Cincinnati Reds Press Clippings May 13, 2017

THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 2012-Joey Votto hits a game-ending grand slam off the Nationals Henry Rodriguez, adding to his two solo home runs, becoming the

last Red to hit three home runs in one game, matching a club record

MLB.COM Reds lose in 17th on Posey's homer

By Chris Biderman and Michael Wagaman / Special to MLB.com | 4:21 AM ET + 93 COMMENTS

SAN FRANCISCO -- Buster Posey hit a walk-off home run on the first pitch he saw from Cincinnati reliever Robert Stephenson in

the bottom of the 17th inning, lifting the San Francisco Giants to a 3-2 win over Cincinnati on Friday night in a game that lasted

more than five hours and ended at 12:43 a.m. PT.

Denard Span homered for the second straight day and drove in two runs, Eduardo Nunez added two hits and scored, and Cory

Gearrin -- the last available reliever in the Giants bullpen -- pitched two innings for the win.

San Francisco had not scored since tying the game in the fifth and only advanced one runner past first base for eight innings before

Posey's one-out homer to left. The Giants catcher knew it immediately, too, and flipped his bat before taking off to round the bases

for San Francisco's second walk-off win of the season.

Denard Span crushes a solo home run over the right-field wall and into McCovey Cove, giving the Giants an early 1-0 lead

The home run measured 431 feet, Posey's longest of the Statcast™ era.

"Those kind of games, they're must-win," Gearrin said. "You go out there and you battle for that long, a lot of guys put a lot of time

and a lot of energy into that game, so to come out with a win is huge. To walk it off like that, with Buster going deep, just kind of

seals it for us."

Cincinnati was blanked over the final 15 innings and wasted a strong outing from its bullpen.

"To play 17 and lose, it's a lot different feeling over in the Giants clubhouse than there is in ours," Reds manager Bryan Price said.

"Both teams had an awful lot of opportunities to win that game. And no one could come up with the big hit until Posey did there in

the bottom of the 17th."

Neither starting pitcher factored into the decision despite strong outings from both. Giants right-hander Johnny Cueto gave up two

runs and had six strikeouts over eight innings while throwing a season-high 119 pitches but remained winless against his former

club. Scott Feldman of the Reds, who blanked the Giants on four hits May 2, allowed two runs in seven innings.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Missed opportunities: The Reds missed a prime scoring opportunity the top of the 14th after Scott Schebler and Scooter Gennett

opened the inning with back-to-back singles. Both runners advanced on a sacrifice before Jose Peraza hit a grounder to Giants

shortstop Brandon Crawford, who was playing in. Crawford bobbled the ball briefly then fired a strike to home plate where Posey

made a sweeping tag on Schebler for the out. A few moments later, pitcher Bryan Morris wheeled and picked off Gennett trying to

scramble back to second base. San Francisco also worked out of a base-loaded situation in the 16th and a two-on, two-out jam in the

17th.

"That pickoff worked well," Morris said. "I felt like [Gennett] was kind of asleep and Brandon felt the same way obviously, so he

just back-picked him and I was ready for it."

Small ball: San Francisco took advantage of the speed at the bottom of its lineup and the way Cincinnati was playing back on

defense to score the tying run in the fifth. Nunez laid down a picture-perfect bunt near the third-base line and Justin Ruggiano

followed with a bunt of his own almost in the same spot. Cueto then nearly reached on a sacrifice bunt before Span hit an RBI

single.

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

The 17 innings were the second-most played in the history of AT&T Park. The only game that lasted longer came on May 29, 2001,

when the Giants lost to Arizona, 1-0, in 18 innings.

WHAT'S NEXT

Reds: The Reds will send right-hander Lisalverto Bonilla (0-0, 7.20 ERA) to the hill Saturday to make his first Major League start

since 2014 with the Rangers. Saturday will mark his second big league stint this season after a five-inning relief appearance in

April. Bonilla had a 5.61 ERA in five starts with Triple-A Louisville and will be Cincinnati's ninth starter used in 2017. First pitch

Saturday is 4:05 ET.

Giants: Left-hander Matt Moore (1-4, 6.52 ERA) will take another stab at getting his season back on track when he faces the Reds

for the first time in his career in the third game of this series beginning at 1:05 PT. Moore has been hit hard most of the year, having

allowed five runs or more in four of his seven starts.

Chris Biderman is a contributor to MLB.com and covered the Reds on Friday.

Michael Wagaman is a contributor to MLB.com based in the Bay Area.

This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Hamilton, bullpen dinged up in loss to Giants

By Chris Biderman / Special to MLB.com | 5:12 AM ET + 7 COMMENTS

SAN FRANCISCO -- Reds manager Bryan Price won't have long to figure out how his roster is going to shape up after losing in 17

innings, 3-2, to the Giants in a five-hour, 28-minute marathon Friday night.

His leadoff man, Billy Hamilton, who had his eight-game hitting streak snapped with an 0-for-7 night, tweaked his calf late in the

game and is uncertain for Saturday afternoon.

"I don't if it was a cramp or strain of the calf. That's something we'll kind of define here now that the game's over," Price said. "And

we'll see. I don't know if we'll be able to write up the lineup until tomorrow."

Hamilton struck out with the bases loaded in the top of the 15th with the game knotted and looked hampered by the injury to his

right leg. He stayed in the game and was immediately tested by a deep fly ball from Justin Ruggiano in the bottom of the inning.

He scampered back to the center-field wall to make the play, but looked like he was in considerable pain as he threw the ball back

in. He stayed in the game while Cincinnati didn't have any position players left on the bench.

On the pitching front, Price used six of his eight relievers, leaving two fresh arms available when the two teams take the field again

just over 12 hours after Buster Posey ended the night with a walk-off home run to give San Francisco the win.

"There's a lot of activity today," Price said. "We'll have to come back in a few hours and be back here and get everybody kind of

warmed up again and see what they have in the tank."

The night started off looking promising for Price's bullpen with starter Scott Feldman going seven innings while allowing just two

runs. But he was matched by Giants starter Johnny Cueto, who threw eight innings of two-run ball with six strikeouts.

The two pitchers that didn't throw were Raisel Iglesias and Barrett Astin. Iglesias got the save Thursday while Astin last pitched

Monday against the Yankees when he allowed a pair of homers.

Price needed multi-inning efforts from three relievers -- Blake Wood, Austin Brice and Robert Stephenson -- and had Wandy

Peralta and Drew Storen pitch for the second straight game.

The Reds will hope to get a strong performance from Lisalverto Bonilla (0-0, 7.20 ERA), who's making his first Major League start

since 2014. He compiled a 5.61 ERA in five starts this season for Triple-A Louisville and allowed four runs in five innings of relief

during his only appearance with the Reds on April 22.

Chris Biderman is a contributor to MLB.com and covered the Reds on Friday. This story was not subject to the approval of Major

League Baseball or its clubs.

Bonilla to face Giants in first Reds start

By Chris Biderman / Special to MLB.com | May 12th, 2017 + 5 COMMENTS

The Reds will send Lisalverto Bonilla (0-0, 7.20 ERA) to the hill Saturday to make his first big league start since 2014. The Giants

will counter with Matt Moore (1-4, 6.52).

Bonilla, 26, has started five games for Triple-A Louisville, going 2-2 with a 5.61 ERA. He was called up to replace Rookie Davis,

who was sent down after allowing 18 runs (16 earned) in 19 innings in the Reds rotation. Bonilla last pitched for Cincinnati on April

22, throwing five innings of relief and allowing four runs to the Cubs. Saturday marks the start of his second big league stint this

season.

Moore, 27, has allowed 12 runs over his last two starts. His 1.55 WHIP is the highest of his career. He's never pitched against the

Reds after starting his career with the Rays in 2011. Saturday will be the third game of the four-game set at AT&T Park and the

sixth time the teams have played this month.

• Bonilla prior to 2017 last pitched in the Majors with the Texas Rangers in 2014, when he appeared in five games (three starts) and

allowed 13 hits in 20 2/3 innings with a 3.05 ERA. He spent last season in the Dodgers system before getting claimed off waivers

by Cincinnati in February.

• Moore will make his first home start since late April. His numbers are decidedly better in San Francisco, with a 3.05 ERA and

1.02 WHIP compared to 10.50 and 2.17 on the road. His last two starts came in Los Angeles (5 1/3 innings, three runs) and New

York (3 1/3 innings, nine runs).

• Bonilla will be the ninth starter the Reds have used in 36 games this season.

Chris Biderman is a contributor to MLB.com and covered the Reds on Friday. This story was not subject to the approval of Major

League Baseball or its clubs.

Feldman excited to be home for Mother's Day

Bay Area native plans to spend time with his mom, Joyce, with Reds in San Francisco

By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | May 12th, 2017 + 0 COMMENTS

The baseball schedule really did Reds pitcher Scott Feldman a favor this year for Mother's Day. This weekend, Cincinnati is playing

the Giants, and Feldman is a Bay Area native who grew up nearby in Burlingame, Calif.

That means Feldman will get to spend part of Mother's Day with his mom, Joyce.

"Last year, she came out to Houston when I was there and they had all the moms throw out ceremonial first pitches. That was cool,"

Feldman said. "This year, I'll be right there where we all live. She will come to the game, probably her and my sister and my sister's

kids. I'm actually staying there Monday for the off-day. We'll probably get some dinner with all of them on Mother's Day. It works

out nice."

When Feldman was a young ballplayer, Joyce played a key role that shouldn't be overlooked.

"My Dad was more hands-on with the baseball stuff. But my Dad was working and she always took me to practice, picked me up

and took me to games," Feldman said. "She watched a lot of games, probably way more than she ever wanted to. I think she actually

enjoys watching baseball a lot more than she used to. She's very important to me."

Joyce will have the chance to see another game at AT&T Park since Feldman is scheduled to face the Giants on Friday night.

Mark Sheldon has covered the Reds for MLB.com since 2006, and previously covered the Twins from 2001-05. Follow him on

Twitter @m_sheldon and Facebook and listen to his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball

or its clubs.

Battered by pitches, umpire departs in 14th

By Michael Wagaman / Special to MLB.com | 2:30 AM ET + 7 COMMENTS

SAN FRANCISCO -- The Giants and Reds game Friday night that had already surpassed the four-hour mark was delayed longer in

the top of the 14th inning when home-plate umpire Tony Randazzo was removed after being hit repeatedly throughout the game.

In the fifth inning, Randazzo was hit in the facemask near his throat on a pitch from Giants starter Johnny Cueto after Billy

Hamilton attempted to bunt but pulled back at the last second. Randazzo fell hard to the ground and was immediately tended to by

San Francisco head athletic trainer Dave Groeschner but eventually was helped to his feet and stayed in the game.

Randazzo was also hit in the right shoulder by a foul ball and later took another foul off his chest after it bounced off the dirt near

home plate.

Clint Fagan, who was umping at second base, replaced Randazzo behind the plate and the game continued with only three umpires.

Michael Wagaman is a contributor to MLB.com based in the Bay Area. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League

Baseball or its clubs.

No setback, but Cingrani 'pen session delayed

By Chris Biderman / Special to MLB.com | May 12th, 2017 + 13 COMMENTS

SAN FRANCISCO -- Reds reliever Tony Cingrani had his scheduled bullpen session on Friday pushed back while he continues to

recover from an oblique strain that landed him on the disabled list.

"He doesn't have any real pain. He has kind of a little bit of achiness in the oblique," manager Bryan Price said. "No setback. Just

kind of a part of the rehab."

Cincinnati placed the left-hander on the 10-day DL April 21, retroactive to April 19, after an appearance April 18 against Baltimore.

"What we do is listen to his body and we will define his next bullpen based on how he feels as he continues to play catch and as he

exercises. He has not been shut down from throwing," Price said. "We're just going to give him an extra day or two just to make

sure he's OK before he takes the mound the next time."

Cingrani last threw a 15-pitch bullpen on Tuesday. He got off to a strong start to 2017 in his five relief appearances, allowing one

earned run in 4 2/3 innings with five strikeouts.

Chris Biderman is a contributor to MLB.com based in San Francisco who covered the Reds on Friday. This story was not subject to

the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Hamilton continues to fuel Reds' May surge

By Chris Biderman / Special to MLB.com | 5:08 AM ET + 1 COMMENT

SAN FRANCISCO -- While the starting rotation has been battered with injuries, the Reds' lineup has fueled an 8-3 start to May that

has the club in the thick of the division race with the Cardinals.

It's no coincidence Billy Hamilton, the catalyst of Cincinnati's offense, entered Friday in the midst of a season-high eight-game

hitting streak. He had also scored runs in 11 straight games, the longest streak for a Reds player in 25 years.

Both streaks were snapped with an 0-for-7 night at the plate in a 3-2 loss in 17 innings to the Giants on Friday. Hamilton appeared

gimpy after tweaking his calf late in the game. His status for Saturday afternoon was uncertain.

"He's swinging the bat as well as he has any time I can remember," manager Bryan Price said Friday with his club entering play a

half-game behind St. Louis.

Hamilton during his scoring streak hit .347 with a .407 on-base percentage. He scored 16 times while Price's team averaged more

than six runs per game. The offense made up for a starting staff that's had to shuffle through arms with the highest ERA in the

National League.

It's a far cry from Hamilton's work before the streak, when he hit .211 and scored just nine runs in his first 21 games to start the

season.

"He's hitting the ball a lot harder than he was earlier in the year," Price said. "He's driven some balls in the gap, he's hit some balls

down the line. He's battled with two strikes. He's hit a lot of balls back up the middle for base hits. Not a lot of these hits are these

soft-serve singles to left."

Hamilton in Cincinnati's 3-2 win in the series opener against the Giants on Thursday scored two runs while going 2-for-4 in the

leadoff spot.

The Reds center fielder also had a stranglehold on the league's stolen base lead with 19 entering Friday -- eight more than Arizona's

A.J. Pollock and Miami's Dee Gordon. Hamilton hasn't stolen a base since last Saturday, but that doesn't mean his presence on the

basepaths has gone unnoticed.

"It's a huge difference maker. I think we saw it yesterday," Price said Friday. "[Ty] Blach was really quick from the stretch with

Billy on base.

"There's times when I attribute that Zack [Cozart] or hitters behind Billy getting those pitches because of the pitchers being forced to

be quicker than they'd like to be, or quicker than is comfortable -- forcing or creating a higher probability of getting a pitch to hit or

a mistake."

Hamilton's career-best hitting streak is 12 dating back to June 2014. His run of 11 straight games with a run scored tied Bip Roberts'

mark in 1992.

Chris Biderman is a contributor to MLB.com and covered the Reds on Friday. This story was not subject to the approval of Major

League Baseball or its clubs.

CINCINNATI ENQUIRER Reds recap: Reds fall in 17 innings

C. Trent Rosecrans , crosecrans@enquirer.com Published 3:48 a.m. ET May 13, 2017 | Updated 5 hours ago

SAN FRANCISCO — Buster Posey hit a walk-off home run off of Robert Stephenson in the 17th inning to give the Giants a 3-2

victory over the Reds early Saturday morning at AT&T Park.

The game ended at 12:43 Pacific time and 3:43 Eastern. The game took five hours, 28 minutes.

Here are the main storylines from Friday’s game:

• Opportunities wasted: The Reds opened the 14th with back-to-back singles by Scott Schebler and Scooter Gennett, but couldn’t

push across a run.

After a sacrifice bunt by Tucker Barnhart moved the runners over, Jose Peraza hit a grounder to shortstop Brandon Crawford.

Crawford bobbled the bal but recovered in time to throw Schebler out at the plate for the second out. With Billy Hamilton at the

plate, Giants pitcher Bryan Morris picked off Scooter Gennett from second to end the inning.

The Reds loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the 16th, but Hamilton struck out, ending the threat.

The Reds stranded 16 runners in the game, including two in the top of the 17th.

• Feldman vs. Cueto, Round 2: On Sunday, Scott Feldman and Johnny Cueto combined to pitch 16 innings and allowed four runs.

Friday night the two combined for 15 innings and four runs. While Feldman didn’t throw a shutout like he did on Sunday, he gave

up just two runs in seven innings. Cueto allowed two earned runs (just like he did Sunday) in eight innings. Neither starter factored

into the decision.

In his third start against the Reds, Cueto still hasn’t beaten his former team. The Reds beat him last year at Great American Ball

Park and again on Sunday. This was the first time the Reds have faced him at AT&T Park, where he entered the game 9-3 with a

2.86 ERA in 17 starts as a member of the Giants.

Cueto allowed just five hits, struck out six and walked three.

Feldman gave up seven hits, struck out two and walked one.

• Hitting the cutoff man: The Reds’ fundamentals were better than the Giants’ aggressiveness twice in Friday’s game.

In the fifth inning, Joey Votto cut off Schebler’s throw from right on a Denard Span RBI single and threw Span out going to second.

Giants first base coach Jose Alguacil could be seen telling Span to stay at first, but the Giants’ center fielder ignored him and was

thrown out for the second out of the inning. The next batter, Brandon Belt, grounded out to end the inning, leaving a runner at third.

With two outs in the eighth, Belt hit a double into the right-center gap. Hamilton ran the ball down and got a quick throw to

shortstop Zack Cozart, who threw to Eugenio Suaraz at third to tag Belt out for the final out of the inning.

• Home plate umpire hit: There was a scary moment in the fifth inning when home plate umpire Tony Randazzo was hit in the mask

by a pitch from Cueto. With Barnhart on second, Hamilton squared to bunt, but pulled back his bat at the last minute. Posey missed

Cueto’s pitch and it hit Randazzo in the mask. He immediately fell to the ground. After being checked by Giants trainers, Randazzo

stayed in the game, but left following the 13th inning, replaced by Clint Fagan.

Buster Posey's walk-off dooms Reds in 17th

C. Trent Rosecrans , crosecrans@enquirer.com Published 4:59 a.m. ET May 13, 2017 | Updated 6 hours ago

SAN FRANCISCO — Giants catcher Buster Posey hit a walk-off home run off of Robert Stephenson in the bottom of the 17th

inning, giving the Giants a 3-2 victory over the Reds in Cincinnati’s longest game since 2011.

“It just sucks. I feel like I let down my team,” said Stephenson, who pitched 2 1/3 innings and had allowed only one baserunner

before Posey’s homer. “They pitched really well, played hard the entire game and for it to come down to one pitch, it's tough.”

Stephenson was the Reds sixth and final pitcher of the night, allowing the only run by a Reds reliever in 9 1/3 innings of work.

The Giants used seven relievers to throw nine shutout innings.

“Well, you play 17 and lose, it's a lot different feeling over in the Giants' clubhouse than it is in ours,” Reds manager Bryan Price

said afterward. “Both teams had an awful lot of opportunities to win that game. No one could come up with the big hit there until

Posey did in the bottom of the 17th. So, it's one of those games. There are always those moments. You can go back and look at

those moments where you're a hit away, you're a ball in play away, doing something other than trying to hit a ball out of the

ballpark. We had runners on, they had runners on, nobody was able to come up with the big hit until Posey.”

The Reds left 16 runners on base in the game and had at least one runner on in each of the eight extra frames. The Reds stranded a

total of 12 batters in extras.

Their best chance came in the 14th when Scott Schebler and Scooter Gennett led off the inning with back-to-back singles. After a

Tucker Barnhart sacrifice moved both runners over, Jose Peraza hit a grounder to Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford. Crawford

bobbled the ball but was able to compose himself in time to throw Schebler out at the plate. Then with Billy Hamilton batting,

Gennett was picked off to end the inning.

The Reds loaded the bases with two outs in the 16th, but Hamilton struck out to end the inning. And even in the 17th, Stephenson

hit a two-out single for his first big-league hit and then Giants reliever Cory Gearrin hit Eugenio Suarez, but Schebler grounded out

to first to end the threat.

Stephenson retired the first five batters he faced before giving up a single to Denard Span with two outs in the 16th but struck out

Brandon Belt to send the game to 17.

It was 12:43 a.m. in San Francisco when Posey ended the game and 3:43 a.m. in Cincinnati. It was the Reds’ longest game since

playing 19 against the Phillies on May 25, 2011.

The two teams’ bullpens were even better than the two starters, Scott Feldman and Johnny Cueto. Feldman and Cueto, meeting for

the second time this week, combined to pitch 15 innings and allow just four runs, two each. Cueto pitched eight innings, Feldman

seven.

In what should have been an opportunity for Price to rest his bullpen in anticipation of Lisalverto Bonilla’s first start of the year on

Saturday, he instead had to use all but two of his pitchers. Only Barrett Astin and Raisel Iglesias went unused.

“We saved Iglesias and Astin, they can go tomorrow,” Price said. “(Wandy) Peralta's been in two in a row, (Drew) Storen two in a

row, (Blake) Wood threw two innings, (Austin) Brice threw two innings. THere's a lot of activity today. We'll have to come back

here in a few hours and get everybody warmed up again and see what they have in the tank. There’s not going to be a lot of long

relief outside of Astin.”

He’ll also give catcher Tucker Barnhart, who caught all 17 innings, a day off. Hamilton was dealing with a calf injury, but after the

game, Price didn’t know yet if it was a cramp or something more serious. He said he’d know in several hours when the Reds

returned to AT&T Park for Saturday afternoon’s game, with the first pitch scheduled for just 12 hours and 20 minutes later.

Billy Hamilton powering Reds' hot streak

C. Trent Rosecrans , crosecrans@enquirer.com 8:57 p.m. ET May 12, 2017

SAN FRANCISCO – Billy Hamilton scored a run for the 11th consecutive game on Thursday, scoring twice in the Reds’ 3-2

victory.

When that was brought up to Reds manager Bryan Price, his immediate response was to ask about the team’s record in those games.

It’s 9-2.

Over those 11 games, Hamilton’s not only scored 16 times, but he’s hitting .347/.407/.571. It’s no secret over the last few years that

when Hamilton is getting on base, the Reds are a much more potent offense.

Not just for what he adds to the offense with his base stealing, he can influence pitchers without stealing a base. He didn’t have a

steal in Thursday’s game (he has nine in the 11-game stretch), but his mere presence on the bases changes the equation for Reds

hitters.

“Pitchers (are) quicker (to the plate) than they'd like to be, quicker than they're comfortable and creating a higher probability of

getting a pitch to hit or a mistake,” Price said. “It definitely makes a difference. If he gets on base, especially as a leadoff man, he

scores.”

Of the 16 runs he’s scored in his streak, 10 of them have come after he led off an inning, including both of his runs on Thursday.

Hamilton has also logged six extra-base hits in the last 11 games.

“He's making hard contract, he's driving the ball into the gap, he's hit some balls down the line, he's battled with two strikes, he's hit

a lot of balls up the middle for two strikes for base hits,” Price said. “Not a lot of these hits are soft-serve singles to left. A lot of

them hard contact back through the middle.”

Arroyo feeling stronger

For the first time this season, Bronson Arroyo finished his six innings of work and felt he could go back out for the seventh on

Thursday.

Arroyo didn’t, recording his second quality start of the season, allowing two runs in six innings, but the fact he could was a step in

the right direction for the 40-year old right-hander.

“I feel like I'm putting more effort into more pitches now and my arm is still holding up,” Arroyo said following Thursday’s 3-2

victory over the Giants. “I feel good, I feel strong.”

Arroyo threw 85 pitches, 57 for strikes. He’d thrown 95 pitches in his previous start. He hasn’t pitched more than six innings in any

start this year.

Cingrani’s bullpen pushed back

Left-hander Tony Cingrani’s bullpen, scheduled for Friday, was pushed back because of an “achiness” in his oblique, Price said.

“No setback, just part of the rehab,” Price said. “What we do is listen to his body and we will define his next bullpen based on how

he feels. He continues to play catch and do his exercises. He has not been shut down from throwing. We'll give him another day or

two before he takes the mound the next time.”

Cingrani went on the disabled list on April 21 with a right oblique injury. He traveled with the team to San Francisco to continue his

rehab with the team.

Coach, Big Furn and Shooter lead cohesive Reds clubhouse

C. Trent Rosecrans , crosecrans@enquirer.com Published 3:46 p.m. ET May 12, 2017 | Updated 19 hours ago

SAN FRANCISCO – Over the years the Reds have had many, many rain delays in Pittsburgh. The visitor’s clubhouse at PNC Park

has seen many card games, naps and countless hours of spent staring at iPad screens.

April 11 was a little different because as one of the team’s longest-tenured players, shortstop Zack Cozart pointed out, this team is

different.

“When you have fun in the clubhouse, it's easier to pull for guys and be all-in,” said Cozart, whose eighth-inning double gave the

Reds the lead in Thursday's 3-2 victory over the Giants. “Everybody's all in, we all want to play well and win.”

The Reds are winning so far this season, improving their record to 19-15 with Thursday night's victory. The Reds started their

seven-game, nine-day trip by wearing matching bowling shirts several members dreamed up during the Pittsburgh rain delay on the

flight to San Francisco. Reds catcher Tucker Barnhart tweeted a picture of the team wearing the shirts before they boarded their

chartered flight at the Cincinnati airport.

In April, several of the players were playing cards during the delay and decided they wanted to do something fun, something

different, something they’d witnessed other teams do, but not participated in. A travel dress-up day. Not the now outlawed ritual of

dressing up rookies in costume, but something the entire team would participate in, a team-building exercise that has been made

famous by Cubs manager Joe Maddon.

Shopping around on Amazon.com, the veteran Reds players stumbled upon bowling shirts and it was love at first sight.

Over the course of the delay, not only did starter Scott Feldman offer to buy the shirts, utility man Scooter Gennett noted he had a

friend who could do screen printing and embroidery for the shirts, Drew Storen sketched a logo for the back and the entire group

decided on nicknames for each and every member of the team to be embroidered on the breast.

The shirts are, of course, bright red. A traditional bowling shirt, it’s a full button-up with short sleeves. The color is black and

there’s a thin black stripe on the sleeves.

To that blank slate, reliever Drew Storen sketched out a design for the back, a pair of crossed bats with a baseball over the bats.

Inside that baseball is the Reds logo. That entire design is engulfed in flames.

From there, each shirt has been personalized, with the player’s number on the sleeve and nickname in white cursive.

The list of nicknames, some new and some old, was one of the best parts of the planning the shirts.

Older players, such as “Coach” Cozart, “Big Furn” Feldman and “Shooter” Storen, had veto power over their nicknames. Younger

players were not so lucky.

Among the nicknames:

• Tony Cingrani is “Tony Toe Time,” because he doesn’t like to wear shoes.

• Eugenio Suarez is “Thumper” and Scott Schebler is “Bam-Bam.”

• Raisel Iglesias is “El Matatan” or “The Man.”

• Bronson Arroyo is “Free Love.”

• Adam Duvall is “Duvallstar” based on the hashtag the Reds used on Twitter last year for All-Star voting. “He hates it,” Cozart

said, noting that solidified the choice.

• Billy Hamilton is “Bone.”

• Barnhart is “Dummy,” a name Reds catching coordinator Mike Stefanski gave him. “It's the nicest thing he's called me,” Barnhart

noted.

• Feldman is “The Furnace” and also referred to as “Big Furn.” Why? “Because I bring the heat like a furnace does,” he said with a

laugh.

• Even the players who weren’t with the team in April got shirts. Tim Adleman wore Rookie Davis’ shirt (nickname “Bill,” since

Rookie’s real first name is William). And then there’s Austin Brice, whose number and name was affixed to one of the extra shirts

the team ordered with white tape. Brice’s nickname is “Rube,” because his teammates believe he resembles the character Rube

Baker from “Major League 2.”

• And then there’s “Coach.”

Cozart said Storen started the nickname and Barnhart has helped make it popular. Cozart nixed the proposed nickname “Cap” as in

“captain” because to him, that only belongs to Derek Jeter. “Coach,” though has stuck.

“He's old and knows what he's doing,” Barnhart explained.

Cozart said the flight attendant on Wednesday’s flight even referred to him as “Coach.”

“If you watch the games and you see me laughing when I'm high-fiving, it's because everyone is going, 'Atta boy, Coach,' 'Way to

go, Coach,’ ” Cozart said.

After Tuesday night’s win, Coach went to Bryan Price and asked if the team could wear the shirts on the flight.

“It's fun and games, it's something we never did in the past. We've always been suits,” Cozart said. “I went up to Bryan, I said we've

got these shirts and it was a casual flight. He was like, 'heck yeah, wear those things.' It's a team thing. It can't hurt to do stuff like

that.”

Price, though, said he wasn’t jealous that he and the coaching staff didn’t receive their own shirts.

“I was not,” he said. “Had they been a little more fashionable, probably the answer would have been different.”

BAR Mailbag: What will the Cincinnati Reds do at the trade deadline?

Zach Buchanan , zbuchanan@enquirer.com Published 10:05 a.m. ET May 12, 2017 | Updated 10:06 a.m. ET May 12, 2017

The Blog Above Replacement a daily look at the Reds, their minor leagues and whatever else is on the mind of Enquirer Reds beat

writers, C. Trent Rosecrans and Zach Buchanan. You can follow them on Twitter (@ctrent and @ZachENQ), Facebook (C. Trent

Rosecrans and Zach Buchanan) and Instagram (ENQReds).

It's Friday, which means you'll finally get what you've been waiting all week for: the weekend the Reds mailbag. As always, you

can send in questions on Twitter with the #heyBARtender hashtag or by emailing me at the address next to my byline above.

Let's go!

The trade deadline was a popular theme among your questions this week, so I'll try to hit both prongs of it. This version -- we'll call

it the Glass Half Full question -- ponders what to do if the winning continues. I don't think the Reds will still be in it by the trade

deadline, but they are playing in a division that's very muddled behind the Chicago Cubs right now.

If they are in it, I could see a targeted acquisition or two. But the easiest thing to do is to fool yourself into thinking you're closer

than you are. I doubt that general manager Dick Williams would mortgage much of the team's prospect depth in pursuit of a short-

term upgrade this season. There's too much uncertainty with so many young players. I could see adding a small piece or two if the

team really is in the running for a playoff berth, but more likely only swapping out major-league assets.

As to whom those assets are, think anyone making money in an area of depth. That certainly includes Zack Cozart, whose recent

performance makes him only more attractive on the trade market. But also think free agent signings Scott Feldman and Drew

Storen, both of whom hit free agency again after this year. Or guys like Blake Wood or Tony Cingrani, once the latter is healthy.

If the team is out of it, there will of course be interest in guys under more team control like Billy Hamilton or Raisel Iglesias. The

Reds haven't shown any motivation to move those types of guys before, and I doubt that would change now.

Yes, it's concerning. No, it's not time to give up on Jesse Winker.

Right now, Winker is hitting .271/.360/.318. If there's anything to take solace in, it's that all three numbers of that slash line are well

below his marks from a year ago, when he hit .303/.397/.384. He's clearly not himself yet, but one extra-base hit in his last 19 games

-- and no home runs all season -- is not ideal.

The question for Winker has long been whether he'd develop power to go along with his advanced approach at the plate, and a

player who gets on base at a .400 clip is valuable no matter what. But I looked back to the 2000 season, and no major-league player

has ever posted a career line like he posted last season in Triple-A. The vast majority of players have a higher slug than on-base.

Don't call him a failure yet -- Winker's too smart a hitter for that. But you don't want your (at best) defensively neutral corner

outfielder to be a singles hitter.

If Eugenio Suarez is plays to his current level over the course of a full season -- well, some drop off is inevitable -- I don't see

anyone moving him off third. Right now, he's playing All-Star caliber baseball on both offense and defense.

Also, I don't think Nick Senzel is on this team to start the 2018 season. I certainly think he'll debut by the end of that campaign, and

I'd be surprised if he doesn't play his way to Double-A this year. But there's no need to rush him to the majors when you've got

players in your infield playing well.

The Reds will field their most talented eight position players, regardless of draft status. Senzel has to prove he's better than Suarez,

and not many people look better than Suarez at the moment. I don't think the Reds would balk at moving Senzel to a different

position if Suarez has established himself as the best option at third.

ICYMI

- The bullpen came through again, and the Reds continue to own the Giants.

- Sounds like Rookie Davis pretty much gave the manager's demotion spiel before Bryan Price could.

Minor-league roundup

Triple-A: Charlotte 7, Louisville 4. RHP Rob Wooten has not been what you want since returning from injury, and Thursday

allowed four runs in two innings before being pulled. 3B Brandon Dixon went 2 for 4 and hit his fifth homer of the season and third

since May 3.

Double-A: Pensacola 5, Birmingham 4. 2B Alex Blandino doubled and scored on a single in the eighth to score the go-ahead run.

RF Aristides Aquino homered, although he's hitting just .152. RHP Keury Mella allowed two runs in 5 2/3 innings.

High-A: Daytona 5, Dunedin 3. The Tortugas scored four runs after the sixth to come back from a 3-1 hole. LHP Ty Boyles gave up

three runs in five innings. 2B Shed Long went 2 for 5 and is hitting over .300. SS Alfredo Rodriguez also went 2 for 5, but is hitting

just .225 with a .281 on-base percentage.

Low-A: Dayton 5, Quad Cities 3. Making his first start of the season after sticking around in extended spring training, LHP Max

Wotell gave up two runs in three innings. 3B Josh Sansone hit his second homer in as many days, and LF T.J. Friedl went 2 for 2

with a triple. DH Taylor Trammell stole his 12th base.

WCPO - Channel 9 Fay: Here are nine reasons the Reds have gotten off to such a good start

John Fay

7:19 PM, May 12, 2017

CINCINNATI -- There’s no argument that the Reds are one of baseball’s surprise teams so far. No one expected them to be four

games over .500 at this point.

When a team exceeds expectations like the Reds have, there are a lot of reasons. Here’s our top nine:

VOTTO-MATIC

It’s hard for a team to get off to a good start when its best player is going through worst start of his career. That’s what happened

last year. Votto’s slash line after 34 games in 2016 was .234/.365/.387. This season, it’s .291/.411/.615.

He’s hitting .433 with runners in scoring position and .407 for the month of May.

He’s also played better defensively.

BULLPEN

It was disaster last year. This year, going unconventional has worked. But you need good arms to do that.

The core five of Raisel Iglesias, Michael Lorenzen, Drew Storen, Wandy Peralta and Blake Wood have been solid.

Iglesias looks as good as any closer going. What more can you say about Peralta? He throws 97 with two strong secondary pitches.

The bullpen’s ERA (3.18) is third best in the National League.

OLD MAN ARROYO

I’ll make a confession: Everyone in the media was rooting for Bronson Arroyo because he can fill notebooks and air time as well as

any player ever.

But he’s earned his spot in the rotation. He had two bad starts to begin the season, but the Reds have won each of his last five starts.

He may not throw hard enough to break glass, but he can give six solid innings every fifth day.

COZY COZART

Zack Cozart is the team’s MVP at this point. He’s hitting .356 with a 1.040 on-base plus slugging.

He’s increased his trade value greatly and put himself in line to make some big dough as a free agent.

He’s also put the pressure on the Reds to keep him around. If the club continues to play well, it would be difficult to move Cozart,

particularly since Dilson Herrera isn’t exactly lighting it up in Triple-A (.217 average).

ROSTER FLEXIBILITY

The Reds haven’t been hesitant to move pitchers down after they’ve struggled in the big leagues. They did it with Cody Reed and

they did it with Rookie Davis.

That’s a great motivational tool.

My guess is they’ll keep churning players, and Luis Castllio and Tyler Mahle will be in the mix if Reed, Davis and Stephenson

don’t show improvement.

BILLY BALL

Billy Hamilton can have more impact with less batting average/slugging percentage than any player in baseball. Hamilton’s reached

base 47 times and scored 25 runs.

It seems like every time he singles or walks in the first inning, he’s on third before the Reds have made the second out.

He’s also asserted his personality more. He’s upbeat, having fun. His enthusiasm lifts the players around him.

GREAT GARRETT

Amir Garrett is currently in Triple-A to conserve his innings if you believe the company line. If you’re a student of baseball

economics, you’d say he’s there to guarantee another year of control.

But Garrett’s impact has been huge. He was the most reliable starter until his demotion and reliability was in short supply in the

rotation. He’ll be back.

DEEE-FENSE

The Reds defense is the best in the big leagues according to fangraphs.com. That’s a huge help to the pitching.

The numbers say the Reds have a plus defender at every position but first base.

BARGAIN HUNTING

The Reds added three veteran players a hair under $10 million combined. That’s small change in the today’s baseball, but the Reds

wouldn’t be where they are without Scott Feldman, Storen and Scooter Gennett.

Feldman leads the team in innings pitched. Storen has helped solidify the bullpen. And Gennett has been the best bench player.

John Fay is a freelance sports columnist; this column represents his opinion. Contact him at johnfayman@aol.com

ASSOCIATED PRESS Posey’s homer in 17th leads Giants past Reds 3-2

By JOSH DUBOW

Today

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — After catching for 269 pitches and watching his beleaguered bullpen escape jam after jam in extra

innings, Buster Posey took matters into his own hands.

Posey homered with one out in the 17th inning for the latest walkoff homer in San Francisco history as the Giants beat the

Cincinnati Reds for the first time this season with a 3-2 victory Friday night.

Posey sent the first pitch he saw from Robert Stephenson (0-2) over the left-field wall for his fourth homer of the week, ending the

marathon game after 5 hours, 28 minutes. The Giants rushed out of the dugout to celebrate with Posey while the few fans remaining

cheered.

“It wouldn’t have been fun to lose this,” Posey said. “We were out of pitching, fortunately got it done there.”

Posey’s game-ending homer was the latest for the Giants since they moved to San Francisco, topping Willie Mays’ 16th inning shot

off Warren Spahn that provided the only run in a 1-0 win against the Braves on July 2, 1963.

“I think Buster had enough,” manager Bruce Bochy said. “That was huge for us.”

Cincinnati had won seven of eight but couldn’t get the big hit this game. The Reds were 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position

and stranded 16 runners.

“To play 17 and lose, it’s a lot different feeling in the Giants’ clubhouse right now than it is in ours,” manager Bryan Price said.

“Both teams had an awful lot of opportunities to win that game, and no one could come up with the big hit until Posey did.”

The Reds had won all four meetings so far between the teams, outscoring the Giants 34-7 in those games. They had plenty of

chances to win this one as well as they put multiple runners on base in three of the final four innings without scoring.

Cory Gearrin (1-1) escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the 16th by striking out Billy Hamilton. He then stranded two more

runners in the 17th to earn the win.

The best chance came in the 14th when Cincinnati put runners on second and third with one out. Jose Peraza then hit a hard

grounder that shortstop Brandon Crawford bobbled before gathering it in time to throw Scott Schebler out at the plate. Bryan Morris

then picked Scooter Gennett off second to escape the jam.

San Francisco got nine scoreless innings from seven relievers.

“Got to be a confidence booster for our bullpen,” Posey said. “They did a great job with such a potent offense. Put up zeros as much

as they did will be big going forward.”

Denard Span got the Giants started against Scott Feldman with his 12th career leadoff home run, his second homer in as many

games since coming off the disabled list Thursday. He added an RBI single to tie it in the fifth.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Reds: OF Billy Hamilton was bothered by a sore calf and Price said he almost put a pitcher into center field to get Hamilton out of

the game. He is day to day. ... LHP Tony Cingrani will have his next bullpen session pushed back a day or two because of soreness

in his injured oblique.

Giants: Closer Mark Melancon (sore forearm) is expected to play catch on Saturday for the first time since going on the DL earlier

this week.

WORKHORSE

Cueto went a season-high eight innings, allowing only two runs in the second on an RBI triple by Gennett and a sacrifice fly by

Tucker Barnhart. Cueto finished strong by getting Joey Votto to fly out with a runner on base with his 119th and final pitch of the

game.

BUNT TO BUNT

The Giants opened the fifth inning with back-to-back bunt singles by Eduardo Nunez and Justin Reggiano. Cueto followed with a

third straight bunt to advance the runners on the sacrifice. Span followed with an RBI single to tie the game at 2.

TOUGH UMP

Home plate umpire Tony Randazzo had a scary moment in the fifth inning when he was hit square in the mask by a 91 mph Cueto

fastball. Hamilton squared to bunt and pulled the bat back at the last minute. Posey couldn’t get his glove on it and the ball hit

Randazzo and knocked him straight to the ground. Giants trainer Dave Groeschner rushed out to check on Randazzo, who stayed in

the game. He then left after the 13th inning and was replaced by second-base umpire Clint Fagan.

UP NEXT

Lisalverto Bonilla (0-0, 7.20) will become the ninth pitcher to start a game this season for the Reds when he takes on Matt Moore

(1-4, 6.52).

Home plate umpire Tony Randazzo leaves game in 14th inning

Today

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Home plate umpire Tony Randazzo left the game between the Cincinnati Reds and San Francisco

Giants before the top of the 14th inning.

Randazzo was hit directly in the mask by a 91 mph fastball from San Francisco’s Johnny Cueto in the fifth inning but remained in

the game until after the 13th inning Friday night. Second-base umpire Clint Fagan took his place.

Randazzo originally got hurt when Billy Hamilton squared to bunt Cueto’s pitch but pulled the bat back at the last minute. Catcher

Buster Posey couldn’t get his glove on it and the ball hit Randazzo and knocked him straight to the ground. Giants trainer Dave

Groeschner rushed out to check on Randazzo.

TRANSACTIONS 05/13/17

Seattle Mariners designated RHP Jean Machi for assignment.

Seattle Mariners selected the contract of RHP Ryan Weber from Tacoma Rainiers.

Minnesota Twins optioned RHP Nick Tepesch to Rochester Red Wings.

Minnesota Twins recalled RHP Jose Berrios from Rochester Red Wings.

05/12/17

Oakland Athletics activated C Josh Phegley from the 7-day disabled list.

Colorado Rockies signed RHP Thad Weber.

Chicago Cubs recalled Eddie Butler from Iowa Cubs.

Colorado Rockies optioned RHP Jeff Hoffman to Albuquerque Isotopes.

Colorado Rockies placed C Tony Wolters on the 10-day disabled list. Concussion.

Detroit Tigers activated RF J.D. Martinez from the 10-day disabled list.

Detroit Tigers placed RF Jim Adduci on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to May 11, 2017. Right oblique strain.

Houston Astros optioned RHP David Paulino to Fresno Grizzlies.

Miami Marlins sent RHP Joe Gunkel outright to Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.

Miami Marlins designated SS Yefri Perez for assignment.

Colorado Rockies recalled Raimel Tapia from Albuquerque Isotopes.

Washington Nationals sent 1B Jose Marmolejos on a rehab assignment to Harrisburg Senators.

Miami Marlins selected the contract of SS Mike Aviles from New Orleans Baby Cakes.

Miami Marlins optioned C Tomas Telis to New Orleans Baby Cakes.

Pittsburgh Pirates activated 2B Adam Frazier from the 10-day disabled list.

Pittsburgh Pirates optioned 2B Max Moroff to Indianapolis Indians.

Pittsburgh Pirates optioned 2B Chris Bostick to Indianapolis Indians.

Pittsburgh Pirates activated 3B David Freese from the 10-day disabled list.

Milwaukee Brewers placed LF Ryan Braun on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to May 11, 2017. Left calf strain.

Philadelphia Phillies recalled RHP Luis Garcia from Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

Oakland Athletics sent RHP John Axford on a rehab assignment to Nashville Sounds.

Seattle Mariners signed free agent RHP Tyler Cloyd to a minor league contract.

New York Mets placed RHP Jeurys Familia on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to May 11, 2017. Blood clot in right arm.

New York Mets activated 1B Lucas Duda from the 10-day disabled list.

Milwaukee Brewers selected the contract of 2B Eric Sogard from Colorado Springs Sky Sox.

Washington Nationals optioned RHP A.J. Cole to Syracuse Chiefs.

Washington Nationals optioned LHP Matt Grace to Syracuse Chiefs.

Washington Nationals activated RHP Shawn Kelley from the 10-day disabled list.

Washington Nationals activated RHP Koda Glover from the 10-day disabled list.

Colorado Rockies sent C Tony Wolters on a rehab assignment to Albuquerque Isotopes.

Boston Red Sox sent LHP Roenis Elias on a rehab assignment to Pawtucket Red Sox.