The Battle of Ohio: Part Deux

Interleague Nightmare:

Interleague play mercifully ends for the Reds with the three-game series that begins Friday with the Tribe at Great American Ball Park. “We want to salvage this interleague before we think about leaving it,” Reds manager Dusty Baker said. “If you think about leaving it, that’s kind of conceding what you’ve got left.” The Reds can’t salvage their record in interleague play. They are 5-10, and that’s after taking two of three games from the Tampa Bay Rays. The Reds are 5-7 against the American League East. The Reds were swept in three games by the Indians on May 20-22. The series with the Indians leads into a crucial seven-game stretch leading to the All-Star Break. The Reds go to St. Louis for the first of three on July 4. After St. Louis, the Reds play a four-game series against the Milwaukee, which leads into the break. “We have 10 days to go,” Baker said. “We’ll try to win as many games as we can before the break. I always tell my guys: This is like basketball right before the first half ends. You can get a quick 3-pointer, steal in-bounds pass, have the layup.” The Reds have played well against Milwaukee and St. Louis. They are 5-1 against Milwaukee and 4-2 versus St. Louis.

(All quotes courtesy of the Cincinnati Enquirer)

Pitching Matchups:

Fri. July 1 at Cincinnati (7:10PM ET, WTAM, STO)

RHP Justin Masterson (5-6, 2.98) vs. RHP Bronson Arroyo (7-6, 5.01)

Sat. July 2 at Cincinnati (4:11PM ET, WTAM, FOX)

RHP Fausto Carmona (4-10, 5.89) vs. RHP Homer Bailey (3-2, 3.86)

Sun. July 3 at Cincinnati (1:10PM ET, WTAM STO)

RHP Mitch Talbot (2-4, 4.96) vs. RHP Mike Leake (7-4, 3.89)

Reds News/Notes:

• RHP Bronson Arroyo goes after his fourth consecutive victory Friday. He hasn’t pitched lights out, compiling a 4.09 ERA in his past three starts. But he was 4-1 with a 3.67 ERA in June.

• RHP Brian Boxberger retired the only two batters he faced in the his debut at Class AAA Louisville. Boxberger, the Reds’ supplemental first-round pick in 2009, had a 1.31 ERA over 30 appearances at Class AA Carolina.

• RHP Johnny Cueto will face RHP Chris Carpenter in the series opener in St. Louis on Monday. Cueto and Carpenter were principles in the brawl in August of last year.

• SS Zack Cozart, C Devin Mesoraco, OF Jeremy Hermida and OF/1B Yonder Alonso all made the International League All-Star team for Class AAA Louisville.

• RF Jay Bruce struck out in all four at-bats Wednesday. Bruce, the NL player of the month in May, finished June in a 2-for-17 skid with nine strikeouts.

Reds Injury Watch:

• C Ryan Hanigan (strained lat muscle) did not play June 26-28. He was back in the lineup June 29.

• LHP Matt Maloney (cracked rib) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to May 24. He hurt himself while sneezing.

• RHP Jared Burton (right shoulder inflammation) went on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to March 29. He suffered a setback in early April, and he was transferred to the 60-day DL on April 18. He underwent arthroscopic surgery April 22, and hoped to return by July.