The Reds Reach Highwater Mark at Midpoint of the Season,12-0

The Cincinnati Reds are 11 games above the .500 mark with pitching help on the way.

The Reds blasted the overpaid, Chicago Cubs, 12-0 at Wrigley Field this afternoon.  The Cubs helped with six walks in a nine-run seventh inning but the Reds pitching was brilliant again.

Bronson Arroyo won his eighth game, throwing six shutout innings.  He could have gone longer but Logan Ondrusek and Micah Owings needed to throw and they also shutdown the Cubs.

This is the farthest that the Reds have been above .500 since 2006 when they made a run at the division crown before a disasterous west coast trip foiled them again.  They are in first place this late for the first time since, 1999.  They are exactly half way through the season. 

Joey Votto and Scott Rolen both have stats equal to or better than the Cardinals great Albert Pujols.

Votto is hitting .314, he leads the National League along with Pujols with 19 home runs, he has driven home 57 runs and has a slugging percentage of .579.

Pujols is hitting .309 with 19 home runs and 58 RBI and slugs at a .569 rate.

Rolen is hitting .302 with 17 home runs and 55 RBI.  His slugging percentage is .576.

Yet so many Reds fan want Dusty Baker to walk Pujols every time he comes to the plate.  Thank God the manager is so much smarter than the fans, Marty Brennaman, Hal McCoy and any 10 sports talk hosts.

With all the credit that Walt Jockety is getting so far, lets not forget the production the Reds have gotten from the 2005 draft that Dan O'Brian supervised, Jay Bruce (1), Travis Wood (2), Sam LeCure (4), Jeff Stevens (6), Carlos Fisher (11), Adam Rosales (12) and Logan Ondrusek (13) have all made contributions to this current team.  Stevens was traded to Cleveland to bring Brandon Phillips to the Reds.  Stevens pitched for the Cubs this afternoon.

Wayne Krivsky brought Phillips and Arroyo to town and drafted, Drew Stubbs (1), Jordan Smith (6), Justin Turner (7) (traded for Ramon Hernandez),  Josh Roenicke (10) (traded for Rolen) and Chris Heisey (17).  Sean Watson (2), Chris Valaika (3) and Danny Dorn (32) will be Reds in the near future.

Krivsky also pulled the trigger on the Josh Hamilton trade to bring Edinson Volquez and Daniel Ray Herrera, who was a sleeper that has paid off and will continue to.

Volquez may be making his final rehab start for the Louisville Bats against Indianapolis tomorrow.  A healthy Volquez would mean that Jockety can stand pat and keep all of the Reds prospects at the trading deadline.