Karma Ends Best Reds Streak in 13 Years

The Reds' 10-game winning streak caused broadcaster Marty Brennaman to lose his hair.  I may have caused Devin Mesoraco to loose his mind during the Reds' 11-5 let-down loss.

The soft spoken catcher was ejected in the third inning for vehemently arguing ball calls by home plate umpire Chad Fairchild.  The normally silent rookie catcher erupted in the middle of the San Diego Padres four-run inning.

"The umpire said he (Mesoraco touched him).  I couldn't tell if he touched him or not but he (Fairchild) was pointing his finger saying he touched him. It looked like they really bumped each other and he (Fairchild) did a good acting job.  I hope Devin doesn't get any time."

Touching an umpire usually draws a suspension.

"I don't know if it will or not.  It's not up to me," Baker said.

Mesoraco admitted that is was frustration that set him off.

"First and foremost the game wasn't going the way that we hoped," Mesoraco said.  "I was a little frustrated with that and I disagreed with some calls throughout the game.  Frustration got the best of me and I lost my cool.  You want to stand up for your pitcher.  They can't do it out on the mound.  That's what came up.  I'm not perfect by any means."

Mesoraco was unsure if he touched Fairchild or not.  He's not sure about a suspension.

"Honestly, the way it happened.  I was frustrated and things happened.  At the end of the day, I disagreed with some calls and what happened after that I'm not exactly sure.  I don't know how it works with the commissioner's office. Obviously if you end up hurting the ballclub, that's something that you don't want to do.  We'll see how it goes but there is nothing I can do about it now."

Baker had a talk about it with his young catcher but Mesoraco was not going to reveal the manager's words.

"That's between me and Dusty," Mesoraco said.

The four players that the Reds traded for the winning pitcher in the historic 10th game of the streak, Mat Latos all had a hand in ending it.

After the Reds jumped all over former ace Edinson Volquez the Padres unloaded on Mike Leake with former Reds' top draft choices coming back to haunt them.

National League Co-player of the Week continued to put masking tape on his many critics by blasting a Volquez fastball into the right field bleachers.  One out later, Jay Bruce doubled.  Scott Rolen walked.  Another reclamation project of late, Ryan Ludwick split the left and center fielders with a line drive double that put Volquez in a three-run hole in the first inning.  Ludwick started last season with the Padres but was traded to Pittsburgh at the trading deadline last season.

It was Ludwick's 36th extra-base hit.  He only has 29 singles.  Ludwick had a very slow start but since June 14 is hitting .315 with 11 doubles, nine home runs and 21 RBI.

The euphoria and anticipation of an 11th straight wins for which some women Reds' fans promised to shave their legs, was over before you could say University of Miami Hurricanes.  Yasmani Grandal, the Reds' top draft choice in 2010, walked against Mike Leake.  Yonder Alonso, the Reds top choice in 2008, hit the first of his three doubles.  Leake walked Cameron Maybin to load the bases.

"I wasn't able to hit my spots," Leake said.

Leake is known for his pin point accuracy but wasn't getting the ball over the plate or he wasn't getting the close calls. Everth Cabrera singled to make it a 3-1 game.  Volquez hit a high chop to the mound.  Leake got the force at home.  Alexi Amarista hit a line drive to right and Bruce made an accurate and quick throw to the plate but Maybin and the ball arrived at the same time and Mesoraco couldn't come up with the throw to record the inning ending out.

"It was a situation where he kept missing.  It's not like Mike to walk people.  We didn't want to go get him that early.  We didn't want to get that deep into our bullpen," Baker said.  "We walked 11 that's a lot."

The frustration was beginning to build in the young Reds' backstop.

The Padres were far from finished.

Will Venable, whose father played for the Reds in the 80's, doubled and later scored on a single by Carlos Quinton.

The Padres scored four more in the third inning.  Alfredo Simon walked Amarista and Venable.  He was about to walk Chase Headly when Mesoraco lost his cool.  He turned to face Fairchild which is trouble to begin with then said the magic word and was gone like yesterday.  Dusty Baker had to restrain his rookie physically but he made contact with Fairchild and could get a suspension.

The ugly third left the Reds trailing 9-3.

The Reds scratched.  Bruce homered.  Scott Rolen had an RBI single but Volquez soon gave way to Brad Boxberger, the Reds' supplementental first rounder in 2010.  He pitched 1 1/3 innings and led the Padres bullpen to four scoreless frames.

Like Leake, Simon had a rare off night.  Coming into the game the big righthander had allowed just four earned runs in 37 1/3 innings (0.96 ERA) covering 22 appearances.  The law of averages caught up to him.  He gave up five runs to the Padres.

"We haven't been blown out in a long, long, long, time.  We had some chances to get back in it but couldn't come up with the big hits. Leake hasn't  had a bad game in the last nine or ten outings.  Simon hasn't had a bad outing in months. It was just a bad night. Hopefully, the Pirates lost and everything remains the same."

The Pirates were suffering a similar fate in Chicago as the Cubs mauled them with nine runs in the fifth inning to allow them to lead late 14-4.

Although the Reds failed to reach 11 straight wins last accomplished by the 1957 Reds (12 game streak), they will maintain it's three-game lead unless the Cubs collapse at home.