Sweet

Triple-A: Rick Sweet was named International League Manager of the Year, and the Bats lost 3-2. Sweet is really a pretty amazing manager whom the players love (and he's won MOY twice, including in '94 after back-to-back title seasons with Tucson), and the only question mark might be why he's not a major league manager. I really hope Walt Jocketty is taking notice.

High A: Yonder Alonso was 1 for 3 with a double in his pro debut and Juan Francisco was 2 for 4 in Sarasota's 4-1 loss. Zach Stewart threw a perfect inning and struck out 2.

Buchholz

Low A: Neftali Soto had 2 hits and 2 RBIs in Dayton's 6-3 win. Devin Mesoraco was 1 for for the 3rd straight day and the 4th time in 6 games. Mace Thurman struck out 6 (!) in his 3 innings, and he's kind of a stud. The 21-year-old Texan has struck out 42 in his 31.1 innings since being drafted in the 19th round out of Baylor. Still, he's given up 9 runs in his 15 innings for Dayton, which is not so studly.

Rookies leagues: Alex Buchholz was 5 for 5 (!!), improving to .407 on the season for Billings, in the Mustangs' 8-7 win. He's only played 24 games and has been out for a month with some sort of injury. Michael Konstanty had a 3-run homer, his 10th in 44 games, and Buchholz scored the winning run in the bottom of the 9th on a throwing error.

They finally did it.

Marty and Thom were harping on the fact that the Reds had not thrown a complete game all year, and how absurd that was, and how even the lowly Nationals had at least done that.

Now they can hush up.

Talk about that, or other things, in this edition of Reds Wrapup.

Soto

Danny Dorn homered and was 3 for 4 in Chattanooga's 10-1 loss. Also, Neftali Soto homered and is up to a .321 BA (yes, he's only 19) in Dayton's 4-2 loss.

The Bats won again, the S-Reds won 7-0 and lost 3-0, the G-Reds suffered a pair of losses and Michael Konstanty was 2 for 4 in Billings' 13-3 loss.

So what gets you going at this point in the season for the Reds? It's obviously a lost year as far as the major league club is concerned, but there are some prospects who are prospering and the club seems interested in competing next season. Does anything in particular give you hope?

Frazier

Triple-A: 2 hits, 2 runs and a walk for Drew Stubbs as the Bats lost 6-2. Bobby Livingston took the loss.

Double-A: Danny Dorn played first and went 3 for 4 as the Lookouts lost 6-5. Sean Watson loaded the bases but struck out the side.

High A: Logan Parker homered, Juan Francisco went 2 for 4 and Todd Frazier was 3 for 5 with 2 RBIs as Sarasota won 8-4. Zach Stewart gave up 2 hits but didn't allow any runs, lowering his ERA to 1.32 for the Florida State League.

Low A: Brandon Waring doubled and homered, Neftali Soto and Zach Cozart had hits and Devin Mesoraco went 1 for 4 in Dayton's 4-3 win. Jeremy Horst allowed just 1 run in 5..1 innings, improving to 7-2, and Aguido Gonzalez struck out 5 in 2.1 innings for the save.

Rookie leagues: Oscar Castro struck out 8 in Billings' 5-0 win. ... Juan Duran was 1 for 3 and Miguel Rodriguez homered in the D-Reds' 7-4 loss.

Sweet

Triple-A: The Bats beat Durham 6-3, clinching the International League West Division title with 11 games to go. Adam Pettyjohn struck out 7 in 8 innings, and Shaun Cumberland was 2 for 4. Rick Sweet also became the winningest manager in Louisville franchise history (297-267).

Double-A: Danny Dorn, Chris Valaika and Justin Turner homered in Chattanooga's 9-3 win. Dorn was 2 for 5 with his 20th shot, Turner was 3 for 3 with his 8th and Valaika was 2 for 4 with his 17th. Something should also be said for Robert Manuel, the 25-year-old who has appeared in 44 games for the Lookouts this season. He struck out 3 in 2 perfect innings and has had a remarkable year: 99 Ks in 80.2 innings with just 17 walks for a 1.23 ERA.

Cozart

High A: Juan Francisco was 2 for 4 and Todd Frazier had 2 doubles as Sarasota lost 7-3. Dallas Buck walked 3 and allowed 2 hits and 2 runs in his 3 innings, his 2nd start for the S-Reds.

Low A: Zach Cozart was 4 for 4 with an RBI and a double in Dayton's 6-5 loss. Ruben "Funky Cold" Medina gave up the walk-off single in the 9th.

Rookie leagues: Brett Bartles had 2 doubles and a homer in Billings' 12-9 loss. The Mustangs also lost 14-7 in a completed game. ... Juan Duran had a 2-RBI triple in the D-Reds' 7-4 win over the Yankees.

Please use this space to discuss matters.

Rosales

Triple-A: Homer Bailey gave up 9 more hits, but Jon Adkins blew up in the ninth, allowing 3 runs in Louisville's 7-6 loss. Adam Rosales was 3 for 5 with a homer, continuing his conquest of the minor leagues, and Wilkin Castillo moved to 3rd base and collected a couple hits. Justin Lehr threw two strong innings, and despite the loss, the Bats gained ground on the playoffs thanks to Toledo's loss. Their magic number is now 2.

Mesoraco

Double-A: Danny Dorn had 2 hits and Justin Turner was 2 for 5 with a double in Chattanooga's 5-4 loss. Ben Jukich gave up 3 runs in 5 innings, and Sean Watson took the loss.

Low A: Devin Mesoraco went 1 for 4 with a homer in Dayton's 4-1 win. Neftali Soto had a single, a double and 2 RBIs, Zach Cozart doubled and Mike McKennon went 2 for 4 but was homerless. 3 strikeouts in 3 innings for Jeff Jeffords.

Rookie leagues: Tony Brown had 2 doubles and David Sappelt had a double and a triple, but Billings lost 19-5. 3 doubles for Byron Wiley, and Josh Ravin allowed 2 earned runs but struck out 4 in his 3-inning appearance, his first since his demotion. ... Still no starting pitchers for the G-Reds, who lost 13-2. ... Juan Duran was 0 for 3 with a walk in the D-Reds' 4-1 win.

McKennon

Triple-A: The Bats' magic number is 3 after beating Columbus 7-5, their 7th straight win and 15th in 16 August games. Adam Rosales was 2 for 5 with a double in his first game back, and Josh Roenicke gave up 2 runs in the ninth before Daniel Ray Herrera shut things down.

High A: Juan Francisco and Todd Frazier doubled, but Sarasota was drilled 15-2. Logan Parker had a 2-RBI single, and Zach Stewart had two strikeouts in his perfect inning.

Low A: Devin Mesoraco was 2 for 4 with a homer, Neftali Soto had 3 hits and Mike McKennon homered for the 3rd straight game in Dayton's 9-8 loss. Brandon Waring added 2 hits.

Rookie leagues: Billings' game against the Casper Ghosts was postponed for the 4th straight day. ... Jerry Gil allowed 4 hits and a run in 2 innings, taking his 2nd loss as the G-Reds lost 4-2. I don't know if this pitching thing is right for him.

We won again, trimming our deficit in the Central to 21.5 games. I think there are more than that many games left in the season, so we're not out of this thing yet.

Use this space wisely. The Bats' game starts at 5, Dayton at 7. Also, Josh Hamilton's Texas Rangers play at 8. So there are a few things to talk about, if you find yourself in the thread with people that you have nothing in common with.