Brandon Phillips' solo home run in the 13^th inning gave the Reds a 5-4 win over the Pirates and Cincinnati took two-of-three from Pittsburgh in the series. Despite an injury riddled season, the Reds are now just 3 games under .500.

Phillips and Todd Frazier carried the bulk of the offensive load for the Reds. Frazier, who went 3-for-6 at the plate with 3 RBIs, put Cincinnati up early by scoring Phillips with a double in the first. Phillips pushed the lead to 2-0 in the second with a run scoring triple off A.J. Burnett.

 

The Pirates grabbed the lead in the third as Jordy Mercer doubled in a run and Burnett helped his own cause with a single that scored two more, putting the Pirates up 3-2. Francisco Cervelli singled in Andrew McCutchen in the 6^th as the Pirates built a 4-2 lead. Reds starter Anthony DeSclafani was finished after six innings, giving up 4 runs, just one earned, on 6 hits, 2 walks, and 5 strikeouts. Burnett's evening was also done after six innings, ending with a line of 2 runs, 1 earned, 8 hits, 2 walks and 5 strikeouts. Neither starter was involved in the decision.

Frazier's power surge continued in the 7^th, as his 24^th HR of the season, a 2-run shot, tied the game at 4. Phillips, who returned to the lineup after nursing a bumb-thumb on Wednesday, took Rob Scahill deep in the 13^th to put the Reds on top with his 4^th longball of the year.

The Reds will stay on the road, traveling to New York to face the Mets. Hear it on AM 1490 WMOA tonight at 6:40pm. The Pirates will stay put and welcome the Braves into PNC Park this evening. Pregame time is 6:40 on WJAW AM 630.
 

The Indians will send Cory Kluber to the mound tonight as they open up a weekend stint in Baltimore. Kluber enters with a 3-9 record thanks in large part to the Tribe's inability to put up runs behind their ace. According to ESPN statistics, Kluber has the worst average run support of any pitcher in baseball.

Jason Kipnis enters Baltimore with a 19 game hitting streak in tact and is tied with Arizona's Paul Goldschmidt for the major's highest batting average at .354.

 

Wei-Yin Chen will start for the Orioles. Yin has a 3-4 record with a 2.89 ERA in 13 starts and will be looking for a third consecutive win.

 

Pregame time is 6:37 tonight on WJAW FM 100.9.
 

 

After the Minnesota Timberwolves made Kentucky center Karl-Anthony Towns the number one pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, the Lakers took Ohio State point guard D'Angelo Russell with the second selection. Jalil Okafor of Duke went number three to the 76ers.

The Cavaliers took Duke PG Tyus Jones with the number 24 pick as part of a trade that sent Jones to Minnesota in exchange for the 31^st and 36^th overall selections, both in the second round. At 31 the Cavs took small forward Cedi Osman of Turkey, who will likely stay at least a season or two in Turkey before jumping to the NBA. At 36, the Cavs took Syracuse PF/C Rakeem Christmas, who was the ACC's co-defensive player of the year in his senior season for the Orange. With their 53^rd selection, Cleveland chose Sir'dominic Pointer, a wing from St. John's University.

While for some trading Jones for second round picks might be confusing, it makes perfect sense for Cleveland. Cleveland will be paying the luxury tax in the upcoming season as it seems likely that they re-sign most, if not all, of their players in free-agency. First round picks have guaranteed contracts, and because of this, keeping Jones would have meant the Cavaliers would add to that tax bill even more, nearly doubling the cost of his contract in essence. On top of that, it's unlikely that Jones, or any other prospect, taken at number 24 would be able to step into consistent minutes in the rotation and contribute much immediately. Thus, the cost of keeping a late-first round pick for a contending team such as the Cavaliers outweighs the benefits in the grand scheme.

Out of the three second round picks, Christmas might have the best chance of actually suiting up for Cleveland. At 6'10'', Christmas might be able to fill the end-of-the-bench role that Brendan Haywood and Kendrick Perkins both had last season. There's also a chance none of the three ever play a minute for the Cavaliers or could be involved in trades.