into going to, but even so the Reds marketing guys have decided to use this as the tweet-up game.

I suppose if you read about it here and not on Twitter, that makes it not a real tweet-up, but everybody like a good deal and this is one of those. $25 for a ticket and a shirt is pretty darn good, even if they do tack on another $15 in processing fees.

You can check out the specifics of this deal at reds.com/tweetup and maybe the good deal will come with a good game.

Aroldis Chapman made his return to the major league playing field tonight, and he did not disappoint. Though his ninth inning appearance against the Baltimore Orioles did come with a 5-run lead, it still wasn’t exactly a no-pressure situation. After all, before he went on the DL, he might have gotten the loss in this situation.

But not tonight. Tonight, Chapman was all strike-outs, mowing down Matt Wieters, Mark Reynolds, and Robert Andino. The last pitch I saw clocked in at 101 mph. That’s the good stuff people pay to see.

So, welcome back, Chapman. We’re all looking forward to you outperforming Bad-royo the rest of the season.

“Better than nothing.” It’s a phrase I’ve been saying entirely too much lately. Offense can’t score but the starter put in a good showing? Better than nothing! The Reds can’t beat the Orioles, but at least the Cards lost, too? Better than nothing! I have to listen to The Cowboy, but George is in the booth with him? Better than nothing!

Argh! I’d like to stop comparing the experience of watching my team, even if favorably, to the utter void. Where the hell is Jocketty? Shouldn’t he be doing something?

Rumors are bouncing around the internet tubes that the Cincinnati Reds will be calling up shortstop Zach Cozart from Louisville before Friday’s game.

Who’s the source of such wild speculation? None other than Cincinnati Enquirer Reds beat writer John Fay.

I think you could see Zack Cozart in a Reds uniform by the time the club gets to Baltimore. I don’t know that for sure, but I get that sense.

The club is struggling so badly offensively that it needs some sort of spark. Cozart could provide it. He’s hitting .320 with 25 doubles, seven home runs and 29 RBI at Triple- A Louisville.

If this is true, then the Reds have reached the “point” that general manager Walt Jocketty referred to.

It also means that the Reds would have to free up a spot on the 25-man. Cozart is already on the 40-man, so no move is needed there. The most likely person on the 25-man roster to make room for Cozart would seem to be Edgar Renteria, who really hasn’t produced this year. Of course, the Reds would have to DFA him, unlike Paul Janish, who has options.

I hope a move is made. This team keeps plodding along. It feels like a spark is all that’s needed to get them going. And an eager, young guy might just be what’s needed.

Lots of stems of thoughts today, but no time to actually think any of them through, so I’ll leverage the lazy blogger’s favorite page layout device, the bullet:

• Chris Heisey is a helluva pinch hitter, especially when he’s leading off.
• I love how optimistic salvaging one game in the series with the Yankees makes the broadcasters. These guys have waited so long for a team to be optimistic about.
• Jack McKeon is 80. 80 years old. He can bench, yell, and bench. He’s 80.
• Hell-to-the-yeah, Johnny Cueto.
• Have you done your All-Star voting yet? Just because Pujols broke his arm and may not be able to start anyway is no reason to let him win.

Enjoy the off-day tomorrow, everyone. Fingers and toes crossed for a Cardinals loss and Brewers failure to prepare adequately for Friday.

Cincinnati Reds backup shortstop Edgar Renteria has not had what you would call a good 2011. His batting average is .219, he gets on only 30% of the time, and his slugging is at .246. Between him and starter Paul Janish, the Reds are sporting one of the worst shortstop tandems in all of baseball.

The Internets have a solution, though: Free Zach Cozart.

Cozart plays shortstop for the AAA Louisville Bats, and he’s been doing well. In contrast to Renteria and Janish, Cozart seems to be able to actually hit. So far this year, he’s batting .318, getting on base 36% of the time, and has a slugging percentage of .496. His defense seems solid, too.

These facts have people clamoring for the release of Renteria and the call-up of Cozart. And it does make a certain amount of sense. The team has been getting no offense from the shortstop. In my opinion, great defense is an excuse for no offense at that position, but when there’s an alternative, there is logic in trying it.

Reds beat writer John Fay talked to general manager Walt Jocketty about it.

I asked Walt Jocketty Saturday if Cozart’s play was about to force the issue. “We’re not at that point yet,” he said.

Jocketty has always been a patient GM. But with the .500 ball the Reds have been playing all year–in no small part to a hit or miss offense–I hope he doesn’t miss “that point” before it’s too late.

The St. Louis Cardinals lost another player today.

Before the season even started, they lost their best starter, Adam Wainwright, to Tommy John surgery. And now, they’ve lost Albert Pujols for 4-6 weeks due to a fractured left forearm.

Pujols was hurt on a play at first base in the sixth inning. He was fielding a long throw and Kansas City’s Wilson Betemit collided with his glove hand as Pujols was pulled toward home.
The Cards’ three-time MVP went down to the ground in pain.

Obviously, this greatly weakens the Cardinals. Sure, Pujols was having the worst year of his career, but even that’s still quite above average. Plus, he’s been warming up.

But there is one silver lining I can think of. Now manager Tony LaRussa the opportunity to meddle with the lineup on a daily basis. It’s been years since he got to play around with that third spot!