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Though the Cincinnati Reds swept a three-game home set from the Philadelphia Phillies last month, they didn’t do much against Cliff Lee.
Looking for a seventh consecutive victory overall and on the road, the Reds hope to get the best of Lee on Friday night.
Cincinnati (25-16) outscored Philadelphia 16-4 during the April 15-17 series, but was held scoreless by Lee (4-2, 2.86 ERA) for six innings until it managed two runs in the seventh of a 4-2 series-opening victory.
The left-hander, who lasted seven and did not factor in that decision, is 3-0 with a 1.83 ERA in his last five starts versus Cincinnati.
Lee has allowed two runs and 11 hits in 15 innings of his last two outings overall. Six of those hits came over seven scoreless innings of a 3-1 win at Arizona on Saturday.
“I just need to keep grinding and give the team a chance to win every time,” Lee said.
That could be a challenge against the Reds, who are 10-3 in May and enjoying their overall longest winning streak since a 10-game run July 19

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Us commoners are lucky to get a tiny bag of peanuts or a package containing three Lorna Doone cookies on a cross-country flight.  And compared to us laypeople, Major League Baseball players are kings when it comes to the grub options they have in their fancy schmancy planes. On Sunday, Dallas Latos (@DallasLatos), the wife of Reds starting pitcher Mat Latos, tweeted a picture of the Reds’ in-flight menu.  They may as well travel in a flying four-star restaurant. @DallasLatos The menu is divided into four sections: Pre-Departure Snacks, Dinner Selections, Snacks and Beverages. Joey Votto and the gang can eat like a little kid with a peanut butter and jelly and chocolate milk. You want sushi? There’s sushi. You want a burger? Have a burger. Chicken stir fry with jasmine rice and vegetables. No big deal. Do you want grilled haricots verts on your mac and cheese? Who doesn’t? As Ted Berg points out, the best part about the options here – this menu was provided on a one-hour flight from …

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The Cincinnati Reds defeated the Chicago Cubs 6-4 on Saturday.
RF Jay Bruce continues to swing a big bat as he knocked in his 8th double of the year and his 125th overall.
Jack Hannahan brought in the go-ahead run with a bases-loaded walk in the eighth inning.
Down 4-2 in the eighth, the Reds put up four points with the help of only hit. The win was the Reds took  second straight against Chicago. Logan Ondrusek (2-0) got the victory with a scoreless seventh inning.
Aroldis Chapman  earned his seventh save for Cincinnati.
Watch Bruce earn his 125th double.
The post Video: Cincinnati Reds Jay Bruce posts his 125th career double appeared first on Players View.

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Free pizza has quickly become an expectation for Reds fans. Cincinnati has only played 15 home games this season, but seven of them have resulted in Reds pitchers striking out at least 11 hitters. What happens when Reds pitchers fan 11 hitters or more in a home game? Well, LaRosa’s Pizzeria gives away free pizza to anyone who can present a ticket stub from the game. And the local restaurant chain doesn’t just hand out slices, either. No, they give fans eight-inch pizzas with any four toppings worth nearly $ 7. So, how much has LaRosa’s promotion cost them so far in 2013? How about more than $ 100,000. This is a lot of dough, folks. And this is not to mention the fact that Cincinnati’s home attendance currently ranks 19th out of 30 teams (26,308). By comparison, the Los Angeles Dodgers currently lead the league in home attendance with 47,112, which would mean far more free pizza to give away on LaRosa’s part if the Reds somehow managed to pack that many fans into …

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CINCINNATI This is not a Tale of Two Cities, it is a Tale of Two Players who wear the uniform of the Cincinnati Reds.It is about Joey Votto and it is about Shin-Soo Choo.Votto and Choo played amazing back-to-back games Saturday and Sunday in Great American Ball Park, games won by the Reds, 3-2 in 13 innings Saturday, and 10-6 Sunday.Votto: Seven hits. Two home runs.Choo: Reachd base in 11 of his last 12 trips to the plate, causing teammate Todd Frazier to say, Thats insane, just insane. Its crazy, but its special. Im happy he is such a nice guy.There is a perceived difference between Votto and Choo. Fans believe Votto has been in hiding, deep in a slump, losing his swing, struggling to live up to his 240 million contract because until Saturday he had only one home run.And they believe Choo never makes an out as the new leadoff hitter for the Reds and it certainly seemed that way Sunday when he got on base all five times he batted and five of his last six times Saturday.While they are pretty much correct on C

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The Cincinnati Reds had a guest bat boy Ted Kremer, a 30-year-old with Down syndrome, for their game on Thursday night in Cincinnati. Ted performed his duties flawlessly and was also the recipient of a special granted wish. Before the game Ted had asked third baseman Todd Frazier to hit a home run for him. Frazier recalls the moment: “He’s so funny, he said, ‘C’mon, hit me a home run, I love you.’ I said, ‘I love you too, I’ll hit you one.” In the sixth inning Kremer got his wish when Frazier launched a 421-foot home run which you can see below. Frazier knew as he rounded the bases that Kremer would be the first person to greet him, and he was. “It was great how excited — that look,” Frazier said. “I started smiling even before I hit home plate because I knew it. They said he forgot to pick the bat up, so the umpire was yelling at him. It was such a great a great guy. You can’t get mad — even if you have a terrible day. How can you be mad when you’ve g…

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Great American Ball Park was a happy place to be Thursday night if you were a fan of the Reds. Especially if you were honorary bat boy Teddy Kremer.

Kremer, who has Down syndrome, could be seen at various times throughout the game in the dugout cheering loudly and proudly for his beloved Reds while diligently handling the duties of his bat boy position, as well.

But Kremer really became excited when Todd Frazier blasted a 421-foot home run to straight away center field in the sixth inning. Watch as Kremer greets Frazier at the plate with a pair of high fives and a smile that would make even the coldest of souls turn warm for a moment.

“It was great how excited — that look,” Frazier said. “I started smiling even before I hit home plate because I knew it. They said he forgot to pick the bat up, so the umpire was yelling at him. It was such a great a great guy. You can’t get mad — even if you have a terrible day. How can you be mad w…

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The Reds will be without left fielder and clean-up hitter Ryan Ludwick for a while, as the club announced Tuesday that they will place him on the 15-day disabled list. A corresponding move will be announced prior to Wednesday’s Opening Night game against the Angels.

Ludwick is slated to undergo surgery on Wednesday to repair torn cartilage in his right shoulder. The 34-year-old sustained a freak injury when he slid headfirst into third base in the third inning of Monday’s opener.

The initial diagnosis was a dislocated shoulder, but an MRI on Tuesday revealed further damage to the surrounding cartilage.

Cincinnati will now have to scramble to find a replacement. Chris Heisey will likely see an increase in playing time, as will Xavier Paul, while the likes of Derrick Robinson, Denis Phipps, or maybe even Billy Hamilton are prime candidates to replace Ludwick’s spot on the 25-man roster.

Ludwick inked a two-year deal worth $ 15 million with the Reds this off…

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