There is a website that times every home run trot, appropriately named Tater Trot Tracker.  I have no idea how accurate the times are, but it is an interesting and neat idea nonetheless.  The statistics are based on home runs hit this season.

Not surprisingly, Adam Rosales is near the top of the list.  Rosales, currently with Oakland, holds third and fourth place for the quickest trips around the bases.  The top two sports belong to David DeJesus and Stephen Drew, who both hit inside-the-park home runs.  Aubrey Huff hit an inside-the-park home run, but was still slower than Rosales.

Scott Rolen and Joey Votto also appear on the “Quickest Trot” list.  Rolen is ranked ninth for the home run he hit on Opening Day.  Votto is 10th for the dinger he hit on Apr. 21.

Another former Red, Alex Gonzalez, currently holds the top spot on the “Slowest Trot” list.  He took almost 30 seconds to round the bases on Apr. 21.  That is just begging to get plunked.

The Reds beat the Mets 3-2 last night in 11 innings, but the game really should have never gotten to that point.  Two errors, one each by Drew Stubbs and Orlando Cabrera, helped the Mets get on the board.

Stubbs led off the game for the Reds with a long home run to left-center.  In the second inning, Ike Davis hit a liner to center that Stubbs misplayed and resulted in a two-base error.  Jeff Francoeur made the Reds pay with an RBI single.

The Reds took the lead back in the fifth when Joey Votto singled in Mike Leake.  However, another defensive miscue would allow the Mets to tie the game again.  When Luis Castillo attempted to steal second base in the sixth inning, Ramon Hernandez made a good throw that Cabrera missed.  Cabrera was charged with an error and Castillo scored on a Jose Reyes double.

The Reds pitching staff was outstanding.  Leake allowed four hits and two runs (one earned) in six innings.  He walked one and struck out four, including Jason Bay and David Wright after the Reyes double in the sixth.  The bullpen was just as good, combining for five innings of four-hit, shutout baseball.  Nick Masset (3-1) pitched the final two innings and showed some nasty breaking stuff.

Laynce Nix was the offensive hero for the Reds.  Pinch-hitting for Masset in the bottom of the 11th, Nix launched a high fly ball that just cleared the right field wall and landed in the first row of seats for a walkoff home run.  It was his first homer of the season.

Everyone loves a win for the battlin’ Redlegs!

After sweeping the Astros and taking the first game of the series against the Cardinals, the Reds had their five-game winning streak snapped today. Homer Bailey turned in his best outing of the season, but the bullpen couldn’t hold the lead. The Cardinals scored three runs in the eighth inning, all with two out. There would be no comeback this time as St. Louis held on for the 6-3 victory.

Tomorrow marks the conclusion of the series and the road trip. If we think logically, the Reds have had a successful trip no matter what happens tomorrow. However, we are fans who blog and don’t have to think logically should we choose not to.

A loss would mean the Reds lose the series and be a game under .500 for the season. It would also make for a disappointing trip back to Cincinnati. A victory would mean the Reds take back-to-back series against division opponents.

It will be a rematch of the Opening Day starters. Aaron Harang (1-3, 7.16) will oppose Chris Carpenter (3-0, 3.48).

A strong start from Bronson Arroyo combined with home runs from Joey Votto and Jay Bruce propelled the Reds to a 4-2 victory and series sweep over the Astros.  The win also allowed the Reds to get back to the .500 mark (11-11) and have a chance to close out April with a winning record.

Arroyo cruised through the first six innings before giving up two runs in the seventh and turning the game over to the bullpen.  The trio of Daniel Ray Herrera, Mike Lincoln and Francisco Cordero combined for 2.1 innings of shutout baseball.  Arroyo (1-2) was credited with his first victory of the season after allowing just six hits and two runs.  He walked three and struck out seven.  Cordero earned his eighth save with a scoreless ninth.

The Reds offense has definitely been showing signs of coming around.  Drew Stubbs, who entered the game in the second inning after Chris Dickerson hurt his wrist, had two hits and scored two runs.  Brandon Phillips, Laynce Nix and Bruce each had two hits as well.

Remember the debacle last Saturday?  The Reds haven’t lost since.  It just reiterates the fact that the baseball season is a marathon, not a sprint.

Leake was absolutely brilliant.  He allowed one run on five hits with two walks and five strikeouts.  It was the third consecutive seven-inning start for Leake.

His calm demeanor allowed him to escape an Astros rally in the fifth.  Houston loaded the bases with one out but only managed to score once.

The Reds bullpen made it interesting.  Nick Masset gave up a two-run homer to Lance Berkman.  Francisco Cordero also allowed a run, but was finally able to close it out.

The Reds did get some help from the Houston defense.  With the bases loaded in the fourth, Hunter Pence was charged with an error on a fly ball off the bat of Brandon Phillips, clearing the bases.

Drew Stubbs is inching his batting average closer to the .200 mark.  With two hits last night, Stubbs now sits at .172.

The Reds go for the sweep tonight, but it won’t be easy.  Bronson Arroyo (0-2, 7.43) will oppose Roy Oswalt (2-2, 2.42).

After giving up 15 runs in his previous two starts, there was speculation that the Reds may skip Aaron Harang’s turn in the starting rotation.  Fans have been debating on whether or not he deserves to remain in the rotation at all.  Last night in Houston, Harang needed a quality start in the worst sort of way.

He got it.

The right-hander came through with six innings of two-run baseball.  He allowed one walk compared with six strikeouts and earned his first victory of the season.  Daniel Ray Herrera, Nick Masset and Francisco Cordero each pitched a scoreless inning of relief to preserve the win.

Dusty Baker switched up the batting order last night, moving Brandon Phillips to the two-hole and dropping Orlando Cabrera to sixth.  Scott Rolen batted cleanup, followed by Jay Bruce.  It didn’t seem to help the top of the order much, with the first four (Stubbs, Phillips, Votto, Rolen) combining for six strikeouts and only producing one hit.

Jay Bruce is looking more and more comfortable at the plate.  He had two hits, raising his average to .235.

Ryan Hanigan continues to channel his inner Ted Williams, collecting two hits and driving in three runs.  Hanigan is hitting .483.  He also threw out two runners attempting to steal.

It was a good, solid ballgame for the Redlegs and a much-needed win for Harang.

The first two games of this weekend’s series against the Padres were an absolute disaster.  On Friday night, Bronson Arroyo was hammered as San Diego cruised to a 10-4 victory.  Saturday afternoon produced one of the worst performances I have seen in a long time.

The Reds managed just four hits on Saturday and were shut out for the first time this season.  Johnny Cueto allowed seven hits and five earned runs in six innings.  Incredibly, the lack of offense and Cueto’s ineffectiveness were not the worst part about the 5-0 loss.

The Reds had three runners either picked off or trapped off base.  Cueto, Brandon Phillips and Jonny Gomes were tagged out to end the third, fourth and fifth innings, respectively.

In the sixth, Drew Stubbs caught what he thought was the final out of the inning and flipped the ball into the stands.  It was actually the second out of the inning.  Thankfully, there were no runners on base at the time.

Dusty Baker was so disgusted with his team’s performance that he declined to meet with the media after the game.

On Sunday, the Reds needed a win badly.  Homer Bailey took the mound and kept his team in the game, pitching six innings and allowing four runs.  The bullpen trio of Mike Lincoln, Arthur Rhodes (W, 1-1) and Francisco Cordero (S, 7) combined for three innings of scoreless relief.

It was another comeback win for the Reds in their final at-bat.  Trailing by a run in the bottom of the eighth, the Reds scored twice to take the lead.  Jay Bruce crossed the plate with the go-ahead run on a single by Ramon Hernandez.

The 5-4 victory ended the Padres’ eight-game winning streak.  Hopefully, it will provide some momentum for the Reds as they head to Houston.

Bronson Arroyo is usually good for one or two of these games each year. You know, the kind where he gets beaten like a blue-eyed stepchild. Arroyo’s bead-and-butter has always been his curveball. When it is hanging, lock the windows and hide the children.

Arroyo couldn’t get out of the fourth inning last night against the Padres, surrendering eight hits and eight runs. He walked two and failed to strike out a batter.

Micah Owings replaced Arroyo in the fourth and promptly gave up a single to Jerry Hairston and grand slam to Adrian Gonzalez. Two of those runs were charged to Arroyo and two to Owings himself. After the slam by Gonzalez, Owings settled down. He, Nick Masset and Carlos Fisher kept the Padres off the board for the rest of the game.

Fill-in players Paul Janish and Ryan Hanigan continue to produce when given an opportunity. Each had two hits last night. Janish is hitting .462, with Hanigan close behind at .440.

Last night, Mike Leake became the first Reds’ starting pitcher to record a victory in 2010.  He did so against the Major League leader in team batting average.  The rookie pitched seven innings, allowing eight hits and five runs.  He walked only one, which was nice to see considering control has been a bit of a problem in his first two starts.

Of course, the Reds couldn’t nail down the win without a little drama.

Trailing 3-2 in the sixth inning, Jay Bruce gave his team the lead with a towering, two-run homer.  However, Leake could not hold the lead.  In the top of the seventh, Garret Anderson hit a two-run homer of his own to give his team the lead back.

The Reds needed to rally again, and they did.  In the bottom of the seventh, Scott Rolen crushed a two-run double off the wall in left-center field.  Drew Stubbs and Ryan Hanigan also contributed, each with run-scoring singles.  The four-run inning gave the Reds an 8-5 advantage.

This time, the lead would hold up.  Arthur Rhodes held the Dodgers scoreless in the eighth.  Francisco Cordero did the same in the ninth, earning his sixth save.

It was a great ballgame to watch.  Leake works quickly, which any player will tell you, makes a big difference.  It keeps the defense in the game.  It should also be noted that Leake recorded 13 groundouts and just two flyouts, a very positive ratio when pitching in Great American Ball Park.

It was another poor outing for Aaron Harang as the Dodgers beat the Reds last night, 14-6.  He saw his earned run average balloon to 8.31 after allowing 10 hits and seven runs (six earned) in just 5.2 innings.  Harang was pitching behind in the count all night.  Something must be done.  The Reds cannot expect to be competitive in the division and allow this type of performance every fifth game.

I don’t know how to fix the situation with Harang.  However, it appears to me that his ball is really straight.  The speed of his fastball is fine, but it is as straight as an arrow.  There does not seem to be any movement at all.  He also continuously throws it in the hitting zone, over the plate between the batter’s knees and belt.

Harang wasn’t the only member of the pitching staff to get shelled last night.  Logan Ondrusek is looking more and more like he belongs in Louisville.  He pitched two innings in relief, giving up four hits and four runs.  Ondrusek’s earned run average now sits at 11.25.

One of the game’s more interesting plays happened with the Reds batting in the fourth inning.  With the bases loaded and two out, Dusty Baker sends Harang to the plate.  First of all, this move blew my mind.  The Dodgers were leading by one run.  It seemed to be the perfect time for Micah Owings to pinch hit and then take the mound.

Anyway, Harang did hit a line drive to right that prompted Andre Ethier to attempt a sliding catch.  The ball clearly hit the ground but was ruled a catch by umpire Tim McClelland.  After an appeal, it was correctly ruled a hit and all runners were allowed to advance one base.  The mistake cost the Reds a run because Jay Bruce would have easily scored from second base.

It turned out not to matter as the Dodgers offense was too much for the Reds pitching staff.