Cincinnati Reds Press Clippings August 26, 2017 THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 1939-The Reds participate in the first major league game to be televised. Playing the Dodgers at Ebbets Field, W2XBS, which later becomes WNBC-TV, broadcasts the game with Red Barber announcing for the 400 people or so who own a television in the New York area MLB.COM Reds ride Bob's arm, Scheb's bat past Bucs By Adam Berry and Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | 1:11 AM ET + 46 COMMENTS CINCINNATI -- Entering the home stretch of the season, the Reds will continue to look for positive signs from their young starting pitchers. Robert Stephenson gave them something to think about Friday night, striking out a career-high 11 batters in 5 2/3 innings as the Reds beat the Pirates, 9-5, at Great American Ball Park. Stephenson began the night by striking out the first six batters he faced, a modern club record for Cincinnati. "That was pretty cool," he said. The 24-year-old right-hander, going by "Bob" for Players Weekend, gave up two runs on seven hits and four walks but kept the Bucs off balance with strikeout stuff. "That might have been as good of a slider as I've seen in a long time," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said. "The slider played exceptionally well. Threw some good changeups, too. We hadn't seen that pitch from maybe anybody this year as far as the depth and tilt to the slider. It was an elite slider tonight." Stephenson, who is trying to emerge among a group of young Reds starting pitchers that has struggled in 2017, has started to show signs of turning the corner. Over his last three starts and one relief appearance, he has a 1.96 ERA. "I think a couple of mechanical tweaks in the bullpen and I've been a lot more consistent with my fastball," Stephenson said. "I feel like when I'm throwing more strikes with my fastball, it's a lot easier to get outs." He had plenty of run support on Friday, too. Scott Schebler ("Scheb") homered, drove in three runs and reached base four times. Adam Duvall also homered in the fifth inning off Pirates starter Ivan Nova, who allowed seven runs (five earned) in five innings and saw his second-half ERA climb to an even 6.00. "Obviously I didn't do the job I was supposed to," Nova said. "The fastball was missing over the plate. … I think the only thing that was working the way it was supposed to was the curveball. With one pitch, you cannot live. You have to have other pitches. They made me work really hard today." First baseman Josh Bell ("JB") was a bright spot for the Pirates, ripping a three-run homer to left-center field to pull Pittsburgh to within two runs in the seventh inning. Reds pinch-hitter Patrick Kivlehan responded with a two-run double, sending the Pirates to their 10th loss in 13 games. MOMENTS THAT MATTERED See Scott run: Schebler finished a double shy of the cycle and got the hardest part out of the way first. With Eugenio Suarez at second base, Schebler ripped a line drive into the right-field corner. John Jaso chased the ball as it bounced around the warning track, and Schebler wheeled around to third base. He rounded third, but coach Billy Hatcher held him up, short of the inside-the- park homer. Schebler then scored on Tucker Barnhart's sacrifice fly. Leave 'em loaded: Before Bell's seventh-inning homer, the Pirates threatened to rally in the sixth. The Bucs loaded the bases against Stephenson and sent up pinch-hitter Jose Osuna with two outs. The Reds summoned right-hander Tim Adleman from the bullpen, and Adleman defused the rally with six pitches. Osuna went down swinging at an 84.3-mph changeup to end the inning. QUOTABLE "[Nova's] command, it's not where we've seen it in the past. … We need to peel back a couple more layers, talk about a couple things that you can do. He was able to pitch more effectively his last time out, not so much this time out."-- Hurdle "[Stephenson] had a nice mix going. I think he was able to establish the fastball. They had to respect the usage and the velocity and that opened up a lot of things for the slider, curve and split. He really was able to go out there and make good pitches. He retired the first six via the strikeout against a good lineup. It's not easy to do. And he made a series of really good pitches and was able to take that into the sixth." -- Reds manager Bryan Price SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Joey Votto led off the bottom of the eighth by drawing a walk against reliever Johnny Barbato, extending his season-high on-base streak to 29 games. That is the longest active on-base streak in the Majors. WHAT'S NEXT Pirates: Right-hander Gerrit Cole ("Cole Train") will look for his first win against the Reds in 10 starts at 6:40 p.m. ET Saturday at Great American Ball Park. Cole is 0-6 with a 5.14 ERA against Cincinnati, though he recorded a quality start in a 4-3 loss earlier this season. Reds: Luis Castillo will make his first career start vs. the Pirates when the series continues Saturday. Castillo has notched quality starts in six of his last nine outings but is winless in his last four starts. Adam Berry has covered the Pirates for MLB.com since 2015. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook, read his blog and listen to his podcast. 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. Kivlehan honors injured friend with 'Believe' By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | August 25th, 2017 + 0 COMMENTS CINCINNATI -- When Reds players were tasked to decide what nickname they wanted on their jerseys for Players Weekend -- which began Friday -- outfielder/infielder Patrick Kivlehan came up with something less nickname and more in the way of a tribute to a friend and former teammate. Kivlehan played college football for four seasons at Rutgers University and was teammates with Eric LeGrand, who was paralyzed while making a tackle in a 2010 game. LeGrand's well-known mantra since his injury has been "Believe," and that's the word that is above Kivlehan's No. 3 this weekend. "I talked to a couple of old roommates from college and they said, 'Why don't you throw 'Believe,' on there for Eric?' I thought that was a great idea," Kivlehan said. "I just wanted to make sure he was cool with it. He was cool with it. I told him I'd get him one." LeGrand suffered his spinal cord injury Oct. 16, 2010, against Army at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey while tackling a player after a kickoff. "We came in together," Kivlehan said. "We were in the same recruiting class and graduated at the same time. I was on the field with him when he got injured." Kivlehan was a safety, and also played on special teams. He did not play baseball until his senior year, but still won the Big East conference triple crown and player of the year honors in 2012. LeGrand's story became an inspiration for others with spinal cord injuries, as he has worked to gain more feeling in his body and efforts to try and walk again. Rutgers eventually started the Believe Foundation and LeGrand has written two books about his life with paralysis. In 2012, he received the Jimmy V. Award for Perseverance at ESPN's Espy Awards. "He's honestly become the face of paralysis and the guy who everyone looks at," Kivlehan said. "He's taken that on and run with it. He's done some great things and has inspired a lot of people. He's only going to do more." Kivlehan is cherishing the chance to wear "Believe" on his Reds jersey. "It's something that sticks with the guys I played with at Rutgers, and kind of the whole Rutgers community," Kivlehan said. "It was too good of an opportunity to pass up to honor him and everything he's gone through and been through. I wanted to let him know I am thinking about him, and he's always with me." 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. 'Scheb' heating up at perfect time By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | 12:43 AM ET + 3 COMMENTS CINCINNATI -- The last couple of months have not been kind to Reds right fielder Scott Schebler (known as "Scheb" for Players Weekend). His offensive numbers suffered and later, it was learned a sore left shoulder was partially to blame. While Schebler was away, outfield prospect Jesse Winker received ample opportunity in his place. On Friday -- the same day Winker went on the disabled list with a left hip flexor strain -- Schebler erupted at the plate. While reaching base all four times in the Reds' 9-5 victory over the Pirates, he was a double shy of hitting for the cycle.