Every day there are three things, none worth devoting an individual post to, but each worth at least mentioning.
Running a little behind today....
1) Well would you look at this...When Scott Feldman is not only getting the best of Johnny Cueto, but going the distance in a shutout, times are good indeed.
Say what you want about the opponents they've been cleaning up against, but it's hard to play as well across five straight games as this has during their current winning streak. They've outscored the Pirates and Giants by a combined tally of 42-9 during this streak, they're getting incredible production from the top of the order,Eugenio Suarez is making a sneaky bid for an All-Star bid, Peraza has rebounded nicely since being dropped to the seventh spot in the order, and when Billy Hamilton is hitting and getting on base the way he has been, fewer players in the game are as dangerous.
I don't know what to make of this, long term or short. I'm not really sure I'm ready to attach deeper meaning to the Reds being in first place by themselves five weeks into the season other than to say that it's been a fun first 31 games, they're fun to watch and very likable, and being in first place is better than being in last place.
Yes, they pay me for that kind of commentary.
2) Amir Garrett. The rookie lefty was optioned to Louisville in an effort to save his innings, which makes sense.
It's also probably not the only reason why, despite a fantastic start to his big league career, he's been temporarily banished to AAA.
The reeks of being a service-time consideration, a mechanism the Reds are using to earn them an extra year of control, something that was done in a very high-profile way with Kris Bryant in 2015.
I don't like it, but I get it. And I'd do the same thing if I was running the club.
I'm sure Amir Garrett doesn't like it either. I'd tell him to take his gripe up with his union, whose collective bargaining helped make this kind of move an acceptable practice.
3) The Yankees are coming! I fell asleep watching last night's Cubs/Yankees game, sometime around the 13th inning.
I woke up sometime deep in the middle of the night with the game still going on.
The Yanks come to Cincinnati after having played an 18-inning tilt at Wrigley, a game that ended a little after 2am our time. That's good for the Reds, I suppose.
And probably, more ammo for the growing "baseball should end games after so many innings, even if the score is tied" crowd, which is, of course, wrong.
Exceedingly long games - and the possibility of them - are a fun part of the sport. happening infrequently enough that there's no downside to having a few games per season that drag on for hours on end. They often give us oddities like position players having to pitch, or the supply of baseballs being exhausted, which is what happened last night.
Are there ripple effects to games like last night's? Of course.
Want to avoid them? Win in regulation.
Recommended link of the day: NBA Teams Shouldn't Let Bias Cloud Their View of Luke Kennard
Win: A new lawn mower from Baxla Tractor and lawn tickets to every show at Riverbend.
Radio Show: Back on Wednesday. ESPN1530. 3:05.