Reds lineup, and an interesting one
4:13 pm, May 9, 2011 | Written by jfay

Drew Stubbs 8

Edgar Renteria 6

Jay Bruce 9

Brandon Phillips 4

Fred Lewis 7

Ramon Hernandez 3

Chris Valaika 5

Ryan Hanigan 2

Travis Wood LHP

vs. RHP Anuery Rodriquez

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/reds/2011/05...sting-one/

Wood, Rodriguez set for Round 2 in Houston

By Cash Kruth / MLB.com | 5/8/2011 5:50 PM ET

Consider Monday's series opener between the Astros and Reds the second act of Aneury Rodriguez's first career Major League start.

For the second time in as many outings, Rodriguez will face the Reds. And, once again, Cincinnati's Travis Wood will be the opposing pitcher.

The only difference between the two games is that this one will be played in Houston, as opposed to Rodriguez's first start in Cincinnati, a 3-2 loss, on Wednesday.

On April 30, Houston manager Brad Mills announced that Rodriguez (0-0, 4.25 ERA) would move to the rotation in place of Nelson Figueroa. Four days later, Rodriguez threw five shutout innings and allowed only one hit against the Reds. His performance -- which included retiring 15 of 17 batters at one point -- impressed Mills.

"You couldn't ask any more than the way he threw the ball," Mills said. "I know he was pumped and he was excited about getting out there and getting his first Major League start, and he took it and ran with it and did a great job."

Wood (1-3, 6.21 ERA) also earned a no-decision that day, avoiding the loss thanks to Jay Bruce's walk-off double. Wood had one of his better outings of the year against Houston, allowing two runs on five hits and striking out seven in six innings.

"Hopefully Woody can get back on track," said Reds skipper Dusty Baker. "Confidence and success breed off each other. Hopefully we can get on a pitching roll now, where every hit counts and every hit means something."

Since tossing seven innings of one-run ball in his season debut, the 24-year-old Wood is winless in his past six starts.

Reds: Votto's streak snapped
Joey Votto saw his streak of reaching base safely in 33 consecutive games to open the season snap on Sunday, ending one shy of the club's modern record of 34, set in 1981 by Dave Collins. The streak was the longest to begin the season since St. Louis' Albert Pujols reached safely in 42 straight appearances in 2008.

• To make room for right-hander Johnny Cueto -- who threw six shutout innings in Sunday's win -- the Reds optioned reliever Carlos Fisher to Triple-A Louisville.

Astros: Bourgeois placed on DL
Jason Bourgeois was placed on the disabled list Sunday after leaving Saturday's game with a strained left oblique. The outfielder had started the past seven games, hitting .519 (14-for-27) with three doubles, five RBIs and seven stolen bases.

• The Astros continue their stretch of 18 straight games against National League Central opponents with their series against the Reds. So far, Houston is 6-9.

Worth noting
Wood is 0-1 with a 4.00 ERA in three career starts against Houston. ... Houston's Hunter Pence has 14 RBIs in his past 15 games.

Janish out again but encouraged by progress
By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | 05/08/11 6:42 PM ET

CHICAGO -- The wrap was off of shortstop Paul Janish's sprained right ankle and he was trying to prepare himself to get back into the Reds' lineup on Sunday.

Janish did some light activity and took some swings in the cage beneath the Wrigley Field outfield bleachers.

"I am going outside today and move around a little bit," Janish said in the clubhouse before heading to the field. "It is definitely better than it was, but it's still a little sore. I am obviously not playing today, but maybe tomorrow or the next couple of days, I'll probably be at least in the realm to get back on it pretty good. It's kind of encouraging because I thought it would be a few more days."

"I saw him leaving the hotel walking going to get something to eat," Reds manager Dusty Baker. "That was a good sign for me. It looks ugly."

Janish turned his ankle Friday rounding third base on a sacrifice bunt. Although he was able to finish the game, it had become too swollen and sore to play on Saturday. Edgar Renteria started at shortstop again on Sunday.

Even after he was first hurt, Janish wasn't concerned that he might need to go on the disabled list.

"I've rolled my ankles a lot in the past," Janish said. "I knew it would be bad for a couple of days, but I didn't think it would linger. It might be nagging for a while."

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=...Id=rss_cin

EDIT: Aaron Harang won his 5th game of the year.

Cantu's blast, Maybin's glove lift Padres

By Chris Jenkins

Sunday, May 8, 2011 at 3:40 p.m.


Jason Bartlett congratulates Jorge Cantu (right) after his three-run homer gave the Padres a 4-0 lead in the first inning. San Diego ended up winning 4-3.

Jason Bartlett congratulates Jorge Cantu (right) after his three-run homer gave the Padres a 4-0 lead in the first inning. San Diego ended up winning 4-3.

First batter of the game, Chris Young, Arizona Diamondbacks.

Ball one. Ball two. Ball three. Ball four. In that order.

“On all four of them, I’m like, you know what, I’m just going to throw it right down the middle,” said the pitcher, Padres right-hander Aaron Harang. “Every one of them went whoooop and took off to the left.”

As they often have against the Padres, things got worse before they got better in the first inning at Petco Park, but they also got much better than worse. Consequently, thanks to a three-run homer by Jorge Cantu and great eighth-inning catch by fleet center fielder Cameron Maybin, the Padres prevailed 4-3 in the rare game where their first at bat made all the difference.

Not long before Harang actually caught a ceremonial first pitch from mom Robin Harang on Mothers Day, Padres manager Bud Black was emphatic in saying the Padres had to break this season-long habit of being victimized by the opposition’s first-strike capability. In the previous 33 games, the Padres had been outscored 23-5, so their 4-0 lead heading into the second inning Sunday was almost worth a snapshot of the scoreboard.

“That’s a good head start,” said third baseman Chase Headley, who drew a walk directly before Cantu’s two-out, two-strike homer. “Nobody wants to say it, but we’ve been swinging the bats a lot better. To me, it looks like we’re making progress. It’s nice to get ahead like that and play our style of baseball.”

Trying to climb out of the National League West Division basement, the Padres took a step upward by taking two of three from Arizona, splitting their six-game homestand and heading off to Milwaukee.

That the triumph ended with closer Heath Bell striking out Young, the potential winning run, brought it all back to the original point. Leadoff hitters have been highly successful against the Padres, reaching base a dozen times at the start of 34 games and scoring eight runs.

That the Diamondbacks didn’t score first this time was somewhat remarkable, given how Young wound up at third base with one out. Harang had Young trapped off first base, but in his debut as a major-league starter, Logan Forsythe dropped the pitcher’s throw on the play at second. Harang gave Young third base on a wild pitch, but got himself out of the jam with two pop-outs.

It was already 1-0 when Cantu came up, Padres leadoff Chris Denorfia scoring on Jason Bartlett’s first double of the season. Cantu’s blast to left came off southpaw Joe Saunders, who entered the game with an 0-9 record over his last 11 road starts, dating back to last June.

“I got a good pitch to hit,” said Cantu of his third homer this season. “You’re not trying to hit it out, just trying to hit it hard. But it was a real good pitch to drive.”

Not only was it the first homer by a Padres hitter that brought in two runs, but by making the score 4-0, it constituted San Diego’s biggest first-inning outburst since a five-run opener at Cincinnati on July 29, 2009.

“Yeah,” said Harang. “Since me.”

In fact, he was the Reds starter that day. That series in Cincinnati sparked the Padres to a striking second-half turnaround.

With an earned-run average of 1.82 over 11 appearances against Arizona, though, Harang wound up Sunday with his fifth win in seven decisions since joining the Padres. That game-opening plate appearance by Young proved his only walk, and while the Diamondbacks rapped out eight hits against him, it was 4-2 when Harang turned the game over to near-automatic Mike Adams.

Entering the game with a streak of 15 scoreless innings, Adams got into trouble with a one-out double by Justin Upton and a single by Miguel Montero. Xavier Nady hoisted what might’ve been a game-tying shot to deep left-center that Maybin caught backhanded at full gallop, landing awkwardly and flipping the ball back over his shoulder to left fielder Ryan Ludwick. Upton scored, but Montero was forced back to first to stay.

“It was hit well, and off the bat, I thought it might get in the gap,” said Adams. “But as soon as I saw Cam make a break on it, once I saw it was gonna be close, I figured he’d catch it.”

Maybin made another acrobatic fielding play in the ninth to help preserve Bell’s first save in a row, that after Bell had had his record-tying streak of 41 straight snapped by the Diamondbacks.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/...ft-padres/

Rolen update
4:43 pm, May 9, 2011 | Written by jfay

Scott Rolen hit soft toss just a little bit ago.

“I felt good,” he said. “I’m do some exercises, then take BP.”

It’s the first time Rolen has swung the bat since going on the DL April 24.

http://cincinnati.com/blogs/reds/2011/05...-update-4/

Travis Wood with a STRONG outing. Then he helps himself at the plate.

Reds get good Wood on Astros
Another quality start by a Reds hurler
11:19 PM, May. 9, 2011


Associated Press/Pat Sullivan
Reds pitcher Travis Wood is greeted at home plate by Ryan Hanigan and Chris Valaika after Wood hit a three-run homer in the third inning in Houston on Monday night.

Written by
John Fay
jfay@enquirer.com

HOUSTON – Last season, the Reds started the season 14-15 and then took off when the starting pitching came around.

It’s beginning to look like they are following the same script this year.

Since falling to 14-15, the Reds have reeled off five wins in six games. The key again has been starting pitching. Left-hander Travis Wood twirled the latest gem in a 6-1 victory over the Houston Astros on Monday night before a crowd of 20,174 at Minute Maid Park.

The victory put the Reds (19-16) a game behind the St. Louis Cardinals in the National League Central.

Wood went 6 2/3 shutout innings. He allowed six hits, walked one and struck out six. He threw 106 pitches, 71 strikes. He also provided half the offense with a three-run homer.

The Reds starters have only allowed one run over their last 20 1/3 innings. Over the last six games, the starters are 4-0 with a 1.70 ERA

The win was the first for Wood (2-3) since his first start of the season on April 2.
It is the first time Wood has put together back-to-back good starts. . He went six innings and allowed two runs Wednesday against the Astros. Before that, each of his good start was followed by a rough one.

The Reds took control of this one early.

Chris Valaika, who had the only hit off Aneury Rodriguez in his start against the Reds on Wednesday, doubled to start the third. Ryan Hanigan followed with a bolt to left for a single.

Wood drove one deep into the Crawford Boxes in left for a three-run homer. It was Wood’s second career home run. His last one came Sept. 4 of last season against Adam Wainwright in St. Louis. That was also the last home run by a Reds’ pitcher.

The Reds added two in the fourth. Fred Lewis led off with a broken-bat single. Ramon Hernandez followed with shot into the Crawford Boxes for his third home run of the year. to make it 5-0.

Rodriguez lasted only five innings and allowed the five runs on eight hits. He shut out the Reds on one hit over five innings last Wednesday.

The Reds added a run in the sixth on Drew Stubbs’ two-out, RBI single.

Wood dodged early trouble. Pence tripled with two outs in the first, but Wood got Carlos Lee on a called third strike.

Bill Hall led off the second with a double. But Wood snared Brett Wallace’s shot and caught Hall in rundown to diffuse the threat.

The Astros didn’t score until Logan Ondrusek gave up a home run to Hunter Pence on the first pitch of the Astro eighth.

http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20110...eakingnews