Cincinnati Reds Press Clippings May 19, 2017 THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 1999-The Reds collect 15 extra-base hits and produce 55 total bases at Colorado, both of which are club records. Sean Casey and Jeffrey Hammonds each score five runs during the game, also setting club records MLB.COM Reds swept by Cubs, losing streak at six By Carrie Muskat and Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | May 18th, 2017 + 235 COMMENTS

CHICAGO -- Javier Baez smacked a first-inning grand slam and Kris Bryant launched a 450-foot solo shot to back Jon Lester and power the Cubs to a 9-5 victory on Thursday over the Reds at Wrigley Field, and post Chicago's first series sweep of the season.

Baez connected in a five-run first inning and added an RBI single in the fifth to hand the Reds their sixth straight loss, the team's longest skid since dropping 11 in a row in May 2016. Last year, the Cubs were on a roll, with a 29-11 record after 40 games, but it's been a little tougher for the defending World Series champs this season. With Thursday's win, they're 21-19.

"We pitched really well," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said of the series. "Our starting pitching was pretty good, and for me, it's always the biggest part. The starting pitching drives the engine. When that's happening, you have a chance to hit better."

Lester remained unbeaten at Wrigley Field in his past 18 home starts, improving to 13-0 in that stretch. The lefty scattered six hits over six-plus innings, striking out five and helped himself by hitting a sacrifice fly. The Cubs have won 16 of those 18 starts.

"We're trending in the right direction, which is good," Lester said. "This was a good series and hopefully we can keep it going."

• Cubs' rotation starting to settle into a groove

Bryant topped Baez in terms of home run distance, launching the first pitch he saw in the fourth from fellow Las Vegas native Amir Garrett to straightaway center. The ball landed on top of a suite in center field.

Garrett was making his first big league start since May 6, and he served up six runs on five hits over four innings. In his last Minor League start last Friday, he struck out all six of the batters he faced. The lefty wasn't as dominant on Thursday. Reds manager Bryan Price was asked if sending Garrett to Triple-A Louisville to limit his innings played a role in his ineffective outing.

"No blame, zero blame," Price replied. "He's responsible for his successes. He's responsible for his struggles, as are all the players. I'm responsible for my decisions. We're all responsible for all of our stuff so there are no excuses."

"I don't make no excuses, everything felt normal, everything was good," Garrett said. "In another five days, I'll be all right."

The Reds' starting pitchers are 0-5 during the current skid, and no starter has gone more than five innings.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

First things first: Patience, luck and some pop were the keys in the Chicago first. With one out, Bryant walked and Anthony Rizzo blooped a single to short center field that shortstop Zack Cozart pursued before losing the ball in the sun. One out later, Willson Contreras walked to load the bases and Addison Russell then walked to force in a run. Baez launched a 1-2 slider from Garrett into the left-field bleachers for his third career grand slam and a 5-1 lead. It was the second grand slam by the Cubs this year, and second against the Reds. Contreras connected on April 22 against Cody Reed. Garrett needed 35 pitches to get through the inning.

"Honestly, I saw it go up and didn't see the ball until it hit the ground," Cozart said. "I had my sunglasses on, I had eye black on, it was just perfect. Usually in that situation, the ball will come out of the sun at some point. It just stayed. It obviously sucked."

Red legs: The Reds rattled off three straight hits to open the seventh, including an RBI single by Arismendy Alcantara, and chase Lester. Hector Rondon took over and Billy Hamilton greeted him with a double into the gap in right-center field, which might have been an inside-the-park homer if it didn't get stuck in the ivy on the outfield wall. One run scored on the ground-rule double, and the Reds added two more on Cozart's groundout and RBI single by Adam Duvall.

QUOTABLE

"After that first inning, I got in a groove. I thought some pitches I had in the first were questionable, and I think if I get those pitches, it changes the whole outcome of the game. I felt pretty good today. I was able to, after the first, settle down and do what I do." -- Garrett

"You see the at-bats, and see him grow each at-bat. We knew coming in two years ago about his swing and miss and all that stuff, and he's made the adjustments to stay around. Obviously, his defensive side of the game helps that. You see him grow every day as a hitter and see him make adjustments and have good at-bats and do things in a game that can really change the game for us on a positive side." -- Lester, on Baez

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Baez's grand slam was the first in the first inning of a game by a Cubs player since Junior Lake did so on Sept. 6, 2013. Other Cubs to hit first-inning slams since 2000 include Mark DeRosa (June 3, 2007) and Aramis Ramirez (June 25, 2005).

Since the start of last season, the Cubs are 10-2 at home against the Reds, and overall the Cubs are 23-5 in their last 28 games against the Reds, including five three-game sweeps.

"I guess we just had a good plan," Maddon said. "Cincinnati is a good hitting ballpark, Wrigley [Field] is good when the wind is blowing out. Their pitchers have to pitch in a tough element all the time."

WHAT'S NEXT

Reds: Following a 1-6 road trip, the Reds will return to Great American Ball Park to begin a five-game home stand. First up is a three-game series vs. the Rockies that starts at 7:10 p.m. ET on Friday. Lisalverto Bonilla, who returned from Triple-A Louisville and threw a complete game in a loss to the Giants on Saturday, will make his second start for Cincinnati.

Cubs: Eddie Butler will make his second start for the Cubs on Friday when they open a weekend series against the Brewers. Butler threw six shutout innings in his first outing against the Cardinals, giving up two hits. First pitch is scheduled for 1:20 p.m. CT from Wrigley Field.

Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV.

Carrie Muskat has covered the Cubs since 1987, and for MLB.com since 2001. She writes a blog, Muskat Ramblings. You can follow her on Twitter @CarrieMuskat and listen to her podcast.

Mark Sheldon has covered the Reds for MLB.com since 2006, and previously covered the Twins from 2001-05. Read his blog, Mark My Word, 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.

Price: Strong starting pitching will end funk By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | May 18th, 2017 + 5 COMMENTS

CHICAGO -- With 40 games in the books, the Reds are 19-21 and still in a competitive position in the National League Central. But inside that record has been some whiplash-inducing streaks.

The latest ebb is ongoing as a 9-5 defeat to the Cubs on Thursday afternoon at Wrigley Field extended the Reds' season-high losing streak to six games. What will it take for Cincinnati to get its flow back?

"I think it's pitching, starting pitching," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "We score. We have, I think, a really good offensive team, and a really good defensive team. When we're pitching well, we win."

Price pointed out that his club is 8-8 in May and accurately noted that in all eight wins, opponents were held to three runs or less. In six of the eight losses, Reds pitchers gave up seven or more runs.

During the losing streak, Reds starting pitchers are 0-5 with a 7.81 ERA. No starter worked more than five innings in the last five defeats. The rotation is ranked last in the Majors overall with a 5.57 ERA and second-to-last in in innings pitched.

Of the 40 games played, there have been only 16 quality starts of at least six innings pitched and three earned runs or less allowed. Because of injuries and some struggles by rookies, Price has been forced to use nine different starters.

Rookie Amir Garrett is the Reds' leader with five quality starts in seven games, but he was sent to Triple-A Louisville to limit his innings in an organizational decision. Upon his recall on Thursday, Garrett was beat up for six earned runs, five hits and three walks over four innings.

"Hopefully we can keep guys up in the big leagues that are doing well. That helps, too," Reds shortstop Zack Cozart said in a pointed comment. "We had a rough road trip last time and came home and played well, so we have to do that again. We'll be ready to play [Friday vs. the Rockies]."

Less than two weeks ago, the Reds were in first place. One week ago, they were four games above. 500.

"It's a rarity when you look back over a season and you find yourself down six or 7-0 after a few innings and say, 'OK, remember that game.' You remember about one a year," Price said. "And if it's a great year, you might remember two or three. Those are holes that in the big leagues are hard to dig out of."

As a team, the Reds have dug their way out of a bad stretch once before. Following a 7-2 start to the season, they dropped 11 of the next 14 games -- including a pair of four-game losing streaks. During that skid, the starting pitchers posted a 7.41 ERA while the offense was averaging 4.4 runs per game.

During both bad stretches, the bullpen stayed strong and the lineup often mounted late-inning comebacks. Unlike the past two years of rebuilding, when players often came to the park not expecting to win, the team has an expectation to succeed with its current makeup.

"There's no quit in us -- all throughout the whole team," Cozart said. "We're out there battling. There's no excuses from us. We just have to go out and play better."

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.

Stream Reds-Rox opener free on Facebook Tonight's Rox-Reds matchup will be first of 20 contests shown on social-media site By Matt Kelly / MLB.com | May 18th, 2017 + 1 COMMENT

Major League Baseball and Facebook have finalized a partnership to stream games on a weekly basis, beginning tonight with a matchup between the Rockies and Reds at 7:10 p.m. ET.

One Major League game will stream each Friday night on Facebook, and will be accessible to everyone on the platform via its official MLB page (facebook.com/MLB). Each week's Facebook broadcast will feature the feed from a participating team's local broadcast rightsholder.

Tonight's Rockies-Reds tilt at Great American Ball Park, featuring starters Tyler Anderson for Colorado and Lisalverto Bonilla for Cincinnati, will be the first of 20 games streamed live on Facebook, with the remaining games to be announced at a later date.

"Probably the most important single announcement [from the Owners' Meetings] is we've done an agreement with Facebook," MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said at a news conference Thursday in New York. "It's really important for us in terms of experimenting with a new partner in this area. We are really excited about this."

Fans tuning in will be treated to a matchup of two clubs outperforming the expectations of many this season. At 26-16, the visiting Rockies find themselves atop the National League West standings despite offseason acquisition Ian Desmond missing the first month of the season. While the offense hasn't quite hit its stride, the Rockies' bullpen has picked up the slack. Colorado is 21-0 when taking a lead into the seventh inning, and new closer Greg Holland has converted all 18 of his save opportunities this season.

The Reds, meanwhile, are looking to snap a six-game losing streak but have still surprised many as their 19-21 record has them sitting just four games back of the first-place Brewers in the NL Central. Cincinnati was 15-25 through its first 40 games last year, but the 2017 Reds feature three of the Majors' top-25 position players -- Zack Cozart, Eugenio Suarez and Joey Votto -- in wins above replacement. Cincinnati's bullpen, which surrendered an MLB-record 103 home runs last year, sits third among NL clubs with a 3.18 ERA.

This is MLB's first regular-season foray into live streaming of games on Facebook. MLB.com previously streamed select Spring Training games on teams' Facebook pages in 2011.

Matt Kelly is a reporter for MLB.com based in New York. Follow him on Twitter at @mattkellyMLB. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Sore hamstring may land Mesoraco on DL By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | May 18th, 2017 + 7 COMMENTS

CHICAGO -- Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco remained bothered by a sore left hamstring, which kept him out for a third straight game on Thursday. The injury could soon have the club weighing a potential stint for him on the 10-day disabled list.

"It's still kind of lingering around here more than I had expected," Mesoraco said. "I've been running the last couple of days and it's 75-80 percent."

Mesoraco last played on Sunday at San Francisco, when he was taken out after two plate appearances in a double switch as a precaution during a blowout loss to the Giants. Of course, he is hoping to avoid another trip to the DL.

"I would say it depends on how today and the next couple of days go," Mesoraco said. "I'm hopeful today will go a little better and I'll be in there [Friday]."

Mesoraco is batting .273/.385/.394 in 13 games, including nine starts, since his April 27 activation from the DL. He got a late start to this season as he rehabilitated to come back from left shoulder and right hip surgeries in 2016. Before '17, he was limited 39 games and 18 starts over two seasons.

Tucker Barnhart has started behind the plate with Mesoraco out. The club can afford to wait a little longer on a DL decision because it also has a third catcher in Stuart Turner to back up Barnhart.

"It's not the same as an oblique, but I think it can be as easily exasperated, [and] hard to define when he should go out there with a reasonable expectation that he's not going to reinjure the hamstring," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "If this is something we should give more time to, then we really should consider getting another player here."

Certainly any leg injury is amplified for catchers.

"When you're behind the plate, you have to do a number of things, so there can't be any issues," Mesoraco said. "You just have to use your body in any situation."

Price still not convinced

On the heels of a controversial overturned call at first base that ended Wednesday's 7-5 defeat to the Cubs, Price praised Major League Baseball for responding to his complaints. The league sent him a video clip and still photos of the play -- which had Joey Votto ruled out on a grounder up the middle. It appeared that first baseman Anthony Rizzo's foot came off the bag as he received a one-hop throw from shortstop Addison Russell.

"I admired the fact that they handled it as quickly as they did," Price said. "I did not see it the same way that the four umpires did in New York and that there was conclusive evidence that Rizzo's foot was on the base when he had control of the baseball. But that was their decision. It just leaves you to be frustrated, to be angry. Maybe if they have a better look, if they have some HD zoom lens shot, I'd love to see that, because I would have slept better last night knowing they got the call right."

• To clear a spot for starting pitcher Amir Garrett's recall Thursday, the Reds optioned reliever Barrett Astin to Triple-A Louisville.

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.

Coming off 8-inning CG, Bonilla set for opener By Thomas Harding / MLB.com | May 18th, 2017 + 0 COMMENTS

Reds right-hander Lisalverto Bonilla is coming off an outstanding start. Rockies left-hander Tyler Anderson's last outing was positive, as well. But both are coming off losses, and they would like a different result when the teams meet at Great American Ball Park in Friday night's opener of a three-game set.

Bonilla faced the Giants on Saturday at AT&T Park and delivered an eight-inning complete game, fanning five in his first start since 2014. But home runs by Justin Ruggiano and Brandon Belt -- and the Reds' inability to break through vs. Giants starter Matt Moore -- led to a 3-1 loss.

Anderson was not quite as stellar as Bonilla, but his last start yielded eight strikeouts in 5 2/3 innings. However, some key at-bats from the bottom of the Dodgers' order meant three runs charged to Anderson in a 4-0 loss. Anderson, though, has fanned 18 in 11 2/3 innings over his past two outings.

Things to know about this game

• Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco has missed the past three games with left hamstring soreness, and the club is nearing a decision whether to place him on the 10-day disabled list.

• After six mostly poor starts, Anderson has found a fastball-changeup combination and has been much better his past two outings. The only slight difference between May 6, when he fanned 10 and gave up one run in six innings in a win over the D-backs, and the loss to the Dodgers was the sharpness of his slider, Rockies manager Bud Black said.

• In 24 career games at Great American Ball Park, Rockies right fielder Carlos Gonzalez is hitting .276 with seven home runs and 14 RBIs.

Thomas Harding has covered the Rockies since 2000, and for MLB.com since 2002. Follow him on Twitter @harding_at_mlb and like his Facebook page. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. CINCINNATI ENQUIRER Amir Garrett struggles in his return as Cincinnati Reds fall to Chicago Cubs C. Trent Rosecrans , [email protected] Published 6:57 p.m. ET May 18, 2017 | Updated 15 hours ago

CHICAGO – Amir Garrett’s return to the big leagues didn’t go as anyone expected, as the left-hander gave up five runs in the first inning and the Reds lost 9-5 to the Cubs, pushing their losing streak to six.

Garrett, who was optioned to Louisville nearly two weeks ago in a move that the team said was to keep his innings down, missed one start, pitching just two innings in Louisville between his May 6 victory over the Giants and Thursday’s finale of the seven-game road trip.

Nobody wanted to use the layoff as an excuse, but regardless of how Garrett got to Thursday’s start, he wasn’t sharp, walking three batters, including one with the bases loaded, and giving up a grand slam.

In all, it took 35 pitches for Garrett to get through the first and he lasted just four innings, marking the Reds’ 14th start of the season of four or fewer innings and 25th start of fewer than six innings.

Garrett said the layoff didn’t affect his performance on Thursday.

“I don't make no excuses, everything felt normal, everything was good,” Garrett said afterwards. “In another five days, I'll be all right.”

Garrett wasn’t as happy with home plate umpire Ed Hickox, saying several pitches that he felt were strikes went the other way. Garrett walked the second batter he faced, reigning MVP Kris Bryant, before Anthony Rizzo hit a high popup behind second base. Reds shortstop Zack Cozart lost it in the sun and the potential second out dropped for a hit. Center fielder Billy Hamilton’s underhanded toss to second wasn’t in time to get the force at second.

“Honestly, I saw it go up and didn't see the ball until it hit the ground,” Cozart said. “I had my sunglasses on, I had eye black on – it was just perfect. Usually in that situation, the ball will come out of the sun at some point. It just stayed. It obviously sucked.”

The mistake was compounded when No. 4 hitter, University of Cincinnati product Ian Happ, flew out right field for the second out – and what could have been the third out.

That’s when Garrett walked back-to-back hitters, forcing in the first run of the game.

Garrett got ahead of Cubs second baseman Javier Baez and tried to put him away with a slider.

“I was focused on trying to make it nastier than it needed to be and, you know, that always kills me right there when I try to do that,” Garrett said. “It was up in the zone and it was hanging and he put a good swing on it like I expected him to do. He just hit it out of the park.”

Garrett worked around a hit in both the second and third to put up scoreless innings and then struck out the side in the fourth, but allowed a solo homer to Bryant.

Like Garrett, Reds manager Bryan Price was hesitant to use Garrett’s poor outing on his sojourn in Louisville .

“No blame, zero blame. He’s responsible for his successes. He’s responsible for his struggles, as are all the players,” Price said. “I’m responsible for my decisions. We’re all responsible for all of our stuff so there are no excuses. He wouldn’t make an excuse. I would be surprised if he did. He just wasn’t real sharp. He’ll be better next time.”

It was the Reds’ sixth straight loss and the team lost all but their first game on this seven-game road trip. The good news is they return home on Friday, hosting the National-League West leading Colorado Rockies.

The last time the Reds were at Great American Ball Park, they were finishing up a nine-game home stand that saw the team win seven of those games.

“When we’re pitching well, we win,” Price said. “Look at our month. We’re 8-8. In our eight wins, we’ve given up three runs or less in every win. In our eight losses, in six of the eight, we’ve given up seven runs or more.”

The Reds trailed 9-0 before putting up four runs in the seventh inning and another in the ninth, leaving the tying run on deck.

“We've just got to keep playing ball,” Cozart said. “Hopefully we can keep guys up in the big leagues that are doing well, that helps too, and just keep playing ball. … We had a rough road trip last time and came home and played well, so we have to do that again. We'll be ready to play (Friday).”

Reds' Bryan Price gets clarification on controversial call C. Trent Rosecrans , [email protected] Published 1:41 p.m. ET May 18, 2017 | Updated 20 hours ago

CHICAGO – Bryan Price received copies of the video and stills that were used to overturn the final call of Wednesday’s 7-5 loss to the Cubs, but he was still not convinced that Anthony Rizzo was on the bag when he caught a ball from Addison Russell for the final out of the game.

Joey Votto was initially called safe, but the call was reversed following a challenge, ending the game.

Price vented after the game and received video and pictures early Thursday morning.

“I did not see it the same way that the four umpires did in New York and that there was conclusive evidence that Rizzo’s foot was on the base when he had control of the baseball,” Price said. “But that was their decision. It just leaves you to be frustrated, to be angry. Maybe if they have a better look, if they have some HD zoom lens shot, I’d love to see that because I would have slept better last night knowing they got the call right.”

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The Reds have been on the other end of calls that appeared to have enough video evidence to be overturned, but were not, including a play in Atlanta in 2014 that led to Price’s ejection. He said that play, where Johnny Cueto picked off the Braves’ B.J. Upton, was brought up in conversation on Thursday.

“The way I looked at it, let's say as an example, Joey was called out at first base and I decided to challenge the call. And the call was overturned and Joey was deemed safe,” Price said. “Was it any clearer to the Cubs, do they sleep any better on that one? Neither team, in my opinion, has any knowledge whether that call was right or not. Maybe the league does, maybe they have a better vantage point, a better shot, and they sleep well because they know they got the call right. I hope they did.”

The play was magnified by the fact that the tying run would have been brought to the plate in Adam Duvall and the wind was blowing out at Wrigley Field.

Although Price alluded to the fact that the Cubs were World Series champions and the darlings of Major League Baseball during his postgame comments on Wednesday, Thursday he dismissed any idea of a conspiracy.

“There are people who buy these conspiracy theories that umpires are trying to cover each other with instant replay,” Price said. “Well, obviously not. Because I thought the first base umpire made a decision and the league did not support the decision. I don't believe in any of these conspiracy theories.

“I don't believe that the umpires and Major League Baseball are going to make sure the Cubs, the Red Sox, the Yankees and the Dodgers are all in the postseason. You hear that all the time in these situations. I don't believe any of it. I also don't believe they have a conclusive shot that Joey was out at first base. I don't believe it. Nothing that they've shown us has given any reason to believe that call should have been overturned.”

Mesoraco sidelined

Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco was not in Thursday’s lineup as Price had originally planned. Mesoraco has had tightness in his hamstring since Sunday when he left the game in San Francisco on a double switch.

Tucker Barnhart was scheduled to catch the first two games of the series in Chicago and then started Thursday’s game.

“(It’s) still kind of lingering around here more than I had expected,” Mesoraco said. “I’ve been running the last couple of days and it's 75-80 percent. Bryan wants to make sure it's out of there before we get back in the game.”

The disabled list is still an option, Price said, especially since it’s now just 10 days and Mesoraco has already missed four days. The team also has Rule 5 pick Stuart Turner available, so another catcher isn’t needed.

Mesoraco worked out for trainer Steve Baumann and strength and conditioning coach Sean Marohn. He will be reevaluated by team doctors Friday in Cincinnati.

“It's not the same as an oblique, but I think it can be as easily exasperated, hard to define when he should go out there with a reasonable expectation that he's not going to reinjure the hamstring,” Price said. “I think it's a safe bet right now to have Tucker catch and to see where Devin is tomorrow.”

Garrett activated, Astin optioned

The Reds recalled starting pitcher Amir Garrett before Thursday’s game and optioned right-handed reliever Barrett Astin to Triple- A Louisville.

Astin has appeared in six games for the Reds this season and has a 6.75 ERA. He’s 0-2 with a 6.39 ERA in five games for the Bats. This is the fourth time this season he’s been optioned. TRANSACTIONS 05/18/17 Boston Red Sox designated LF Chase d'Arnaud for assignment. Boston Red Sox selected the contract of RHP Hector Velazquez from Pawtucket Red Sox. Toronto Blue Jays placed CF Kevin Pillar on the restricted list. Toronto Blue Jays selected the contract of LF Dwight Smith Jr. from Buffalo Bisons. Philadelphia Phillies optioned RHP Nick Pivetta to Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Colorado Rockies recalled RHP Carlos Estevez from Albuquerque Isotopes. Colorado Rockies released LF Stephen Cardullo. Minnesota Twins recalled RHP Drew Rucinski from Rochester Red Wings. Boston Red Sox transferred RHP Steven Wright from the 10-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list. Sprained left knee. Miami Marlins placed RHP Tom Koehler on the 10-day disabled list. Right shoulder bursitis. New York Mets sent C Travis d'Arnaud on a rehab assignment to St. Lucie Mets. New York Mets sent RHP Seth Lugo on a rehab assignment to St. Lucie Mets. New York Mets sent LHP Steven Matz on a rehab assignment to St. Lucie Mets. Chicago Cubs sent RF Jason Heyward on a rehab assignment to South Bend Cubs. Los Angeles Dodgers optioned LF Scott Van Slyke to Oklahoma City Dodgers. Los Angeles Dodgers activated 1B Adrian Gonzalez from the 10-day disabled list. Tampa Bay Rays transferred LHP Xavier Cedeno from the 10-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list. Left forearm tightness. Tampa Bay Rays placed 2B Brad Miller on the 10-day disabled list. Left abdominal strain. Cleveland Indians traded 2B Michael Martinez to Tampa Bay Rays for cash. Atlanta Braves recalled 3B Rio Ruiz from Gwinnett Braves. Atlanta Braves placed 1B Freddie Freeman on the 10-day disabled list. Left wrist fracture. Cincinnati Reds optioned Barrett Astin to Louisville Bats. Cincinnati Reds recalled Amir Garrett from Louisville Bats. Atlanta Braves signed free agent 1B James Loney to a minor league contract.