Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Reds (25-21)	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	1	4	0
Indians (28-15)	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	0	-	2	5	0

Boxscore

The Cincinnati Reds dropped their fourth game in a row today. I don’t know about you, but it feels like at least one more than that. I mean, it feels like the Reds have equaled their previous winning streak. But if they do lose in the final game with the Cleveland Indians tomorrow, at least we’ll know they’re assured of another five-game winning streak next.

Homer Bailey was the starter for the Reds and turned in a very good outing–one more than good enough for a win. He went 7 innings, allowed just 2 runs, and struck out 4. However, the Indians have been able to completely shut down the Reds’ offense.

Joey Votto’s power outage continues, as he was 0-3 with a walk on the day. Unfortunately, he only had one at-bat with a runner on base the entire day.

Jonny Gomes also continues to struggle. He was 0-4 with three strikeouts, and he looked lost. His stint as the designated hitter for this series–ostensibly letting him focus on only hitting for a change–is turning out to be a failure. He’s swinging at terrible pitches and has no feel for the ball. His average has fallen to .171 and the Reds need him to find his bat again soon.

The sole offense came from an RBI off the bat of Scott Rolen. It gave the Reds the first lead, but most of the time, you need more than one run to win. Today, the Reds would’ve needed 3. Getting that many with a total of 4 hits is very difficult.

As mentioned above, the Reds have now lost four in a row, mirroring the St. Louis Cardinals’ 2010 drop-off after sweeping the Reds. Tomorrow, they attempt to make the Ohio Cup series respectable.

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Pirates (20-23)	0	0	0	0	3	1	0	1	0	5	9	0
Reds (25-19)	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	1	1	3	9	1

Boxscore

Now, I’m Free! Free-falling!

The Pittsburgh Pirates continued their domination of the Cincinnati Reds today. Behind the pitching of James McDonald, the Pirates cruised to a 5-3 victory.

Reds’ starter Johnny Cueto encountered troubles in his 3rd start, lasting just 5 innings. In that time, he allowed 3 earned runs, 3 walks, and struck out 5. He was back to his pitch-inefficient ways as it took him 94 pitches to go those 5 innings.

The offense for the Reds was provided by Jay Bruce, who had two homers on the day. He was clearly missed in yesterday’s shutout, when he sat out for flu-like symptoms.

The loss drops the Reds to 1-4 against the Pirates on the year. And thanks to a St. Louis Cardinals win, the Reds are no longer in first place. That was quick.

Of course, I’d rather dominate the Cardinals and be owned by the Pirates than the other way around. I think the former will play out better over the course of the season.

FOX Sports Ohio Picks Up June 8th Reds Game

ESPN has selected the June 12th Cincinnati Reds game for their Sunday night exclusive game, which means FOX Sports Ohio can no longer air the game.

As replacement, FOX Sports Ohio will televise in HD:
REDS VS. CUBS
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 8

The game will begin at 12:30pm and will be preceded by Reds Live Pregame Show at 12 noon.

Geez, the Reds will be playing the Cubs again so soon? I’ll miss them if there aren’t any more Cubs games left after the All-Star break.

Last Game
The Cincinnati Reds completed their sweep of the St. Louis Cardinals yesterday. The series was entertaining every night and especially enjoyable for Reds fans, thanks to the great performances by players the Cardinals have come to hate: Johnny Cueto and Brandon Phillips. Cueto dominated in the second game of the series, going longer than any Reds starter this year in his win. And Phillips was on fire, going 5-10 with a home run and 6 RBI. The sweep would not have happened without those two.

Next Game
The Reds face another division opponent when the Chicago Cubs come to town tonight. Homer Bailey will start for Cincinnati while Matt Garza has the honors for Chicago. Game-time is 7:10pm EDT, and the game is televised on Fox Sports Ohio.

Gomes’ Mohawk Missing in Action
This weekend saw the end of struggling Jonny Gomes’ trademark mohawk.

Gomes had little to say about the new look.

“I just got a haircut,” he said.

Just a coincidence? Or just time for a haircut?

“You could argue that,” Gomes said.

Gomes started off the season well, but has been wretched lately. He’s had just 5 hits this month and hasn’t had a home run since April 17. We’ll see if his reverse-Samson works.

What to Say to Sound Smart at the Water Cooler
The Reds’ sweep of the Cardinals in Cincinnati was the first time such a thing had been done since September 11-13, 2007.

I wasn’t able to watch the game today, what with being busy going through the commencement ceremony for my MBA program (YAYYY!), but I still felt the need to take a quick moment tonight to express the fantabulocity of the Reds sweeping the Cardinals. Last season, I took the Reds’ inability to beat the Cards in those emotionally charged games as foreshadowing of their inability to master their nerves in the postseason. Does this mark a change in the fortunes of the team? Either way, it was awesome sauce.