The Reds try to close out July in style with a series in Washington against Gary Majewski’s old team. Bobby Livingston will start tonight in place of the recently-traded Kyle Lohse, and he’ll look to continue his good work for the Reds.

Jeff has his series preview here at Redlegs Rundown, and I encourage you to check it out…and discuss the game here. Here’s a topic: the Reds haven’t announced the starting pitcher for Thursday yet. Will it be Homer Bailey, Phil Dumatrait, or someone else? (Although I see that Elizardo Ramirez has been recalled from Louisville, so that’s probably the answer to the question, but should it be someone else?)

From the interview with Reds prospect Jay Bruce that we linked the other day:

Foster: Who were some baseball players you grew up rooting for?

Bruce: Ken Griffey Jr. is my idol.

Foster: You’re in the right organization then.

Bruce: Yeah, that’s exactly right.

Can anyone come up with any reason not to like this kid?

So, is anything going to happen?

Justin has a pretty good analysis of the deal here.

Louisville 6, Charlotte 3 (AAA)

–26 year old 2B Aaron Herr was the hitting star of the evening, going 3-4 with two doubles, a homer, 3 RBI, and 2 runs scored. On the season, Herr is hitting .276/.327/.451 with 11 homers and 60 RBI.

–26 year old 3B Anderson Machado and 28 y/o catcher Ryan Jorgensen added two hits each. Machado finally nudged his batting average above the Mendoza line, while Jorgensen is hitting a healthy .222.

–25 y/o Richie Gardner picked up his third win, going 5.1 innings and giving up three earned runs on four hits. A quartet of former and future Reds relievers — Brad Salmon, Eddie Guardado, Gary Majewski, and Ricky Stone — combined to shut out the Knights the rest of the way.

Huntsville 6, Chattanooga 1 (AA)

–28 year old SS Caonabo Cosme went 2-4 with a homer, and that about covers it as far as the Lookout offense. Starter Sam Lecure pitched okay, though he took the loss. The 23 year old Lecure went 5.1 innings, giving up six hits and two earned runs. He walked two and struck out two.

Tampa 3, Sarasota 1 (A+)

–Not much to be excited about here. 24 y/o Robert Manuel took the loss, but pitched fairly effectively, giving up only 6 hits and 2 earned runs in 5.2 innings of work. Manuel struck out 9 while walking only one; his ERA on the season is 2.89.

Wisconsin 6, Dayton 1 (A)

–Redleg Nation Spotlight Player Logan Parker had the only performance worth noting, as he continued his torrid July with a couple of hits. The 23 year old 1B is now hitting .286/.373/.413; that OPS is steadily climbing toward 800.

Billings 3, Great Falls 1 (Rookie)

–Outstanding pitching performance by 22 year old Luis Montano. Montano went 7 innings, giving up no runs on two hits while striking out four.

GCL Reds (Rookie) did not play.

AAA - Louisville

Louisville 3 - Durham 0

Aaron Herr was the hitting star, going 2 for 3 with two HRs and 3 RBIs. Votto and Bruce were both 1 for 4.

Tom Shearn tossed 7.3 shutout innings giving up 5 H, 2 BB, and struck out 4. Bill Bray tossed two-thirds a inning giving up a hit and striking out one.

AA - Chattanooga

Huntsville 1 - Chattanooga 0

Mike Griffin played LF and had two of the Lookouts 4 hits. One of them was a double.

Carlos Fisher gave up just one run over 7 IP for the tough loss. he gave up 6 H, and 2 BB, while K’ing 3. Carlos Guevara tossed a scorless inning in relief.

High A - Sarasota

Sarasota had the night off.

Low A - Dayton

Peoria 6 - Dayton 5

Juan Francisco was 2 for 5 with 2 2Bs. 2B Billy Rojo was 2 for 3. Spotlight Player Logan Parker smacked his 6th HR of the season.

Daniel Guerrero tossed 7 IP giving up 2 R, 7 H, 1 BB. He K’d 3 batters.

Rookie - Pioneer League

Billings 7 - Missoula 6

RF Mike Jones had the big night at the plate. He was 3 for 4 with a 2B and a HR.

Curtis Partch tossed 3.3 innings of relief giving up only one run and one hit while striking out three hitters. Joe Krebs tossed 2 IP of relief giving up no runs, and a H, and a BB to get the win.

Rookie - GCL

GCL Reds 4 - GCL Pirates 2

C Devin Mesoraco and 2B Jose Gualdron were both 2 for 3. Mesoraco had a 2B.

Efrain Rodriguez tossed 5 IP, giving up 4 H, 2 R, only 1 ER. He K’d two and got the win. Gonzalez and Beal each tossed scoreless innings of relief with Beal getting the save.

Here’s the press release. More analysis later:

Cincinnati Reds executive vice president and general manager Wayne Krivsky today announced the acquisition of LHP Matt Maloney from the Philadelphia Phillies in exchange for RHP Kyle Lohse.

Maloney, 23, this season at Philadelphia’s Class AA Reading affiliate went 9-7 with a 3.94 ERA and 1 complete game in 21 starts. He allowed just 117 hits while striking out 115 batters in 125.2 innings. He leads the Eastern League in innings pitched and ranks fourth in strikeouts.

The Phillies’ third-round draft pick in 2005, Maloney entered this season rated by Baseball America as the ninth-best prospect in the Phillies’ organization. In 2006, in just his second professional season, he was named South Atlantic League Pitcher of the Year after going 16-9 with a 2.03 ERA and 180 strikeouts in 27 starts and 168.2 innings pitched for Lakewood. He led the SAL in victories, innings pitched and strikeouts.

Maloney will report to Class AA Chattanooga.

Lohse, 28, this season went 6-12 with a 4.58 ERA in 21 starts. In his 21 appearances, the Reds went 8-13.

You know Redleg Nation’s position: no, Adam Dunn should not be traded. In light of yesterday’s enlightened series in the Cincinnati Enquirer, in which they make “The Case for Keeping Adam Dunn,” today’s Cincinnati Post runs this garbage column by Lonnie Wheeler in which he argues that Dunn should be traded.

You read the two articles and decide for yourself which is the better-reasoned argument.

Here’s Pete Mackanin, on whether he’ll start Edwin Encarnacion or Jeff Keppinger at third base when Alex Gonzalez returns to the active roster:

“We’ll try to figure it out that day,” Mackanin said. “But I don’t even want to think about it yet because it’s not going to be an easy decision.”

Submitted without editorial comment.

Well, the Enquirer actually let John Fay publish a little more on his “theory” that we discussed here at Redleg Nation yesterday. It’s no less insane than at first blush. If Fay is correct, and GM Wayne Krivsky is ignoring opportunities to make the Reds better just so Pete Mackanin can get the full-time managerial job, then Krivsky is the biggest idiot baseball has seen in years.

Frankly, I just can’t imagine Krivsky doing something like that. Some of you don’t care for Krivsky, I know, but I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt here. I don’t think he’s the biggest idiot baseball has seen in years. I think he’s an average (at best) GM, but he’s a bright guy. Plus, if he’s going to screw the Reds long-term, he should be doing it to try to save his own job in the short-term, not the interim manager’s job.

Fay, on the other hand, has gone off his rocker with this “theory.” Unless his purpose was just to stir the pot and create discussion. He’s accomplished that goal. Although the theory makes no logical sense whatsoever.

It’s Sunday afternoon, and the Reds and Cubs are about to start the rubber match of this weekend series. Your fifth-place Reds send Matt Belisle to the mound, and Belisle really needs to start pitching well. He’s had one good performance in the last month.

I hope many of you are at the ballpark today. As Jeff Wallner noted, there are too many Cub fans in the stadium this weekend. I noticed the same thing last year when I attended a Cubs series in June. Blue shirts everywhere. It’s disgraceful.

Let’s hope for a big win today. Discuss it here.

UPDATE: To encourage the Enquirer to continue to post this type of “thinking man’s baseball coverage”, I would suggest that anyone that is impressed with this coverage drop a note to the Editor of the Enquirer’s Sports section. Josh Pichler (jpichler at Enquirer.com).

First, there is a series from John Erardi (including input from our friend Jinaz and two other stats folks) that include a “stats-based look” at what the Reds can and should do to improve the team. I encourage everyone to read the entire Enquirer Reds section today.

First article is on “Crunching the Numbers“.

In the cold, calculating world of numbers, the guy not to trade is Adam Dunn because he doesn’t bring you as much return. He’s not the player Griffey is, and his contract makes him a free agent after this year if he’s traded. With his $13 million option as a Red next year, Dunn is still a bargain, even for a small-revenue team like the Reds - and if you don’t believe that, check out what the other free-agent outfielders will command next year. And even if you can’t afford to re-sign Dunn after next year, his loss brings you a first-round pick from the team that signs him. Supposedly, if you know what you’re doing, you capitalize on that pick.

In another article, covered later, they make the case of what the Reds would need to get in return for Dunn.

The Reds are at a crossroads - arguably their most critical juncture since 2000, when they traded for Griffey and failed to assemble a strong supporting cast around him in time for the opening of Great American Ball Park in 2003.

Under new ownership, the Reds have a second chance to get it right - if they make the right trades as part of their overall plan to remake the club and contend for a spot in the postseason by next season.

I don’t think anyone can argue that this team is at a crossroads.

Then they debunk the myth of the importance of RISP:

(much more below the fold)

>> Continue

This is the big deadline trade?

The Cincinnati Reds on Saturday acquired infielder Jorge Cantu for a pair of minor-league pitchers and future considerations.

Tampa Bay also sent minor league outfielder Shaun Cumberland to the Reds for righthander Calvin Medlook and lefthander Brian Shackelford.

Cantu, 25, batted .286 with 28 home runs and a club-record 117 RBI for the Devil Rays in 2005. His batting average dropped to .249 and he hit just 14 homers with 62 RBI last season.

Cantu hit just .207 with no home runs and four RBI in 25 games this year and will be optioned to Class AAA Louisville.

I really don’t know what to think about this deal. Cantu had an outstanding season at the major league level, at age 23 no less, but has been terrible since. Plus, he refuses to take a walk. And his minor league numbers look pretty bad.

I guess he’s worth taking a flyer on — the Reds really gave up little in exchange — but Devil Ray fans are happy to see the guy go. If you read this description of Cantu (from a Devil Rays blog that I read occasionally), he sounds a lot like Danny Graves, i.e., he plays awful and blames everyone else.

We’ll see, I guess. My worry is that Cantu is the Reds next third baseman after they trade Edwin Encarnacion for crappy middle relievers.

UPDATE: Check out Justin’s analysis here. Be sure to read the entire post for a great breakdown of the trade, but here’s the conclusion:

I don’t see much of anything to be excited about with Cumberland, so Cantu is the only booty here. And the most attractive thing about him is that he is still young, and already has shown decent performance in the major leagues in the past. So maybe he’ll somehow put it together and be a nice source of power off the bench or as a part-time starter. Unfortunately, his defense at 2B and 3B has been atrocious, which means that his future probably lies at either first base or left field. And at those positions, his power-only offense looks, at best, average…and probably well below average. Still, in a limited role, I can see him proving useful.

In terms of the cost that it took to get him, I can’t get too upset about losing Shackelford. But Medlock seems to me to be a legitimate contender for a bullpen spot next year, and goodness knows they could use some new arms out there. He still might not have made the staff out of spring training next year, but he absolutely would have represented some quality organizational depth as we opened the season.

So I don’t like this deal very much. It’s not that I hate Cantu or even that I see this as a lopsided deal in terms of the talent being exchanged. The issue I have is that Medlock is precisely the kind of player that I’d like to see the Reds hoarding right now–he’s young, clearly has some talent, and could provide a boost to the bullpen as early as next season. I’m not saying that the kid is a future closer by any means. But it won’t surprise me if he’s performing well in a middle relief or set up role in the near future. And that’s clearly something that the Reds need. Furthermore, it bugs me that this deal seems to be have moved the Reds away from, not toward, the goal of improved pitching and defense, even if only a small amount.

Good points all.

AAA

Durham 5 - Louisville 2 & Durham 3 - Louisville 0

Bats get swept in 2 - 7 inning DH games. 20 year old Jay Bruce went 2-4 with an RBI and a walk in the two games. In 17 games at Louisville, he’s hitting .283/.358/.583.

In the second game, 31 year old RHP Jason Kershner threw 4 innings of 1 hit scoreless baseball, walking none and striking out 5.

AA

Chattanooga 8 - Huntsville 3

24 year old 1B Adam Rosales (.266/.336/.500 at Chatt) was 1-5, but drove in 2 runs with a triple in the 4 run 3rd inning. 24 year old C Craig Tatum (.266/318/.405) was 1-1 with a triple, 2 runs scored and 3 walks. 28 year old OF Tyrel Godwin was 1-3 with a homer, 2 RBIs, and 2 walks.

23 year old James Avery threw 5 innings, giving up 2 runs on 4 hits, 4 walks and 4 strikeouts. 24 year old Pedro Viola threw his first innings at Chattanooga, going 2 1/3 scoreless, hitless innings, striking out two. Viola started the year in Dayton.

High A

Clearwater 8 - Sarasota 2

The Reds only collected 3 hits on the night, but 23 year old Miguel Perez (.319/.364/464 at Sarasota) continues to come back from his surgery and is continuing to hit at Sarasota. He was 1-4 with a 2 run HR.

21 year old RHP Daryl Thompson had 3 good starts in a row going into last night’s game, but he had a rough outing, going 4 1/3, allowing 7 runs (6 earned) on 7 hits and a walk. He struck out 6, but gave up 3 homers.

Low A

Dayton 4 - Peoria 0

21 year old LHP Jamie Arneson had his second consecutive good start and picked up his first win of the season for the Dragons, throwing 5 scoreless innings, allowing 2 hits, 2 walks, and striking out 5. Since coming back to the Dragons in July, his ERA is only 2.63, but he’s walked 11 batters in 13 innings. 23 year old RHP Marcos Mateo and 23 year old Ramon Geronimo finished up with 4 scoreless innings. I’m not sure why Geronimo is still at this level. His ERA is 1.53, hitters are only hitting .213 off of him, and his WHIP is .98.

#1 draft pick 22 year old Drew Stubbs (.259/.365/.392) continued his hot July, going 2-5. In July, he’s gone .310/.442/.536.

Pioneer League

Billings 16 - Missoula 3

Taking a page out of the Dragons book, the Mustangs scored 11 times in the 3rd innings enabling Redleg Nation Spotlight Player Matt Klinker to pick up his first professional win, throwing 4 innings of 2 hit, 1 run relief. The Mustangs have scored at least 11 runs in 3 of their last 4 games.

21 year old RHP Dan Zeffiro and 22 year old RHP Ray Jeffords combined for 2 1/3 scoreless innings to close the game.
21 year old 3B Brandon Waring continues to tear up the Pioneer League. He’s tied for the league lead in homers, putting up .328/.404/.599 numbers. He was 3-3 and hit his league tieing 7th homer last night, driving in 5 runs. 20 year old 3B Brett Bartles (.313/.389/.484) also had a big night, going 4-5 with 3 triples and a homer.

GCL

GCL Reds 8 - GCL Pirates 4

18 year old SS Neftali Soto continues to hit GCL pitching, going 2-4 (.330/.378/.505). 22 year old 1B David Scott (.281/.321/.359) went 2-4 with a double, 20 year old 2B Jose Gualdron was 2-4 (.311/..328/.377), 19 year old DH Tony Brown was 2-4 with a homer (his 4th), and 18 year old C Jordan Wideman was 2-4 with a double (.268/.348/.317).

20 year old RHP Juan Rafael picked up his first win of the season, throwing 5 innings of 2 run baseball, giving up 4 hits while walking 2 and striking out 2.

A fairly exciting week of baseball continues today, with Aaron Harang seeking to clinch the series against the Cubbies.

Enjoy. I’ll miss much of the game because we are having a birthday party for my three-year-old son tonight.

Discuss it here. (Well, discuss the game, not the birthday party.)