That's three wins in a row for the first-place Cincinnati Reds, who took a one-run lead three times in Pittsburgh last night then pulled away late en route to a 6-2 win over the Pirates.
Scooter Gennett’s three-run homer in the eighth inning gave the Reds some breathing room, but Bryan Price left nothing to chance.
He lifted Blake Wood with one out in the eighth and called on Raisel Iglesias for a five-out save. The Cuban righty delivered, allowing only one hit while throwing 15 pitches and picking up his third save.
ICYMI: Reds bullpen perfecto recalls that time Babe Ruth was ejected for assaulting an umpire
I tried to come up with some sort of pithy new nickname for Gennett, the surprising early sparkplug, but of course our resident Hall of Famer writer beat me to it.
Hal McCoy: Scooter is really a Harley-Davidson
There seems to be some symmetry to the Reds picking up Gennett off waivers the same year they said goodbye to Brandon Phillips, another second baseman whose old club decided it didn’t want him anymore right before the start of a new season.
Who knows how long Gennett’s bat will stay hot, but right now he gives the Reds some competition at a couple of positions and some roster flexibility both in terms of the starting lineup and potential trades down the line.
Plus they haven’t had much of a bench in years…
.@Sgennett2 into the night. #Reds pic.twitter.com/2ATbq5wTLf
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) April 12, 2017
If you were wondering how the start of the Archie Miller era is going at Indiana, it seems to be in some limbo at the moment.
Four Hoosiers announced yesterday they are entering the NBA draft, although only OG Anunoby plans to hire an agent.
He won’t be back in Bloomington, but James Blackmon Jr., Robert Johnson and Thomas Bryant could all return. Obviously their decisions will have a major impact on how good Miller’s first Hoosiers team will be.
On the flip side, Miller has so far has gotten two re-commitments from players his predecessor signed.
2017 F Justin Smith assures his commitment to Indiana https://t.co/HWFuSsO1zw pic.twitter.com/ZhWieaqe9j
— Land Of 10 (@landof10) April 12, 2017
This is key for Archie Miller. Now has secured two of the three IU signees https://t.co/a3gK1ip1WS
— Brian Snow (@BSnowScout) April 12, 2017
Meanwhile, new Dayton coach Anthony Grant lost another of Miller's UD recruits yesterday as news broke Nahziah Carter will be released from his letter of intent.
Aside from being related to Jay-Z, there isn’t much noteworthy about Carter as a prospect, which meant he fit in well with the nation’s 110th-ranked class.
Two Dayton signees have defected so far while Jordan Davis, a guard from South Carolina, has decided to stay.
His offer list when he committed late last summer included Butler, Kansas State, Cincinnati and Xavier.
RELATED: Dayton Flyers interested in transfer from Missouri
Grant could turn some lemons into lemonade if he can find something productive to do with those scholarships – like perhaps sign a transfer or two…
UD likely to have at least two scholarships open for 2017, probably 3, assuming Svoboda isn't coming. - https://t.co/TGiyy3TJzF
— David Jablonski (@DavidPJablonski) April 11, 2017
Over in Oxford, new Miami coach Jack Owens has his first recruit.
The RedHawks have signed Jalen Adaway, a 6-5 shooting guard from Logansport, Ind.
.@MiamiOH_BBall announces the singing of @Jmamba3 to NLI on Wednesday! https://t.co/Qt9mETImbI #RiseUpRedHawks #GraduatingChampions
— Miami Athletics (@MiamiRedHawks) April 12, 2017
I’m wondering if someone lied to Adam Schefter about the Cleveland Browns’ thinking in regards to the top pick in the NFL draft.
I am a big fan of Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson, but I can see why his interception total would give teams pause at the very top of the draft. That’s why Myles Garrett, the apparent best overall player available, makes the most sense for the Browns, who need a quarterback but also have many holes to fill on their roster.
And yet...
Just had an NFL exec tell me, "Don't be surprised if Myles Garrett isn't the No. 1 pick." Exec convinced a QB is in discussion at No. 1.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 12, 2017
Cleveland has not made up its mind at No. 1, per source. Split opinions. Some like Myles Garrett, some like Mitchell Trubisky. We will see.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 12, 2017
If Mitch Trubisky were really the type of can’t-miss prospect we usually associate with the No. 1 overall pick, someone probably would have noticed before February. Like the head coach of his team who opted to start someone else until last year perhaps?
Bucky Brooks of NFL.com makes an interesting comparison that should provide the Browns pause: Alex Smith.
Smith has turned out to be a solid NFL quarterback, but he was obviously overdrafted as the No. 1 pick in 2005. He’s more like Andy Dalton (a second-round pick whose career QB rating is higher than Smith’s) than the type of player you want at the top of the draft.
Of course nobody ever accused NFL executives of knowing what they are doing when it comes to drafting quarterbacks, especially in the last decade…
In related news, the case for the Cincinnati Bengals to draft another offensive playmaker got stronger with the news Tyler Eifert will again be limited physically this offseason.
The Pro Bowl talent from Notre Dame hasn’t played a full season yet in the NFL.
We’ll have another suggestion for the Bengals on that side of the ball later today...
Lastly, we are overdue for a recruiting roundup, but there was some news yesterday.
Fairfield's Malik Vann, a four-star defensive end, narrowed his college choices to six, including Michigan State, Alabama and Cincinnati.
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