from Lance McAlister's blog on Homer247.com...

Pitching and catching
Reds pitching before 5/29 and after (when Ryan Hanigan went onto the DL)

Thru 5/29  30-20 W-L  4.44 ERA  2.24 K/BB 
Since May 29  7-9 W-L  5.09 ERA  1.20 K/BB 

ERA by catcher
Hanigan 3.77
Miller 3.79
Hernandez 5.25
Hernandez has caught 10 of Mike Leake's 12 starts. His ERA with pitchers other than Leake is 5.96.

MLB reds, ryan hannigan, corky miller, ramon hernandez

While most Reds' fans have moved on to football or whatever else occupies their time in September as their team falls out of it, there have been a few things of interest.

One of those, has been the play of former first-round pick Drew Stubbs.

Lance McAlsiter of 1530Homer and 700WLW compared the early part of his MLB career compared to that of fellow first-round selection Jay Bruce on his blog.

Drew Stubbs vs Jay Bruce
first 132 plate appearances

Stubbs: .252-.303-.455-.758, 7 HR, 13 RBI, 9 BB, 37 K
Bruce : .284-.355-.435-.786, 4 HR, 14 RBI, 13 BB, 31 K

It is going to be interesting to see how the depth chart plays out heading into next season.

MLB cincinnati reds, reds, jay bruce, drew stubbs

How about the Reds' bats today. OK it is tough to argue after the team rolled off five straight earlier in the week, but they struck out 20 times on Sunday before losing 3-2 in extra innings to the Dodgers.

Joey Votto whiffed four times and Drew Stubbs and Darnell McDonald struck out three times each.

Dodgers' starter Clayton Kershaw accounted for 11 K's in his seven innings of work before turning things over to the bullpen.

The good news is that the Reds welcome the Pirates for a double-header on Monday. I stilll have my side bet with my buddy from Pittsburgh on which team wins 5th place (pathetic - the team and my gambling problem...LOL).

The Pirates and Reds last played a doubleheader in Cincinnati on July 2, 1993 at Riverfront Stadium, splitting the two games. Double headers are a lost part of the game (thankfully). The Reds played nine in 1975, but they are far and few between these days.

MLB cincinnati reds, reds, joey votto, drew stubbs

from the Dayton Daily News...

Pitcher Aaron Harang was rushed back to Cincinnati by car during Saturday’s game in Pittsburgh and ended up with an emergency appendectomy. Most likely he won’t pitch the rest of the season.

Harang showed up at the park Saturday afternoon with pain in his side. An examination revealed that it was an appendix. It was also determined that he shouldn’t fly in case he needed surgery quicker than expected, so equipment manager Rick Stowe drove him back to Cincinnati.

“There were prepared to stop in Columbus, if needed, but we were told he was in no danger of it bursting before he got back to Cincinnati,” said manager Dusty Baker. “We thought it best to get him back to his family for the surgery. It was done around 11 o’clock last night.”

***

Even more bad news for the Reds. So much for putting the right-hander on the trading block. It now appears a given Harang will be on next year's Opening Day roster minus any potential off-season deal that could send him elsewhere.

COMPLETE ARTICLE

MLB cincinnati reds, reds, aaron harang

Tim Lincecum takes the mound on Tuesday night at Great American Ballpark against the Cincinnati Reds. The 2008 National League Cy Young winner is tearing it up again this season and has become one of the most dominant pitchers in the game.

Not too shabby for a guy that was drafted just three years ago. The Reds were one of nine teams that passed on the ace.

2006 MLB DRAFT (top 10 picks)
1.  Royals  Luke Hochevar, RHP - Fort Worth (Ind.) 
2.  Rockies  Greg Reynolds, RHP, Stanford 
3.  Devil Rays  Evan Longoria, 3B - Long Beach State 
4.  Pirates  Brad Lincoln, RHP - Houston 
5.  Mariners  Brandon Morrow, RHP - California 
6.  Tigers  Andrew Miller, LHP - North Carolina 
7.  Dodgers  Clayton Kershaw, LHP - H.S./Dallas 
8.  Reds  Drew Stubbs, OF - Texas 
9.  Orioles  Bill Rowell, 3B -H.S./Sewell, N.J.  
10. Giants  Tim Lincecum, RHP, Washington 

MLB cincinnati reds, reds, san francisco giants, tim lincecum, drew stubbs

from Hal McCoy, Dayton Daily News:

Alex Gonzalez was traded today to the Boston Red Sox, from whence he came when the Reds signed him to a three-year $14 million contract - a three-year period in which the Cincinnati Reds received virtually nothing from Gonzalez.

The Reds have not named who they will receive, but most likely it is a Class A 23-year-old shortstop named Kris Negron. He is in his fourth year of pro ball, but is still at Class A Salem, where he was hitting .264 with three homers and 34 RBIs. Inin four years, he has played only four games at Class AA, the rest in Class A.

When Gonzalez was signed, I remember Davey Concepcion telling me, “He’ll make you forget me with his defense.” Davey, you are such a liar. A-Gon didn’t even come close. I still remember you and will remember you long after I forget A-Gon’s three years here.

COMPLETE ARTICLE

***
The fact the Reds even got anything in return for Gonzalez is amazing. His stay here was one that many would likely want to forget. I often questioned his effort and injuries and personal tragedy aside, you have to play hard.

MLB reds, cincinnati reds, alex gonzalez

from USA Today:

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo reaches into his locker, pulls down a clear cellophane bag and slowly opens it.

He shakes out the contents like a kid on Halloween night. There are different-colored pills, powders, liquids, proteins, caffeine concentrates and ginseng, products such as creatine, Triflex and xelR8 found at local vitamin stores. Most of the products have not been approved by Major League Baseball for use by players, Arroyo says. Some of the items have the potential to trigger a positive test under baseball's performance-enhancing drug policy. Arroyo takes them anyway.

"I have a lot of guys in (the locker room) who think I'm out of (my) mind because I'm taking a lot of things not on the (MLB-approved) list," Arroyo says. "I take 10 to 12 different things a day, and on the days I pitch, there's four more things. There's a caffeine drink I take from a company that (former teammate) Curt Schilling introduced me to in '05. I take some Korean ginseng and a few other proteins out there that are not certified. But I haven't failed any tests, so I figured I'm good."

COMPLETE ARTILCE

MLB reds, cincinnati reds, bronson arroyo

from FoxSports.com...

Reds starters Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo have cleared trade waivers, major-league sources told FOXSports.com.

Since Harang and Arroyo went unclaimed, it's apparent that other teams don't value them at the full amount of their respective salaries. But it's possible that the right-handers could interest teams searching for veteran rotation help down the stretch.

Harang is under contract for next season at $12.5 million, Arroyo at $11 million. (Cincinnati holds club options on both for 2011.) The Reds would probably need to assume a portion of that money in order to move either pitcher.

COMPLETE ARTILCE

MLB reds, cincinnati reds, bronson arroyo, aaron harang

The Cincinnati Reds traded relief pitcher Dave Weathers to the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday for a player-to-be-named later.

Weathers, who was one of the longest-tenured Reds, was 3-3 this season with a 3.32 ERA.

The 39-year old right-hander was a fixture in the team's bullpen since rejoining the organization in 2005. His best season came in 2007 when he served as the team's closer and finished with 33 saves.

“We’ve adopted the Reds’ organization as our team,” Weathers told the Cincinnati Enquirer. “I really thought it was where I’d end my career. But, in this game, things don’t go like you plan them. We’re going to miss Cincinnati, my family and I. They’ve been very good to us. The city’s been very good to us. I love my teammates.”

It was the fifth time in his 19-year professional career that Weathers has been traded.

***
Weathers was like a rock for the Reds. He often made things interesting, but he always took the ball. My favorite thing about him is even when he got roughed up, he faced the music after the game and shook it off and was ready to take the ball the next time his number will be called. Getting rid of Weathers not only will save the team some much-needed money, but also give them a chance to look at some young arms in pressure situations.

MLB reds, cincinnati reds, dave weathers

Rick Broering and Greg Shoemaker break down the deadline deals, including the Reds' acquistion of Scott Rolen:

CHECK OUT MORE FROM - GETSPORTSRADIO.COM

MLB getsportsradio.com, wire to wire, reds, cincinnati reds, scott rolen, edwin encarnacion, roy halladay, cliff lee, victor martinez