Last Game
The Mets stole the Reds playbook and copied the one successful play the Reds have had this year, by taking the lead in their final at bat and sending the Reds to a 5-4 loss.

Next Game
The Reds play for the series win against the Mets in an afternoon game today. It’s the battle of the Jons at 12:35pm EDT when Johnny Cueto takes on Jonathon Niese. There’s no television broadcast, so you’ll have to close your eyes and imagine when Joey Votto steps to the plate.

Bailey Stands by His Man
Homer Bailey talked to John Fay about his 121 pitch-game against the Cardinals.

“To me, throwing 120 pitches is nothing,” Bailey said. “I showed up the next day and it was like I didn’t even throw.

“I’m one – it’s not going to happen – but if they said, ‘you’ve got 140 pitches,’ I’d be fine. And guess what? No. 139 is going to be equal to No. 50.”

That kind of eagerness and confidence in his stuff is a good sign, but it also shows the importance of a good pitching coach and managerial staff when dealing with the multi-million dollar investments the clubs have made. Bailey only has to be concerned about Bailey. The coaches have to think about this game, the next start, the next year, and so on. 121 pitches is a lot. I’m not sure it was worth the risk this early in the year.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
When the Reds won the first game against the Mets, it was Laynce Nix’s first home run of the season, and his first walk-off home run of his career.