The Reds Report: September 18

[caption id="attachment_207411" align="alignnone" width="508"]

David Kohl-USA TODAY Sports[/caption] This week was another mixed bag for the Reds. They were able to take two out of three from Milwaukee to open the week, but they dropped three out of four to Pittsburgh over the weekend. Just like that, Cincinnati only has 13 games remaining in their season. Let's get to this week's Reds Report. 1. On Sunday afternoon, one of the most unexpected events of the baseball season occurred. Dan Straily has been a pleasant surprise on the mound this season, but he's struggled at the plate. Okay, to say that he's struggled would be an understatement. In the 8th inning of today's game Straily walked to the plate 0-48 on the season. What happened next will be one of the enduring memories in Cincinnati from 2016. Yes, I realize the fact that this will be an enduring memory doesn't say much for the rest of the season.

ðŸ”¥ðŸ”¥ðŸ”¥ pic.twitter.com/SWMq3rdRQf
– Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) September 18, 2016

2. The 2016 season might be coming to a close, but it's never too early to start thinking about 2017. Earlier this week, Major League Baseball released the full schedule for next season. What sticks out about Cincinnati's 2017 schedule?

Cincinnati will open next season on Monday April 3. They'll welcome the Philadelphia Phillies to Great American Ball Park.
The Baltimore Orioles will play in Cincinnati for the first time since 2005.
The New York Yankees will come to Great American Ball Park for the first time since 2011.
The Boston Red Sox will come to Cincinnati starting September 22.
The season closes with a three game series at Wrigley Field.

3. On Tuesday, Hernan Iribarren found himself wrapped up in a good old fashioned national anthem standoff. You're not familiar with the practice? I'll let Zach Buchanan explain. "For those unfamiliar, an anthem standoff is exactly what it sounds like. A player from each side remains standing with this hand over his heart long after the anthem is done playing in a game of chicken to see who will budge first." The players both stood in position following the anthem for 13 minutes. In the end...the Iribarren was victorious. If baseball games were decided by a player's ability to stand in place, I have a feeling the Reds would do pretty well.

ICYMI: Watch the national anthem standoff between the #Brewers' Manny Pina and the #Reds' Hernan Iribarren pic.twitter.com/EunSHjxa4U – FOX Sports Wisconsin (@fswisconsin) September 15, 2016

4. Well...it was bound to happen. On Friday night the Cincinnati Reds bullpen set a record that they probably didn't want. They have officially allowed more home runs than any other bullpen in history for a single season. Dayn Perry notes that Jung Ho Kang of the Pittsburgh Pirates hit the record setting home run. It was the 93rd home run that the bullpen had allowed this season. 5. The Reds were expected to struggle this season, but that doesn't make losing any easier. One of the questions that many have been asking in recent weeks is, "What do all of these losses mean for Bryan Price?" Chad Dotson was just one of a number of writers to tackle this question recently. His story assesses a number of arguments that fans make in favor of letting Price go. Are they valid concerns? Click the link above to check out his responses. 6. How about some good news? Because the Reds won today they can't lose 100 games this season. That qualifies as good news right?

In other unexciting Cincinnati news, it is now impossible for the #Reds to lose 100 games. Things are really lookin up.
– Kevin Herbers (@kevinherbers) September 18, 2016

7. With things more or less settled on the field in Cincinnati this season, many have turned their attention to what the roster might look like in 2017. C. Trent Rosecrans looked at a few players the Reds might be willing to trade this offseason. He notes that the most obvious candidates are Brandon Phillips and Zack Cozart, but he talks about a few other notable players as well. This article also includes his answers to several mailbag questions. The Reds head to Chicago tomorrow for three games at Wrigley Field. Over the weekend they'll be in Milwaukee to take on the Brewers. You can follow the Reds all season long, and Eric's writing, at Red Reporter.