Milestone Home Runs In Sight For Reds' Players

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Milestone home runs are in sight for Todd Frazier and Jay Bruce.

Todd Frazier's 26th home run of the season hit Monday night off Clayton Richard was the 99th of his career.

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Jay Bruce hit his 15th of the season and 197th of his career off Justin Grimm. Bruce is 10th on the Reds all-time list. His next home run will tie him with Barry Larkin for ninth place.

The Reds' top current top 10 are:

Johnny Bench         389
Frank Robinson      324
Tony Perez             287
Adam Dunn            270
Ted Kluszewski      251
George Foster        244
Ken Griffey Jr         210
                                                         Eric Davis               203
                                                         Barry Larkin           198
                                                         Jay Bruce               197

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Joey Votto is 12th with 179.

Brandon Phillips is 13th with 173.

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Jay Bruce Blast Busts Cubs Bubble

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The Reds and Cubs are heading in opposite directions.

While the Cubs are starting six players 25-years old or younger, the Reds are contemplating a reset. Several players are on the trading block before the July 31 trade deadline. No one knows if Jay Bruce is heading anywhere but Bruce made another argument to stay as the Reds edged Chicago 5-4.

His two-run home run erased the Cubs lead and put the Reds on top for good.

"They all count," said Bruce of his 456' blast high up into the rightfield bleachers. "It was one of those I felt though."

He hit it off Justin Grimm, who had a paltry 1.17 ERA coming into the game.

"Jay was against a pitcher who's had a nice year," Bryan Price said. "He's getting to his power right now and doing some damage."

The Reds' youth movement in the starting rotation was on display with 23-year old Michael Lorenzen on the mound.

"Michael got his pitch count up in the early innings," Price said. "He pitched well but they took advantage in the fifth."

The Cubs got off to a fast start.

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Dexter Fowler, one of two players in the lineup over 25, singled to start the game. Kyle Schwarber, the 22-year old Middletown native, followed with a single. Kris Bryant forced Schwarber at second but Anthony Rizzo hit a sacrifice fly to the warning track in center to put the Cubs up a run.

Home Run Derby champ Todd Frazeir, fresh from a Sunday off, lined the first Clayton Richard pitch he saw to the green pasture above the centerfield wall for his 26th home run. Frazier's next home run will be the 100th of his career.

"The day off helped me big time," Frazier said. "It was a long week and I didn't get much sleep, but no excuses. It's time to go."

The Reds jumped on Richard for a pair of fourth inning runs.

Joey Votto started it with a walk. Todd Frazier singled through the hole at shortstop. Jay Bruce hit into a 3-6-1 double play.  Votto scored from third on a wild pitch.  Marlon Byrd followed with his 16th home run.

Frazier was 0-for-10 coming off the All-Star break.

"I was swinging at bad pitches," Frazier said. "It was a little bit of a slow start. I was a little out of my element."

Lorenzen retired seven straight batters heading into the fifth.

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Addison Russel singled to start the frame. Fowler lined a pitch to the right centerfield gap.  Billy Hamilton threw Fowler out at secondbase. Schwarber walked. Bryant doubled in Russel and sent Schwarber to third. Lorenzen had good chance to get out of the inning by striking out Rizzo.  Jorge Soler took care of the baserunners by hitting a line drive down the rightfield line for a double.

The Cubs' lead lasted until the sixth when again the Reds combined a double play with a two-run rally.

Brandon Phillips singled but Votto hit into a double play. Cubs' manager Joe Maddon replaced lefty Richard with right-hander Justin Grimm to face Frazier. Grimm had trouble throwing strikes and walked Frazier. Bruce made him pay with a 465' home run six rows from the top of the rightfield bleachers. It was Bruce's 15th home run of the season.

Phillips extricated Burke Badenhop from sticky wicket with an acrobatic force play to end the seventh. With two on and two out, Phillips back handed Soler's bid for an RBI single on the shortstop side of second.  Phillips flipped the ball to Eugenio Suarez, who caught the ball with his bare hand and beat Rizzo to secondbase.

"Brandon works on those plays," Price said. "He enjoys defense as much as he does offense. He doesn't make those plays to be flashy but that was the only way he could get that out. It is a good thing Geno (Suarez) has played with him enough to expect it."

"You watch those plays and it's sad to say, expect them," Bruce said. "Brandon has really amazing core vision. He always knows where secondbase is."

The Reds wasted Suarez's lead off triple in the seventh. Tucker Barnhart hit a smash to shortstop Starlin Castro. He knocked the ball down but couldn't make a play.  Pinch hitter Jason Bourgeois lined to Russel at second.  Former Red Travis Wood replaced Neil Ramirez.  Wood struck out Hamilton and retired Phillips on a ground out to third.

The Cubs returned the favor in the eighth.

Chris Coghlan doubled to greet J.J. Hoover. Castro flied deep to center to send Coghlan to third. The Reds brought the infield in. Votto fielded a smash by pinch hitter Jonathan Herrera to hold Coghlan at third. Hoover walked Russel on a contested checked swing but Fowler popped to Phillips to end the threat.

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Bruce was robbed of his 600th career RBI when his double bounced into the grass above the centerfield fence with Votto on first. Rafael Soriano pitched out of this jam too. Soriano fielded Byrd's comeback and caught Votto off third. Suarez flied to center.

Aroldis Chapman, who pitched a season-high two innings on Sunday, came in to close out the Cubs in the ninth to earn his 19th save.

"Chappy played catch today and told me he was good to go," Price said. "You trust that they will be honest with you. Chappy built up that trust."

Chapman dominated the rookie Schwarber.  He struck out Rizzo to end the game, throwing 102 mph after breaking off an 88 mph slider. Chapman has 502 career strikeouts in 293 career innings.

"That slider to Rizzo was the best I've seen him throw," Price said.

Bruce had another explanation.

"To be honest with you, Chapman is from another planet," Bruce said.

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Kyle Schwarber Returns Home Starts Against Reds

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The Cubs fast track brought a hometown boy back to where he watched games as a youth.

Kyle Schwarber from Middletown will start behind the plate and catch against the Reds on Monday night.

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It was less than a week ago that Schwarber won the MVP Award in the Futures Game during All-Star week.  His bat was donated to the Hall of Fame.

"It's good to be back as a player at a place that I watched games for years," Schwarber said.  "It helped that I was at the Futures Game.  It was a sold out crowd. Now I know what to expect. My family and friends will probably be more nervous than I will."

Scharber, 22, signed his first contract just 378 days ago. He was the Cubs' first pick last June and fourth player drafted overall.

"I've always been a Reds' fan," Schwarber said. "I watched Votto, Bruce and Frazier do their thing.  My favorite player was Pokey Reese. I don't know why. I guess I just liked the name."

Schwarber has been getting help on the strategic side of the game from former Reds' catcher David Ross.

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"When I was up here for the six days before and I wasn't preparing to hit, I would sit next to David Ross and (Miguel) Montero," said Schwarber, who was with the team for six days as the designated hitter in Cleveland.

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Schwarber was recalled on Friday when Montero was put on the disabled list.

"There may be an initial charge before the game," Cubs' manager Joe Madden said. "Once the game gets rolling he'll be fine. He can handle it. I'm more worried about off-the-field stuff.  He will be worried about getting tickets for family and not forgetting anyone. He's improved a lot behind the plate since spring training.  He's more supple; not as rigid.  The biggest thing to learn is the strategy and that will take time. He will learn the hitters and what his pitcher can do in situations."

"I am going to treat it like another game," Schwarber said.

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Indians Take A Walk In The Park To Beat Reds

The Cleveland Indians scored four runs on bases loaded walks and one on a sacrifice fly to win 5-3 in 11 innings.

Pedro Villarreal, the seventh Reds' pitcher, allowed three singles to load the bases, then walked Yan Gomes to force in the Indians' fourth run. A sacrifice fly by Jason Kipnis plated the fifth run.  Francisco Lindor singled but Jason Bourgeois threw Brandon Moss out at home.

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The Indians stranded 18 base runners.

Bourgeois singled home Eugenio Suarez to send the Indians and Reds to extra Ohio Cup Innings.

With two outs and no one on with Cleveland about to frustrate the Reds leading 3-2, Suarez doubled. Bourgeois hit Cody Allen's 3-1 pitch into rightfield.  Suarez beat Ryan Raburn's throw.

Aroldis Chapman, who worked a season-high two innings, struck out five batters but not without drama.

Yan Gomes and Francisco Lindor hit singles around a pair of strikeouts.  Michael Brantley walked to load the bases.  Chapman faced pinch hitter Giovanny Urshela, the count went full. Chapman was in danger of walking in a run for the fourth time in the game. Instead Urshela swung through the pitch to strand three more Indians to make 16 for the game.

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It was Chapman's 500th career strikeout. He did it in a record 292 innings to become the fastest to reach the milestone.

The Indians depended on the generosity of Johnny Cueto.

Cueto was off target, walking six in 3 2/3 innings, including Francisco Lindor and Michael Brantley with the bases loaded. He struck out Carlos Santana, the last batter he faced, to strand three. The Indians stranded eight base runners in Cueto's four innings.

Jason Kipnis opened the game with single. Brantley singled in the first but Cueto got Santana to fly out for the second out.  The umpires had the field covered just before a rain delay that lasted 47 minutes.  After the delay, Cueto struck out David Murphy to leave two Cleveland runners stranded.

Eugenio Suarez got one of them back with his fifth home run against Carlos Carrasco.

Carrasco walked Billy Hamilton with one out in the fifth but backup catcher Roberto Perez threw Hamilton out stealing. It was the seventh time he'd been caught, the second time by Perez.

Relief pitchers Ryan Mattheus and Manny Parra were also in a giving mood.

Matthues walked Perez to open the sixth.  Carlos Carrasco's sacrifice bunt bounced off Mattheus' leg and all hands were safe. Kipnis drilled a pitch to the base of the righfield fence. Jay Bruce fielded it quickly and the bases were loaded.  Lindor flied out to shallow left.  Manny Parra came on and walked Brantley.  It was the third run walked in for the game.  Parra got Santana and Raburn out to strand three more Indians.

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Hamilton saved multiple runs in the seventh, after singles by Mike Aviles and Michael Bourn. Perez bunted them to second and third. Yan Gomes hit for Carrasco.  He lined what appeared to be a single to center but Hamilton picked it off the grass with a head first slide and got up in time to prevent Aviles from scoring.  Kipnis' bid to reach base for the fifth time was turned into an out by Brandon Phillips, stranding the 12th and 13th Indian baserunners.

Joey Votto's RBI single off  Allen brought the Reds to within a run.

Mark Rzepczynski pirched 2/3 inning to pick up the win in relief.

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Billy Hamilton Chasing Bob Bescher

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Bob Bescher stole 81 bases for the Reds in 1911.

No one has ever stolen that many for the Reds since.

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Billy Hamilton has 45 stolen bases, a little more than halfway through the season.

"It would mean a lot of things went right if Billy stole 81 this year," Bryan Price said. "A lot of good things would happen for the team but as an individual too. Those kind of things are fun to watch. It keeps guys focused and motivated."

When Bescher stole his 81 bases, he led the league with 716 plate appearances. He was on base 38.5 percent of the time. Bescher hit .275.

Hamilton is hitting . 218 and is only on base 26.6 percent of the time.

Hamilton has been thrown out six times after he was caught 23 times last season.

It is his approach on the base paths he changed.

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"You have to plan it out before hand. This year I'm more aware of the situation," Hamilton said. "You have to be with it 100 percent, know you're going to go.  You can't think while you're doing it. You can't hesitate."

Hamilton is trying to take the same approach at the plate.

"You can't be thinking of where your hands are an hit," Hamilton said. "I'm working on that the second half. I am going in knowing what the pitcher throws and just hit it."

Hamilton stole 165 bases in the minor leagues in 2012 to set a minor league record.  That year he was caught 39 times. Hamilton hit .302 and had an OBP of .399 that year.

Hamilton has had a difficult time adjusting at the plate.  He has made a good transition on defense, moving from shortstop to centerfield.

A natural right-handed hitter, Hamilton has been learning to switch hit the last three seasons.

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"Speed can be as seductive as power," Price said. "Billy has become a better student of the game. It is inevitable that he breaks (Bescher's) the record. It may not be this year but it would be fun if he does."

Indians Ambush Anthony DeSclafani Give Chief Corey Kluber Rare Run Support

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Cory Kluber got a season worth of runs to work with in the first innings.

Anthony DeSclafani gave up singles to Jason Kipnis and Francisco Lindor to lead off the game. Michael Brantley followed them with his sixth home run before DeSclafani recorded the first out.

"Anthony didn't have his best command but he didn't back down. He's such a tough kid. I'm happy with the way he's handled himself," Bryan Price said.

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"It wasn't the start I wanted coming out of the break," DeSclafani said.. "I had Moss 0 and 2. I have to make a better pitch.  I didn't have my timing early in the game. It's not an excuse.  Kipnis got his hit on a pitch up. Lindor hit a groundball, that's how baseball is. It found a hole. I left a pitch up to Brantly.  They came out swinging."

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The Indians piled on for a 9-4 win and claimed the Ohio Cup.

"After I gave up the three runs I had to keep my team in the game. I didn't do that," DeSclafani said.

Kluber, the reigning American Cy Young Award winner, is 4-10 with a 3.38 ERA because his run support has been paltry until tonight.  To wit, Kluber is 3-4 in games in which he has allowed two or fewer runs. He has done that in 10 of his 19 starts coming into the game.

The Reds appeared to have a big inning started when Brandon Phillips led off the game with a single.  Joey Votto doubled off the wall in right to put runners on second and third with no outs.  Todd Frazier bounced to the mound for one out. Jay Bruce hit a fly to right at medium depth. Phillips beat Brandon Moss' throw home but  Yan Gomes threw Votto out at third to end the inning.

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Lindor doubled in the third and scored on a double by Carlos Santana.  Moss broke an 0-for-21 slump by hitting his 15th home run. Kluber had three games full of runs to work with.

DeSclafani left after six innings.

Kluber pitched out of jams in the fourth and sixth.  The Reds had runners at first and second with no outs in the sixth. Kluber struck out Bruce and Marlon Byrd to end the threat.

"Kluber managed the game with men on base. Phillips and Votto were on a lot but he found his outs around them," Price said.

Yan Gomes hit a three-run homer off Nate Adcock to give Kluber an embarrassment of riches. It was his fourth of the season.

Kluber allowed three runs on seven hits in 7 2/3 innings.  Phillips and Votto combined for six hits with three apiece.  Bruce had the other hit off the Indians' ace.  Kluber was responsible for Phillips and Votto when Bruce hit a home run off Cody Allen.

Bruce drove in all four runs and ended the game with a .255 batting average, his highest mark since the second game of the season when he was 2-for-6.

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Tony Cingrani Could Start For Reds Wednesday

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The Reds and Cubs will host a doubleheader on Wednesday to make up for another rainy night in Cincinnati.

Tony Cingrani has a string of 14 scoreless innings in his rehab assignment for his healed left shoulder.

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He threw 93 pitches for the Bats on Friday night and is where he needs to be after he was used as a reliever this season.

 “We had a very good report on Tony from a game he pitched Friday,” said manager Bryan Price. “He went five innings and threw 93 pitches, which seems high for five innings. But the last hitter had a 15-pitch at-bat before Tony struck him out looking."

Cigrani has pitched 14 scoreless innings, allowing six hits and striking out 18 batters.

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 “It looks as if his breaking ball has gotten better, getting a feel for it. And that would benefit all of us if he can come in with that mix and maintain his velocity," Price said. "We had to build his endurance and stamina and it looks as if he is there."

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All-Star Dreams Come In All Shapes And Sizes

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When Greg Laile, 55, was younger, he loved to throw a baseball.  He still does.

Like most of us Laile dreamed of playing/pitching in the Major Leagues. Also like most of us, he realized at an early age that he didn't have the ability.  His father confirmed it but gave him some sound advice.

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"You're not physically gifted," his father told him. "You have to work harder and find a way to be more valuable to your team."

Laile took the advice.

At 5'8' and not a hard thrower the competitive Laile still pitched in adult leagues until he was 46. Then he volunteered to pitch batting practice at Western Hills High School. It led him to one of his biggest thrills.

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Laile was chosen to throw batting practice to the World Team managed by Cincinnati icon
Tony Perez in the Futures Game that precedes the All-Star game as part of the week long event.

On Sunday, for one day of my life, I was at the top of
my craft," Laile said. "It will be extremely difficult to say the least to top THAT day. It now seems surreal. (I) Met some amazing baseball people. The pro coaches treated me as a peer.(I) Ate like a king in a major league clubhouse. I hope everyone gets to experience at least one day in their lives like that."

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Phil Cook helped Laile get into coaching. Laile coaches the pitchers at Western Hillls, the starting point for Major League stars like Pete Rose, Ed Brinkman, Don Zimmer, Jim Frey, Tuffy Rhodes and Art Mahaffy.

Laile also lends his time to pitching in the Reds' Urban Youth Academy where he works alongside former Reds' minor leaguer Cam Satterwhite, a Moeller High and University of Cincinnati baseball alumn.

Satterwhite recommended Laile for the chance to throw batting practice for the Futures Game.

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Mike Leake Not Worried About Trades

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Mike Leake became the Reds' most productive hitter with three RBI  in what could be his last start for the Reds.

There is a strong possibility that Leake, Johnny Cueto and/or Aroldis Chapman could be traded in the next two weeks but none of that mattered in the Reds' 6-1 win over Cleveland.

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Leake laid down a squeeze bunt and hit a two run double in his first two at bats against Indians' starter Trevor Bauer.   Marlon Byrd added his 15th home run to start the scoring.

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Leake held off the Indians on two hits over five innings that included a 65 minute rain delay.

Joey Votto clubbed his 16th home run off the batter's eye in centerfield.

Francisco Lindor opened the sixth with a single, the third hit of the game for Cleveland. Michael Brantley doubled to right but Leake limited the scoring to one run, inducing a popup by David Murphy and an RBI groundout by Carlos Santana, who is also believed to be on the trading block in Cleveland.

The run was the first allowed by Leake in 15 innings. He finished with six innings and turned the game over to Ryan Mattheus.

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The Reds scored the final run with "Billy Ball".  Billy Hamilton beat out an infield hit. He stole second and continued to third on Yan Gomes' throwing error.  When thirdbaseman Giovanny Urshela fielded Brandon Phillips' groundball at the cut of the infield grass, Urshella looked Hamilton back but the speedster took off for home when Urshella released the throw.  Hamilton easily beat Santana's relay.

J.J. Hoover pitched a scoreless eighth, his 31st scoreless outing.

Burke Badenhop mopped up, stranding Gomes after a leadoff double.

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Jumbo Diaz Up Carlos Contreras Down

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The Reds recalled right-handed reliever, Jumbo Diaz from Louisville and returned right-handed reliever Carlos Contreras the other way to Louisville.

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Diaz was on the Opening Day roster but was demoted after posting a 6.65 ERA in 25 games with a 2-1 record.  He got himself straightened out with the help of Louisville pitching coach Ted Power.  Diaz pitched in 13 games for the Bats.  He lost his lone decision but posted a 1.13 ERA.

Contreras pitched in 12 games with the Reds, allowing nine earned runs in 13 1/3 innings with no decisions.

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