Brewers 3 - Reds 2

Looks like we were all fooled by the offensive explosion that we witnessed on Monday night. The Reds were held to just two hits on a night were all the offense for both teams was supplied via the home run. Brandon Phillips supplied the Reds' lone home run in the top of the 4th, a 2-run variety that gave the Reds a 2-1 lead. But Mike Leake gave up a home run Ryan Braun in the bottom of the same inning to even the score at 2. Logan Ondrusek gave up a solo shot to Prince Fielder in the bottom of the 8th, giving the Brew Crew a lead they never gave up. An excellent pitching performance by Leake that the Reds aren't able to capitalize on due to their lack of offense.

(Photo courtesy of Associated Press/Jeffrey Phelps)

Games like last night are going to happen. Sometimes the offense is just going to have a bad performance against a less than stellar pitcher. But this underscores why it was so important to get out to a fast start. The last homestand where the Reds were only able to scrounge out 2 wins against the Pirates and Diamondbacks was a time where the Reds were supposed to put distance between themselves and the rest of the NL Central early on. Now it's just a matter of treading water until guys like Scott Rolen, Homer Bailey and Johnny Cueto come off the DL to reinforce this club.

A sad farewell to my Chicago Blackhawks who were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs, dropping game 7 to the Vancouver Canucks 2-1. In what was one of the best hockey games I've seen in a long while, Vancouver got out to a fast 1-0 lead off of a Alex Burrows goal. 55 tension soaked minutes later, the Blackhawks finally evened the score on a Jonathan Toews shorthanded goal which he scrapped and fought until he found the back of the net with just 1:56 to go in regulation. In overtime the Blackhawks got an early power play opportunity on a Burrows holding call but we not able to get one past Luongo. Alex Burrows then took possession off of a turnover deep in Blackhawks territory and buried it for the game and series winner.

A season that was disappointing coming off of a Stanley Cup Championship is finally over. A season fraught with injuries and adjustments after having to make moves due to salary cap restrictions, one can only hope that they'll be able to get some more depth and be able to stay healthier next year so they can give themselves a better chance for playoff success. I'm glad that the Blackhawks were able to fight and battle back to force a Game 7 but I'm not happy with losing to the Canucks. I don't like the Canucks, never have. I hate Rogers Arena, the site of the USA v Canada gold medal game from last year. This game was eerily similar to that championship game, with the same heartbreaking result. Oh well there's always next year... blah blah blah...

Follow me on Twitter. I'm on the call for UC baseball tonight versus Xavier. First pitch is at 6:30, you can listen here. Have a great Wednesday and try to stay dry.

Pirates 9 - Reds 3

Sorry for the lack of the podcast today. Blame the storm.

The Reds are in big trouble if their starting pitching can't get off to better starts. In what was yet another rocky start, this time by Travis Wood, the Reds found themselves in a 3-0 hole before they ever came to bat. The starting pitching has been nothing if not disappointing over the past week and a half. Sure, Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey returning to the rotation will help, but right now something is just not right with this pitching staff. I don't claim to be too much more than just a fan, so I can't speak to what may be going on with mechanics, pre-game rituals, or warm up techniques. But I do know that the starting pitchers can't keep digging themselves holes and making the margin of error for the bullpen razor thin. Add to that an offense that has looked less than inspired as the Pirates had one of their best pitching performances over the course of a series in decades, and it equals the Reds losing 3 of 4 to Pittsburgh and seeing their lead in the division shrink to 1 game. Sam LeCure takes the hill tonight and looks to stop the bleeding. Certainly, the Reds need to right the ship against Arizona before heading to St. Louis and Milwaukee later in the week.

Right-hander Kevin Correia had another complete game for the Pirates, their second of the series.

(Photo courtesy of The Enquirer/Gary Landers)

Then there was this little gem...

(Photo courtesy of Hamilton County Sheriff's Office)

Here's the Enquirer's take on it.
Here's your official statements from Leake and the Reds.

Look, I've heard all kinds of people talk about the psychological aspects of this supposed theft. While there is never any good reason to steal something, there is even less room for acceptance here. $60 of shirts? Yes, Mike Leake can afford that quite easily. I don't know what he was thinking, or what he wasn't thinking, but this is just unacceptable. Mr. Castellini can't be pleased with his team's good image being dragged through the mud. We'll see what action the Reds take once the legal system runs its course, but while this will probably just end up being a slap on the wrist legally, it just adds insult to the Reds play on the field as of late.

A girl playing on the offensive line? Somehow, I think this is really cool...

(Photo courtesy of Scott Springer)

Nothing like making friends in NYC.

This might get their scholarship offers pulled.

Follow me on Twitter. Hopefully the rain holds off so the Reds can get their game in tonight. See you at the ballpark. Enjoy a this news report gone awry.

Reds 8 - Astros 2

Here's your Cincinnati Fast Break for today:

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I thought Sean Casey did a great job on FS Ohio last night. Need him back in the booth more often.

Apparently this court design from the Women's Final Four was supposed to be all retro and classic cool. It wasn't. Get rid of it now.

Congrats to Texas A&M on winning the National Championship by the way. Notre Dame doesn't need anything else to feel entitled about.

Yeah, this marriage is gonna last a REAL LONG TIME....


Lance McAlister has been going nuts the past couple days about telling people how expensive it is to eat at the ball park. He is absolutely correct, but can't yell at people for buying stuff there. Plus he's not mentioning the Dollar Stands that offer nicely reduced prices on a few menu items, which is a plus. But he must be fuming over this waste of $12 here.

onions from deadspin deadspin on Vimeo.

Have a great Wednesday! Don't be like this guy at :33 into this... Play nice kids.