Happy Cinco de Mayo, everybody!

What I’ve always found interesting about this holiday is how it’s celebrated more in the United States than it is in Mexico. One thing I never stopped to consider was, what does Aroldis Chapman think of the holiday?

You might remember that he’s from Cuba, a country that has nothing to do with the minor Mexican holiday. But don’t tell Pepto-Bismol that.

They contracted Chapman for this commercial showing a novel way of breaking apart a piñata.

What the hell was in that thing? Real stomach acid? This ad was weird in so many ways.

Maybe next year Pepto can tap Joey Votto for a St. Patrick’s Day commercial. You know, because he’s Canadian.

So far this year, the Cincinnati Reds have played like a .500 team. As Rob Lowe in Parks & Recreation would say, “They’ve literally been average.”

And they have. The Reds’ record stands now at 15 wins and 15 losses.

They won today, thanks to some 9th inning competence from Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, and uncharacteristically, Jay Bruce. Thanks to a solid pitching performance by Travis Wood and the bullpen, the team was only down by 2 in the 9th. Granted, the offense had mustered something like one measly hit against the Houston Astros to that point, but the pitching had managed to keep it close.

I keep hoping that this team will find rediscover the spark they had at the season’s very beginning. The fact that Bruce actually produced today is a good sign, but there needs to be more from him. Like last year, he’s started slow in 2010. He comes up too often in situations where he could help the team and is a key figure for success this year.

Of course, the pitching has been wretched lately, too. The two injured starters are returning this week, and I’d say that Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey are better than Sam LeCure and Mike Leake, who they’ll be replacing in the rotation. Maybe that will be enough to get this team going, although it feels like more is needed than just a couple guys coming off the disabled list. Heck if I know what, though.

It’s been a frustrating year watching the Reds play so far. The season is by no means over, and the Reds aren’t really in a hole in the standings–they’re in 2nd place. But they’ve been playing teams they should beat, and have instead been losing badly.

Today was a good first step after the team meeting with manager Dusty Baker and owner Bob Castellini. I’m hoping for another good step tomorrow afternoon when Bailey starts for the first time this year.

Boxscore

A day after Edgar Renteria provided a walk-off hit, the Cincinnati Reds were forced to attempt it again. But the comeback-magic wasn’t there this time.

Bronson Arroyo had one of his bad starts, but he changed it up this time. Instead of allowing a heapin’ helpin’ of runs early and leaving the game before the 3rd inning, this time he kept the Reds in the game until the 7th. Over 7 innings, he allowed 5 runs–all earned–and all on home runs. It was a windy day at Great American.

The real kicker came from reliever Nick Masset, though. The 4 runs he allowed in the 8th were really the nails in the coffin.

The offense ended up scoring 5 runs, and were a good hit from Joey Votto away from tying it in the 9th. But like so many games recently, the Reds missed the win by that much.

This team has been tough to watch, but watch I do, continuing to hope for the luck to change. With each loss being so close and due to one pitcher’s bad pitch or one hitter’s bad swing, it feels like the team is damn close to getting on a roll. It just hasn’t happened yet, and the team can’t seem to get above .500, let alone back to really competing for 1st place.

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Mike Leake came out today and provided his side of the story of his arrest earlier this month. And it truly was as boneheaded as the rumors would lead you to believe.

Leake pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor today.

Leake said that on April 2, he went in to purchase six shirts and they did not fit. He went back to Macy’s on April 18 and exchanged them on his own, instead of talking to a clerk. He said he set the six shirts down, got the correct sizes and walked out. Leake then was stopped by store security.

“I realize how boneheaded of a move it was,” Leake said. “It was very wrong and I sincerely apologize. It was a serious lapse of judgment, and for that I will be willing to do anything that I will have to do.”

Given that Leake is just 23, I can see him having that kind of lapse in thinking. How many times has he exchanged things?

Still, it’s good to see the thing over. Leake will have to put in 30 hours of community service and be on good behavior for a bit. I’m hoping he can avoid doing any gas station drive-offs in that time. The price of gas is getting high.