Reds Press Clippings July 16, 2017 THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 1970-The Reds beat the Pirates, 3-2, before 48,846 in the first game at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh MLB.COM Bailey seeks to continue momentum vs. Nats By Jeremy Vernon / MLB.com | 7:22 AM ET + 7 COMMENTS

Sunday's game between the Reds and Nationals at Great American Ball Park sees one trying to keep momentum after recovering from a nightmare start to his season face off against another who hopes to reverse his fortunes of late.

The former is Cincinnati's Homer Bailey (2-2, 8.31 ERA), who has seen his ERA drop from 43.20 after his first start. The right- hander made his season debut on June 24 against Washington after spending the first part of the season on the disabled list after recovering from elbow surgery. He gave up eight runs over 1 2/3 innings in that start, and followed it up by allowing six runs over three innings in his next appearance.

But Bailey has turned things around over his last two starts. In games against high-scoring National League West foes Colorado and Arizona, he gave up two combined runs over 12 2/3 innings and earned his first two quality starts since August 2016.

Opposite Bailey will be Nationals starter Tanner Roark (6-6, 5.27 ERA), who himself hasn't had a quality start since June 9. He's given up three runs or more in six of his last seven starts since the start of June, including a stretch of three games where he allowed 19 runs across 13 2/3 innings.

Roark has some experience vs. the Reds in his career, as he's posted a 1-2 record and a 4.37 ERA in six starts against the team. Cincinnati batters are a combined 26-for-90 (.289) against Roark in his career. Catcher Tucker Barnhart and infielder Scooter Gennett are a combined 10-for-25 (.400) with seven RBIs against him.

Things to know about this game

• Roark's career second-half ERA of 2.71 ranks eighth among active Major League with at least 10 career second-half starts. The Washington righty was 8-5 with a 2.60 ERA in the latter half of the 2016 season.

• Jose Peraza should be back in the lineup Sunday after getting Saturday off. The Reds second baseman has hit just .239 since the beginning of June.

Jeremy Vernon is a reporter for MLB.com based in Cincinnati. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League or its clubs.

Reds' rally falls short after giving up 10 runs By Mark Sheldon and Jeremy Vernon / MLB.com | 12:52 AM ET + 66 COMMENTS

CINCINNATI -- wasn't entirely on point in his first start of the second half, but the Nationals ace found plenty of ways to keep the Reds off of the scoreboard on Saturday. Although Scherzer blanked the Reds for six innings, the Nationals bullpen nearly gave a huge lead back before hanging on for a 10-7 victory over Cincinnati.

Scherzer struck out 10 batters over six scoreless innings while allowing three hits and four walks. He left with a 3-0 lead and the Nationals were leading by a 10-0 score after seven innings.

"I've dealt with a lot of failure in my career," Scherzer said. "The thing is, I've learned from that. I know how to make pitches. ... Matt Wieters did such a great job of throwing the right sequence. When they were looking fastball, we were throwing off-speed; when they were looking off-speed, we were throwing fastballs. And so we did a great job of keeping them off balance and never gave up the big hit."

Anthony Rendon enjoyed a six-RBI night with two home runs, including a in the top of the seventh, to keep things comfortable for Washington. Rendon reached safely in all five of his plate appearances, with three hits.

The game was closer under the watch of Reds rookie starter Luis Castillo, who gave up three earned runs and three hits over six innings with four walks and six . Castillo didn't allow a hit through the first three innings before giving up all of his runs in the fourth inning, including a Rendon two-run homer.

Scherzer, the Major League leader in ERA and the National League leader in strikeouts, had double-digit strikeouts for the ninth time in his last 10 starts and 61st time in his career. He finished each of his first five innings with a .

It was a disastrous evening for Reds relievers Michael Lorenzen and Blake Wood in the seventh. Lorenzen faced seven batters, retired one and started out with Ryan Raburn slugging a leadoff homer. After he left with one out and the bases loaded, Wood surrendered Rendon's grand slam to center field that capped a seven-run rally.

The six runs charged to Lorenzen over one-third of an inning ballooned his ERA from 2.93 to 4.08. The Nationals scored at least 10 runs for the 16th time this season, extending their club record (beginning in 2005).

"We went with our best guy for that situation with Michael," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "He didn't have it today, and they were able to put together the big inning. It looked like a knockout blow, but to the credit of the guys who were still in the game, they just kept the pedal to the metal so to speak."

In the eighth inning, Nationals reliever Austin Adams struggled mightily in his big league debut, loading the bases with no outs on no hits. Scooter Gennett's walk forced home a run and snapped Cincinnati's scoreless streak at 19 innings, one shy of the club's season high. Eugenio Suarez followed with an RBI single. Trevor Gott fared worse in the bottom of the ninth as he allowed five hits without retiring a batter. With one run already in, Gennett made it a three-run game with a three-run homer to right field, his 16th of the season. Matt Grace picked up the final three outs for his second save in two nights.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Max effort: The Reds opened the night by putting Scherzer on the ropes in the first inning, with Billy Hamilton hitting a double followed by a Zack Cozart walk. Scherzer responded by striking out the side of , Adam Duvall and Gennett in order and struck out the side again in the second inning following a leadoff walk.

"When you're having to face Votto, nobody out, first and second, that's just tough," Scherzer said. "Your back's against the wall. And together, [Wieters and I] did a good job throwing the right pitch at the right time and collecting strikeouts in those big situations."

"We had him on the ropes, and he pitched his way through it," Price said. "He does that to a lot of teams and a lot of lineups and a lot of really good hitters. We got his pitch count up, but I thought the most costly innings were four and five, because he ... stabilized his pitch count."

Murphy snaps tie: It was actually a pitchers' duel in the early going and a scoreless tie until the fourth inning. After Bryce Harper notched Washington's first hit with one out, Daniel Murphy launched a RBI double to the wall in left-center field to make it a 1-0 game. Murphy, who was given an extra day off after the All-Star break, came into the game second in the Majors in doubles.

"The middle of our order, they've all got 60 RBIs," Nationals manager Dusty Baker said. "They're all hitting .300. They're carrying most of the weight on this team."

QUOTABLE

"I think we all collectively want to see a strong finish to the second half and create a renewed excitement about where we are. I think that's just what it is at this point in time. I say it all the time, there's talent here. I don't think we're far away from being one of the better teams if not the best team in the division. I really don't. But you don't want to keep losing and keep talking about how good you are. We've got to win more games." -- Price, on his 39-51 club.

WHAT'S NEXT

Nationals: Tanner Roark will man the mound for the Nationals in Sunday's 1:10 p.m. ET game. He hasn't had a quality start since June 9 and has allowed three or more runs in six of his last seven appearances.

Reds: Homer Bailey will get the ball and seek to extend his two-start win streak on Sunday. After he went 0-2 with a 27.00 ERA in his first two starts back from elbow surgery, Bailey is 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA over his last two starts.

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. Jeremy Vernon is a reporter for MLB.com based in Cincinnati and covered the Nationals on Saturday. This story was not subject to the approval of or its clubs.

Castillo starts strong opposite Scherzer But young right-hander runs into trouble with two outs By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | 12:20 AM ET + 0 COMMENTS

CINCINNATI -- For his fifth big league start on Saturday, Reds rookie Luis Castillo was opposing one of the game's best pitchers in Nationals ace Max Scherzer. Yet it was Castillo who didn't allow any hits for the first three innings.

Castillo wasn't able to sustain that success in the fourth inning, the only inning where he was touched up in a 10-7 Reds loss. In six innings, the 24-year-old prospect allowed three earned runs and three hits with four walks and six strikeouts while doing nothing to lower manager Bryan Price's optimism about his pitching future.

"Tough loss for him, to go six innings of three-run ball, but another step in the right direction with this kid," Price said. "I think we're all excited every time he takes the mound right now."

Castillo is 1-2 with a 3.41 ERA in 29 innings with 25 hits, 14 walks and 36 strikeouts. Once again according to Statcast™, his velocity was perky as he averaged 97.9 mph with his four-seam fastball. He struck out Bryce Harper to end the first inning with 98- mph heat.

"Today I was attacking the zone," Castillo said via translator Julio Morillo. "I was trying to get ahead of the count. I just need to practice with my breaking-ball pitches and being more consistent with those pitches. I felt really good today."

One area where Castillo didn't fare well was with two outs. Of his seven batters to reach safely, six had two outs. Harper's fourth- inning, one-out single -- Washington's first hit of the game -- was the exception but it opened the door to trouble.

"Sometimes when you have two quick outs, you think the job is done and the game goes faster," Castillo said. "After that, you need to pick your tempo up. You have to make your pitches to make the outs."

Daniel Murphy drove a first-pitch fastball to the wall in left-center field for a RBI double. The next batter, Anthony Rendon, was in a 3-0 count before Castillo battled back to 3-2 with two fastballs for strikes.

Castillo attempted to get a third-straight fastball past Rendon, who attacked it for a to left field and a 3-0 Nationals lead. Against Scherzer, that makes it tougher to come back.

"I wanted to just challenge him," Castillo said. "I didn't want to walk him. A 3-0 count, everything that you throw had to be in the zone. I made a mistake, and he's a really good hitter. You can't make a mistake with him."

Price would have liked to have seen better pitch selection in that situation.

"One of the things he had done earlier in the game is he had been able to lock up a couple hitters on 3-2 breaking balls," Price said. "That's not to second-guess, because that's exactly what it sounds like, but I think he had done that to the point where they had to respect the breaking ball on 3-2. But Rendon was right on the heater and didn't miss it."

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.

Donkey business: Cozart gets sneak preview Votto fulfills promise, arranges for animals to visit ballpark By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | July 15th, 2017 + 1 COMMENT

CINCINNATI -- Joey Votto learned that buying his friend and Reds teammate, Zack Cozart, a donkey for making the National League All-Star team was the easy part. Getting a donkey ready to be a pet is a whole other ballgame, so to speak.

On Saturday, Votto paid off his bet publicly by arranging to have three donkeys visit Great American Ball Park. One of the donkeys, 12-year-old Amos, was brought onto the field during Reds batting practice.

"This has turned into kind of a public fan thing, which is great," Votto said. "Ultimately, it's a gift between he and I. I think pairing it up with the All-Star Game, and allowing fans to feel some sense of control with naming the donkey, or at least giving them some options, is great. Ultimately on our time, we'll figure it out."

Amos isn't the donkey Cozart will receive as his new family pet. His is 5 months old and currently in training at Honey Hill Farms in Pendleton County, Ky., which also raised Amos -- who is trained to be in front of lots of people and get attention.

"Zack feels a sense of responsibility to not bring a wild donkey that could hurt somebody or go rogue," Votto said. "Next thing you know, we've got a donkey in center field."

When Cozart met Amos, it was love at first sight.

"I'm way more excited after seeing ol' Amos over there," Cozart said. "He'll live to be 25-30 years old. This is a lifetime companion here."

As Cozart pet Amos, he asked the handlers for some tips to care for donkeys.

"I asked them if they could try to make it a house donkey so I could train it to go to the door [to use the bathroom], but I don't think that's going to fly," Cozart said. "They said they are very loyal. They're very protective of the family, which is a good thing, so we'll see. I need to pick their brains a little more about exactly what they eat all the time. There's a lot of questions I have."

The new donkey will need a name. From now through July 31, fans can email their suggestions to [email protected]. Cozart will review all the suggestions and pick a winner in August.

Cozart and his wife, Chelsea, have a 2-year-old son named Cooper. The family also has two dogs and live in Nashville during the offseason. A longtime fan of donkeys, Cozart took Cooper to see donkeys at a place near the team's facility in Goodyear, Ariz. He discussed donkeys and his knowledge of them so often in the clubhouse that Votto eventually made a promise after the shortstop got off to a hot start this season.

If Cozart made the All-Star team, Votto told him he would buy him a donkey. A made-for-media sensation was soon born and Cincinnati got donkey fever. Votto even dressed as a donkey on MLB Network behind Cozart to help improve his vote totals. Cozart was elected by the fans as the starter on the NL squad.

At some point later this season, or in the offseason, Cozart will receive his actual donkey.

"You just can't dump it in the middle of nowhere and the donkey gets sick. He's got to watch over it," Votto said. "He does feel a sense of responsibility to it, and I do too. I don't want to just dump a gift on him or get owed on him and him saying, 'What the heck am I going to do with this?'

"We want to make sure the donkey recognizes that Zack is his No. 1 guy. It's a donkey he's going to have for the rest of his life. We can't rush that. We have to set them both up for success, long-term."

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. CINCINNATI ENQUIRER Huge comeback still falls short for Reds against Nationals Zach Buchanan , [email protected] Published 11:47 p.m. ET July 15, 2017 | Updated 9:30 a.m. ET July 16, 2017

For those interested in defending the rebuilding , Saturday’s 10-7 loss to the would be an easy one to write off. What went poorly for the Reds at Great American Ball Park wasn’t what has gone poorly for the Reds in the season as a whole.

Michael Lorenzen entered in the sixth with a 3.13 ERA, but collapsed to begin the downward spiral in Cincinnati’s seven-run vortex of an inning. An offense that has consistently ranked in the top half of the league struggled against Nationals ace Max Scherzer, but managed to storm back for seven runs in the final two innings against Washington’s terrible bullpen.

Taken along with a solid, six-inning, three-run performance from rookie starter Luis Castillo, there were probably more reasons for long-term encouragement than long-term concern. But manager Bryan Price steered clear of that well-worn path after the game.

He was more focused on his team's 39-51 record.

“I don’t think we’re far away from being one of the better teams if not the best team in the division. I really don’t,” Price said. “But you don’t want to keep losing and keep talking about how good you are. We’ve got to win more games.”

If the Reds wanted to win Saturday’s, they needed to push Scherzer just a little bit harder. There were opportunities in the first three innings, but each time Scherzer flipped a switch to escape unscathed.

A double and a walk in the first was followed by three straight strikeouts. Scherzer fanned three more batters after walking the leadoff hitter in the second. He put two aboard again in the third, but bounced back for two looking strikeouts and an infield pop.

If there was any silver lining, it’s that the Reds had forced Scherzer to throw 62 pitches. If the Reds couldn’t score off him, at least they’d force baseball’s shakiest bullpen into action early, right? As soon as that thought crossed Price’s mind, the reigning National League Cy Young winner averaged just 11 pitches in each of the next three innings.

“I hate to say we had him on the ropes,” Price said, “but we had him in a situation where we could have chased him earlier if we had gotten that pitch count a little higher.”

The Reds trailed just 3-0 at that point, but their bullpen proved to be as much of a liability as Washington’s. Price turned to Lorenzen to keep it close, but the right-hander walked two and gave up four hits while recording only an out. The Reds trailed 6-0 when he exited with the bases loaded. Blake Wood entered and quickly emptied them, serving up a grand slam to Anthony Rendon on a hanging change-up.

Price pulled many of his regulars, but even the backups were nearly too much for Washington’s wildfire relief corps. The Reds tallied two runs against rookie Austin Adams with no outs in the eight, forcing Nationals manager Dusty Baker to turn to left-hander Oliver Perez to escape the inning.

In the ninth, Cincinnati dropped five runs on right-hander Trevor Gott – again with no outs – the last three on a majestic homer from Scooter Gennett. Once more Baker removed a reliever who’d failed to retire a single batter, turning to lefty Matt Grace to finish the game.

Price has lauded his team’s never-say-die spirit in the past, but he’d much prefer to feel a pulse in the standings.

“What we’re seeing at the end of these games where we keep making a push is just the character of the players,” Price said. “But again, another year of a lot of heavy losing doesn’t serve the purpose.”

Cincinnati Reds recap: Late rally comes up short against Washington Nationals Zach Buchanan , [email protected] Published 10:49 p.m. ET July 15, 2017 | Updated 10:49 p.m. ET July 15, 2017

The Cincinnati Reds made a furious comeback, but still fell short in a 10-7 loss to the Washington Nationals on Saturday at Great American Ball Park. Here are the main storylines.

Luis Castillo had one rough inning in an otherwise strong outing. Castillo had a no-hitter through three innings, giving up only a walk to Anthony Rendon in the second. Then the fourth came along.

Bryce Harper smacked a one-out single to break up the no-no, and Daniel Murphy followed with a two-out double to score a run. Then Rendon hit a home run to left to put the Nationals up 3-0.

Castillo rebounded to get through two more scoreless innings, allowing only three walks the rest of the way. Two of those walks came on eight total pitches in consecutive two-out plate appearances in the sixth. After a meeting with pitching coach Mack Jenkins, Castillo got Matt Wieters to ground out to end the inning.

Castillo was charged for three runs on three hits and four walks over six innings. He struck out six, and his ERA now sits at 3.41.

Max Scherzer bent, but the Reds couldn’t break him. Scherzer didn’t allow a run in six innings of work, but he sure did up the degree of difficulty for doing so. In each of the first three innings, the leadoff batter got aboard against Scherzer. In the first and third, the first two batters reached.

In both the first and second, Scherzer responded by getting three consecutive strikeouts to stifle the threat. In the third, he got a looking strikeout, a pop up, and then another looking strikeout. Those chances were Cincinnati’s best punches, and the Reds managed just two more baserunners against Scherzer in the right-hander’s final two innings.

The Reds bullpen broke down. Michael Lorenzen took over for Castillo to start the seventh, and struggled from the get-go. Three pitches in, Lorenzen gave up a solo homer to Ryan Raburn, who was cut by the Reds in spring training. Then Adrian Sanchez hit a sharp liner to left of which Adam Duvall made a nice catch.

That’s when the real trouble started happening. Lorenzen walked Brian Goodwin on five pitches, then gave up singles to Stephen Drew and Harper after falling behind 2-0 and 3-0, respectively, giving the Nats a 5-0 lead. A walk to loaded the bases, and Murphy drove in another run with a single, chasing Lorenzen from the game.

Blake Wood replaced him, only to serve up a grand slam to Anthony Rendon on a hanging change-up. Wood gave up another hit before finally escaping the inning.

Against a terrible Washington bullpen, the Reds offense got in gear. Nationals right-hander Austin Adams made his big-league debut with a 10-0 lead in the eighth, but things went quickly awry even against a lineup filled with bench replacements. An error put the leadoff batter aboard, and then Adams walked two and plunked another to force in a run and break the shutout bid. A Eugenio Suarez single made it 10-2, and forced Nationals manager Dusty Baker to pull the young pitcher. Left-hander Oliver Perez recorded three outs without allowing further damage.

The ninth was much worse. Against right-hander Trevor Gott, Billy Hamilton singled and scored on a Patrick Kivlehan double. Consecutive hits from Stuart Turner and Adam Duvall scored another run. Then Scooter Gennett demolished an inside fastball for a huge three-run homer, cutting the deficit to three.

Baker then made his fourth pitching change of the final two innings, bringing in left-hander Matt Grace. Grace got a flyout and two groundouts to end the game.

If you give a Red a donkey Zach Buchanan , [email protected] Published 7:06 p.m. ET July 15, 2017 | Updated 9:19 p.m. ET July 15, 2017

Amos the Donkey will not be going home with Zack Cozart. But before Saturday’s game at Great American Ball Park, the Cincinnati Reds shortstop got a brief glimpse of the donkey-related bliss he can expect when Joey Votto fulfills his All-Star promise.

During batting practice, the 12-year-old Amos sauntered toward the dugout along the warning track in right field. Players stopped to feed him and pet him, and Amos gamely posed for an endless series of photos. Then Cozart ascended the dugout steps from the tunnel to get his own quality donkey time.

Cozart petted the donkey and peppered its owners from Honey Hill Farm with questions about donkey upkeep. It was the culmination of a successful, month-long PR campaign to get Cozart into the All-Star Game, and the constant barrage of donkey interviews have not hushed the 31-year-old shortstop’s enthusiasm for donkey ownership.

“(I’m) way more excited,” Cozart said. “After seeing ol’ Amos over there? He’s 12 years old. They live to like 25 or 30 years old. This is like a lifetime companion.”

Amos is not the donkey Votto promised. The Reds first baseman, also an All-Star this year, does not want a donkey gift to become a donkey curse. Dropping a 400-pound animal on the lap of someone who may not be prepared for the demands of its care? That would hardly be a reward for Cozart’s breakout season.

Cozart needs land on which to keep the donkey, although he’s said he’d like to keep the donkey indoors. (How Cozart’s wife, Chelsea, feels about that idea is not known.) Cozart is also a little busy right now, and could be changing addresses in two weeks if the Reds move him at the trading deadline.

“Getting a donkey is like cake, right? Really easy to do,” Votto said. “However, he has to have a place to put it.”

From Cozart’s understanding, his donkey has been selected already. It’s about five months old and will need to grow a bit older and stronger before he can be passed off to Cozart. It’s best for all involved.

Votto said Cozart knows more about the promised donkey than he does at this point. Votto has had his people take care of the animal’s procurement. He has not met Cozart’s future donkey either, but said he hopes the shortstop will be blessed with a girl.

“I’m kind of hoping it’s a female donkey,” Votto said. “I don’t feel like female donkeys are represented enough in society nowadays. It’s a male donkey-dominated culture. Hopefully it’s a female. Female donkeys and male donkeys deserve the same rights.”

Votto said buying a donkey will put one back anywhere from $100 to $100,000 depending on the bloodline, although it was hard to tell how serious the first baseman was being. He did say that if someone wants to buy the particular donkey Cozart will receive, bidding opens at $100,000. After all, that donkey is famous now.

(All proceeds would go to charity, Votto added.)

Fans also will get a chance to name the donkey by emailing suggestions to [email protected]. Cozart will review those suggestions and pick a winner in August, the Reds said. How strictly Cozart will stick to the suggestions is unknown. After all, he could have this donkey well into his 60s.

It’s a big commitment.

“We want to make sure that this donkey recognizes that Zack is his number-one guy. It’s a donkey he’s going to have for the rest of his life,” Votto said. “We can’t rush that. We’ve got to set them both up for success long-term.”

Schebler surprised by 'Sexual Healing' walk-up music Zach Buchanan , [email protected] Published 1:25 p.m. ET July 15, 2017 | Updated 2:24 p.m. ET July 15, 2017

As Scott Schebler stepped in the batter's box for his first plate appearance Friday against the Washington Nationals, a familiar but unexpected melody graced his ears. The opening chords of Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" blared over the loudspeakers at Great American Ball Park.

The Cincinnati Reds outfielder has heard a variety of songs as he's stepped to the plate this year. For about a month he directed ballpark operations to play something different each time. But "Sexual Healing" got his attention.

“I don’t want to be hearing my walk-up song when I go to the plate," Schebler said. "I should be concentrating on the at-bat. We’ll get that straightened out.”

(For what it's worth, Schebler got an infield hit and then stole second in that inning.)

Schebler began the year using "Sabotage" by The Beastie Boys as his walk-up song. Then, for about a month, he asked that something new be played until he struck upon something he liked. After that, he stuck with "Cochise" by Audioslave for a while.

But before Friday's game, Schebler told Reds director of promotional events and player relations Corey Hawthorne to switch it up again. Schebler's teammates started shouting out suggestions purposefully ill-fitting for a guy who drops "Geez Louise" into conversation often.

Schebler really wanted some instrumentals. He did get one -- an instrumental of an Aaliyah song before his second at-bat -- but then walked up to Jay-Z's "Big Pimpin'" on his third trip to the plate. For his fourth, it was back to "Sexual Healing."

"I assume that’s what they were telling him to play," Schebler said sheepishly. "We’ll get that straightened out. I’m not really a guy that’s going to walk up to ‘Big Pimpin'’ too much.” WCPO - Channel 9 Donkey visits Zack Cozart at Great American Ball Park WCPO Staff 5:05 PM, Jul 15, 2017 10:48 PM, Jul 15, 2017

CINCINNATI -- Amos the donkey made an appearance at Great American Ball Park Saturday to visit Zack Cozart before the Reds' game against Washington Nationals.

Teammate Joey Votto promised the shortstop he'd buy him a donkey if he made it to the All-Star Team. Cozart delivered, and so did Votto.

Amos is not Cozart's donkey, but his donkey will be coming from the same farm.

Cozart said he's still not sure what to feed a donkey, and he said he's looking forward to the "interesting" times ahead.

"When they're training my donkey, if they could make it a house donkey, like train it to go to the door and stuff. But I don't think that's going to fly," Cozart said.

Cozart said he was "pretty surprised" when he was named to the All-Star Team on July 2.

"Obviously starting is that much better because the fans vote you in and they recognize what you’ve done out there. It means a lot. I know Cincinnati was voting hard and I had to have some help outside of Cincy, and that happened," Cozart said.

He came in into the season a .246 hitter. This year, he’s hitting .323. Cozart also entered the year fully healthy for the first time since he wrecked his left knee on July 11, 2015. The injury cost him the rest of the season. DAYTON DAILY NEWS Reds notes: Peraza steps aside for Gennett By Mark Schmetzer - Contributing Writer Posted: 8:45 p.m. Saturday, July 15, 2017

CINCINNATI — Second baseman Jose Peraza was not in the lineup for Saturday’s second game of the Reds’ four-game series with Washington. He wasn’t ill or injured, manager Bryan Price said.

“He’s fine,” Price said. “I’ve just got to find some ways to get Scooter (Gennett) in there.”

Gennett, the left-handed hitting Lebanon, Ohio, native claimed off waivers from on March 28, already has set a single- season career-high with 15 home runs, and his 47 runs batted in are the most by any National League player with as few as 209 at bats. He hit .389 with three doubles, six home runs and 10 RBIs over his last 15 appearances before the All-Star break, and that was after his historic four-homer, 10-RBI game against St. Louis on June 6.

Gennett finished the “first half” of the season batting .311.

Peraza hadn’t exactly played his way out of the lineup. He had at least one hit in six of his last seven appearances before the All-Star Game, hitting .296 over that span to raise his overall average to .254. He ranks second on the Reds with 15 stolen bases.

Slight adjustment: The bullpen session catcher Devin Mesoraco was supposed to participate in before Saturday’s game turned into being allowed to warm up pitchers during the game as he continues to test the strained left shoulder that sent him to the 10-day disabled list on July 3.

“We didn’t have anybody throwing a bullpen, but this is actually better,” Price said. “This will give us a better opportunity to see how he’s doing. We should know by the end of this series whether he needs a rehab assignment or will be ready to be activated.”

Teams have to get permission for players on the disabled list to be in the dugout or bullpen.

“That doesn’t mean he can run out on the field during a brawl and sucker punch somebody,” Price joked.

Homer’s payback: Homer Bailey is hoping for a better outcome on Sunday in his second start of the season against the Nationals. It can’t get much worse than the first.

Bailey (2-2) completed his comeback from a February arthroscopic surgical procedure by making his 2017 debut on June 24 at Washington and was rocked for six hits and eight runs in 1 2/3 innings of what eventually turned into an 18-3 Cincinnati loss. His earned-run average was 43.20 after the outing.

Bailey has gotten back on track since then. In his most recent two starts, he’s gone 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA, allowing just two earned runs over a combined 12 2/3 innings, but the Nationals have plagued him throughout his career. He’s gone 1-4 with a 6.75 ERA in five career starts against Washington.

Right-hander Tanner Roark (6-6) is the Nationals’ scheduled starter for Sunday’s 1:10 p.m. game. Roark was the losing pitcher in Cincinnati’s 6-2 win on June 25 at Washington.

Family affair: When Washington pitcher Austin Adams makes his major league debut, he expects to have plenty of support. The right-hander, called up from Triple-A Syracuse on Friday, said his mother, Penny, is from Middletown.

“She’s a Middie, so if you hear a bunch of screaming, you’ll know why,” Adams said.

Top topic for the Reds: a donkey that should be named Zackass Hal McCoy July 15, 2017

CINCINNATI — There was a donkey named Andy on the Great American Ball Park field before Saturday’s game (enter your wise cracks in this space).

And there were two more donkeys on the concourse before the Cincinnati Reds-Washington Nationals game for the fans to have some interaction with.

None of the three was the donkey Joey Votto will give to Zack Cozart as a gift for making the All-Star team. That donkey, according to Votto, is being trained and won’t make an appearance until after the season.

As for a name, Votto wants the fans to name it and the Reds are staging a contest. My submission is, ‘Zackass,’ and that’s no reflection or aspersions on Cozart.

IS THE DONKEY DISTRACTION good or bad for the Reds? There seems to be more burro babble lately than talk about the Reds and how they are playing, which might be a good thing. They continue to slip deeper into last place in the National League Central, 3 1/2 games behind the fourth-place Pittsburgh Pirates when Saturday’s play began.

Manager Bryan Price doesn’t seem to mind the constant TV talk about the donkey, the donkey tee-shirts his players are wearing, the appearance of live beasts on the playing field.

HECK, DIDN’T MARGE SCHOTT bring elephants on the field for Opening Day and turn her St. Bernardd, Schottzie and Schottzie 02 loose on the field and stage a race between a cheetah and reserve outfielder Billy Bates?

Yes, she certainly did. And remember back in the days of The Big Red Machine they used to have Farmer’s Appeciation Days and bring cows on the field for the players to milk?

They certainly did. So why not donkeys?

“This is fun and let’s have fun while it’s here,” Price said of the Donkey Days of summer. “I remember Morganna (The Kissing Bandit) running across the field kissing players. Morganna? I guess I’m dating myself. But I’d this donkey stuff is in my Top Three or Top Five of funny things I’ve seen in baseball.

“I think it’s great and I think that certain things are over the top for the older generation,” he said. “That’s just how it is. Baseball is very generational. The older generation doesn’t like to see some of the changes that we see in the new generation.

“This, for me, though is just good gamesmanship among teammates,” Price added. “I’ve enjoyed it — enjoyed it every since Joey Votto put it out there.”

So, as long as nobody makes jackasses out of themselves on the field, what’s the harm?

Price remembers his days as pitching coach in Seattle and a mother instructed her son to spread her ashes over Safeco Field when she died.

“Well, they have restrictions about planes flying over Safeco, so he couldn’t get it done,” said Price. “Then one day a guy ran out of the stands into the outfield with a bag and dumped it. It was in the days of the anthrax scare and everyboduy panicked. About six security guards jumped him and pounded his head into the ground. Turns out it was the guy just spreading his mom’s ashes on the field.”

IF ONE CLOSED THEIR eyes while in Washington manager Dusty Baker’s office Saturday, one might think they were in Cincinnati Reds manager Bryan Price’s office.

For the first 15 minutes of a pre-game press conference, Baker was asked about injury updates. That’s about how it alays goes in Price’s office.

Both Baker and Price have been under injury siege all year. One difference, though. Baker’s team is 53-36 and in first place with a 9 1/2 game lead. Price’s team is 39-50 and in last place, 10 1/2 games out of first place.

The session in Baker’s office was typical, just as it was when he managed the Reds.

He was soft-spoken, as always, wearing his ever-present wrist band on his right wrist and a Fit-Bit on his left hand.

“My wife bought me one of those Apple wrist iPads,” said Baker. “I wore it one day. I was getting texts and e-mails at all hours, including during games. I took it off and told her, ‘All I want is something that tells me the time and counts my steps.’”

Oh, if he could have a few reliable relief pitchers, that would make him happier. The Nationals have the worst bullpen in baseball, as the statistics say, but are still so far in front of second place Atlanta that the Braves need high-powered Naval binoculars to see them.

THE LATEST BASEBALL BULLET taken by Baker was the discovery Saturday that starting pitcher is done for the season and will undergo Tommy John Surgery Wednesday.

In typical fashion, Baker was upbeat about it and said, “I’m convinced he’ll come back stronger and better than ever. A whole bunch of guys have come back from this better, throwing hard and with better mechanics.”

Baker, though, still has 10-game winner Max Scherzer, who started against the Reds Saturday, and nine-game winner , who faces the Reds Monday afternoon.

Scherzer started the All-Star game for the National League and pitched one inning — no runs, one hit, two strikeouts.

“Joe Maddon (National League manager) kept his word,” said Baker. “He told me he would only use Scherzer for one inning.” Baker paused for a quick laugh and said, “Scherzer would make a great closer.”

Baker knows he needs bullpen help, but Scherzer isn’t about to be part of it.

DISABLED CATCHER DEVIN MESORACO was scheduled to do a bullpen to test his shoulder Saturday, but it didn’t happen. And it wasn’t because Mesoraco is not ready for it.

“We didn’t have any pitchers scheduled to do pre-game throwing on the side,” said manager Bryan Price. “We do have clearance to have him in the bullpen to catch during the game. That will be an even better opportunity to see how he is coming along.

“We’ll try to get through this series with the Nationals doing baseball stuff with Devin and then we will re-assess to see if he needs some rehab games to verity that the shoulder is OK. Or we’ll see if he can just be activated. We should know by the end of this series where we stand.”

SO FAR, MANAGER BRYAN Price has been true to his word about finding playing time for Scooter Gennett.

Jose Peraza was not in Saturday’s lineup and when Price was asked if Peraza is OK, he said, “He’s fine. We just have to keep finding ways to get Scooter Gennett in the lineup because he is so productive. That means other guys are going to be getting a lot of days off.”

QUOTE OF THE DAY

“I was Max Scherzer’s first major league pitching coach when we both were in Arizona in 2008, but I don’t think I had a huge impact on him because he already was pretty good.” — Reds manager Bryan Price on Washington All-Star pitcher Max Scherzer.

Reds asking fans to name shortstop Zack Cozart’s donkey By Mark Schmetzer - Contributing Writer Posted: 5:16 p.m. Saturday, July 15, 2017

Cincinnati — Animals always have been welcome on Cincinnati Reds fields, from cows on Farmer’s Nights to Clydesdales and elephants on Opening Day, to a cheetah racing Billy Bates back in 1990. Also the several editions of Marge Schott’s beloved St. Bernards.

The collection grew by one more species on Saturday when a donkey named Amos showed up for batting practice before Cincinnati’s game against the Washington Nationals.

He was one of three on hand – the other two were scheduled to be available for fans in the Kroger Fan Zone – from Honey Hill Farm in Pendleton County, Kentucky. They were the latest chapter in the saga that started when shortstop Zack Cozart told first baseman Joey Votto that he liked donkeys and Votto promised to buy Cozart one if the shortstop made the National League team for the All-Star Game.

The Reds were encouraging fans to submit names for Cozart’s donkey for [email protected].

Manager Bryan Price admitted that a donkey on the field was among the top five oddities he’s seen on baseball fields down through the year.

“There are certain things that probably shouldn’t be seen,” Price said, mentioning Morganna, the “Kissing Bandit” of the 1970s who would jump out of the stands and run out to smooch a player. “I think (a donkey) is great. There are certain things that my generation thinks are over the top. Baseball is such a generational sport, but I just think this is good gamesmanship between teammates. I’m enjoying it.”

Reds give green light to Greene; he’s heading to Billings today By Matt Winkeljohn Posted: 11:35 a.m. Saturday, July 15, 2017

The beginning of Hunter Greene’s career is imminent, as he is expected to report to the Billings Mustangs today and make his pitching debut soon.

The Reds drafted Greene No. 2 overall, and the native of Stevenson Ranch, Calif., is highly regarded as both a pitcher and a shortstop. He has expressed interest in continuing to play both positions, but he’s likely to pitch only at least for the time being. While it is not known when Greene will take the field, the Billings (Mont.) Gazette first reported that he will join the team in the advanced rookie Pioneer League.

Greene signed with the Reds on July 7, taking a signing bonus of $7.23 million.

While the team has not spelled out all of its plans for the first-rounder, it is conceivable that he would see action this season with the .

No letup in schedule as Reds return from break By Mark Schmetzer - Contributing Writer Posted: 12:32 a.m. Saturday, July 15, 2017

CINCINNATI — The rested and perhaps rejuvenated Cincinnati Reds returned from their four-day All-Star break Friday only to find themselves running another gantlet.

The Reds open the so-called “second half” with a four-game series against National League East Division-leading Washington, led by former Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker.

Following the Nationals into Great American Ball Park are the , who went into Friday’s game at Atlanta second in the NL West and leading Colorado in the wild-card race by two games.

“I don’t know where the soft place in the schedule is,” manager Bryan Price said.

The Reds went into the All-Star break on a bit of a roll, going 4-2 on a home stand against Central Division-leading Milwaukee and the second-place Chicago Cubs and 4-3 on a road trip through Colorado and Arizona. Three of those wins were the first career major league victories for Jackson Stephens, Sal Romano and Luis Castillo, who is scheduled to start Saturday’s 7:10 p.m. game. And veteran right-hander Homer Bailey has won his last two starts after he was knocked around in his first two appearances following his return from the disabled list.

“We had a great lead-in to the break,” Price said. “It’s exciting to feel like the pitching is falling into place.”

Price helped the Reds squeeze as much rest and recreation as they could out of the break. Previously, teams often had convened for a workout the day before the schedule resumed, but Price chose instead to have an early-afternoon workout Friday and batting practice at the regular time.

“Most guys can paint that oasis of the All-Star break in their minds,” he said. “More and more teams are utilizing that fourth day as a rest day. We had a 1 p.m. workout (Friday) to get the cobwebs out.”

Romano, currently back at Triple-A Louisville, is scheduled to start Tuesday, Price confirmed.

Mesoraco progressing: Catcher Devin Mesoraco, on the disabled list since July 3 with a strained left shoulder, took batting practice Friday and was scheduled to catch a bullpen session Saturday. His next step would depend on how he reacts to the baseball activity, Price said.

“There’s no soreness to speak of,” Price said. “We’ll see how he comes through it before we chart the trail. If he gets through this, then we’ll talk about how much work he needs to do with us before looking at (a rehab assignment). He has to catch and receive and swing at full extension.”

Mesoraco, who suffered the injury reaching across his body to make a backhand catch, also was on the disabled list in April while dealing with right hip problems. He had surgical procedures on both areas last year. He is hitting .234 with six home runs and 14 RBIs in 40 games.

Haddix award: On the field before Friday’s game, Mechanicsburg High School’s Corey Bogan received the 2017 Harvey Haddix Memorial Sportsmanship Award. The award is named for the former major league left-hander and Springfield-area native who pitched 12 perfect innings for Pittsburgh against Milwaukee in 1959, one year after winning a Gold Glove in his only season with the Reds.

Bogan, who was celebrating his birthday, also threw a ceremonial first pitch to his brother, Matt, the 2014 Haddix Award winner.

Slotting starters: So how did Price decide to deploy his starting pitchers to open the second half? Right-hander Tim Adleman started Friday and Bailey is scheduled Sunday with right-hander Scott Feldman starting Monday in the series finale.

“Well, we wanted a more experienced guy out front,” Price explained. “It didn’t make sense for Homer to go, since he just came back, and Feldman has been having some general knee stiffness. It came down to Adleman and Castillo, and Adleman had more rest.”

Going the distance: According to Statcast, as relayed by the Reds, 17 of Cincinnati first baseman Joey Votto’s 26 home runs going into Friday’s game traveled at least 400 feet, tying him with New York Yankees rookie and Home Run Derby champion Aaron Judge for the most 400-foot bombs in the majors through the All-Star break.

Votto, who was tied for the NL lead in homers before the All-Star Game while ranking eighth in batting average and third in RBIs, was asked before the game if he thought he was having his best season.

“I think I’ve played well,” he said. “I made the All-Star team. I feel like I can play better. I hope I will.” ASSOCIATED PRESS Rendon hits grand slam, Nationals hold off Reds for 10-7 win Today

CINCINNATI (AP) — In a battle of 10-RBI men, Anthony Rendon had the bigger blows.

Rendon hit his second career grand slam and added a two-run homer, and the Washington Nationals overcame Scooter Gennett’s four-RBI night to hold on for a 10-7 victory over the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday.

Ryan Raburn homered to lead off the seventh, sparking a seven-run outburst capped by Rendon’s grand slam for his 18th homer of the season and a 10-0 lead.

“You never knew the grand slam was going to be the deciding swing,” Washington manager Dusty Baker said after beating the team he managed for six seasons. “Those guys don’t quit. They have a good offensive ballclub.”

Rendon, who drove in 10 runs on April 30 against the Mets, reached base in all five of his plate appearances on Saturday. He has gotten on in 12 of his last 14 plate appearances on seven hits — including two homers and two doubles — and five walks. He extended his hitting streak to nine games, but he wouldn’t say he was trying to prove he should have been on the All-Star team.

“I’ll let you all write about that,” he said.

The Reds bounced back for two runs in the eighth inning and five in the ninth, three on Gennett’s 16th homer of the season, before Matt Grace got his second save in two nights. Gennett drove in 10 runs while hitting four home runs on June 6 against St. Louis.

“Gennett is one of our most productive ballplayers,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “He’s done it at multiple positions.”

Washington’s Max Scherzer (11-5), the National League’s strikeout leader, escaped trouble in the first and third innings. He allowed the first two batters to reach in both before getting the next three batters each time, striking out all three in the first and two out of three in the third. Scherzer began both mini-comebacks with strikeouts of All-Star Joey Votto.

“They put some good at bats on me,” the All-Star starting pitcher said, crediting catcher Matt Wieters with nursing him through the jams. “They really grinded me out. We just kind of stuck to the game plan.”

Scherzer finished with 10 strikeouts, his 12th game of the season and 61st of his career with at least 10. He issued a season-high four walks while allowing three hits in six innings, retiring seven of the last eight batters he faced to improve to 4-0 over his last six starts.

Bryce Harper had two hits, including a run-scoring single, to extend his hitting streak to 10 games.

Reds right-hander Luis Castillo didn’t allow a hit until Harper singled with one out in the fourth inning and scored from first on Daniel Murphy’s two-out double off the left-center field wall. Rendon followed with his 17th homer. Those were the only hits Castillo (1-2) allowed in six innings. He finished with four walks and six strikeouts.

“I was trying to stay ahead in the count,” Castillo said through interpreter Julio Morillo. “I need to practice with my breaking ball pitches and be more consistent. I wanted to challenge Rendon. I didn’t want to walk him.”

The Reds took advantage of Austin Adams’ eighth-inning control problems in his major league debut to snap their streak of consecutive scoreless innings at 19. Adams walked two batters, one with the bases loaded, hit a third and threw a wild pitch while not recording an out.

CINCINNATI ZOO

Amos, a donkey, was a visitor on the field during batting practice before Saturday’s game. Reds 1B Joey Votto is buying SS Zack Cozart a donkey as a reward for Cozart making the All-Star team.

WHAT STREAK?

Reds RHP Michael Lorenzen’s streak of seven consecutive appearances without allowing a run was snapped by the first batter he faced. Raburn led off the seventh with his second homer of the season. Lorenzen was charged with six of Washington’s seven runs in the inning.

WHAT SLUMP?

Cincinnati’s Patrick Kivlehan, who came off the bench to spell Votto at first base in the eighth, snapped a career-worst, 0-for-19 slump in the ninth with an RBI double, driving in the first of the Reds’ five runs in the inning.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Nationals: RHP Joe Ross will undergo Tommy John surgery on Wednesday and miss the rest of the season.

UP NEXT

Nationals: RHP Tanner Roark (6-6) was the losing pitcher in Cincinnati’s 6-2 win at Washington on June 25.

Reds: RHP Homer Bailey was rocked for six hits and eight runs in 1 2/3 innings of what eventually turned into an 18-3 Cincinnati loss in his 2017 debut on June 24 at Washington. TRANSACTIONS 07/16/17 Boston Red Sox recalled RHP Austin Maddox from Pawtucket Red Sox. Boston Red Sox activated LF Brock Holt from the 60-day disabled list. Boston Red Sox placed RHP Blaine Boyer on the 10-day disabled list. right elbow strain.

07/15/17 San Diego Padres sent LF Travis Jankowski on a rehab assignment to AZL Padres 2. sent RHP Andrew Bailey on a rehab assignment to AZL Angels. activated LHP Madison Bumgarner from the 60-day disabled list. Astros placed RHP Will Harris on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to July 11, 2017. Left shoulder inflammation. Minnesota Twins placed CF Byron Buxton on the 10-day disabled list. Left groin strain. Minnesota Twins activated 1B Joe Mauer from the 10-day disabled list. recalled Reymin Guduan from Fresno Grizzlies. St. Louis Cardinals placed RF Stephen Piscotty on the 10-day disabled list. Strained right groin. St. Louis Cardinals recalled Magneuris Sierra from Springfield Cardinals. Arizona Diamondbacks sent RHP Rubby De La Rosa on a rehab assignment to AZL D-backs. San Francisco Giants placed RHP Johnny Cueto on the 10-day disabled list. Blisters. Texas Rangers traded SS Yeyson Yrizarri to Chicago White Sox for Future Considerations. Boston Red Sox recalled Brandon Workman from Pawtucket Red Sox. Boston Red Sox placed RHP Joe Kelly on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to July 12, 2017. Strained left hamstring. New York Yankees optioned Tyler Wade to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. New York Yankees activated 2B from the 10-day disabled list. New York Mets signed RHP Bryce Hutchinson. Washington Nationals signed free agent LHP Sean Adler to a minor league contract. signed free agent 2B Tyler Bortnick to a minor league contract. Milwaukee Brewers sent RHP Brandon Woodruff on a rehab assignment to AZL Brewers.