Cordero locks down save No. 300
By Tyler Jett / MLB.com | 06/01/11 11:25 PM ET

CINCINNATI -- Francisco Cordero always tilts his head back and points both index fingers to the sky when he records a save. After Cincinnati's 4-3 come-from-behind victory over Milwaukee on Wednesday night, the Reds closer was even more animated than usual.

Cordero became the 22nd pitcher in Major League history to record 300 saves after tossing a 1-2-3 ninth inning against the Brewers, for whom Cordero notched 60 of his saves over two seasons before coming to Cincinnati in 2008. Upon striking out Craig Counsell to end the game Wednesday, Cordero hopped up and down on the mound and pounded his glove with his fist before beginning his usual post-save routine -- a ritual he does to honor his late mother, Martina, who passed away at the age of 60 before the 2009 season.

After walking off the mound, Cordero received several hugs from members of the team, including manager Dusty Baker.

"I told him that was for his momma," Baker said after the game. "When he points to the sky, that is who it's for. I know how he feels. I'm just glad for him, and there's a little added incentive enjoying it against your former club."

Cordero started the frame by getting Jonathan Lucroy to chase a 1-2 fastball in the dirt. He then helped his own cause, knocking down a line drive off the bat of Yuniesky Betancourt to set up an easy out before finishing the game off against Counsell.

"That's amazing," Cordero said. "I have such a good feeling right now that I can't even explain. I'm going to just go home and wait for a lot of phone calls from family, friends and a lot of people who were waiting. I've already been told by somebody down in Dominica that they're having a party at my house."

Cordero later added that he had received plenty of calls from his friends back home during the past week about when he would finally get save No. 300. He recorded his 299th save against Philadelphia on May 24th. The next day, he had a chance at the milestone, but he gave up a solo home run to Ryan Howard in what became a 19-inning loss for the Reds.

Cordero also pitched against Atlanta on Friday and Milwaukee on Monday, but he was not eligible for a save in either appearance because Cincinnati was leading by four runs both times.

Of Cordero's 300 saves, 123 have come with the Reds, making him third on the team's all-time list. Danny Graves sits at the top with 182. Wednesday's save also tied Cordero with Bruce Sutter for 21st on the MLB all-time list.

"It's a big number," Cordero said. "I don't know what to say. I'm just so excited and I'm really happy. I'm glad that this is out of the way. Now I can just focus and get more saves and help my team."

Tyler Jett is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

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Reds sluggers ruin Brewers' early work


Joey Votto rounds the bases after hitting a two-run home run off Brewers reliever Kameron Loe in the eighth inning Wednesday.

Cincinnati - The Milwaukee Brewers don't see the Cincinnati Reds again until early July.

Maybe if they're lucky, Jay Bruce and Joey Votto will have cooled off a bit by then.

The two burly left-handed sluggers, who have been thorns in the side of Milwaukee pitchers - not to mention the rest of the National League - all season, put the finishing touches on the Brewers on Wednesday night at Great American Ball Park with just two swings of the bat.

Bruce hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning off starter Shaun Marcum to get the Reds on the board, and then Votto hit a massive two-run blast in the eighth off setup man Kameron Loe to seal the deal in a deflating 4-3 Brewers loss.

Now instead of heading to Florida on an upswing for a four-game series with the much-improved Marlins, Milwaukee will do so with its NL-worst road record having dropped to 9-19.

"Both of them are great hitters," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said. "Votto's always hot, and Bruce has been unbelievable the last month. When you make a mistake to them, neither one of those guys are going to miss it."

Thanks to a two-run first inning keyed by a Rickie Weeks leadoff homer and some great early work from Marcum, the Brewers were breezing on a gorgeous Cincinnati evening.

A leadoff double in the fourth by Corey Hart and an RBI single by Yuniesky Betancourt increased their lead to 3-0. Marcum, meanwhile, was cruising right along, having struck out Bruce twice and Votto once and not allowing the rest of the Reds' lineup much of anything.

Then came the seventh.

Votto led off the inning with a seeing-eye single into about a 20-foot gap between Weeks and Prince Fielder with the Brewers employing a shift. Bruce, the reigning NL player of the week and odds-on favorite to win player of the month honors, followed by crushing an 0-1 offering from Marcum 412 feet into the Brewers' bullpen in right to pull the Reds to within 3-2.

"It was supposed to be down and away and I pulled it, and it was more middle-in," Marcum said. "It was just a mistake pitch. If it's located, he probably doesn't hit it out of the ballpark."

Cincinnati sent four more batters to the plate that inning but didn't score, and then Milwaukee got two on in the eighth but also failed to pad its lead.

Loe replaced Marcum for the eighth and got two quick outs before making things difficult on himself by hitting Brandon Phillips to put the tying run on with Votto and then Bruce due up.

"I was just trying to get strike one, down and in," Loe said.

With no left-handers in the bullpen, Roenicke felt his best choice was to go with Loe against both. Not that it mattered much against Votto, who came in hitting an unreal .426 against lefties but with all six of his homers to that point coming against righties.

"If I had a lefty that I really liked the matchup, we could do that, yeah," Roenicke said when asked whether he'd have gone with one in that situation, had one been available. "It hasn't hurt us in any other games. But that lefty, when you're facing Votto, it better be a lefty you really like."

Loe fell behind 2-1 before leaving a sinker out over the plate that Votto absolutely tattooed, sending the pitch 439 feet to straightaway center to give the Reds the 4-3 lead and send the crowd of 22,213 into a frenzy.

"Honestly, I'm pissed off at myself for hitting Phillips," Loe said. "I get a ground ball out of him, I feel, every time. I think I got a little jumpy, got ahead of my arm and let it fly. Against Votto, I just got a pitch up. Sinker didn't sink."

Loe then got Bruce to line out to right to end the inning, but the damage had been done.

Former Brewer Francisco Cordero came on for a 1-2-3 ninth to record his 300th career save and once again snatch victory from defeat for a Reds team that's seemingly made the exercise routine against its NL Central rival.

"They've got a great lineup, they really do," Marcum said. "One through nine, they have a good lineup. You've just got to keep them off-balance and keep the ball down because they can hurt you."

The Brewers could add a lefty to the bullpen by this weekend, assuming Zach Braddock is able to come off the disabled list. He pitched a scoreless inning Wednesday with Class AAA Nashville in his final scheduled rehab appearance.

http://www.jsonline.com/sports/brewers/122992358.html

Cardinals are trying to trade for Heath Bell to add to their bullpen. Yikes.

Meanwhile, Berkman and McClellan go on the 15 day DL.

The link is on Redszone, but there is a crazy trade rumored between the Dodgers and Reds:
Kemp, Billingsley, and Carroll (37 year old backup infielder) for Stubbs, Leake, Wood, Hanigan and Cozart

Has to be a complete joke. Kemp and Billingsley together would add like $13 or $15M to the payroll.

(06-02-2011 02:53 PM)Vottomatic Wrote:  The link is on Redszone, but there is a crazy trade rumored between the Dodgers and Reds:
Kemp, Billingsley, and Carroll (37 year old backup infielder) for Stubbs, Leake, Wood, Hanigan and Cozart

Has to be a complete joke. Kemp and Billingsley together would add like $13 or $15M to the payroll.

I like Billingsley and especially Kemp but that would be an awful trade for the Reds imo.

Breaking it down:
- Kemp is having a better year than Stubbs so far, but last year they were about even on offense. Kemp's D isn't bad, but Stubbs is better imo. Given their salary status and Kemp's rep, Stubbs is arguably as or more valuable of an asset.
- Similarly, Billingsley is better than Wood or Leake right now, but given their salaries I wouldn't do a 2-1.
- Which would leave Hanigan and Cozart for a 37 year old backup infielder - the most insane aspect of the deal.

Not to mention it does nothing for our issue in LF, takes away probably our best internal SS candidate and hurts our pitching depth which is critical right now. HORRIBLE trade rumor for the Reds.

That would be a terrible trade. You trade prospects when you're trying to win, not starters.

Reds are in no position to trade away any healthy starters right now. Good Lord, I've never heard of 40% of our starting rotation right now.