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Home , Duane Walker, First baseman, Jeff Russell, Joel De La Cruz, Nick Markakis

CCiinncciinnnnaattii RReeddss MMeeddiiaa CClliippss JJuullyy 1199tthh,, 22001166 Press Clippings July 19, 2016

THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 1985-The Reds trade Duane Walker and Jeff Russell to the Rangers for . Bell will spend four seasons with the Reds, collecting a .266 average, with 63 doubles, 43 home runs, 184 RBI and 185 walks with just 118 . MLB.COM 3 homers in 4th lead Reds past Braves By Mark Sheldon and Cody Pace / MLB.com | 2:00 AM ET

CINCINNATI -- The people responsible for the celebration fireworks at barely had time to reload in the fourth inning on Monday. Three homers in the bottom of the fourth helped power the Reds to an 8-2 victory over the Braves. It was Cincinnati's third win in four games since the All-Star break, while Atlanta has dropped three of its last four.

Atlanta took a 1-0 lead in the top of the fourth, before Cincinnati pounced with five runs in the bottom half. Zack Cozart a solo homer against Braves starter Matt Wisler, before and Eugenio Suarez each added two-run shots. Cincinnati had been without a home run in each of its previous four games.

"The ball started to get up in the fourth inning," Wisler said. "I came out the first couple innings, kept the ball down, even if I was missing in the middle they were usually down, they weren't doing too much with it, but once they ball got up, they started teeing off on me."

Brandon Finnegan started for the Reds and worked five-plus innings, allowing two earned runs, seven hits, one walk and striking out five in his first start since July 5. Finnegan faced three batters in the sixth but couldn't record an out. It included Adonis Garcia's leadoff homer, 's ground-rule and Nick Markakis' that ended the lefty's night. Blake Wood took over and retired the side in order to squash the rally.

"I just wanted to go out there and get ahead," said Finnegan, who gave up four homers vs. the Cubs in his previous start. "As a when you get ahead, you can do a lot. It helps you out a lot more. You saw tonight that once I got behind, it kind of hurt me a little bit. Today was definitely a step forward."

Wisler gave up six runs (five earned) and eight hits over five-plus innings with two walks and three strikeouts. In the Reds' sixth, reliever Joel De La Cruz allowed an inherited run to cross on Tucker Barnhart's RBI single. In the seventh with Eric O'Flaherty on the mound, Votto added an RBI single that scored Billy Hamilton, and the Reds' first baseman later scored on pinch-hitter Ivan De Jesus Jr.'s bloop RBI single.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Career-high tie for Cozart: It was Cozart who started the home run barrage, when he led off the fourth by hitting Wisler's 1-1 slider to left field. It was the 15th homer of the season for Cozart, who already tied the career high he set in 2012 with just under half of this year remaining. It was his first long ball since July 6.

Three for Adonis: Garcia's fourth-inning homer, which traveled 376 feet and came off the bat at 100 mph according to Statcast™, was his sixth of the season and his first since June 26, a span of 17 games. Garcia finished the night 3-for-4 and scored two runs, his second straight multi-hit game after going 2-for-4 against Colorado on Sunday.

"I was just trying to stack some right-handers up there in this ballpark, just get them guys up more, because you never know what might happen, and he kind of did exactly what I hoped he would do," Braves Brian Snitker said. "Hopefully he can get hot and get that ball in the air and carry it."

Hamilton! Following Cozart's homer in the fourth, Hamilton helped set up the rest of Cincinnati's big inning with his single into center field. The speedster induced a balk off a throw to first base by Wisler and then stole third base on the first pitch to Votto. It was a 2-2 count when Votto took Wisler deep for his 15th homer of the season and first since June 30. Hamilton had three hits in the game and three steals. "When he gets going, he can really do some cool things," Votto said. "I think he's a really fun guy to watch."

Second time's not the charm: Wisler cruised through his first three innings, facing the minimum and allowing two hits. But when the Reds turned over the lineup for the first time in the fourth, they teed off on the 24-year-old righty. Wisler has struggled with the second time through the order, with an average against him of .309 with eight homers allowed compared to a .236 average and three homers allowed.

QUOTABLE

"We were able to take advantage of some mistakes -- certainly big for Suarez hitting the home run on his birthday and Cozart, Votto, to be able to extend the lead and give us a cushion. Obviously Finnegan kind of ran out of gas in the sixth, and what a great job by the bullpen." -- Reds manager Bryan Price, on his team's complete win over the Braves

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

After Wood, Raisel Iglesias provided two scoreless innings and Ross Ohlendorf posted another zero in the ninth. That extended the Reds bullpen's scoreless-innings streak to 13, a new season high.

PHILLIPS DEPARTS EARLY

Reds Brandon Phillips favored his right leg as he ran to first base after grounding into a fielder's choice to the . He was lifted for De Jesus, who pinch-hit in the seventh. Phillips had returned to the lineup Monday after he missed two games with a right calf strain.

"He was able to play and could have finished the game, but we felt at that time it was smart to get him out of the game," Price said. "I'm fairly confident he'll be back out there tomorrow."

WHAT'S NEXT

Braves: The Braves send rookie Tyrell Jenkins to the mound for the second game against the Reds that begins at 7:10 p.m. ET on Tuesday. The right-hander is making his second career start after moving to the rotation from the bullpen. In his lone start on July 6, Jenkins pitched 4 2/3 innings and allowed one run on 64 pitches.

Reds: Rookie left-hander Cody Reed will make his first start since July 10 when he gets the ball vs. Atlanta. Reed and the Reds sorely need for him to show better results. Over the first five big league starts of his career, Reed is 0-4 with an 8.39 ERA.

Votto carries hot-hitting streak into second half Reds slugger drove in three runs and homered in win vs. Braves By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | 12:34 AM ET

CINCINNATI -- Joey Votto's incredible second half in 2015 might be poised for a 2016 sequel. The Reds' first baseman has demonstrated again that he looms large in the lineup when he's on a tear.

In the Reds' 8-2 victory over the Braves on Monday, Votto was 2-for-3 with a two-run homer, a walk and RBI single. He is 8-for-15 in four games since the All-Star break.

"He looks very much like the player that performed at such a ridiculously high level in the second half [last year]," Reds manager Bryan Price said.

After the All-Star break last season, Votto led the Majors in hitting (.362) and on-base percentage (.535) and rallied so well from a middling first half that he finished third in the MVP vote.

This year, Votto actually didn't wait for the All-Star break to heat up. Since June 1, he's batting .336 with six homers and 14 RBIs to raise his average from .213 to a line of .265/.395/.463 for the season with 15 homers and 45 RBIs.

"Early in the season, I really struggled just hitting a fastball into play," Votto said. "That was something that needed to be corrected. You can't play in this league without hitting a fastball. That's probably step one and you go from there."

According to PITCHf/x data, Votto batted .273 with a .289 average on balls in play when he got a four-seam fastball from April 4- May 31. Entering the night since June 1, he was hitting those pitches at a .346 average, with a .405 batting average on balls in play. But he's also hitting almost all other pitches -- namely the changeup that went from an .083 average before June 1 to .467 after. had more success busting pitches inside on Votto during his struggles. He batted .207 on inside pitches before June 1 and came in batting .292 since.

"I think you have to accept every challenge that comes your way in this game, make the adjustments and constantly adapt as a player," Votto said.

Against Atlanta with Billy Hamilton on third base following a balk and a , Votto scorched a 2-2 fastball from Matt Wisler for a two-run homer to right field. It came during a five-run bottom of the fourth inning. According to Statcast™, the ball left the bat at 103 mph and traveled 395 feet. It was Votto's first homer since June 30.

In the seventh inning, Votto hit an Eric O'Flaherty 91-mph sinker for a RBI single that scored Hamilton.

"[He is] able to play the game without the frustration that goes with anybody that goes through an early struggle, especially when you're as accomplished as Joey is," Price said. "There's certainly an expectation and a warranted one. For me, it's a relief to see him go out there and really enjoy playing baseball and getting the results that he's worked so hard to attain."

Votto deferred when asked if there were similarities to be drawn with how he's doing now compared to the second half of '15. "I don't know," he said. "I've had seasons where I've started off really well and seasons where I've started poorly and everything in between. My objective is to get better as a player, take it out there to the field and constantly make adjustments and hedge against my ever-diminishing skills."

Mesoraco undergoes surgery on right hip Reds played in 16 games this season before injury in late April By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | July 18th, 2016

CINCINNATI -- Medical misfortune and Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco seemed synonymous these past two seasons. And that was before it was revealed Monday that Mesoraco underwent surgery to repair the labrum in his right hip -- the third major surgery he's had in a span of 13 months.

Mesoraco was already out for the season after he had surgery in May to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. This latest procedure was performed in New York by hip specialist Dr. Bryan Kelly, who also repaired the torn labrum in his left hip in June 2015.

The procedure was considered a preventative operation. After Mesoraco had successful surgery on the left hip last year, it was noticed that his right hip was starting to show signs of having similar issues.

"We did not want him to have symptoms and problems with his right hip, say the middle of next year or the end of next year or the beginning of next year," Reds medical director Dr. Tim Kremchek said. "[Kelly] said there was a 100 percent chance that at some point in his career that this was going to end up bothering him and he'd end up needing surgery."

Kremchek noted that a labral tear was spotted and repaired and a bone bruise was taken off during the surgery.

"As I looked at Bryan afterwards, I said I'm glad we did this," Kremchek said. "Because this would have definitely been a problem and it would have been an emotional problem for the team next year if he would have gone down early, it would have been three years in a row, so it was the right thing to do."

According to Kremchek, Mesoraco is expected to begin catching drills again sometime in mid-to-late January.

Since signing a four-year, $28 million contract before the 2015 season, Mesoraco has been limited to 39 games -- including 18 starts -- over the past two seasons. The 28-year-old appeared in 16 games this season and batted .140/.218/.160 with no home runs and one RBI.

Although surgeries on both hips would seem to leave a pessimistic future for a Major League catcher, Kremchek felt exactly the opposite. So far, his left hip has responded well from last year's surgery and the prognosis was similar for the right one -- especially since Mesoraco and the medical staff have the previous procedure as a benchmark to work from.

"As a matter of fact, I think it's going to give him a spring in his step, make it a little easier for him to squat down and do certain things he never really recognized he could do so easy," Kremchek said. "I'm optimistic this is really going to make him a better catcher, a better athlete and be less stressful on his body. It was definitely the right thing."

In 2014, Mesoraco was a National League All-Star, as he hit 25 home runs with 80 RBIs, while being a highly-regarded defensive catcher. "It's a crapshoot with anyone that plays professional sports -- you're going to deal with the injuries," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "Unfortunately for Devin, they've come one after the other. Hopefully what he's doing is putting all of this behind him and [he can] roll off some really nice, successful, healthy seasons."

Reds to adjust rotation with Lamb's demotion Left-hander sent to Triple-A after difficult outing on Saturday By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | July 18th, 2016

CINCINNATI -- The Reds have not committed themselves to a rotation plan for after Thursday's scheduled off-day. A starter will eventually be needed to replace John Lamb, who was demoted to Triple-A Louisville on Sunday.

It won't be Homer Bailey, who has at least one rehab start remaining until he can return from Tommy John surgery.

"There's some ideas that I have. [Pitching ] Mack [Jenkins] and I have discussed on guys that we'd like to see," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "We'd like to take a look at all of our candidates and try to make a good decision, because it may only be one start if we manipulate the rotation a little bit. I think we can limit the need for one start until hopefully Homer is back. That's still up in the air when that will exactly happen, so we'll see."

Cincinnati could opt to move up some or all of the rest of the rotation to pitch on regular rest. The club also has off-days ahead on July 28 and Aug. 1, which provides Price and Jenkins some maneuverability.

Price noted that the team is considering pitchers on the 40-man roster in Triple-A Louisville and reliever Keyvius Sampson, who threw four scoreless innings for Cincinnati on Saturday after Lamb's early exit in a loss against the Brewers.

Also under consideration is right-hander Tim Adleman, who is nearly ready to come off the disabled list. Adleman, who has been out since May 20 with a left oblique strain, threw 63 pitches over four scoreless innings in a Saturday rehab start for Louisville.

"I prefer not to do that if we don't have to, [but] it would be an option since he's healthy," said Price, preferring that Adleman build a higher pitch count before returning.

Adleman, who threw 25 pitches in a side bullpen session on Monday afternoon, was pleased with his start.

"It was nice to get back out there and pitch and worry about executing pitches as opposed to, 'How is this feeling? Is it going to pop again?' It was great," Adleman said.

Adleman said he has not been given any word on what the club has planned for his next outing. He felt like his pitches could be a little sharper but felt that could happen with repetition. The 28-year-old right-handed rookie, who is 1-1 with a 3.72 ERA in his four big league starts this season, didn't expect to be out for so long.

"If you try to rush back sometimes they can come back to bite you. It's definitely been longer than I thought but I was glad I was able to get the time to get it right," Adleman said. "Now I feel like it's just about ready."

Reed looks to get rookie season going vs. Braves By Cody Pace / MLB.com | 12:54 AM ET

Tuesday's matchup between the Reds and Braves will offer both teams a peek into their future with two top pitching prospects taking the mound.

The Braves will send Tyrell Jenkins, their No. 7 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com, to the mound against Cody Reed, the Reds' No. 3 prospect according to MLBPipeline.com.

Jenkins (0-1, 4.50 ERA) looks to earn his first win in his second career start after making his first four appearances out of the bullpen earlier in the season. In nine starts at Triple-A Gwinnett this season, Jenkins was 4-3 with a 2.96 ERA.

Reed (0-4, 8.39 ERA), also seeking his first Major League win, has had a rough go of things since making his seven-inning, four- run Major League debut on June 18. In four starts since, he's posted a 9.68 ERA over 17 2/3 innings.

The Braves might be the right team for Reed to rebound against, though. One of his biggest struggles has been limiting homers. He's allowed nine over 24 2/3 innings this season and has yet to have a start without giving up at least one. The Braves, however, have hit the fewest homers in the Majors.

Things to know about this game

• Brandon Phillips should be back in the lineup on Tuesday. Phillips started Monday after missing two straight games with a straight right calf, but he exited in the seventh inning after noticeably limping off the field in the sixth. Manager Bryan Price said removing Phillips was precautionary.

• The Braves have struggled against left-handed pitching this season, posting a .241 average, the fourth lowest in baseball.

• Joey Votto has seemingly gotten himself back on track. He has a season-high .265 average after hitting .350 with a 1.008 OPS over his last 29 games. He went 2-for-3 with a homer and three RBIs against the Braves on Monday.

CINCINNATI ENQUIRER Votto's post-break surge continues in Reds' 8-2 win Zach Buchanan, [email protected] 12:08 a.m. EDT July 19, 2016

Joey Votto played below his abilities for the first half of the 2015 season. The 2016 campaign started similarly. At the All-Star break last year, Votto was hitting .277 with an .876 OPS. To the same point this season, he was hitting .252 with an .831 OPS.

Votto went on to a historic second half in 2015, hitting .362 and finishing third in National League MVP voting. After going 2 for 3 with a homer and walk in Monday’s 8-2 win over the , Votto could be catching fire once again.

“There’s certainly an expectation and a warranted one,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. ‘For me, it’s a relief to see him go out there and really enjoy playing baseball and getting the results that he’s worked so hard to attain. He looks very much like the player that performed at such a ridiculously high level in the second half.”

The 32-year-old Votto has hit 8 for 15 in four games since the break. The hot stretch has vaulted him to his rightful place atop the team’s batting average leaderboard at .265, passing . But Votto’s actually been hitting well for several months. It’s just that the hole he dug himself to start the season was incredibly deep.

The first baseman hit just .229 with a .640 OPS through the first month of the regular season, but his numbers have steadily risen since. Entering the game, he’d hit .274 with a .916 OPS since May 1. Dating back to the beginning of June, he’s hit a Votto-like .328 with a .985 OPS.

“I’ve had seasons where I’ve started off really well and seasons where I’ve started poorly and everything in between,” Votto said. “My objective is to get better as a player, take it out there to the field and constantly make adjustments and hedge against my ever- diminishing skills.”

Votto lined out to the pitcher in his first at-bat Monday, but got on base his next three times up. He gave the Reds the lead in the fourth with a two-run bash to right field, marking his 15th home run of the year and his first since June 30. He walked in the fifth and plated another run with a single in the seventh to push the lead to 7-2. He later scored on a single by pinch-hitter Ivan De Jesus Jr.

Votto is never one to say his struggles are behind him, but did seem to suggest he’d corrected his biggest issue from earlier in the year.

“Early in the season, I really struggled just hitting a fastball into play,” he said. “That was something that needed to be corrected. You can’t play in this league without hitting a fastball.”

Votto’s home run was one of three hit by the Reds in the fourth inning, breaking a streak of four games without a home run for Cincinnati. That drought was their longest of the season and tied for the fourth-longest in the majors.

The Reds averaged 30 home runs a month in the first three months of the season, but had managed just seven in 11 games in July. The Reds entered the day ranked ninth in the NL with 98 homers, but have gotten strong power production from all four corner and outfield positions as well as shortstop.

That continued Monday. Cozart smacked his 15th of the year – tying his career high – to tie the game at 1-1 to start the fourth. Later in the inning, a two-run homer by Eugenio Suarez made it 5-1.

Votto, Suarez and Cozart have combined with Jay Bruce and Adam Duvall to hit 87 of the team’s 101 homers this year.

“When you go around the horn and you think about what we’ve gotten from first base, short, third, left and right, that’s some sizable numbers right there,” Price said.

The outburst was all that was needed to set up left-hander Brandon Finnegan for the win. Finnegan lasted just five innings, but gave up only two runs. He exited the game with runners on the corners and no outs in the sixth, but right-hander Blake Wood was able to clean up Finnegan’s mess.

Wood, Raisel Iglesias and Ross Ohlendorf combined for four scoreless innings of relief, pushing the bullpen’s streak to 13 innings without allowing a run.

Reds' Devin Mesoraco undergoes another hip surgery C. Trent Rosecrans, [email protected] 8:42 p.m. EDT July 18, 2016

For the third time in less than 13 months, Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco underwent surgery, having a procedure to repair the labrum in his right hip on Monday in New York.

Like the surgery to repair the labrum in his left hip on June 29 of last year, this surgery was performed by Dr. Bryan Kelly of the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York with the assistance of Reds team medical director Dr. Timothy Kremchek.

Kremchek, who flew back to Cincinnati after the surgery, spoke with reporters at Great American Ball Park on Monday evening. Kremchek said the decision to have surgery was to make sure he had time to recover and wouldn’t miss any further time. Mesoraco had surgery to repair the labrum in his left shoulder in May.

“He’s had this for a while and had not been symptomatic. The motion he had in his left hip, I think he’s going to want that in his right hip,” Kremchek said. “Bryan, who has more experience than I do in this, was thinking this was going to accelerate his symptoms. That’s why 100 percent he would have this. When, we don’t know. But you’ve got to be smart about these things. This was the time to do it.”

The decision was made to have surgery when Mesoraco’s surgically repaired shoulder could handle using crutches. Kremchek said the timing should allow Mesoraco to be able to participate in all baseball activities by mid-January and be able to participate fully in in early February.

“I anticipate him ready to start spring training ready to go,” Kremchek said. “We were a little tentative last year, just because obviously we hadn’t dealt with this before. Now we’ve got some experience dealing with his hip so we’ll be able to be a lot more aggressive.”

Kremchek said Mesoraco had noticed the problem in his right hip during spring training, but it wasn’t enough to keep him from playing, nor was it painful, Kremchek said.

Because of the issues with the hip previously, Kremchek said he wanted to closely monitor the right hip. According to Kremchek, Kelly told him he expected that untreated, Mesoraco would ultimately have to have the surgery at some point, so now was the best time.

“The thought behind this is that we know he’s got problems in his hip, it hadn’t shown up physically for him yet, but what we didn’t want to do is this team is building for next year and building for the year after,” Kremchek said. “We did not want him to have symptoms and problems with his right hip say the middle of next year or the end of next year or the beginning of next year. This is very preventative.”

Mesoraco has been limited to just 39 games in the last two seasons after signing a four-year, $28 million extension in January of 2015. Of those 39 games, only 19 (13 in 2016 and six in 2015) have come as a catcher.

Reds notes: Homer Bailey won't be rushed C. Trent Rosecrans, [email protected] 8:32 p.m. EDT July 18, 2016

Whoever takes the spot in the Reds’ rotation vacated by the demotion of John Lamb, it won’t be a long stay. Reds manager Bryan Price said the team hasn’t decided who will make a start in Lamb’s position, or even necessarily when that would happen.

With an off day on Thursday, the Reds wouldn’t need a fifth starter until July 26 in San Francisco and they could then wait again until Aug. 6 for that spot to come up. By that time, Homer Bailey could be ready to return from Tommy John surgery.

One thing is for certain, Price said, Bailey won’t pitch until he’s ready.

“We won’t rush Homer back,” Price said. “Homer will be activated when he’s ready to pitch.”

Price said he’d rather not rush back Tim Adleman, who made his second rehab start from an oblique injury on Saturday, pitching four innings for Triple-A Louisville.

Price said the Reds could go with Keyvius Sampson, who has served as the Reds’ long man, or dip into the minors for a pitcher who is on the 40-man roster, such as Robert Stephenson, Amir Garrett or Daniel Wright.

“We’d like to take a look at all our candidates and try to make a good decision because it may only be one start if we manipulate the rotation a little bit. I think we can limit the need for one start until hopefully Homer’s back,” Price said. “That’s still up in the air when that will exactly happen, so we’ll see.”

Adleman feeling good

Two days after his second rehab start, Adleman was at Great American Ball Park to throw a bullpen and walked in from the session feeling good, despite a healthy sweat from the humid weather.

Adleman went on the disabled list with a left oblique strain on May 20. In two rehab outings for Louisville, Adleman has allowed one run on six hits over seven innings with four strikeouts and no walks. He threw four scoreless innings on Saturday.

“It’s nice to get back out there and throw and not feel any awareness of the injury, which is how the other day went,” Adleman said. “It was nice to get back out there and pitch and worry about executing pitches as opposed to ‘How is this feeling? Is it going to pop again?’ It was great.”

Adleman was 1-1 with a 3.72 ERA in four starts for the Reds before suffering the oblique injury. Even though he had a front-row seat to see just how long that injury could last with teammate Anthony DeSclafani, Adleman was still surprised at how long it took to return from the injury.

“I wasn’t 100 percent sure on how long it would take. But given that it was diagnosed as a mild strain, I was pretty optimistic,” Adleman said. “I know with obliques in the past, if you try to rush back sometimes they can come back to bite you. It’s definitely been longer than I thought but I was glad I was able to get the time to get it right. Now I feel like it’s just about ready.”

Notes: John Lamb optioned to Triple-A Zach Buchanan, [email protected] 1:59 p.m. EDT July 17, 2016

After left-hander John Lamb lasted just two innings Saturday against the , manager Bryan Price suggested in his postgame press conference that time was running out for the 26-year-old to turn things around. The southpaw had about 12 more hours, it turned out.

Sunday morning, the Cincinnati Reds optioned Lamb to Triple-A Louisville to figure himself out. Through 14 starts in the majors, he’d posted a disappointing 6.43 ERA.

“We’ve got to get him back to pitching like he’s capable of pitching,” Price said. “He knows it, it wasn’t a big surprise. He’s had 14 starts and I believe strongly that he’s certainly a better pitcher than he’s shown during his time here.”

The Reds have a variety of options to replace Lamb. Ultimately, that spot is likely to go to right-hander Homer Bailey, although Bailey is probably two rehab starts from returning from Tommy John surgery. The question then becomes what to do until he’s ready.

Lamb’s next turn would have come Thursday, which the Reds have off. They could simply skip that spot and have the rest of the rotation pitch on regular rest. Price has been hesitant to do that in past, often leaning in favor of giving his young pitchers extra rest, but that factor is mitigated by the recent All-Star break.

“We got a bunch of off days here, the 21st, the 28th, the first, so there's going to be some breaks in the acts and then again on the 11th,” Price said. “They're all going to get adequate rest.”

If a short-term fill-in is needed, rehabbing right-hander Tim Adleman could be an option. Adleman is recovering from an oblique injury, but has given up just one run in a combined 8 2/3 innings over three rehab starts.

Adleman pitched four innings and reached 63 pitches Saturday, and Price would be comfortable expecting six innings and 85 pitches if the 28-year-old’s next start were to come in the big leagues.

“He could be a candidate for that,” Price said. “I think he's throwing the ball well.”

Outfielder Kyle Waldrop was called up to take Lamb’s spot on the roster, giving the Reds a left-handed bat off the bench other than whichever catcher is not starting that day. Waldrop has a .728 OPS in limited action his first time up earlier this season, and had been hitting .333 with an .890 OPS since returning to the minors.

Injury updates

Second baseman Brandon Phillips was out of the lineup for the second straight day as he deals with a strained calf, although Price was hopeful that Phillips could return Monday against the Atlanta Braves.

“He’s better yesterday than he was the day before,” Price said. “He won’t be in the lineup today. We’ll do some baseball activity to see if he can help us in some capacity today.”

Right-hander Caleb Cotham tossed a scoreless inning for Double-A Pensacola on Saturday, his first rehab outing since being shut down for two weeks with a knee issue. Cotham initially went on the disabled list for a shoulder problem.

Righty A.J. Morris is also dealing with a shoulder problem that has kept him out a month, but is still just playing light catch.

Pitch count coming for Ohio high schools Adam Baum, [email protected] 1:35 p.m. EDT July 18, 2016

Ohio high school baseball players -- particularly those who dwell on the mound -- can expect a pitch count starting next season, the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) announced in a press release.

The NFHS and its Board of Directors approved six new rule changes at an Indianapolis meeting in early June, one of which revises the pitching policy laid out in Rule 6-2-6.

"It looked like it was coming down the path here towards us; Kentucky adopted it last year," said Milford head coach Tom Kilgore. "It's not a surprise. It will be interesting to see the specifics.

"I don't think it's gonna be that huge of an adjustment because the kids are used to playing with those types of restrictions in the summertime as well. It's just another thing to monitor."

According to the release, each member state association (the Ohio High School Athletic Association) "will be required to develop its own pitching restriction policy based on the number of pitches thrown during a game to afford pitchers a required rest period between pitching appearances."

Up until now, the only OHSAA rule that regulates pitching is Rule 6-1-6, which states: "No player may pitch in more than 10 innings in a three day period."

Kilgore added, "The only thing I always question ... the one thing they don't really take into account is a kid who pitches on a Monday and throws 85 pitches, then plays shortstop on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday before he pitches again. A kid who only pitches, doesn't take infield or play another position before his next start also has those same restrictions. A pitch count is fine but I don't think it always takes into account those multiple position guys who are throwing between outings.

"I don't see anybody in high school abusing their pitchers. Some smaller schools it might impact a little more, schools that don't have the pitching depth of the bigger schools."

WCPO - Channel 9 Chance 1978 encounter at UC changed Brian Goldberg's life Griffey friendship won father, son as clients By: John Fay Posted: 8:01 AM, Jul 19, 2016

CINCINNATI — When Brian Goldberg decided to help up a fellow University of Cincinnati student back in 1978, he had no idea it would change his life and further down the road lead to probably the biggest transaction in Reds history.

It was 1978. Goldberg was fresh out of Walnut Hills High School in his first quarter of classes at UC. He saw a familiar face among the students in one of his classes: Ken Griffey Sr.

Goldberg met Griffey after the class. Nine years later, Goldberg would be the agent of Griffey’s son, Ken Jr. Skip ahead another 13 years, and Goldberg would be instrumental in the trade that brought Junior to the Reds.

His latest duty: Help prepare Junior’s Hall of Fame speech to be delivered Sunday in Cooperstown.

But back to that chance meeting.

“It was Intro to Interpersonal Communications. The second week of classes was the first time I saw him,” Goldberg said. “It made sense: The Reds had ended the season the week before. It took me a while to recognize him.

“I was a big baseball fan, but it wasn’t like I had to go up to him and talk. No one really recognized him. There were about 30 people in the class. After class, he walked out and was looking around. He looked kind of lost.

“I went up to him because I could see he didn’t have the book. So I said, ‘Hey, man, are you looking for the bookstore?’ He said, ‘As matter of fact, I am.’ I walked him over to the bookstore, and when I got there, he said thanks and stuck out his hand.

“He said, ‘What did you say your name is?’ I said, ‘I’m Brian.’ He goes, ‘Well, I’m George.’

"I looked at him and he said, ‘You who I am?’ I said, ‘Yeah.’ He said, ‘My real name is George. If people recognize me, fine, but don’t pass it around.’”

The seeds of friendship were planted.

‘He’s going to get picked high’

The relationship continued after Goldberg graduated from UC and went on to law school at the University of Toledo. Griffey was with the by then, and Goldberg would travel to Detroit or Cleveland to see him play.

Goldberg had lunch with Griffey in Detroit shortly before he graduated from law school. Goldberg had secured a job with a small law firm in Cincinnati, and he was thinking about getting into the agent business as well. He summoned the nerve to ask Griffey for some help.

“I was going to ask him if he could introduce me to some minor-league players next spring training and show me around. Maybe I could carve out a side career as an agent,” Goldberg said. “I was getting ready to ask him, and he must have sensed it. He said, ‘Hey, Brian aren’t you graduating in a month? You’re what, 25, single, no kids? In your spare time, why don’t you let me introduce you to some people in baseball and next spring training come and hang with me.’

“He totally took it off my shoulders.”

That was 1985. Goldberg started representing players in the spring of ’86.

“I didn’t really entertain anyone after I signed with Brian. For me, it was how loyal he was. I’m not a needy person. I don’t need to be handheld and things like that. From Day 1, Brian let me be me. I think a lot of agents out there don’t let their players be who they are.

— Ken Griffey Jr.

It was about that time that Ken Jr. was building a reputation as quite a player himself at . Goldberg was about to get the client that changed his life.

Senior has been represented by Tom Reich, one of the better known agents at the time.

“I didn’t want to step on any toes,” Goldberg said, “but Junior seemed to like me. I watched him play. He was going to ask if he’s picked high if there’s any chance I could represent him. The same thing happened. Senior says to me: ‘Hey, Brian, I’m leaving for spring training in a couple of weeks. Why don’t you come over at the house and have dinner, and we’ll talk about some things.’

“So I go over the house for dinner maybe in mid-February. Senior says, ‘Tom Reich has done a good job for me. You’re not stepping on his toes. He’s on to the younger guys. I really don’t feel bad about this. Junior likes you. The scouts have been coming over. He’s going to get picked high. I don’t know how high. You know I don’t get to see him play because I’m still playing.’”

When Senior did get to see Junior play, Junior did not play well. That may have kept father from knowing how good his son was. Griffey was the No. 1 pick overall in the 1987 draft.

The first thing Goldberg negotiated for Griffey was the $189,000 signing bonus he got from the .

No. 1 picks don’t always pan out, and, in the case of high-schooler, rarely quickly. Griffey was the exception. He made the Mariners in spring training of 1989 as a 19-year-old. By 1990, he was an All-Star. By 1993, there was talk than he was the best player in the game.

A Seattle teammate famously said high school cost Junior four years of service time.

Griffey’s smile, style of play and skill set made him one of the games most recognizable stars. Endorsements poured in. Griffey became the face of Nike’s baseball line.

Goldberg had much more than a side job as an agent. Representing Griffey became a full-time undertaking. Goldberg wasn’t a high- profile agent. He had only a handful of clients; one of them just happened to be the best player in baseball.

Letting Junior be Junior

Some of those high-profile agents would have loved to steal Griffey. Goldberg admits he thought about that in the early years.

“The rules were more lax back then,” he said. “Now, the players’ union is a lot more strict about who can contact who. To borrow a phrase of one of the lawyers at the players union back then, it was like the wild, wild west. I was a little nervous.

“Junior was just loyal to a T. I was a little nervous for a couple of years, but he tried to put me at ease.”

Griffey says he never considered switching agents.

“I didn’t really entertain anyone after I signed with Brian,” Griffey said. “For me, it was how loyal he was. I’m not a needy person. I don’t need to be handheld and things like that. From Day 1, Brian let me be me. I think a lot of agents out there don’t let their players be who they are.

“Brian was like ‘I’m not here to change you.’ We’ve always had a relationship where I could bounce things off him. Day or night. His phone was always on. There’s been times when I’ve called him at 2 in the morning.”

The fact that Griffey’s agent was in Cincinnati and had grown up a Reds fan played a role in Griffey’s ending up in the Queen City.

Griffey’s contract with the Mariners was running out in 2000. Seattle had another superstar, Alex Rodriguez, with a contract about to come due as well.

The Mariners knew they couldn’t sign both.

“In 1999, the Mariners wanted to get out in front,” Goldberg said. “They said, ‘We know Alex is going to leave unless we’re the highest bidder, and we’re probably not going to be the highest bidder. Can we sign Junior to an extension?'

“Junior said: ‘Let’s do this. Let’s work on something. I’m sure the money won’t be an issue. But you’ve got to tell the Mariners I’m not signing anything. This is all contingent on how the last six weeks of the season go.’”

The conditional contract that Goldberg and the Mariners worked out was for eight years and $138 million, he recalled.

Life affected baseball at that juncture. Griffey had built an offseason home in Orlando in 1995. His oldest son, Trey, was starting kindergarten in Orlando in the fall of ’99. Griffey wanted to see how it went playing in Seattle with his family in Florida.

“Junior was miserable,” Goldberg said. “Anything people think of Junior, true or not true, he’s a huge family man, a mama’s boy. He was miserable because he saw Melissa and the kids two three-day weekends over the last six weeks of the season.”

Goldberg and Griffey met with the Mariners in Florida following the 1999 season. Griffey said he no longer wanted to sign long- term because of his family situation.

The Mariners asked if they could trade him. As a player with 10-5 rights, he could reject any trade. He gave the Mariners a list of teams. Goldberg said the new Seattle general manager, , kept trying to negotiate with teams not on the list.

Griffey was adamant about going only to a team on his list. He was willing to sign a one-year extension, though, that would keep him with the Mariners through 2001 — softening the blow if Rodriguez left after 2000.

“The Mariners kicked that around long and hard,” Goldberg said. “It was basically a split decision. The club president, Chuck Armstrong, has always been in Junior’s corner. He was all for it. But the CEO, Howard Lincoln, was not for it. He said they were too far down the road. That’s how the trade came about.”

Injuries, but no regrets

The Reds were willing to make the deal — contingent on Griffey’s taking less money. He signed for $116.5 million over nine years to facilitate the trade.

“What Junior did beyond that is basically, he took half of the money in salary, and the other half was deferred,” Goldberg said. “But it was a win-win on the contract because Junior was able to get interest on the deferred money, so he was able to recapture some of that present-day money.”

It was a win for the Reds because they paid Griffey $6.5 million in salary, and they put away $3.5 million a year and let it grow to get to the amount he was due in deferred money.

Griffey’s time in Cincinnati did not turn out like anyone expected. After a relatively healthy first year, he missed more games than he played over the next four years. The injuries kept him from being the player he was in Seattle. And the team didn’t win.

Goldberg says Griffey has never regretted the decision.

“He wishes things had gone better with the injuries,” Goldberg said, “but he’s never regretted it.”

Goldberg still represents Griffey.

When Griffey Sr. was asked if he was going to help Junior with his Hall of Fame speech, he said no. “That's Brian Goldberg’s job,” he said.

Goldberg says he’ll leave the speech mostly to Junior.

“I won’t do any hardcore writing, word-for-word,” Goldberg said. “I just gave him bullet points like I did when he went into the Seattle Hall of Fame. He used them, but he put them in his own words.”

When Griffey delivers those words, Goldberg will be in the audience listening. His mind will probably wander back to 1978, when that chance meeting changed his life.

Moeller High School, Midland Redskins helped launch Ken Griffey Jr.'s Hall of Fame career By: John Popovich Posted: 1:32 AM, Jul 19, 2016 Updated: 3:39 AM, Jul 19, 2016

CINCINNATI - It was the mid 80s, the Big Red Machine was long gone, and the Reds were being retooled.

And we heard about a soft spoken, 16-year-old kid for the Midland Redskins named Ken Griffey Jr.

Midland was a tremendous amateur baseball program, winning national titles in droves under the legendary Joe Hayden.

We went to practice in 1986 to watch Junior learning the ropes.

"I go over things with him and ask him what I'm doing wrong and stuff like that," said Griffey.

Next, we checked him out launching drives for Moeller High School, turning a poor this way and that way - no way - as the home run ball sailed over his head.

"He was as natural a ballplayer as I think I'll ever see," said Moeller's , who also coached Hall of Famer and won four state titles.

"He threw different, ran different, swung the bat different."

It wasn't hard to figure out why. In the spring of 1987, Junior was in the Braves , watching his dad launch a home run to right at against his dad's former team.

Junior greeted his dad at the top of the dugout, and, wow, how much he had grown!

By this time, scouts for every big-league clubs had noticed.

On a summer afternoon that same year, the Seattle Mariners drafted the 17-year-old with the very first pick.

"We feel obviously that Ken has the tools and makeup to be a complete major-league player with star potential," said the Mariners area scout, Tom Mooney.

Junior said it didn't matter that he was the No. 1 pick. He just wanted an opportunity to play. And that's what he got.

No one could have predicted what happened next – or how quickly.

Baseball was all about family for Ken Griffey Jr. New Hall of Famer followed in dad's footsteps By: John Popovich Posted: 9:43 PM, Jul 18, 2016

CINCINNATI - There's an exhibit at the Baseball Hall of Fame at Cooperstown about how this game got started. There are young kids having fun, flailing at a ball.

It always reminded me of the Reds' Father and Son games.

"Growing up, it was all about family," the Hall of Famer in waiting, Ken Griffey Jr., said in 2000 when the Reds acquired him from the Mariners.

"When the Reds won," Junior remembered, "we ran into the locker room and took bats, gloves, balls and ran out did whatever."

The Reds were a big baseball family during the Big Red Machine days in the 1970s. You might run into the Lee Mays or the Perez boys, Victor and Eduardo, hanging out with Petey Rose.

The Griffeys – Ken and his younger brother Craig - were regulars at the park, too.

That is, when their dads were still Reds.

Ken Griffey Sr. went to the Yankees in 1982 and the Braves in 1986, when Ken Jr. was making a national reputation at Moeller High.

"I think he's gone crazy going from team to team," Junior said while still at Moeller, "trying to find out, if you're going to settle here or if you're going to get traded again."

Some way, some how, Junior had enough time with his dad to follow his lead.

"He watched me enough to see what was going on and he just emulated himself after me," Senior said during a visit here with the Braves.

It seems the time spent with family was quality time. Junior was a prodigy – and became the top prospect in the nation.

Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco has another hip surgery Right hip follows left hip, shoulder By: WCPO Staff Posted: 5:34 PM, Jul 18, 2016 Updated: 10:20 PM, Jul 18, 2016

INCINNATI – Can it get any worse for Devin Mesoraco?

Cursed by body breakdowns, the Reds catcher had his third surgery in two years Monday, according to the club.

Mesoraco has been able to play just 39 games over the past two seasons.

The same specialist who repaired Mesoraco’s left hip in June 2015 repaired the labrum in his right hip Monday, the club announced.

The 27-year-old is expected to begin catching drills in mid- to late-January, according to the Reds, so he probably won't be ready for the start of spring training.

Mesoraco has played so rarely it's hard to remember he's still with the club. He last played on April 27 and had season-ending surgery May 10 to repair the torn labrum in his left shoulder.

Mesoraco played in only 16 games this year and 23 in 2015.

The Reds sure do miss Mesoraco's bat, and his hard luck has added to their misfortunes the past two years. He had his best season in 2014 and made the All-Star team when hit 25 homers and 25 doubles with a slash line of .273/.359/.534 and 80 RBI.

DAYTON DAILY NEWS Mesoraco and surgery becoming best friends By Hal McCoy Posted: 4:59 pm Monday, July 18th, 2016

CINCINNATI — Surgical instruments keep intruding into the catching life of Devin Mesoraco. Over the past two seasons Mesoraco has faced more surgeons and doctors than he has opposing pitchers.

Mesoraco, the No. 1 draft pick of the Cincinnati Reds in 2007, underwent his third surgical procedure in 13 months Monday morning in New York.

All three procedures have been on different parts of the body — the latest one was to repair the labrum in his right hip That gives him a matched pair. He had the labrum in his left hip repaired last June. And in early May of this season he had the torn labrum in his left shoulder fixed.

Clearly, the 27-year-old native of Punxsutawney, Pa., is running out of labrums to repair.

THE LATEST PROCEDURE, performed in New York by hip specialist Dr. Bryan Kelly, the surgeon who did his other hip, is expected to prevent Mesoraco from doing any catching activities until mid- to late-January. That probably means he won’t be ready to play by the start of the 2017 season.

The surgery Monday was labeled preventative and has nothing to do with any injury.

“It was a preventative issue rather than an issue that was there,” said manager Bryan Price of Monday’s operation. The big questions, of course, is about Mesocraco’s future and whether a young player who has had surgery on both hips can endure the rigors of catching in the major leagues.

“I have not been told by anybody that he is at risk from these surgeries,” said Price. “Certainly we’d like to see him stay healthy and stay on the field and start to put together the types of seasons we know he can perform. But we have to get him healthy first. “It is a crapshoot with anybody who plays professional sports. You are going to deal with injuries,” Price added. “Unfortunately with Devin they’ve come one after the other. Hopefully he is putting all this stuff behind him and is getting ready to roll off some nice successful and healthy seasons.” TEAM MEDICAL DIRECTOR Dr Tim Kremchek, who observed Mesoraco’s surgery, was optimistic about Mesoraco’s future after watching the surgery and talking to Dr. Kelly. And, yes, the surgery was preventative.

“He had a little bit of the symptoms in the right hip early this season and once he had surgery on his shoulder we talked about about addressing that right hip,” said Kremchek. “We knew he had problems, but it hadn’t shown up yet. At some point in his career, and Dr. Kelly said it was 100 per cent, that this would end up bothering him and he would need the surgery. So we did and he definitely had a labral tear and it he had similar changes to those he had on his left hip. Bone spurs had to be taken off.”

And about his future, Dr. Kremchek said, “We’re very optimistic. With how he progressed from the surgery on his right hip I’d be very optimistic. I think it is going to give him a spring in his step, make it easier to squat down and do certain things that he never recognized he could do so easily. This is going to make him a better athlete, a better catcher and things will be less stressful on his body.”

Kremchek is even on the ‘up’ side of when Mesoraco can return, believing he’ll be ready by . “He’ll be ready to do catching things in January and spring training starts earlier next year (due to the World Baseball Classic), so he’ll be able to just fine-tune everything and I anticipate he’ll be ready when the season starts.”

MESORACO PLAYED ONLY 23 games last year (45 at bats) and played only 16 this season. He has hit .158/.245/.200 over those 39 games the past two years.

Before the surgery theaters intervened, Mesoraco enjoyed an outstanding 2014 season, during which he hit .273/.359/.534 with 24 home runs. As a reward the Reds signed him to a four-year $28 million deal but he hasn’t been able to do much with his hands since he used the right one to sign the contract.

ON A BRIGHTER NOTE, disabled pitcher Tim Adleman threw 25 pitches in the bullpen Monday and reports no ill-effects to his oblique, which landed him on the disables list.

Before that, Adleman threw four scoreless innings over the weekend on rehab for the Class AAA .

“It is nice to get back out there and throw and not feel anything or have any awareness of the injury,” said Adleman. “It was nice to get out there and worry about executing pitches as opposed to thinking, ‘OK, how is this feeling? Is it going to pop again?’”

With the demotion to Louisville of starter John Lamb, manager Bryan Price has mentioned Adleman as one of the team’s many options to fill the one start needed by somebody before the return of Homer Bailey off the disabled list.

ASKED IF HIS RECOVERY period was longer than expected, he said, “It was. I wasn’t sure how long it would take. I wasn’t sure 100 per cent how long it would take, but given that it was diagnosed as a mild sprain, I was pretty optimistic,” said Adleman. “I know with obliques if you try to rush them back it can come back to bite you. So it has been longer than I thought.”

Alderman, 1-1 with a 3.72 ERA in four starts, last pitched on May 19, only 3 1/3 innings in a 7-2 loss to the . The 28-year-old right hander is a delightful story, a tale of a guy who wouldn’t quit after the released him in 2012. No major league organizations lit up his cellphone so he tried independent ball.

The Florence Freedom, just across the Ohio River from Great American Ball Park released him, but he hooked on with the El Paso Diablos, then the New Jersey Jackals of the independent Can-Am League and caught the attention of the Reds.

He spent 2014 and 2015 in Class AA and was impressive enough during spring training this year when the Reds developed a need in the rotation he was given a chance. And he may yet get another.

WHEN ASKED ABOUT the upcoming rotation and who will replace Lamb, Price said, “No decisions yet, but we will tweak it. There are some ideas that (pitching coach) Mack Jenkins and I have discussed. We are not going to rush Homer Bailey back. He will be activated when he is ready to pitch.

“There are some guys currently in our system, on the 40-man roster, and Adleman has thrown four innings and 64 pitches. I’d prefer not to do that unless he is healthy. Keyvius Sampson could start because he is stretched out. We want to take a look at all our candidates and make a good decision because most likely it will be only one start.”

Top picks power Dragons past Wisconsin By Jeff Gilbert - Contributing Writer Posted: 10:37 p.m. Monday, July 18, 2016

Monday night shone like Reds’ future stars night at Fifth-Third Field.

Nick Senzel, Chris Okey and Tyler Stephenson combined for 10 hits, four RBIs and five runs to lead the Dayton Dragons to an 8-3 victory over the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers.

The big three, along with key hits from Shed Long and Reydel Medina, stopped a three-game losing streak for the Dragons (30-64, 9-15 second half) to close the homestand 3-3. And starter Tanner Rainey kept the Rattlers (46-49, 12-13) down just enough through five innings.

“We’re hit and miss with offense, but tonight I’ll tell ya it was nice,” Dragons manager Dick Schofield said. “We’ve got to finish strong so the kids go into the offseason with a good feeling about it.”

The Reds drafted Senzel out of Tennessee as the No. 2 overall pick in June. He was 1 for 14 on the homestand until nearly hitting for the cycle Monday while batting third.

“I don’t think anything was different,” Senzel said. “I stuck with my same approach. I didn’t think I was swinging the bat terribly the first two games. In baseball that happens.”

Senzel lined an RBI triple to right to spark a three-run first inning, an RBI single to push the lead to 4-1 in the second and a two-run homer for an 8-3 lead in the sixth. He finished a 4-for-5 night with a single in the eighth.

“A very polished player with three years at a major university,” Schofield said. “He seems to be the real deal. It’s just his first half- season, but he’s looking real good.”

Senzel began his pro career at Billings, Mont., in the Pioneer League in June. After 10 games there, he was sent to Dayton where he is batting .322 in 15 games.

“It’s been fun finally getting to settle down in one place in Dayton,” Senzel said. “It’s been an exciting journey so far. I can’t wait to keep it going.”

Okey, a second-round pick out of Clemson in June, was behind the plate, batted fifth and finished the homestand 6-for-14 with two singles and two runs. Stephenson, also a catcher, followed Okey as the and was 4-for-4 with a double and a run scored. Stephenson was a first-round pick last year.

Rainey night: Rainey, the Reds’ No. 17 prospect, continued his education as a starter. A first baseman and in college, Rainey (3-7) made his 32nd minor-league start. He was dominant at times with a fastball that topped out at 99 mph. He struck out four in five innings, but walked five and allowed two solo homers. He left with a 6-3 lead.

On the road: The Dragons head west for three games at Quad Cities and three games at Cedar Rapids. The starters at Quad Cities will be lefties Jacob Constante and Ty Boyles and right-hander Austin Orewiler.

ESPN.COM Braves-Reds preview 12:44 AM ET STATS LLC

CINCINNATI -- Cody Reed is taking his lumps at the major league level, but it is all part of the process.

The 23-year-old Cincinnati Reds left-hander, who came into this season ranked as the second-best prospect in the organization, owns an 8.39 ERA through five starts with 23 earned runs allowed in 24 2/3 innings.

Some flashes of brilliance are embedded in the rust, however. Reed (0-4) has fanned 29 batters, including nine in his big league debut to become the first Reds pitcher to reach that total in his first career start since Johnny Cueto in 2008.

Reed was among a trio of heralded left-handed pitching prospects acquired from the in exchange for Cueto last July. On Tuesday, Reed will again search for his first win when he faces the Atlanta Braves, a club he has yet to face. Cincinnati is hoping for a more extended outing from Reed, who hasn't pitched past the fifth inning since going seven in his debut.

Rookie right-hander Tyrell Jenkins (0-1, 4.50 ERA) will start for Atlanta, and he will be facing the Reds for the first time. It will be Jenkins' second career start, with his other four major league appearances coming out of the bullpen this season.

In his only previous start, Jenkins threw 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball on July 6 at Philadelphia. He hasn't pitched since.

With the left-handed Reed on the mound for Cincinnati, the Braves are expected to go with Anthony Recker behind the plate. The rotation between Recker and A.J. Pierzynski is something that still is developing.

"We'll let Recker get the left-handers the next couple of days and see what we've got," Braves interim manager Brian Snitker said Monday. "I thought he did a good job (Sunday). He was in synch with Julio (Teheran), and he can swing the bat. They'll both play. A.J. was a big addition for us."

Speaking of catching, the big news Monday from the Reds' side is that Devin Mesoraco underwent surgery repair a torn labrum in his right hip. The procedure was performed in New York by hip specialist Bryan Kelly, who also repaired Mesoraco's hip impingement in June 2015.

Mesoraco had his second shoulder surgery after undergoing a procedure on a torn left labrum in May. He is expected to begin catching drills in mid- to late January.

In 2014, Mesoraco, 28, became the first Reds catcher since Hall of Famer to hit 25 homers and drive in 80 runs in a season.

"We certainly would like him to stay healthy and keep him on the field," manager Bryan Price said. "It's always a crapshoot with any player. Hopefully, what he's doing is putting all this behind him so he can string together some healthy seasons."

Tucker Barnhart has been getting the bulk of the playing time with Ramon Cabrera serving as an able backup.

Reds first baseman Joey Votto will be looking to continue his hot streak on Tuesday after going 2-for-3 with a homer and three RBI in an 8-2 win over the Braves in the series . Votto who batted only .200 in May, is off to a blistering start after the All-Star break, 8-for-15 (.533).

"I've had seasons where I've started off really well, poorly, everything in between," Votto said. "You have to take every challenge that comes your way. Early in the season, I struggled hitting fastballs over the plate. That's step one, and go from there."

ASSOCIATED PRESS Cozart, Votto, Eugenio homer in Reds' 8-2 win over Braves 8:25 AM ET Associated Press

CINCINNATI -- Joey Votto's hitting has finally come around midway through the season, just like it did last year.

Votto, Zack Cozart and Eugenio Suarez all homered in the fourth inning as the Cincinnati Reds got the better of a matchup between the NL's two worst teams, beating the Atlanta Braves 8-2 on Monday night.

The Reds (35-58) have taken three of five this season against the Braves, who have the majors' worst record (32-61). Atlanta is 19- 31 all-time at Great American Ball Park, including five losses in its last six games.

The Reds connected three times off Matt Wisler (4-9), who has given up five homers in his last two starts. Cozart led off the fourth with his 15th homer, and Votto extended his second-half resurgence with a two-run shot. In four games since returning from the All-Star break, Votto is 8 for 15.

"Early in the season, I was struggling hitting fastballs over the plate," said Votto, who was batting .213 at the end of May. "That's something I needed to correct. You can't play in this league without being able to hit fastballs. That was step one, and you go from there."

Suarez's two-run homer just inside the left-field foul pole made it 5-1. Votto later added an RBI single.

The former NL Most Valuable Player also had a subpar first half last season, then led the majors by batting .362 after the All-Star break. So far this July, he's batting .351.

"I've got a great feeling," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "He's able to play without the frustration that goes with those early struggles. That's a relief for me to see him go out there just playing baseball. He looks very much like the player who enjoyed a ridiculous second half last year."

Left-hander Brandon Finnegan (5-7) pitched into the sixth and gave up seven hits -- three of them by Adonis Garcia, who hit a solo homer in the sixth. Finnegan had lost three of his last four starts, giving up 20 runs in 19 innings.

Wisler won his last start, 11-8 over the White Sox in Chicago on July 8 despite giving up six runs, including two homers. Since the start of June, he's 2-4 in eight starts with a 7.06 ERA.

"The ball started getting up," Wisler said. "Once the ball started getting up, they started teeing it up on me. I can't keep having outings like this. It's frustrating."

Billy Hamilton singled three times, scored a run and stole three bases for a total of 27, the third-most in the NL.

THAT'S FAST

Mauricio Cabrera threw a pitch at 103.8 mph, according to MLB's Statcast system. It's the ninth-fastest pitch since Statcast began tracking last year. The eight higher ones were thrown by , including a 105.1 mph one Monday night.

STATS

Wisler also gave up three homers in an inning on June 11 against the Cubs. ... It was the third time this season that the Reds hit three homers in an inning. They also did it April 23 against the Cubs and May 4 against the Giants. ... Garcia has hit safely in all five games against the Reds this season, going 11 for 22 with two homers. ... Cozart's 15 homers match his career high. He most recently hit 15 in 2012. Twelve of his 15 have been solo shots.

MESORACO SURGERY

Reds C Devin Mesoraco had surgery on his right hip Monday, his third major operation in a year. He had surgery on the left hip last season and was back for opening day. He had surgery for a torn labrum in his left shoulder in May. The right hip started bothering him early this season, and doctors advised that it would require surgery at some point as well.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Braves: RH Shae Simmons threw a simulated game on Monday. He's recovering from Tommy John surgery in February 2015.

Reds: 2B Brandon Phillips was back in the lineup after missing two games with a strained right calf. He went 1 for 3 -- extending his hitting streak to seven games -- and left for a in the seventh.

UP NEXT

Braves: RHP Tyrell Jenkins (0-1, 4.50) makes his second career start and sixth major league appearance.

Reds: LHP Cody Reed (0-4, 8.39) makes his sixth career start. He has failed to last five innings in his last three starts.

TRANSACTIONS 07/18/16

Cleveland Indians sent RHP Zach McAllister on a rehab assignment to Columbus Clippers. placed C Geovany Soto on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to July 16, 2016. Left knee inflammation. Cleveland Indians activated C Roberto Perez from the 60-day disabled list. placed LHP Sammy Solis on the 15-day disabled list retroactive to July 8, 2016. Right knee. sent RHP on a rehab assignment to Charlotte Stone Crabs. Los Angeles Angels optioned Sean Coyle to Arkansas Travelers. Los Angeles Angels claimed 2B Sean Coyle off waivers from . Los Angeles Angels designated RHP A.J. Achter for assignment. sent RHP Trevor Cahill on a rehab assignment to . Tampa Bay Rays sent RHP Chase Whitley on a rehab assignment to Charlotte Stone Crabs. sent LHP Daniel Norris on a rehab assignment to Toledo Mud Hens. sent OF Aaron Altherr on a rehab assignment to Clearwater Threshers. Cleveland Indians optioned Cody Anderson to Columbus Clippers. Los Angeles Angels transferred 2B Cliff Pennington from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list. Left hamstring strain. Cleveland Indians placed C on the 15-day disabled list. Separated right shoulder. Los Angeles Angels selected the contract of C Juan Graterol from Salt Lake Bees. sent PR Yimi Garcia on a rehab assignment to Rancho Cucamonga Quakes. placed 3B Brett Wallace on the paternity list. San Diego Padres activated LF Melvin Upton Jr. from the bereavement list. Los Angeles Angels sent OF Craig Gentry on a rehab assignment to Salt Lake Bees. San Francisco Giants sent 2B Joe Panik on a rehab assignment to Sacramento River Cats. Kansas City Royals transferred RHP Kris Medlen from the 15-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list. Right shoulder sprain. Chicago White Sox sent C Alex Avila on a rehab assignment to . Kansas City Royals claimed Nick Tepesch off waivers from . New York Yankees optioned CF Mason Williams to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. New York Yankees activated CF Mason Williams from the 60-day disabled list. optioned Edwin Escobar to Reno Aces. New York Mets optioned CF Brandon Nimmo to Las Vegas 51s. New York Mets recalled from Las Vegas 51s. Cleveland Indians recalled Kyle Crockett from Columbus Clippers.