Fan Favorites Jay Bruce And Todd Frazier Return Home Triumphantly

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Jay Bruce hit a two-run home run off Homer Bailey in a triumphant return to Great American Ball Park, where he started his Major League career on May 27, 2008.  It aided the Mets cause in a 7-6 wins.

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Bruce, Todd Frazier and Homer Bailey were all first round choices for the Reds.  Bailey was picked in the first round in 2004, Bruce in 2005 and Frazier along with Devin Mesoraco in 2007.

The Reds couldn't keep all four when it came time for arbitration and free agency.  They signed Bailey for six years and Mesoraco for four but couldn't afford Bruce and Frazier when they got into their 30's, the economics of the sports business prevented it.

The Reds turned Bruce and Frazier into five minor league players.  Jose Peraza and Scott Schebler are regulars in 2018.  Bruce and Frazier returned with the New York Mets to face, ironically, Bailey.

Bailey made his 200th career start, still looking for his first win of the season after four losses, gave up a home run to Michael Conforto on the second pitch of the game.  The Mets scored again in the second on a single by Adrian Gonzalez and a double by Jose Lobaton, that led to a run on Amed Rosario's sacrifice fly.  Bruce, who hit 135 home runs for the Reds at GABP, hit his third home run of the season in the fourth.  Two outs later Gonzalez hit his fourth home run of the season off Bailey.

"There is a lot of nostalgic things here," Bruce said. "I really had a blast being here. This place was home for me for so long."

The Reds fans shouted "Bruce" like they did when he played here.

"You'd like to think that every Reds' fan here would want the Reds to win but we went through a lot together," Bruce said.  Not the least of which was going through the Reds' minor league system with Bailey.  "It was a little weird but I'm happy that Homer is pitching again.  He dealt with a lot of injuries.  He's battled through it.  He's out there again and I'm sure it's step number one for him."

Reds' interim manager Jim Riggleman gave his team credit for battling back from such an early hole.

"We've been down three or four runs in many games.  Last night we fell a little flat for some reason," Riggleman said.  "Tonight we were right back at it, a lot of energy in the dugout, a lot of good at bats. I can't say enough about Duvall's plays in left field.  He's struggling at the bat but giving a great effort in the field, showing his character.  It was a great effort we came up short but I'm proud to go out there with those guys.  People get tired of hearing it but I promise you it is going to click in.  I'm not sure what day it's going to click in but we're are going to make some noise in this division."

Billy Hamilton hit his second home run of the season off J.P. Conlon, who is making his Major League debut.  Conlon helped get it back in the fourth inning with a ground single up the middle off Bailey.  Rosario hit a double to put Conlon on third.  Yoenis Cespedes hit a sacrifice fly to plate Conlon with the Met's sixth run.

The Reds still fought back.

Eugenio Suarez and Scooter Gennett hit back-to-back doubles and Tucker Barnhart doubled to score two run int he fourth off Conlon.

Adrian Gonzalez hit his second home run of the game off Jackson Stephens, who was called up from Louisville today with Kevin Shackelford going down.

Suarez hit his fifth home run of the season off  Paul Sewald, leading off the sixth.  Adam Duvall and Barnhart hit singles to put runners on the corner.  Pinch hitter Scott Schebler hit a sacrifice fly to get the Reds closer at 7-5.  Gennett's third homer of the season off Robert Gsellman to make it a one-run game.

Raisell Iglesias entered to start the ninth inning.  Cespedes doubled and Bruce singled, putting runners on the corner with no outs.  Iglesias struck out Asdrubal Cabrera and got Frazier to hit into a double play to keep the game close.

Jeurys Familia picked up his 10th save with a perfect inning.

The Reds brought Stephens up because the bullpen has been worked hard and Bailey needed to take some lumps to help them.

"Among the other things I'm really proud of tonight was Homer," Riggleman said.  "Homer knew where we were with our bullpen.  He was out there and wanted to continue.  He would have pitched seven or eight innings to protect our bullpen. I'm really proud of him."

"I felt fine.  I didn't have my best stuff.  If I could get more innings for the guys in the bullpen I would have," Bailey said.  "They've been through more than enough."

Jay Bruce Todd Frazier Come Home

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Jay Bruce and Todd Frazier are back in the ballpark where their Major League careers started.

Bruce and Frazier are in the wrong dugout this time, the third base side dugout of the New York Mets.  Three hours before game time the pair sat in that third base dugout and talked about returning to their roots.

Bruce was the Reds' first pick in the 2005 draft, one year after Homer Bailey, who starts for the Reds in the homecoming game.

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The left-handed power hitting right fielder, played his first game as a Red on May 27, 2008.  He hit .249 with 233 home runs for the Reds until he was traded to the Mets for Max Wotell and Dilson Herrera on August 1, 2016.

"This is only my second time back," said Bruce, who returned late in the 2016 season after the trade.  He was traded from the Mets to Cleveland before New York visited Cincinnati last season. "This is different for me.  The last time I came here it was such a whirlwind.  I had a young baby.  This time it is a little more relaxed.  It is always great.  This will always feel like home for me, kinda where I grew up.  There are so many great memories.  It is great to see the city and how much it's growing.  So much is happening. It is very, very cool to see."

Frazier was the Reds second pick, the supplemental pick in the first round in 2007.  He was the 34th pick.  Devin Mesoraco was the 15th pick the same year.  Frazier played in his first game on May 23, 2011.

Frazier hit .257 in five seasons with the Reds with 108 home runs.  The Reds traded him in a three-way deal with the Dodgers and White Sox in December 2015.  Frazier went to the White Sox.  The Reds got Jose Peraza, Scott Schebler and Brandon Dixon from the Dodgers.  The Dodgers got three players from the White Sox.

"It feels great to be back here.  There are a lot of great memories here.  Me and Jay talked about this a lot for the last couple of months," Frazier said.  "We had a lot of fun here.  I haven't been here in three years that brings us to another great adventure.  I am glad to come back to play in front of these fans again.  I think about when we clinched in 2012.  I had my first walk off homer at this stadium.  Just meeting everybody here, giving hugs to reporter and stuff.  That shows how big of a family there is here."

Bruce had the pennant clinching home run in the bottom of the ninth inning on September 28, 2010 off Tim Byrdak of the Houston Astros.

"That still probably ranks at the top," Bruce said.  "Last year in Cleveland, I got to be a part of a very special time with the 22 straight wins. I got the walk off hit for win number 22 but it was so different for me too.  When I did this in 2010 I was still such a young kid.  I didn't know any better. I kind had a little bit more of a surprise. I hadn't been through much as a player in my career.  To feel like there will be a part of history here with the Reds, it is something I'll never forget."

The two Reds fan favorites who have moved on, not necessarily by choice, but as part of the business end of the Major Leagues.

"Look at Joey Votto right now.  He's been with the Reds for how many years, since 2007?  That's 11 years, now.  There are still a couple guys out there that have been with one team," Frazier said.  "I tell everybody out there, this is one of the worst businesses in the world.  You never know what's going to be tomorrow.  You just got to keep playing.  You keep focusing on the task at hand. That's what me a Jay's been doing our whole career."

Bruce has a couple more years in the game than Frazier but feels the same balance between a game and business.

"In this game, you don't really get to become close or get to know a ton of people very well," Bruce said.  "Since 2010 or 11 when Todd first came up, in spring training, even before he got to the Major Leagues, we spent so many meaningful years together.  I know him the best on this team.  That's a comfort not a lot of guys get."

"I am very, very comfortable here in Cincinnati, even though it is a little weird in this clubhouse," Bruce said.

Frazier, who is from Toms River, New Jersey, is close to home with the Mets.

"It's great," Frazier said.  "It's great for my family, especially.  It's only an hour commute for them. I get my son and daughter to swim lessons on time and then get ready for the game. I'm very fortunate to have that.  That went into a lot of things in the off season, figuring out where I really wanted to go. It was few and far between at the end of the day, the Mets really wanted me. It couldn't be a bette fit for me."

Marlins Take The Series To Win Fourth Straight Series

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Brandon Finnegan pitched through five innings in his last two starts.  Today he didn't get untracked until the Reds were in a 5-0 hole.  Four runs scored in the first and one in the second on the way to the Miami Marlins' 8-5 win over the Reds to send them to a 8-26 record.

"We didn't get a lot out of Finnegan," Reds' interim manager Jim Riggleman said.

Finnegan retired seven in a row after J.T Realmuto's double, leading off the second inning but singles by light hitting pitcher and former teammate, Dan Straily and Realmuto chased him from the game after 3 1/3 innings.

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The first inning made the game an uphill climb for the home nine.   Finnegan as he is known for doing, walked Realmuto, who reached base four times in the game.  Martin Prado hit a slow roller to third base.  Eugenio Suarez made the aggressive throw to second base but Realmuto beat it.  Scooter Gennett put his throw into the camera well behind first base to put both runners in scoring position.  Starlin Castro singled to score two runs, his fourth and fifth runs batted in for two games.   Brian Anderson walked.  Justin Bour grounded out at the runners moved ahead one base.  Cameron Maybin singled to score Casto.  Brinson grounded out off Finnegan that was scored 1-4-3 to drive in Anderson.

"What really hurt was after walking Realmuto, Finnegan went 3-2 to Prado.  By putting them in a running situation we couldn't turn the double play because he beat the throw and was on top of Scooter.  Any other count than 3-2 and we turn a double play," Riggleman said.

Realmuto doubled to start the second inning.  Prado grounded out to Joey Votto at first base.  Castro turned in his second straight three-RBI game with a sacrifice fly.

"It was a crappy way to start a game," Finnegan said.  "It made it tough on our hitters.  It sucks. The more we lose the more pressure we put on our selves and we try to be too fine."

Jesse Winker walked with out in the second inning.  Votto hit his fifth home run of the season to end the Reds' scoreless streak at 18 innings.  Gennett hit a double but was stranded.

After the Reds stranded two runners in the fourth, a heavy rain stopped the game.  It was 73 minutes before the game moved to the fifth with David Hernandez pitching for Cincinnati and Nick Wittgren for Miami.

Hernandez and Wittgren each pitched two scoreless innings.

The Marlins added a run against Kevin Shackelford in the seventh.

Castro singled but Shackelford struck out Anderson.  The Reds gave an intentional walk to Bour.  Maybin doubled to spoil the strategy.  Amir Garrett just back from the funeral of his aunt, came in.  He struck out pinch hitter Derek Dietrich but walked Yadiel Rivera to load the bases.  Garrett fanned J. B.  Shuck to end the threat.

"We had to piece things together because Brandon didn't give us much," Riggleman said.  "The Marlins kept pecking away.  Even when they didn't score they made us change pitchers."

Tayron Guerro took over for Miami in the bottom of the seventh.  Billy Hamilton doubled just inside the first base line.  The hit raise Hamilton's average to .204.  Peraza and Winker flied out.  Votto's third hit, a double scored Hamilton.

Austin Brice struck out two in a scoreless eighth to feed the fans LaRosa's Pizza.

Kyle Barraclough allowed a two out single to Tucker Barnhart, his second hit of the game.

Wandy Peralta, who is walking batters at a brisk pace, walked Anderson to start the inning.  It was the fourth walk in 1 1/3 innings over four games.  Bour's high chop over Votto's head put runners on first and third.  Peralta struck out Maybin but pinch hitter Miguel Rojas singled to center for a run.  Yadiel Rivera's infield hit loaded the bases.  Eugenio Suarez took his eye off the ball, while looking to turn a 5-3 double play.   Bour scored on the play.

Junichi Tazawa came in to pitch the ninth for the Marlins.

Hamilton walked.  Peraza was credited with a double off the glove of  Anderson in right field.  Winker's ground out to first scored Hamilton.  Votto drove in his fourth run of the game with his fourth hit.

Brad Ziegler took over in a save situation.

Gennett hit into a force play but Rivera threw the relay away for one error, then booted Suarez ground ball to bring Scott Schebler to the plate as the tying run.  Ziegler struck out Schebler on his third full count pitch.

Finnegan is 0-3 in five starts.  He hasn't pitched more than five innings in five starts.  The lefthander pitched 20 2/3 innings averaging four per start.  He has walked 15 batters in those innings or 6.5 per nine innings.

"His velocity is where it was.  His command isn't there," Riggleman said.

"It's not my call.  I would hope they would stick with me.  I've established myself here," said the pitcher whose last win was April 5, last year. "Things aren't going my way. I have to keep pushing forward.  I have to keep working with Danny (pitching coach Danny Darwin).

Devin Mesoraco Sad Statistic Amir Garrett Returns

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Devin Mesoraco is on an odd losing streak that is not entirely his doing.

The Reds have lost every one of the last 21 games started by the Reds' first pick in the 2007 draft.  The Reds have been on the losing end in all 17 of the games Mesoraco has appeared in this season.

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Hal McCoy of the Dayton Daily News discovered the disturbing trend.  It would be absurd of course to single out Mesoraco as the cause of any of the games but it does show a statistical anomaly.

The last game the Reds won with Mesoraco as a starter was on June 27, 2017 when the Reds defeated the Milwaukee Brewers, 8-6.  That day Mesoraco was a key contributor to the win.  He was 1-for-3 with a walk and drove in two runs.

Amir Garrett returned an hour before game time after attending the funeral of his aunt.  The Reds quickly activated Garrett and optioned RHP Tannner Rainey to Louisville.  Rainey got three days of Major League pay but did not appear in a game.

Rainy Night Drought Drowns Reds

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The Reds have been shut out for 16 innings after scoring four runs in the first inning on Friday.

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On Saturday, a pitcher's duel developed after Miami Marlins' shortstop Starlin Castro hit the 100th home run of his career in the same ballpark, he hit his first career home run. Castro homered in his first Major League at bat off Homer Bailey on May 7, 2010.  The two-run first inning home run was his first of the season, following Martin Prado's single.  Castro was 20 years old at the time. He is 28 now.

"It was a slider that Mahle left up,"
Jim Riggleman said.  "Castro is a good hitter. I think he is one of the youngest guys to get to 1,000 hits.  I looked up on the board. I saw Castro had zero homers.  I thought the law of averages might get us at some point tonight."

Caleb Smith kept the Reds extremely quiet.  Joey Votto doubled with two outs in the first inning. Smith pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed just three hits.  The Reds' second hit came in the fourth inning on Jose Peraza's well placed bunt single.  A double play by Votto eliminated that scoring chance.

The Marlins were schizophrenic, turning three double plays but committing two errors to make the double plays necessary.  Adam Duvall reached on an error in the fifth.  Scott Schebler singled with one out but Devin Mesoraco bounced into a 5-3 double play to Derek Dietrich at third base.

Mahle allowed two hits in the second inning but pitched out of a first and third, one-out jam.  He retired 12 of the next 13 batters with an error by Peraza allowed the lone base runner in that span.

Justin Bour hit a two-out home run in the sixth inning to break the streak.  Mahle finished six innings, allowing three runs on five hits.

"I thought he threw the ball well but if you ask him he'll say it wasn't his best," Riggleman said.

So we asked.

"I didn't really settle down.  There was one pitch that they hit and hit well," Mahle said.  "I continued to make average pitches and got some weak contact.  It was a battle all six innings.  Six innings and three runs is not a good day in my opinion."

Drew Steckenrider and Kyle Barraclough kept the Reds off the scoreboard through eight innings.

Austin Brice pitched a scoreless seventh but his own mental error allowed the Marlins to put the game out of reach.   J.B. Shuck reached first on a single that came to pass because Brice failed to cover first when Votto tried to range to his right to field a ground ball that Scooter Gennett fielded easily.  Brice hit J.T Realmuto with a pitch. Castro drove in his third run of the game with a double.

"Joey went over to get the ball and Austin probably thought it would not be a ball he would  have to cover on," Riggleman said.  "When you make the pitch and the ball goes to the right side, you have to be breaking.  He had a lapse there."

Dylan Floro came in to get the second out of the inning with runners holding but Brian Anderson's single off the handle fell in no man's land down the line.

Brad Ziegler competed the shut out, getting a double play ground out after Votto singled with one out.

Scooter Gennett Returns To Reds LineupA

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When a baseball player is under 5'10" as Scooter Gennett is, you attract adjectives to describe their ability, like scrappy, energetic.  He is a spark plug.

Reds' interim manager Jim Riggleman added, "He's into the game.  He's a quality hitter.  He saw some pitches last night, hopefully, that will help him tonight.  He's an old fashioned ballplayer; they way he goes about his business."

Gennett sat out the last four games with pain in his right shoulder, a pain that has bothered him since the third day of spring training.

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"You always want to be out there," Gennett said.  "I don't like to make excuses but you don't want to hurt the team.  You don't want to let in more runs than you drive in."

The Reds won last night in part because they turned three double plays to get pitchers out of jams.  They had missed some opportunities to turn them before Gennett sat out to let his shoulder heal.

Gennett is helpful to the Reds in other ways.  It is another cliche about players of small stature.  They are talking all the time, trying to spread enthusiasm on the field.

"He's into everything.  He's always talking.  He's talking with his teammates, talking with his coaches," Riggleman said.  "He's got some ideas and he comes up with some good stuff.  He is totally engrossed into the game and the situations that come up."

Reds Cruise With A Big First Inning To Filet Marlins

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The Reds started strong against Miami Marlins' starter, Wei-Yin Chen and held on to a 4-1 win.

Jose Peraza led off the game with a double in Jim Riggleman's new lineup.  Alex Blandino walked.  Chen caught Joey Votto looking for strike three.  Eugenio Suarez the new cleanup hitter hit his fourth home run of the season.  Adam Duvall hit his fifth home run off the new Reds' bullpen in rightfield.

Suarez had never faced Chen before.

"I hit a slider down and in a little bit," Suarez said.  "I was thinking about getting the guy in from third base. I tried to put a good swing on it.  I'd never faced him and I feel like I'm lucky to hit that off him."

Sal Romano was the beneficiary as the Reds' starting pitcher.

Romano, who had allowed three earned runs in 10 2/3 innings over his last two starts, Walked two and gave up a hit in his first six batters faced.  He dodged a two-out first inning walk.  Brian Anderson singled and Martin Prado walked to start the second inning but Miguel Rojas hit into a double play to extricate Romano from the inning.

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Romano retired nine batters in a row, including Chen who hit a bouncer back through the mound that Romano reached back to field with his bare hand.  Lewis Brinson hit his third home run of the season to break the streak with a high lazy fly that caught a breeze and carried to the green in centerfield.

"My fastball was too low early but by the second inning, I was in a good groove," Romano said.  "My hand is fine.  I'm probably going to have to stop doing that. (Romano made the same barehanded play against the Braves).  This was a little bit harder."

The Reds threatened Chen but failed to add to the lead.

"We played a pretty good ballgame in my opinion," Reds' interim manager Jim Riggleman said.

Billy Hamilton walked and Peraza singled to start the second inning.  Blandino hit into a double play. The Reds loaded the bases in the third with two outs.  Romano grounded out.

"I was really concerned.  In the second and third inning, we kind of let them off the hook a little bit," Riggleman said unintentionally using a fishing metaphor.  "It wouldn't have felt good to build a four-run lead and lose it."

Chen finished with four innings, allowing just the four, first inning runs on five hits and four walks.

Merandy Gonzalez pitched out of a jam in the fifth that he created by walking Suarez and Scott Schebler.

Romano exited in the sixth after he hit Derek Dietrich with a pitch to start the inning.  J.T Realmuto singled off Suarez' glove at third putting runners on the corners with no outs.  Starlin Castro lined out to shallow left and Dietrich held third.  Wandy Peralta replaced Romano and walked Justin Bour.   David Hernandez replaced Peralta.  Anderson lined out to left.  Again there was no advancement by Dietrich.  Prado flied out to left to end the threat.

"Sal struggled there in the first two innings, walking some guys," Riggleman said.  "He was a little too low, no one was biting on it. Then he got Rojas to ground into a double play to end the inning to get out of trouble."

Romano pitched 5 1/3 allowing one run on three hits and two walks.

Jared Hughes pitched two scoreless innings, inducing the Reds'second double play of the game.

Raisell Iglesias, who hasn't pitched in a week, picked up his fourth save in five tries.

"Sal Romano had a really good start today," Suarez said.  "The bullpen did a good job.  When you score four runs in the first inning, everybody feels comfortable.  We played good defense, turning some double plays.  When we put it all together, defense, offense pitching, we can win a lot of games."

Don Mattingly And The Big Red Machine

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Marlins' manager Don Mattingly grew up in Evansville, Indiana a three hour drive from Great American Ball Park.   He was a Reds fan.

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His father was a working man and Don only saw one Major League game while growing up, well two.  He went to St. Louis with the Evansville Little League and saw the Reds play the Evansville Triple A team for an exhibition game.

Evansville is roughly half way between Cincinnati and St. Louis.

"I would follow them on TV on the game of the week. We didn't have MLB Network," Mattingly said.  "When you're 12 you don't listen to games, you're out playing."

When Mattingly played whiffle ball with his brothers and friends, he hat to bat from the side of the plate of the player he was pretending to be.

"My favorite was Ken Griffey......Senior and my lineup was filled with lefthanders, Griffey, Joe Morgan, Cesar Geronimo, Pete Rose, Driessan and all those guys..  When I played it was George Foster's turn to sit," Mattingly said.

By not sitting in doors listening to Joe Nuxhall and Marty Brennaman, Mattingly developed some Major League skills which brought him to the New York Yankees as Griffey's teammate in 1983.

Mattingly was 22 when he broke into the Major Leagues, while Griffey Sr was 33 at the time.

On Star Wars weekend he was asked if he watched the Star Wars movies.

"I did not watch Star Wars.  I played three sports.  I didn't have time for that," Mattingly explained.

Brewers Complete Sweep Of Hapless Reds

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Luis Castillo was coming off his worst outing of the season.  He lasted just one - plus inning in his last start against Minnesota, allowing five runs.

"He was really good in spring training.  We know what's in there," manager Jim Riggleman said.  "he's shown how good he can be.  Our pitching coaches identified a mechanical flaw in his delivery.  I think that has been part of it.  It has never crossed my mind to make a switch."

Castillo was much better in facing Wade Miley but the Reds came out on the short end of a 3-1 decision to the Milwaukee Brewers to complete the three-game sweep.

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The Brewers put three singles together to get on the board first off Castillo in the second inning.

Jesus Aguilar singled to left with one out.  Domingo Santana hit a ground ball single to right that sent Aguilar to third.  Orlando Arcia singled off Votto's glove at first to plate Aguilar.

The Reds got even in the fourth.  Miley walked Eugenio Suarez to lead off the inning.  Adam Duvall struck out but Devin Mesoraco doubled to the gap in left center.  Suarez scored from first to tie the game.

Christian Yelich led off the fifth inning with his third home run of the season to give the Brewers the lead again.

Castillo finished with six innings, allowing two runs on nine hits and two walks.

"Castillo was better tonight," Reds interim manager Jim Riggleman said.  "There is more in there but it is good we got him stretched out.  I don't think you will see him give up nine hits in five innings when he is all the way back.  His change up was better and he got some ground balls when he needed them and a lot of strikeouts with his change up."

Castillo worked to get his pitching mechanics straightened out.

"I made a change in my mechanics," Castillo said.  "It was working well.  I believe in my change up.  It is my best pitch.  It was working well tonight. I was working on getting my arm straight up.  I believe I can throw the change up in any count.  I went out there to compete, unfortunately, the team didn't win."

Miley allowed one run on three hits in six innings in his first start since signing with the Brewers after spring training.

"I've seen Miley pitch several times before," Riggleman said.  "This is the best I've seen him."

The Brewers added a run in the eighth.  Singles by Hernan Perez and Aguilar opened the inning against Jared Hughes. Hughes struck out Santana and appeared to escape the inning when Suarez started a double play but Aguilar was right on top of secondbaseman Alex Blandino and forced a high throw over Votto's head.

Jeremy Jeffres shut the Reds down in the eighth but a one-out infield single by Blandino brought Scott Schebler to the plate as the tying run. Schebler hit into a 4-6-3 double play to end the game.

"Milwaukee has a sneaky bullpen.  I don't think any one realized how good their bullpen was when the season started," Riggleman said.

Jim Riggleman




Luis Castillo

Alex Blandino And Rosell Herrera Get Big Firsts

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It was a big day in the life of Alex Blandino and Rosell Herrera in spite of the 7-6 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers last night.

Herrera in his first big league start led off the second inning with a single to rightfield off Chase Anderson for his first major league hit.  He was signed as a minor league free agent out of the Colorado Rockies organization with whom he signed as a non-drafted free agent out of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic at the age of 16.

He spent nine years in the organization, peaking at Triple A last season, hitting .278 with three home runs at Albuquerque.  Herrera hit two home runs in spring training.  The Reds moved the former outfielder all over the infield this spring.

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"I feel very good," Herrera said.  "I am thankful for the opportunity.  I saved the ball."

Blandino, who got a break when Eugenio Suarez was injured and continues to play in place of Scooter Gennett while his throwing shoulder is sore, hit his first Major League home run in the eighth inning off Jacob Barnes.

Blandino was the Reds' first round pick, 29th overall, in the 2014 draft.  The 25-year old from Palo Alto, California hit just 12 home runs last season which was split between Pensacola and Louisville.

"It was great to get the first one out of the way and it came when we needed a run," Blandino said. "It was a cutter that didn't cut.  I've faced him before and he's thrown me a cutter on the first pitch every time."

Blandino's long fly was caught by a fan in the stands.  The fan accepted a bat, (not the home run bat) and a couple pictures for it.

"I have some more hits in that bat," Blandino said.  "I'm going to give the ball to my grandmother (Mary Anne Field) in Mountain View, California."

There are no guarantees that the two players or any player stays in the Major Leagues for good.

Milwaukee manager Craig Counsell pointed out how fleeting the first trip to the Major Leagues can be.

"One of the things you learn is that making it to the Major Leagues is no guarantee that you will stay there," Counsell said.  "We have conversations they know what to expect.  All these guys know it is not guaranteed, nothing is guaranteed. One of the hardest things for any big leaguer when you get to the big leagues, your roster spot is not guaranteed.  You feel like your lifelong dream is accomplished and when it's taken away it gets shattered a little bit."

The first hit and first home run, however, are permanent.