[DG18]

April 16th:
Reds 5 @ Brewers 6
WP: Jhoulys Chacin (1-2, 3.26)
LP: Sal Romano (1-1, 4.86)
SV: Corey Knebel (5, 3.12)
1B Joey Votto 1-3, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB
C Tucker Barnhart 1-4, 2B, RBI
CF Billy Hamilton 1-3, R, BB, SB
HR: CIN: Joey Votto (5) MIL: Ryan Braun (2), Christian Yelich (1)
We just had three hits in the entire game, and although Votto's home run in the 8th gave us life, it wasn't enough. Michael Lorenzen looked good in his first appearance, striking out 2 in a clean 9th inning.

Injury Report:
SP Brandon Finnegan injured his shoulder during a rehab start, and will head back to the disabled list for the next 2-4 weeks.

Around the League:
Astros SP Justin Verlander is out 4 weeks with a strained elbow. Verlander is 1-1 with a 3.05 ERA to start the season.
Mariners SP James Paxton is out 7 weeks with a bone sput in his elbow. Paxton has a 4.26 ERA to start the season, striking out 18 batters in 19 innings.

Top Performances:
Yankees LF Giancarlo Stanton 2-2, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 4 R, 3 BB in 16-1 win vs Marlins
Yankees RF Aaron Judge 2-3, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB in 16-1 win vs Marlins
Dodgers CF Chris Taylor 3-4, 3B, HR, 4 RBI, R, BB in 6-2 win vs Padres

April 17th:
Reds 7 @ Brewers 6
WP: Kevin Shackelford (1-0, 0.00)
LP: Jeremy Jeffress (0-1, 14.29)
SV: Raisel Iglesias (1, 0.00)
LF Scott Schebler 2-3, 3B, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI
PH Adam Duvall 1-1, HR, R, 2 RBI
CF Billy Hamilton 2-4, R, BB
SS Jose Peraza 2-5, SB
HR: CIN: Scott Schebler (1), Adam Duvall (3) MIL: Jhonny Peralta (2), Domingo Santana (1)
A pair of home runs lifted the Brewers to a 5-1 lead in the first inning, but afterward Tyler Mahle settled down and the Reds managed to come back with a 4-run 6th. Schebler and Duvall each drove in a pair with home runs of their own, and the bullpen pitched 5 hitless frames to close out the game.

Top Performances:
Pirates C Francisco Cervelli 2-2, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB in 8-7 win vs Rockies
Mets SP Jacob deGrom 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 7 K in 5-2 win vs Nationals
Phillies SP Aaron Nola 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 3 K in 7-1 win vs Braves

April 18th:
WP: Brandon Woodruff (2-1, 1.29)
LP: Homer Bailey (0-3, 11.72)
SV: Corey Knebel (6, 2.70)
2B Scooter Gennett 1-4, 2 RBI
1B Joey Votto 1-3, R, BB
LF Adam Duvall 1-4, R
HR: None
Homer Bailey did much better (still not great, 4 ER in 5.1 IP), but that wasn't nearly good enough to support and offense that could only hit 5 singles.

Top Performances:
White Sox 2B Yoan Moncada 4-5, HR, 2 RBI, 3 R in 9-6 win vs Indians
Rays CF Kevin Kiermaier 3-5, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R in 11-4 win vs Rangers
Angels C Martin Maldonado 4-4, 2B, 3 RBI, R in 5-3 win vs Red Sox

April 19th:
Off day

Top Performances:
Diamondbacks 3B Jake Lamb 2-2, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB in 8-2 win vs Giants
Yankees C Gary Sanchez 3-5, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R in 9-4 win vs Blue Jays
Pirates LF Adam Frazier 3-4, HR, 2 RBI, R, BB in 5-2 win vs Phillies

April 20th:
Reds 5 @ Cardinals 1
WP: Yovani Gallardo (2-1, 3.98)
LP: Carlos Martinez (1-2, 2.73)
LF Adam Duvall 1-3, HR, R, 3 RBI, BB
3B Eugenio Suarez 1-4, 2B, 2 RBI
1B Joey Votto 1-3, R, BB, SB
CF Billy Hamilton 1-4, 2 R, BB, SB
SS Jose Peraza 1-4, R, SB
HR: CIN: Adam Duvall (4) STL: Yadier Molina (3)
A 3 run homer in the first by Adam Duvall was all the Reds needed, as Yovani Gallardo was sharp in his second win of the season.

Top Performances:
Royals 1B Lucas Duda 3-3, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 3 R, BB in 10-6 loss to Tigers
Red Sox 1B Hanley Ramirez 3-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R in 7-5 win vs Athletics
Yankees SP Luis Severino 8.0 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K in 3-0 win vs Blue Jays
Brewers SP Wade Miley 9.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K in 5-0 win vs Marlins

April 21st:
Reds 5 @ Cardinals 2
WP: Michael Lorenzen (1-0, 0.00)
LP: Luke Gregerson (0-2, 7.71)
SV: Raisel Iglesias (2, 3.27)
C Tucker Barnhart 3-4, 2B, RBI
3B Eugenio Suarez 1-5, HR, R, RBI
PH Scott Schebler 1-1, HR, R, 3 RBI
HR: CIN: Eugenio Suarez (3), Scott Schebler (2) STL: Tommy Pham (6)
Eugenio Suarez tied the game in the 9th with a solo home run off Bud Norris, and then Scott Schebler came off the bench to smash a 3 run homer off Luke Gregerson to give the Reds the lead.

Top Performances:
Dodgers LF Joc Pederson 3-3, 2B, HR, RBI, 3 R, BB in 4-1 win vs Nationals
Red Sox SP Chris Sale 6.2 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 8 K in 2-1 win vs Athletics
Marlins C J.T. Realmuto 3-5, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R in 8-7 win vs Brewers

April 22nd:
Reds 4 @ Cardinals 5 (11 innings)
WP: Brett Cecil (2-1, 6.97)
LP: Jared Hughes (0-2, 5.56)
1B Joey Votto 2-4, HR, 2 R, RBI, BB
LF Adam Duvall 1-2, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB
2B Scooter Gennett 1-4, HR, R, RBI
HR: CIN: Joey Votto (6), Adam Duvall (5), Scooter Gennett (2) STL: Paul DeJonh (4), Luke Voit (2)
This time the Reds quiet offense couldn't get the job done, as just 4 batters recorded hits in the ball game. Cardinals catcher Yadier Molina finally ended the game in the 11th with a walk off single.

Top Performances:
Padres LF Cory Spangenberg 3-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, BB in 4-3 loss vs Diamondbacks
Tigers 1B Miguel Cabrera 1-2, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, 2 BB in 9-2 win vs Royals
Mariners 1B Brandon Moss 3-5, 2B, HR, 4 RBI, R in 10-9 win vs Rangers

AL POTW: Royals 1B Lucas Duda 7-21, 5 HR, 10 RBI
NL POTW: Pirates SS Jordy Mercer 10-21, HR, 4 RBI

NL Central:
Cubs 15-7
Pirates 13-9
Cardinals 12-10
Brewers 12-11
Reds 10-12

Next Week:
4 games vs Braves (11-11)
3 games at Twins (10-10)

Transactions:
IF Cliff Pennington has been waived and designated for assignment. So far we have been getting very little out of the middle infield, so Alex Blandino has been called up from AAA. Blandino, a former first round pick, was hitting .306/.394/.581 in 16 minor league games this year. He will get immediate playing time at first, and if he plays well he could stick in the starting lineup for the foreseeable future.