CINCINNATI (AP)—Left-hander Dontrelle Willis(notes) of the Cincinnati Reds has
been scratched from his start against the Milwaukee Brewers because of back
spasms.

Lefty Matt Maloney(notes) was moved up in the rotation to take Willis’ spot on
Sunday. Maloney had been scheduled to start Monday against Houston.

Willis (0-6), the 2003 NL Rookie of the Year and a two-time All-Star, has
made 12 starts since being called from Triple-A Louisville on July 10. He’d been
the victim of three blown saves and had allowed three runs or fewer in nine of
his starts.

Maloney opened the season with the Reds and was 0-2 with a 6.88 ERA in six
appearances before going on the disabled on May 26 with a cracked rib that kept
him out until Aug. 16.

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

Thanks for reading! .

What are your opinions.

Comment Below!.

What are your opinions.

Read More: Homer Bailey (P – CIN), Cincinnati Reds

Earlier in the day, the Cincinnati Reds were contemplating putting Homer Bailey on the disabled list with a shoulder strain, and Jon Morosi confirms what Reds fans were afraid of:

Homer Bailey hits DL with sprained posterior capsule, right shoulder. Mike Leake called up.

Rotoworld says that the MRI was clean, so this isn’t likely to require anything but rest and rehabilitation.

The Reds came into the season with a wealth of starting pitching options, but the problem has been that too many of them have pitched poorly, Leake included. Bailey was fantastic in his five starts in 2011, with a 3.00 ERA in 30 innings, striking out 22 and walking only five batters.

Leake had never pitched in the minor leagues before this season, but his slow start forced the Reds to option him. Though his ERA was bad, his peripheral numbers were just fine, so it’s possible he was mostly unlucky. In triple-A, though, he was hammered in two appearances, allowing eight runs in 7-1/3 innings.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

PHILADELPHIA — Jay Bruce erased a frustrating night with one big swing.

Bruce hit a tiebreaking, three-run double in the ninth inning Tuesday and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-3 to snap a six-game losing streak.

The Reds had lost eight straight against NL East-leading Philadelphia, including a three-game sweep in the 2010 NL division series.

Bruce came in swinging a hot bat. He had four homers in the past five games and was tied for the NL lead with 12. But he struck out three times and popped out in his first four at-bats before clearing the bases against Ryan Madson (2-1).

“I blew it the first time with guys on second and third and one out,” Bruce said, referring to his strikeout in the fifth. “I just tried to relax and get something I could handle.”

Logan Ondrusek (1-0) retired the only batter he faced to get the win. Francisco Cordero finished for his ninth save in 10 tries.

Drew Stubbs got the Reds started with a one-out bunt single in the ninth. He advanced to second on Madson’s throwing error. After Brandon Phillips lined to shortstop, Joey Votto was intentionally walked. Scott Rolen followed with an infield single as third baseman Placido Polanco made a backhanded grab to save a run.

Bruce then ripped a liner to deep right-center to knock in three and give the Reds a 6-3 lead.

It was the Reds’ longest losing streak since they dropped eight in a row from July 28-Aug. 4, 2009.

“Coming back is kind of our M.O.,” Bruce said. “We’re never out of a game. The experience has helped us.”

Madson hadn’t allowed a run in 13 innings.

“It was a good run,” he said. “I just have to get back out there and start a new roll.”

Neither starter factored in the decision. Cincinnati’s Johnny Cueto allowed three runs and seven hits in six innings in his fourth start. The right-hander opened the year on the disabled list.

Filling in for injured Joe Blanton, Vance Worley allowed two runs and six hits in five innings. He has a 1.59 ERA in three starts.

Trailing 3-1 in the fifth, the Reds began a rally when Cueto drew a walk. Stubbs doubled down the right-field line and Phillips sliced a two-run single to right. Phillips advanced to second on right fielder Domonic Brown’s fielding error. After Votto walked, both runners advanced on Rolen’s deep fly to center. But Worley struck out Bruce and Chris Heisey fouled out after Ramon Hernandez was intentionally walked.

“We missed some opportunities early and I was afraid that would come back and haunt us,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “This was a big game for us. We really needed this one.”

The Phillies went ahead 2-1 in the second. Ryan Howard led off with a double off the scoreboard in right-center. Raul Ibanez followed with a double to right-center to tie it. He advanced to third on a groundout and scored on Brown’s sacrifice fly.

Ibanez singled and scored on a double by Carlos Ruiz in the fourth that gave the Phillies a 3-1 lead.

The Reds jumped ahead 1-0 on an RBI single by Rolen in the first. Votto hit a double to left with two outs and scored on Rolen’s bloop hit to right.

Stubbs threw out Jimmy Rollins trying to score from second on Chase Utley’s single to center in the third. Rollins, who doubled, got a bad jump off second and was out by several feet. He didn’t even slide. It was Utley’s first hit of the season. He returned to the lineup Monday after missing the first 46 games with a knee injury.

Notes: Phillies RHP Jose Contreras threw two scoreless innings at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He’s expected to come off the disabled list this week. Contreras has five saves and hasn’t allowed a run this season, but he’s likely to be the setup man for Madson, who is 9 for 9 in save chances. … Since May 3, Ibanez is hitting .375 with 11 extra-base hits and 11 RBI in 20 games. … A crowd of 45,740 was the 163rd straight sellout at Citizens Bank Park, including postseason play. … The Reds had lost nine straight in Philadelphia. … Phillips moved to the No. 2 hole after batting cleanup the past 26 games. … Cincinnati’s Bronson Arroyo isn’t expected to miss a start after an MRI on Tuesday revealed no serious issues with his back. … Baker said Mike Leake probably will start Friday in place of Edinson Volquez, who was demoted to the minors Monday.

That’s all for today guys, i’ll be back to blog you tomorrow.

Not much else going on in the MLB planet today.

PHILADELPHIA (AP) – May 24, 2011 (WPVI) —
Jay Bruce hit a tiebreaking, three-run double in the ninth inning and the Cincinnati Reds beat the Philadelphia Phillies 6-3 Tuesday night to snap a six-game losing streak.

The Reds had lost eight straight against NL East-leading Philadelphia, including a three-game sweep in last year’s division playoff series.

Bruce came in swinging a hot bat. He had four homers in the last five games and was tied for the NL lead with 12. But he struck out three times and popped out in his first four at-bats before clearing the bases against Ryan Madson (2-1).

Logan Ondrusek (1-0) retired the only batter he faced to get the win. Francisco Cordero finished for his ninth save in 10 tries.

Drew Stubbs got the Reds started with a one-out bunt single in the ninth. He advanced to second on Madson’s throwing error. After Brandon Phillips lined to shortstop, Joey Votto was intentionally walked. Scott Rolen followed with an infield single as third baseman Placido Polanco made a backhanded grab to save a run.

Bruce then ripped a liner to deep right-center to knock in three and give the Reds a 6-3 lead.

It was the Reds’ longest losing streak since they dropped eight in a row from July 28 to Aug. 4, 2009.

Neither starter factored in the decision. Cincinnati’s Johnny Cueto gave up three runs and seven hits in six innings in his fourth start. The righty opened the year on the disabled list. Filling in for injured Joe Blanton, Vance Worley allowed two runs and six hits in five innings. He has a 1.59 ERA in three starts.

Trailing 3-1 in the fifth, the Reds began a rally when Cueto drew a walk. Stubbs doubled down the right-field line and Phillips sliced a two-run single to right. Phillips advanced to second on right fielder Domonic Brown’s fielding error. After Votto walked, both runners advanced on Rolen’s deep fly to center. But Worley struck out Bruce and Chris Heisey fouled out after Ramon Hernandez was intentionally walked.

The Phillies went ahead 2-1 in the second. Ryan Howard led off with a double off the scoreboard in right-center. Raul Ibanez followed with a double to right-center to tie it. He advanced to third on a groundout and scored on Brown’s sacrifice fly.

Ibanez singled and scored on a double by Carlos Ruiz in the fourth that gave the Phillies a 3-1 lead.

The Reds jumped ahead 1-0 on an RBI single by Rolen in the first. Votto hit a double to left with two outs and scored on Rolen’s bloop hit to right.

Stubbs threw out Jimmy Rollins trying to score from second on Chase Utley’s single to center in the third. Rollins, who doubled, got a bad jump off second and was out by several feet. He didn’t even slide. It was Utley’s first hit of the season. He returned to the lineup Monday after missing the first 46 games with a knee injury.

NOTES: Phillies RHP Jose Contreras threw two scoreless innings at Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He’s expected to come off the disabled list this week. Contreras has five saves and hasn’t allowed a run this season, but he’s likely to be the setup man for Madson, who is 9 for 9 in save chances. … Since May 3, Ibanez is hitting .375 with 11 extra-base hits and 11 RBIs in 20 games. … A crowd of 45,740 was the 163rd straight sellout at Citizens Bank Park, including postseason play. … The Reds had lost nine straight in Philadelphia. … Phillips moved to the No. 2 hole after batting cleanup the last 26 games. … Cincinnati’s Bronson Arroyo isn’t expected to miss a start after an MRI on Tuesday revealed no serious issues with his back. … Reds manager Dusty Baker said Mike Leake probably will start Friday in place of Edinson Volquez, who was demoted to the minors Monday.

(Copyright ©2011 WPVI-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)

What do you guys think about this.

AP Photo/Matt Slocum

Philadelphia Phillies’ Jimmy Rollins, left, is tagged out by Cincinnati Reds catcher Ramon Hernandez after Rollins tried to score on a single by Chase Utley in the third inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, May 24, 2011, in Philadelphia.

If you like reading our blog, remember to bookmark it.

© Copyright 2011 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Leave any suggestions in the comment box.

CLEVELAND — Before the game, Asdrubal Cabrera tossed tennis balls to his 3-year-old son, Meyer, who hit them around the field while wearing dad’s No. 13.

Dad did the same thing to the Cincinnati Reds.

Cabrera went 5-for-5 with two homers and a career-high five RBI Sunday as Cleveland completed a three-game sweep of Cincinnati, beating the reeling Reds 12-4 to, at least for the moment, grab bragging rights as Ohio’s best team.

Cabrera hit a two-run homer in the first inning against Edinson Volquez (3-2) for the Indians, who did early damage after winning the series’ first two games with late-inning comebacks. Cabrera added a solo homer in the sixth to give Cleveland an 8-4 lead.

“He was a one-man show at the plate,” Indians manager Manny Acta said. “He was unbelievable. He was on every pitch, and he has played like an All-Star for us since Day 1.”

Michael Brantley, Cabrera and Shin-Soo Choo — the top three hitters in Cleveland’s lineup — went a combined 10-for-12 with six runs and nine RBI as the Indians, seen more as a contender than early season surprise, moved 14 games above .500 for time since 2007.

With its first sweep of the Reds in seven years, Cleveland improved baseball’s best record to 29-15 — 18-4 at Progressive Field, tying the best home start in franchise history.

“They are tough at home,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “They are playing good baseball. Whatever they needed, they got this series.”

Carlos Carrasco (3-2) allowed four runs in six-plus innings, handing the Reds their fifth consecutive loss. Joey Votto and Jay Bruce hit solo homers against the right-hander, who was lucky several line drives were hit at Cleveland fielders.

“We hit four, five, six balls well that on other days would have been doubles,” Cincinnati outfielder Chris Heisey said. “That’s baseball. You get days where you nub three or four and they go for hits. But Cleveland made some good plays.”

After horsing around on the field with Meyer, who insisted his dad pitch to him outside and not in the indoor cages, Cabrera’s day against the Reds didn’t start well. The steady shortstop made a throwing error on Drew Stubbs’ grounder leading off, but he more than made up for it with his first five-hit, multihomer game. Cabrera also had an error in the sixth, but it didn’t cause any harm.

The Indians missed Cabrera in 2010, when they lost 93 games. He was out two months after breaking his left forearm in a collision with former Indians third baseman Jhonny Peralta. Other than that, the 25-year-old Cabrera has been everything the Indians could have hoped for since they called him up in the 2007 playoff stretch.

Now healthy, there isn’t a shortstop in the AL playing better.

“We think he’s one of the best at his position,” Acta said. “We’re glad we have him.”

Cabrera’s name rarely, if ever, gets mentioned in discussions about the league’s top shortstops. It might be time he’s included in those conversations. He’s batting .302 and leads the team with nine homers and 32 RBI. This month, he’s batting .360 with four homers and 15 RBI in 18 games.

“I’m just trying to do good things for the team,” said Cabrera, who doesn’t worry about outside attention. “I’m just thinking about trying to win the game and do what I can do. And have fun.”

The weekend series began ominously for Cleveland. On Friday, the club placed designated hitter Travis Hafner on the disabled list with a strained side muscle, a move that came a few days after Grady Sizemore went on the disabled list with a bruised right kneecap.

Those were the first major signs of trouble for the Indians, who have shaken off losing two major pieces and continue to win despite any lingering doubters.

“We’ve got a good team,” Cabrera said. “We know it, and we just want to keep it going.”

The Reds were within 8-4 in the seventh and had two runners on with none out, but Chad Durbin came on for Carrasco, struck out two and worked out of the jam.

The Indians then blew it open in their half on RBI doubles by Jack Hannahan and Brantley, Cabrera’s run-scoring single and a sacrifice fly by Choo.

As has been the case all season, Volquez was in an early hole — and this time, the Reds helped him dig it.

The Indians scored four runs in the first against the right-hander, who has an 18.00 ERA in the first inning, perhaps the main reason he has trailed in all 10 starts.

Brantley led off with an infield single, and Cabrera hit his eighth homer to make it 2-1. Choo followed with a double and moved up on a groundout before Travis Buck walked. With Orlando Cabrera batting, Buck broke for second, but stopped and got into a brief rundown.

Second baseman Brandon Phillips chased Buck, but missed the tag before throwing home. Catcher Ramon Hernandez attempted to get Choo at third, but his throw sailed over Scott Rolen’s head and rolled to the wall, allowing Choo and Buck to score easily.

Votto gave the Reds a 1-0 lead in the first with a 431-foot shot into the bleachers in left-center, an area rarely reached by left-handers. It was the reigning NL MVP’s sixth homer — first since April 27.

Notes: Cleveland didn’t win its 18th home game in 2010 until July 16. … Aroldis Chapman, on the 15-day disabled list with shoulder inflammation, will make a rehab start today with Triple-A Louisville. Pitching coach Bryan Price said Chapman’s control problems stemmed from him over-rotating his shoulder during his delivery. … Indians trainer Lonnie Soloff said Sizemore will increase baseball activities the next three days. Soloff deemed it an “important milestone” in Sizemore’s recovery. … Indians right-hander Josh Judy made his major league debut in the ninth. … The “Ohio Showdown” series drew 99,086 — the Indians’ highest weekend attendance since the final week in 2008.

What are your opinions.