Press Clippings September 29, 2015

THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 1990 – The Reds clinch the Western Division when the second-place Dodgers lose to the Giants, 4-3. The Dodgers score is announced at Riverfront Stadium during a rain delay in the Reds-Padres game. The Reds emerge from the clubhouse to celebrate becoming the first team to lead for an entire 162-game schedule, with the rain soaked crowd.

MLB.COM Reds struggle to back Finnegan in makeup game By Bill Ladson and Jacob Emert / MLB.com

WASHINGTON -- Nationals right-hander Max Scherzer almost put himself in the record books Monday afternoon, coming within five outs of his second no-hitter of the season in a 5-1 victory over the Reds at Nationals Park. Scherzer allowed one on two hits with 10 and three walks over eight innings in a makeup of a game that was to be be played on July 8.

Had Scherzer completed the no-hitter, he would have become the sixth to accomplish the feat twice in a season (including the postseason). The last to do it was Roy Halladay in 2010. Scherzer pitched his first no-hitter on June 20 in a 6-0 victory over the Pirates.

"Scherzer had some great plays early," Nationals manager Matt Williams said. "The pitch count was in order. He was pushing it. I thought he was going to do it again. He pitched really well."

Scherzer received plenty of help on defense. Tyler Moore, a first baseman by trade, made a great diving grab off the bat of Skip Schumaker in the third inning. In that same inning, Anthony Rendon made a nice barehanded play off the bat of Ivan De Jesus.

"I was getting some luck," Scherzer said. "They a couple of ball at some people. Our guys made some great plays. I thought we had the makings of it."

The Reds would eventually get to Scherzer in the eighth inning, when catcher Tucker Barnhart singled to left field. Two batters later, Schumaker singled up the middle to bring Barnhart home.

"[The no-hitter's] obviously in the back of your mind, but you try to get that out of your head as much as possible," Barnhart said. "It was trying to go away, and it kind of came back over the plate. Right there, I was just trying to be short to the ball and see what I could do. Luckily, I put a good swing on it. But Max was great all day. It was obvious by the way he made us look at the plate. I mean, that's him. He's one of the best there is."

The Nationals were able to get to rookie left-hander Brandon Finnegan in the fourth inning. Moore scored on a by Matt den Dekker, while Dan Uggla came home on a by Michael Taylor. An inning later, Wilson Ramos hit a solo shot to make it a three-run game. The Nats increased their lead to four when den Dekker hit a off right-hander Jumbo Diaz.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED den Dekker steps in: den Dekker crushed his fifth home run of the season and added two doubles as he started in place of Bryce Harper. den Dekker raised his average to .276 and his OPS to .866. den Dekker made a few changes to his swing at -A Syracuse, adding a new leg kick that has increased his power. The new swing has also helped him better recognize breaking pitches.

"I'm going out there trying to have good at-bats and good swings on the ball. It's working out for me," den Dekker said.

Bruce battles for ball four: With Scherzer seven outs away from completing the no-hitter, he and Jay Bruce engaged in an 11-pitch battle. Bruce quickly fell behind, 0-2, and he fouled off seven pitches in the at-bat, including one after the count went full. On the 11th pitch, Bruce took a 99-mph fastball off the plate for the walk. It wasn't the preferred outcome for Scherzer, but the no-hitter remained intact for another inning. "It's really just, at that time, it's just trying to put the ball in play, trying not to expand too much," Bruce said. "I think I did a little bit, but when he's got that kind of stuff and he's pitching with that feel, you just do what you got to do in order to win the at-bat. I was able to not make an out there, but all in all, he was great today."

Scherzer by the numbers: Scherzer won his 13th game of the season. He is one of three pitchers in the Majors to have at least 10 starts of 10-plus strikeouts this season. Scherzer also went 2-for-3 at the plate, increasing his season total to a career-high 14 hits.

On the other side: Finnegan's third start with the Reds got off to a positive start, as he posted zeros in the first three innings. However, he allowed four hits and a walk in the Nats' two-run fourth, and then a solo home run in the fifth. Finnegan struck out three and walked two over his five innings.

QUOTABLE

"There weren't a lot of great at-bats against [Scherzer]. He just had that kind of stuff." -- Reds manager

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

The Reds have had a hit in their previous 7,087 regular-season games, which dates back to June 1971.

WHAT'S NEXT

Reds: The Reds return to Cincinnati for the final three home games of the season against the Cubs starting on Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. ET. Josh Smith (0-2, 7.23 ERA) will make his sixth career start and first against Chicago.

Nationals: The Nationals go to Atlanta to play a three-game series against the Braves, beginning Tuesday at 7:10 p.m. ET. Tanner Roark will make the start for Washington. In his last start against the Orioles, he picked up a no-decision during a 5-4 loss. Roark allowed three runs in five innings.

Barnhart keeps Scherzer from history books Catcher breaks Reds into hit column in 8th inning against Nationals' ace By Jacob Emert / MLB.com

WASHINGTON -- Max Scherzer was going in the wrong direction.

As a game gets deeper and the pitch count rises, a starter is supposed to lose command and his velocity should drop. Instead, as the game flew by in Cincinnati's 5-1 loss to the Nationals on Monday, Washington's ace was only getting better.

"The obvious thing for me is he got stronger as the game went on," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "As he got into those middle innings, it really seemed like the fastball velocity and command began to peak. And when he needed an out, he'd just reach back."

Joey Votto and Tucker Barnhart each walked in their first at-bats, and Skip Schumaker was robbed of extra bases when Tyler Moore went full extension in left field for a diving catch in the third inning. Four innings later, with the Reds still scrambling for their first hit of the afternoon, that all-out catch seemed like it might be the difference in Cincinnati being no-hit in the regular season for the first time since 1971.

"Typically when guys are throwing games like that, there are spectacular plays that are made along the way. Certainly, in left field, with Moore making a nice stab," Price said. "It seemed like he didn't only just have good stuff, he had some really good defense and an inspired defense behind him, which tends to make a difference in those games."

No defensive alignment ever employed could've prevented Barnhart's eighth-inning single from hitting the outfield grass, though. With Scherzer five outs away from his second no-hitter of the season, he worked ahead of the Reds' catcher, 1-2.

"It's obviously in the back of your mind," Barnhart said about the potential no-no, "but you try to get that out of your head as much as possible."

Scherzer's two-strike offering, a 98-mph fastball, crossed back over the plate and Barnhart was quick on the attack, lining it into shallow left field.

"Luckily, I put a good swing on it," Barnhart said. "But Max was great all day. It was obvious by the way he made us look at the plate."

Schumaker pulled a single to right field two batters later, scoring Barnhart to get the Reds on the board. Schumaker was the only Reds starting position player not to strike out against Scherzer.

"First of all, I thought Scherzer was really great all day," said Price, who was the right-hander's pitching with the D-backs in 2008. "But there weren't a lot of great at-bats against him. He just had that kind of stuff. Some choppers, some fly balls and a lot of strikeouts. So it was about as good as I've seen him throw live."

Cubs take on Reds to start season's final road trip By Jacob Emert / MLB.com

With a spot in the National League Wild Card Game presented by Budweiser already locked up, the Cubs head to Cincinnati on Tuesday to begin the final road trip of the regular season. Chicago is powered by a strong pitching staff and a host of young sluggers, but it has managed only 11 runs in its past five games against NL Central opponents.

The Cubs enter the series 3 1/2 games behind the Pirates for the right to host the NL Wild Game.

For the Reds, the three-game series is the final homestand of 2015. They've struggled for much of the season and have dropped nine in a row.

Josh Smith (0-2, 7.23 ERA) will make his sixth career start and first against the Cubs. He'll face off against Chicago's Dan Haren (9- 9, 3.83 ERA).

Three things to watch

• Joey Votto's first-inning walk on Monday marked the 45th straight game he's reached base. That's tied for the longest streak in the Majors this season and three games shy of the Reds' franchise record.

• Cubs rookies have combined to hit 66 home runs this season, the highest total by a Chicago rookie class. It ties for the fourth highest by a team's set of rookies in NL history. Kris Bryant leads the way with 26.

• Anthony Rizzo reached 30 home runs for the second straight season. He's the second left-handed-hitting Cubs player to have multiple 30-homer campaigns (Billy Williams).

CINCINNATI ENQUIRER Scherzer close to 2nd no-no of 2015, Nats beat Reds 5-1 By The Associated Press (Posted on Cincinnati Enquirer webpage)

WASHINGTON (AP) — At the close of another eventful afternoon at Nationals Park, Washington general manager Mike Rizzo placed his hands around a microphone at the outset of an unusual postgame news conference and said, with a hint of a smile, "I was really rootin' for a no-hitter today."

Anything to change the subject, right?

Hours after the Nationals suspended closer Jonathan Papelbon for fighting with teammate Bryce Harper in the dugout a day earlier, Max Scherzer came within five outs of his second no-hitter of the season, shutting down the Cincinnati Reds into the eighth inning while striking out 10 batters in a 5-1 victory Monday.

"I thought he was going to do it again," manager Matt Williams said. "He was really special."

Scherzer did not allow a hit until Tucker Barnhart singled to left field on a 1-2 count with one out in the eighth. That came on Scherzer's 105th pitch, and fans at the stadium rose to salute the right-hander with a standing ovation. To that point, the Reds only had three baserunners, on walks in the first, third and seventh.

"He was able to put a pretty good swing on it," said Scherzer, who no-hit the on June 20 after coming within one strike of a .

Did he ponder getting no-no No. 2, which would have made him the first pitcher with two no-hitters in one regular season since Nolan Ryan in 1973?

"I thought it had the makings of it," Scherzer said.

Barnhart wound up scoring on Skip Schumaker's single, the only other hit allowed by Scherzer (13-12), who left after the eighth.

In the bottom of the eighth, chants of "We want Bryce!" rang out in the stadium. Harper, a leading NL MVP contender, was not in the lineup. Williams said that was because of Harper's "part in the altercation" with Papelbon in Washington's dugout during Sunday's game. Harper, though, said afterward he was scheduled to be off Monday.

He entered Monday leading the league in (.336), homers (41), (.658), on-base percentage (.467) and runs (117).

Papelbon, meanwhile, is done for the season: He will miss four games because he was suspended by the Nationals for the episode in which he grabbed Harper's throat, and the other three games because he dropped his appeal of a ban for throwing near an opponent's head last week.

"It's been a very difficult 24 hours for the organization," Williams said.

Papelbon was acquired from the Phillies in a trade in late July in hopes of a possible postseason push.

The Nationals began the season as favorites, but their playoff hopes officially ended Saturday, when the Mets clinched the NL East title.

"This has been a very disappointing season," Williams said. "Everybody understands that."

Before the eighth inning, Schumaker came closest to getting a hit off Scherzer — and he did so twice. In the third inning, left fielder Tyler Moore laid out for a diving catch, and in the sixth, Dan Uggla dropped to a knee to grab a liner.

"All nine guys today brought their 'A' game," Scherzer said. "Contrary to what you guys believe, we can have distractions and still play well."

Exactly a year ago to the day, on Sept. 28, 2014, Washington's Jordan Zimmermann no-hit the on the last day of the regular season, getting the last out on a spectacular catch by left fielder Steven Souza Jr., who is no longer with the Nationals.

Scherzer, the 2013 AL winner for Detroit, signed a $210 million contract with Washington this offseason.

On Monday, he regularly topped 95 mph and occasionally reached 99 mph.

"The obvious thing for me," Reds manager Bryan Price said, "is that he got stronger as the game went on."

LUCKY NO. 13

Scherzer got his 13th hit of the season, setting a career high, with a single in the third, and then added another single in the fourth.

HOMER HAPPY

Washington's Wilson Ramos hit his 15th homer, and Matt den Dekker his fifth. Three of Washington's runs came off Reds starter Brandon Finnegan (1-2), who threw five innings.

UP NEXT

Reds: Open a three-game series at home against the on Tuesday. The Cubs have clinched an NL wild card.

Nationals: Open a three-game series at Atlanta on Tuesday. Both NL East clubs have been eliminated from playoff contention.

BAR: Reds in line for Top 3 draft pick in 2016 By C. Trent Rosecrans / Cincinnati Enquirer / [email protected] / @ctrent

The Reds’ nine-game losing streak plus two series remaining against teams with something left to play for — the Cubs and Pirates — has gotten us looking at the bottom of the standings again.

While the Reds probably won’t get the first overall pick, the second and third picks are still in play.

Philadelphia is 59-97 with series against the Mets and Marlins remaining, it seems they’ve got a good chance at wrapping up the top pick.

The Braves are 62-94 with three games against the Nationals and three against the Cardinals.

The Reds are currently in line for the third pick. Oakland is 65-92 and in line for the fourth pick and then the Brewers and Rockies in a tie for the fifth spot at 66-90.

The tiebreaker, for those wondering, is the previous year’s records. So if the Reds (76-86 in 2014) would lose a tiebreaker to the Phillies (73-89 in 2014), but win one with the Braves (79-83 in 2014).

The Reds have picked in the top three just three times in franchise history — taking Chris Gruler third in 2002 and Kurt Stillwell second in 1983.

BAR: Rough go for managerial class of '14 By C. Trent Rosecrans / Cincinnati Enquirer / [email protected] / @ctrent

The Reds are in Washington, D.C., today for a make-up game from the game "rained out" on July 8 — it rained before the game, but not after the game was called, and it just so happened that the Nationals had a little difficulty with their rotation that day and now the Reds get to face Max Scherzer.

But that's not what people are talking about around the country where they're discussing the Nationals. Instead, it's about Bryce Harper, Jonathan Papelbon and Matt Williams.

Just consider, this article, "Manager Matt Williams lost the clubhouse; will he lose his job?" appeared in the Washington Post beforePapelbon choked Harper in the dugout and stayed in the game.

Williams pretty much said nothing about the incident, except that he kept Papelbon in the game because "he's our closer."

Williams was hired around the same time as Bryan Price — one of five managers hired after the 2013 season, and in my head I went through the list and noted there hasn't been a whole lot of success.

Price's struggles with the Reds have been well chronicled and Bob Castellini said no decision would be made on his future until after the season.

Of the managers hired after the 2013 season, the one seemingly on the most stable ground is Brad Ausmus, and that may be saying something.

• Bryan Price, Reds. Record: 139-178

Price has had his projected starting lineup just 17 times in two years and seen a rebuild of the pitching staff. He's made his mistakes, but how many of the problems the Reds are facing come dugout and how many are from higher up? That doesn't always matter, but is something to consider.

• Matt Williams, Nationals. Record: 175-142

Williams winning the 2014 Manager of the Year seems so long ago. The Nationals were the favorites to win the World Series this year, and despite the Harper MVP season, they were eliminated on Saturday when the Mets clinched the NL East at Great American Ball Park.

• Brad Ausmus, Tigers. Record: 162-155

Despite reporters earlier this month that Ausmus would be fired at seasons end, general manager Al Avila said Saturday that Ausmus would return. It's hardly a ringing endorsement, but Ausmus has one year left on his contract and will at least start next season in the same position.

The Tigers went from first to worst in the NL Central in Ausmus' second season after taking over for the retired .

• Rick Renteria, Cubs. Record: 73-89

Renteria, widely respected around baseball, was canned one year into his tenure when Joe Maddon became available. It was like an 80s movie when the nerd kid gets a date from the prom queen and neglects his friend in glasses to go out with the prom queen. Except, here he scores with the prom queen and nobody hears from his friend in glasses and the movie ends. It was a jerk move by the Cubs, but it worked and probably was the right move.

• Lloyd McClendon, Mariners. Record: 161-157

The Mariners have already fired general manager Jack Zduriencik, which is probably not a good sign for McClendon. His team was expected to be a playoff contender, yet the Mariners just clinched a losing record for the season. Last year he went 87-75, but this year the Mariners have struggled and a new GM is not good news for job security.

FOXSPORTS.COM Reds considering bringing back manager Bryan Price in 2016 By Ken Rosenthal / Fox Sports

The Tigers on Saturday declined to make manager Brad Ausmus the scapegoat for their disappointing season, announcing that he will return in 2016.

Might the Reds do the same with Bryan Price?

The team is considering retaining Price and making changes to his coaching staff, but no decisions will be made until the season is over, according to major-league sources.

The rationale for the Reds keeping Price would be similar to the Tigers’ logic for keeping Ausmus – that the manager should not be held responsible for injuries and trades that compromised the club.

The last-place Reds, however, are stumbling to the finish, renewing the possibility that Price will be dismissed and perhaps replaced by Hall of Famer , a much-rumored candidate for the position.

Monday’s 5-1 loss to the Nationals was the Reds’ ninth straight. Seven of those defeats were against two division leaders, the Cardinals and Mets. The Reds have been outscored during the nine games, 64-21.

Injuries, however, have limited catcher Devin Mesoraco to only 23 games, Zack Cozart to 53 and center fielder Billy Hamilton to 114, while right-hander Homer Bailey has made just two starts.

Hamilton was disappointing offensively, producing only a .563 OPS, and Eugenio Suarez has proven an adequate replacement for Cozart. But the Reds also have used rookie starting pitchers in 58 straight games since July 29 due to the trades of right-handers Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake. They also traded outfielder Marlon Byrd in August.

Even if the Reds decide to keep Price, who is under contract through 2016, they could change a number of his coaches.

Pitching coach Jeff Pico, completing the second year of his first major-league job, would be among the most vulnerable, sources say.

Bench coach Jay Bell, who reportedly had a dispute with Byrd during a 4-3 loss to the Royals the day before Byrd was traded, also could be a topic of discussion.

Byrd, after getting sent to the Giants, told the Cincinnati Enquirer, “I didn’t get into a spat with Jay Bell. I had a conversation with the manager about Jay Bell. We had conversations all year about him.”

Price’s reaction to any potential changes in his staff also could factor into whether he returns. He resigned out of principle and forfeited a six-figure salary as Diamondbacks pitching coach in 2009 after the team fired his friend as manager and passed over coaches and to hire A.J. Hinch.

ASSOCIATED PRESS Reds nearly no-hit in 5-1 loss to Scherzer, Nationals By Howard Fendrich / The Associated Press

WASHINGTON — It's been 44 years and more than 7,000 games since the Cincinnati Reds were no-hit in the regular season, the longest active streak in the majors. pitcher Max Scherzer came within five outs of ending that distinction.

Scherzer did not allow a hit until Tucker Barnhart singled to left on a 1-2 count with one out in the eighth inning, and Washington went on to a 5-1 victory over Cincinnati on Monday.

"Luckily, I put a good swing on it," Barnhart said. "Max was great all day. It was obvious by the way he made us look at the plate. But that's him: He's one of the best pitchers there is."

That hit came on Scherzer's 105th pitch, and fans saluted the right-hander with a standing ovation. To that point, the Reds only had three baserunners, on walks in the first, third and seventh.

Barnhart wound up scoring on Skip Schumaker's single, the only other hit allowed by Scherzer (13-12), who left after the eighth.

Before the eighth inning, Schumaker came closest to getting a hit off Scherzer — and he did so twice. In the third inning, left fielder Tyler Moore laid out for a diving catch, and in the sixth, second baseman Dan Uggla dropped to a knee to grab a liner.

"Schumaker was great all day," said Reds manager Bryan Price, whose club, like the Nationals, will not be participating in the playoffs.

"There weren't a lot of great at-bats against (Scherzer). He just had that type of stuff," Price said. "It was about as good as I've seen him live."

Scherzer's fastball was consistently above 95 mph and occasionally reached 99 mph.

"When he needed an out," Price said, "he just reached back."

Scherzer, the 2013 AL Cy Young Award winner for Detroit, signed a $210 million contract with Washington this offseason. He already threw a no-hitter at Nationals Park in 2015, on June 20 against Pittsburgh, when he was one strike from a perfect game before plunking a batter with two outs in the ninth inning.

Did he ponder getting no-no No. 2, which would have made him the first pitcher with two regular-season no-hitters since Nolan Ryan in 1973?

"I thought it had the makings of it," Scherzer said.

The Reds haven't been no-hit in the regular season since Philadelphia's Rick Wise did it in June 1971. But Cincinnati was held without a hit in the playoffs by Philadelphia's Roy Halladay in Game 1 of a 2010 NL division series.

NO HARPER, NO PAPELBON

LF Bryce Harper, a leading NL MVP contender, didn't play in Washington's home finale. Manager Matt Williams said that was because of Harper's "part in the altercation" with teammate Jonathan Papelbon in the dugout during a game Sunday. Papelbon, meanwhile, is done for the season: He will miss four games because he was suspended by the Nationals for the episode in which he grabbed Harper's throat, and the other three games because he dropped his appeal of a Major League Baseball ban for throwing at an opponent's head last week.

LUCKY NO. 13

Scherzer collected his 13th hit of the season, setting a career high, with a single in the third, and then added another single in the fourth.

HOMER HAPPY

Washington's Wilson Ramos hit his 15th homer, and Matt den Dekker his fifth. Three of Washington's runs came off Reds starter Brandon Finnegan (1-2), who threw five innings.

UP NEXT

Reds: Open a three-game series at home against the Chicago Cubs on Tuesday. The Cubs have clinched an NL wild card.

Nationals: Open a three-game series at Atlanta on Tuesday. Both NL East clubs have been eliminated from playoff contention.

Cubs-Reds Preview By The Associated Press

While the Chicago Cubs have enjoyed a return to prominence in 2015, the Cincinnati Reds are on the verge of their longest losing streak in 17 years.

The Reds attempt to avoid a 10th consecutive loss Tuesday night when they begin a three-game series with the playoff-bound Cubs.

Cincinnati's late-season woes continued with Monday's 5-1 loss in Washington, where Tucker Barnhart's single off Max Scherzer with one out in the eighth inning prevented the Reds from being no-hit for the first time since 1971. A defeat Tuesday would give Cincinnati (63-93) its worst skid since an 11-game slide June 14-24, 1998, and its most losses in a season since going 66-96 in 2001.

The Reds finished with three hits and struck out 10 times in Scherzer's eight innings.

"There weren't a lot of great at-bats against him. He just had that kind of stuff," Reds manager Bryan Price said. ''It was about as good as I've seen him live.''

Cincinnati, 12-31 since Aug. 14, resides in last place in the NL Central, a position Chicago (91-65) held for five straight seasons prior to its turnaround. The Cubs are locked into the wild-card game and still have an outside chance to host it, trailing Pittsburgh by 3 1-2 games with six remaining.

Chicago has gained two games on the Pirates in the last two days behind a pair of stellar pitching performances. After Jake Arrieta took a perfect game into the seventh inning of Sunday's 4-0 win over Pittsburgh, six hurlers combined for a four-hitter in Monday's 1-0, 11-inning triumph over Kansas City as the Pirates fell 3-0 to St. Louis.

The Cubs also mustered only four hits, the last Chris Denorfia's pinch-hit homer that gave Chicago its MLB-leading 13th walk-off win.

''That was a really well-played game,'' manager Joe Maddon said.

Dan Haren (9-9, 4.83 ERA) will attempt to extend Chicago's 21-inning scoreless streak in the opener, though the veteran has labored in two starts since tossing seven innings in a 9-0 win at St. Louis on Sept. 7.

Haren followed by allowing four runs in three innings of a 7-4 loss at Philadelphia Sept. 13 and lasted 4 1-3 while permitting one in Chicago's 8-3 victory over the Cardinals five days later.

The 35-year-old also has struggled on the road in the second half, going 1-3 with a 5.45 ERA while surrendering 12 homers in 38 innings in seven post All-Star break starts. Haren's 31 homers allowed are tied for the third-most in the majors.

Haren has allowed nine homers in 35 1-3 career innings at Great American Ball Park, where he's 2-3 with a 5.09 ERA in six starts. He gave up one and two runs in 6 1-3 innings of a 5-0 loss there with Miami on June 19.

Joey Votto homered off Haren in Cincinnati's 5-4 loss at Wrigley Field on Sept. 1, and reached base for a 45th consecutive game with a walk Monday. The streak is the majors' longest this season and three shy of Pete Rose's club record in 1978.

Josh Smith (0-2, 7.23) gets the call for the Reds in search of his first major league win in his sixth start and first against Chicago.

The rookie has allowed seven runs in nine innings in two no-decisions since rejoining the rotation Sept. 19. Smith allowed three runs while fanning five in five innings Thursday against the .

TRANSACTIONS Date Transaction 09/28/15 activated LF Enrique Hernandez from the 15-day disabled list. placed C Rafael Lopez on the 60-day disabled list. Fractured left hand. RHP Jonathan Papelbon roster status changed by Washington Nationals. Los Angeles Angels recalled C Rafael Lopez from Salt Lake Bees. Los Angeles Angels signed free agent RHP Mat Latos.