Press Clippings June 19, 2018 THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 1973- collects his 2,000th career , while Fred Norman shuts out the Giants, 4-0 MLB.COM Reds trio in mix in NL All-Star Game voting By Brian Scott Rippee MLB.com Jun. 18th, 2018

CINCINNATI -- A trio of Reds remains in the running to represent the in the All-Star Game.

In the updated voting results in the Camping World All-Star Ballot released on Monday, Scooter Gennett sits in third place among NL second basemen. Eugenio Suarez is fourth and five-time All-Star is fifth.

Braves first baseman leads the voting at his position with 1,433,140, nearly 500,000 votes clear of the Cubs' (566,382). of the Giants is third (363,361), followed by of the Dodgers (294,418) and Votto (189,364).

Gennett, who ranks third in the NL in batting average (.336), a point behind Freeman, is third in voting behind Freeman's teammate (915,736), followed by the Cubs' Javier Baez (767,417). Gennett (743,979), the Giants' (194,634) and Asdrubal Cabrera of the Mets (173,567) round out the top five.

Rockies third baseman is the leading vote-getter (1,124,563), with of the Cubs behind him (677,185), followed by of the Braves (395,389), Suarez (228,806) and of the Giants (221,100).

Fans may cast votes for starters at MLB.com and all 30 club sites -- on computers, tablets and smartphones -- exclusively online using the 2018 Camping World MLB All-Star Ballot until Thursday, July 5, at 11:59 p.m. ET. On smartphones and tablets, fans can also access the ballot via the MLB At Bat and MLB Ballpark mobile apps. Each fan can vote up to five times in any 24-hour period, for a maximum of 35 ballots cast.

Following the announcement of this year's All-Star starters, reserves and , fans should return to MLB.com and cast their 2018 Camping World MLB All-Star Final Vote for the final player on each league's roster. Then on Tuesday, July 17, while watching the 2018 All-Star Game presented by Mastercard live on FOX, fans may visit MLB.com to submit their choices for the Ted Williams Most Valuable Player Award presented by Chevrolet with the 2018 MLB All-Star Game MVP Vote.

The 89th Midsummer Classic, at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., will be televised nationally by FOX Sports; in Canada by Rogers Sportsnet and RDS; and worldwide by partners in more than 180 countries. FOX Deportes will provide Spanish-language coverage in the United States, while ESPN Radio and ESPN Radio Deportes will provide exclusive national radio coverage of the All-Star Game. MLB Network, MLB.com and SiriusXM also will provide comprehensive All-Star Week coverage. For more information about MLB All-Star Week and to purchase tickets, please visit AllStarGame.com and follow @MLB and @AllStarGame on social media. CINCINNATI ENQUIRER Cincinnati Reds Anthony DeSclafani pleased with his progress in first 3 starts Bobby Nightengale, Cincinnati Enquirer Published 1:38 p.m. ET June 18, 2018

PITTSBURGH – Pitching in the Major Leagues for the first time since 2016, Reds right-hander Anthony DeSclafani is happy with the way he’s made progress in each start.

DeSclafani was solid against the Sunday, earning his second win of the season. He gave up three hits, two solo homers and one walk in 5 2/3 innings while striking out four.

One of the biggest differences in his latest outing was his ability to throw his curveball for strikes. It’s another off-speed pitch to use with his strong slider.

“It wasn’t great but I got some outs with it,” DeSclafani said of his curve. “I got some strikes with it. It definitely made a little bit of a difference. I think throwing a curveball for some strikes today and having it be effective was some progress.”

DeSclafani missed the entire 2017 season because of a sprained elbow, then opened this year on the disabled list because of an oblique injury.

In three starts this season, he’s given up eight earned runs in 15 2/3 innings while striking out 15.

During Sunday’s start, he had a stretch where he retired 10 of the 11 batters he faced, which included three on called third strikes.\

“Obviously, I need to be better,” DeSclafani said. “I think there were just times (Sunday) where I felt I was in a good groove and did what I wanted. There were other times where I was falling behind. I know that stuff happens but I’m trying to minimize that as much as possible.”

More: Anthony DeSclafani OK in return but rough night for Cincinnati Reds in 9-6 loss to Rockies

DeSclafani can count on – at least in his last two starts – highlight plays in center field from Billy Hamilton.

“I don’t know what I’m going to get him but I’m going to get him a few things,” DeSclafani said. “It’s been a couple of times so far this year. Only three starts in and he’s saved my butt a bunch of times. He’s awesome out there, fun to watch.”

CASALI AWARE OF POSEY RULE: Reds peeked out of the corner of his eye to see Pirates first baseman Josh Bell running toward home plate in the bottom of the eighth inning.

Once Casali secured the relay throw from Jose Peraza, he stuck his left leg in front of the plate and tagged out Bell to prevent the potential game-tying run from scoring.

The Pirates challenged the tag, asking the umpires to look if Casali violated the Posey rule by illegally blocking the plate. After a near two-minute review, it was ruled there was no violation.

“I knew I had time so I just made sure to catch the ball and as soon as I turned and looked at him, I knew I didn’t need to make a swipe tag,” Casali said. “Eliminate any doubt and just sit there.

“I know as soon as I have the ball, I can stand in front of the plate and force him to go outside or go through me.”

The rule, instituted in 2014 after catcher suffered a gruesome leg injury a few years earlier, says once a catcher secures the ball, he can block the plate. If he doesn’t have the ball, he must give a path for the runner to slide.

Casali said the rule has forced him to stand more toward the right-field line. He used to keep his left foot on the corner of the plate.

“Not too much of an adjustment,” Casali said, “It’s all based on timing.” TRANSACTIONS 06/19/18 signed RHP Marcus Evey. signed C Lane Milligan. Boston Red Sox signed RHP Eddie Jimenez. Boston Red Sox signed RHP Kris Jackson. Boston Red Sox signed LHP Logan Browning. New York Yankees optioned RHP Giovanny Gallegos to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. St. Louis Cardinals signed RHP Cole Aker. Boston Red Sox signed OF Bramdon Perez.

06/18/18 Cincinnati Reds signed RHP Cory Heitler. Cincinnati Reds signed free agent LHP Jerry D'Andrea to a minor league contract. San Francisco Giants signed free agent LHP JJ Santa Cruz to a minor league contract. signed free agent LHP Braden Pearson to a minor league contract. Kansas City Royals sent 1B Lucas Duda on a rehab assignment to Omaha Storm Chasers. Kansas City Royals traded RHP Kelvin Herrera to for 3B Kelvin Gutierrez, CF Blake Perkins and RHP Yohanse Morel. sent RHP Nick Vincent on a rehab assignment to Arkansas Travelers. signed RHP Tanner Howell. Kansas City Royals signed free agent C Stephan Vidal to a minor league contract. Kansas City Royals signed free agent C Logan Porter to a minor league contract. sent SS Kaleb Cowart on a rehab assignment to Salt Lake Bees. Washington Nationals recalled RHP Austin Voth from Syracuse Chiefs. New York Yankees recalled RHP Giovanny Gallegos from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. Los Angeles Angels activated RF Kole Calhoun from the 10-day disabled list. Los Angeles Angels optioned RF Jabari Blash to Salt Lake Bees. San Francisco Giants placed SS on the paternity list. San Francisco Giants recalled 2B Kelby Tomlinson from . St. Louis Cardinals signed free agent LHP Hector Villalobos to a minor league contract. St. Louis Cardinals signed free agent RHP Jake Sylvester to a minor league contract. selected the contract of LHP Austin Davis from Lehigh Valley IronPigs. Philadelphia Phillies optioned Hector Neris to Lehigh Valley IronPigs. signed RHP Austin Havekost. Toronto Blue Jays signed RHP Fitz Stadler. St. Louis Cardinals activated 1B Jose Martinez from the paternity list. Toronto Blue Jays signed RHP Matt Harris. Toronto Blue Jays signed RHP Grant Townsend. Texas Rangers signed OF Ryan Anderson. sent 1B Garrett Cooper on a rehab assignment to . Texas Rangers signed RHP Leury Tejada. Texas Rangers signed RHP Nic Laio. Pittsburgh Pirates recalled Jose Osuna from Indianapolis Indians. sent OF on a rehab assignment to Nashville Sounds. St. Louis Cardinals optioned 1B Luke Voit to . Pittsburgh Pirates optioned Jacob Stallings to Indianapolis Indians. Los Angeles Angels signed OF William Rivera. placed LHP on the bereavement list. Chicago Cubs recalled LHP Rob Zastryzny from Iowa Cubs. Seattle Mariners signed OF Ryan Ramiz. Texas Rangers activated SS Elvis Andrus from the 60-day disabled list. Texas Rangers recalled RHP Ricardo Rodriguez from . Texas Rangers optioned C Jose Trevino to Frisco RoughRiders. Seattle Mariners signed C Dean Nevarez. Pittsburgh Pirates activated RHP Richard Rodriguez from the 10-day disabled list. Pittsburgh Pirates optioned RHP Dovydas Neverauskas to Indianapolis Indians. Miami Marlins activated LHP Caleb Smith from the bereavement list. Miami Marlins optioned RHP Merandy Gonzalez to Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp. Toronto Blue Jays sent RHP Marcus Stroman on a rehab assignment to New Hampshire Fisher Cats. signed RHP Seth Mayberry. San Diego Padres signed LHP Erik Sabrowski. optioned LHP to Fresno Grizzlies. C Hayden Senger assigned to . New York Mets signed C Phil Capra. New York Mets signed SS L.A. Woodard. Oakland Athletics signed OF Chase Calabuig. signed free agent LHP Marc Rzepczynski to a minor league contract. Cleveland Indians optioned CF Greg Allen to . Cleveland Indians activated 1B Yonder Alonso. New York Yankees optioned 2B Ronald Torreyes to Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. New York Yankees recalled LF Clint Frazier from Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. signed OF Jeremiah Vison. Los Angeles Dodgers signed OF Josh McLain. Los Angeles Dodgers signed OF Drew Avans. New York Mets signed free agent 1B Chase Chambers to a minor league contract. signed RHP Sean Thompson. San Diego Padres signed LHP Hazahel Quijada. San Diego Padres signed LHP Tyler Mortensen. San Diego Padres signed RHP Mason Fox. San Diego Padres signed OF Payton Smith. San Diego Padres signed C Nick Gatewood. San Diego Padres signed C Rainier Aguilar. San Diego Padres signed 2B Lee Solomon. Kansas City Royals signed RHP Jon Heasley. San Diego Padres signed SS Xavier Edwards. San Diego Padres signed SS Jarryd Dale. San Diego Padres signed OF Jawuan Harris. San Diego Padres signed RHP Felix Minjarez. San Diego Padres signed LHP Alexuan Vega. San Diego Padres signed LHP Cody Tyler. signed free agent 2B Justin Row to a minor league contract. Seattle Mariners activated C Chris Herrmann from the 10-day disabled list. Seattle Mariners activated RHP Juan Nicasio from the 10-day disabled list. Seattle Mariners optioned C David Freitas to . Seattle Mariners optioned RHP Rob Whalen to Tacoma Rainiers. signed 3B Jordan Verdon. Detroit Tigers signed 3B John Valente. Detroit Tigers signed SS Luke Sherley. Detroit Tigers signed 3B Zach Malis. Detroit Tigers signed SS Jeremiah Burks. Detroit Tigers signed 1B Nick Ames. Detroit Tigers signed OF Kingston Liniak. Detroit Tigers signed OF Reece Hampton. Detroit Tigers signed OF Dayton Dugas. Detroit Tigers signed OF Brock Deatherage. Detroit Tigers signed OF Eric De La Rosa. Detroit Tigers signed LHP Adam Wolf. Detroit Tigers signed RHP Hugh Smith. Detroit Tigers signed RHP Angel Reyes. Detroit Tigers signed RHP Chance Kirby. Detroit Tigers signed RHP Garrett Hill. Detroit Tigers signed RHP Yasin Chentouf. Detroit Tigers signed RHP Robbie Welhaf. Detroit Tigers signed RHP Jayce Vancena. Detroit Tigers signed LHP Jared Tobey. Detroit Tigers signed RHP Chavez Fernander. Detroit Tigers signed 1B Justin Childers. Detroit Tigers signed 3B Kelvin Smith. Detroit Tigers signed OF Avery Tuck. Detroit Tigers signed OF Daniel Reyes. Detroit Tigers signed OF Matthew Jarecki. Detroit Tigers signed OF Vinny Esposito. Detroit Tigers signed OF Clark Brinkman. Philadelphia Phillies signed C Jack Conley. Philadelphia Phillies signed RHP Dominic Pipkin. Philadelphia Phillies signed RHP Tyler McKay. Philadelphia Phillies signed LHP Taylor Lehman. Philadelphia Phillies signed LHP Gabriel Cotto. Tampa Bay Rays signed RHP Taj Bradley. Tampa Bay Rays signed LHP Steffan Moore. Tampa Bay Rays signed RHP Chris Muller. Tampa Bay Rays signed RHP Daiveyon Whittle. Tampa Bay Rays signed LHP Nick Sprengel. Philadelphia Phillies signed RHP Brandon Ramey. Philadelphia Phillies signed RHP Jack Perkins. Tampa Bay Rays signed C Kevin Melendez. Tampa Bay Rays signed C Dawson Dimon. Tampa Bay Rays signed C Michael Berglund. Tampa Bay Rays signed 1B Russ Olive. Tampa Bay Rays signed 3B Kaleo Johnson. Tampa Bay Rays signed OF Nick Schnell. C Nelson Mompierre assigned to New York Mets. Miami Marlins signed RHP C.J. Carter. Miami Marlins signed RHP Cam Baird. New York Yankees signed RHP Derek Craft. Baltimore Orioles signed OF Trey Whitley. Baltimore Orioles signed OF Trey Truitt. Baltimore Orioles signed OF Andrew Jayne. New York Yankees signed OF Bryant Arrieche. Baltimore Orioles signed IF Zack McLeod. Baltimore Orioles signed 1B Ian Evans. Baltimore Orioles signed C Jared Denning. Baltimore Orioles signed C Matt Beaird. Baltimore Orioles signed RHP Jake Zebron. Baltimore Orioles signed RHP Jayvien Sandridge. Baltimore Orioles signed LHP Jason Montville. Baltimore Orioles signed RHP Parker McFadden. Baltimore Orioles signed LHP Kevin Magee. Baltimore Orioles signed RHP Dallas Litscher. Baltimore Orioles signed RHP Tyler Joyner. Baltimore Orioles signed LHP Cody Hacker. Baltimore Orioles signed RHP Andrew Ciolli. signed RHP William Woods. Atlanta Braves signed OF Gabriel Rodriguez. Atlanta Braves signed LHP Victor Cavalieri. Atlanta Braves signed RHP Alex Camacho. Atlanta Braves signed C Logan Brown. Atlanta Braves signed 3B CJ Alexander. Atlanta Braves signed 3B Ray Hernandez. Atlanta Braves signed 2B Trey Harris. Atlanta Braves signed 1B Mason Berne. Minnesota Twins signed OF Tyler Webb. Minnesota Twins signed OF Willie Joe Garry Jr.. Minnesota Twins signed 1B Gabe Snyder. Minnesota Twins signed RHP Dylan Stowell. San Diego Padres signed RHP Reiss Knehr.