The subject of trade rumors, Bronson Arroyo doesn’t want to leave Cincinnati.

"If they made a trade for me, I feel like, honestly, if you trade me, you're saying, 'that's it, we're not going to build a winning team here,' because of the four starters that have been here all year, I think all of us have a chance to be here a long time," Arroyo said after picking up his ninth win of the season in a 9-5 Reds victory over the Padres on Wednesday afternoon. "If you trade me out now because of the salary I'm going to make next year, then you're just going ahead and cashing in the money for a losing team."

In his five starts since allowing 10 runs at Toronto, Arroyo is 5-0 with a 3.19 ERA. Wednesday he allowed three runs on six hits with seven strikeouts and no walks and he's the first Reds pitcher since Steve Parris in 2000 to win five consecutive starts.

Again on Wednesday, rumors popped up all over baseball that the Yankees would be interested in Arroyo, who is signed through 2010 with a club option for 2011. He will make $9.5 million next season and $11 million in 2010, with an $11 million option in 2011. The trade deadline is July 31.

After a rough start, Arroyo is now 9-7 with a 5.60 ERA. He's also a durable pitcher, who has recorded at least 200 innings in each of the last three seasons, including the last two for the Reds. He's pitched 119 innings so far this season.

Arroyo said he's seeing the start of something special with the pitchers the Reds have, himself and Aaron Harang as veteran starters, as well as Edinson Volquez, Johnny Cueto, Daryl Thompson and Homer Bailey, and he wants to be a part of it.

"The last two years I've been here we’ve not had anywhere near the pitching staff we have right now," Arroyo said. "I mean, Volquez and Cueto have been great, obviously Thompson has really surprised some guys when he came up here and Homer’s looking more comfortable and a lot better. I feel like, and I think everyone around here, feels like things are starting to roll here, and I don't think there's a reason to panic and start shipping a bunch of guys out of here. Adam (Dunn), obviously, is the only guy in a predicament where he's going to have to sign a long-term deal or get rid of him. But myself and Harang, we're locked into a deal, if they're willing to stick with us and pay the salary, then I think we’ve got a shot to do some things we haven't done in a while."

Arroyo’s optimistic that he won’t be traded because of owner Bob Castellini.

"When I see Bob Castellini, I feel like it's a guy that wants to win here, I don't think he's ready to go ahead and say he's put in as much as he wants to put in and go ahead and start ripping pieces apart," Arroyo said. "I hope the vibe I get from him is for real. If it's not, then I'll have another surprise coming my way."

Castellini is in his third season as the Reds owner and already fired a general manager this season because "we're just not going to lose anymore."

Arroyo's not talked in depth with Castellini, but he’s seen how the Reds owner is around the players and even the staff, taking time out to encourage the training staff to make sure the players are healthy.

"He's serious about it, I can't see him saying 'that's it, let's go ahead and pack it in and save some money,'" Arroyo said.

With Wednesday’s victory, the Reds are three games under .500, 9.5 games out of first in the National League Central and 8.5 games out of the wild card immediately following the game. The team has won or split each of its last three series, but had late leads blown in each of the three losses since the All-Star break. A Reds starter hasn't earned a loss since July 9 when Johnny Cueto fell to the Cubs in Wrigley Field.

Closer Francisco Cordero, who walked in a run and got a fly out after coming in with the bases loaded in the ninth to earn his 21st save of the season, blew saves in the first game of both the Mets and Padres series, before the Reds won the next two games in each of those series. The Reds also had a lead late in Sunday's loss to the Mets, and had a chance to win all seven games since the break.

Several players, Reds manager Dusty Baker said, pointed that out on the bench. In particular, Dunn -- who had five RBIs on Wednesday, including the team’s first grand slam of the season -- mentioned it to Baker at one point.

"I was like John Lee Hooker sang a song called, 'Don't Look Back,'" Baker said. "Dick Pole said (Dunn) didn't know who he was. So I said, 'yeah, he knows who he is.' Dunn said, 'no, I don't.' But John was right, don't look back, just look forward."

So, after the debacle of dropping Adam Dunn's foul ball last night, I had to reexamine many things.

In that spirit, I woke up this morning, looked down at my bracelet and its message and took it to heart.

The message? WWCW? What would Chris Welsh Do?

The answer? Well, the answer was...

Let's just say it's gotten some reaction.

Bill Bray liked it, others did not. I don't think I'll have it later tonight.

And with the catch last night? I walked into the clubhouse, and I knew if there was one person who would get on me, it would be Mercker. And on cue, he did.

This morning, Melissa Griffey made fun of me too.

What can I say, I should have made the catch. I didn't.

* Top 1: That was quick. Gerut pounds one to right. It's Gerut's first career leadoff homer. Three quick ones after that. Channel 4 News Team 1, Redlegs 0

* Bottom 1: Of the first six outs of the game, four have been grounders to second. Griffey was looking the other way the whole time with the shift on and eventually singled to left. Strikeout looking by Brandon Phillips. Channel 4 News Team 1, Redlegs 0

* Top 2: Quick 1-2-3 for Arroyo. A K and then two plays by Votto. Channel 4 News Team 1, Redlegs 0

* Bottom 2: We've got a trend here -- two out hit, and nothing else. Second inning it was Valentin with a hit. Valentin is now 10-for-27 lifetime against Maddux. Griffey, who got the hit in the first, is 13-for-37 with two homers. Four of Valentin's 10 hits against Maddux are homers. Channel 4 News Team 1, Redlegs 0

* Top 3: If it weren't for the homer, Arroyo would have a perfect game going. A K of Handley, Maddux barely hits one in fron of the plate and is thrown out by Valentin. Dunn takes a step back and Gerut's broken-bat blooper drops in. It's a play he probably should have made, but did not. Rodriguez flies out. Channel 4 News Team 1, Redlegs 0

 * Bottom 3: Looks like Dusty and Dunn had a discussion about the play between the half-inning. And the Reds go 1-2-3, with two of those groudnouts to third. Channel 4 News Team 1, Redlegs 0

* Top 4: Seriously, if not for that homer, Arroyo is cruising. Just cruising. Another 1-2-3 inning. And nothing was even close to a hit. Channel 4 News Team 1, Redlegs 0

* Bottom 4: So, in the first four innings, a total of four balls for each team out of the infield -- it helped the Padres that one went about 300 feet beyond the infield. Channel 4 News Team 1, Redlegs 0

* Top 5: Need a ruling on this one -- although, if you're not at the game, you probabl didn't see it. Nick Hundley hits one up te middle to the left of the second base bag, Phillips gets there and gets a glove on it and it nicks off his glove. He's in the grass, but it says pretty even with him. Not sure he had a play even if he fielded it cleanly... so doesn't that count as leaving the infield? Sure, it touched outifeld grass, but it didn't really get by the infielders, which usually is what is the deciding factor to me. Maddux's ball definitely makes it to the outfield, Bruce and Griffey get to it, the ball scoots past both of them, it's an E9 allowing Hundley to score. But if Hundley really had an idea of the situation, he probably could have scored. Gerut's is to teh outfield, but it's also an out. Channel 4 News Team 1, Redlegs 0

 * Bottom 5: When Greg Maddux is making his speech at Cooperstown as the first unanimous selection to the Hall of Fame, Javy Valentin can sit back and point to his kids -- I owned that guy. Career numbers against Maddux now -- 11-for-28 with five home runs. Just unreal. As abd as the Reds have been this year, at least they haven't screwed up the catcher to pitcher throw. Yet. Bronson Arroyo can say, yeah, he wasn't so tough. He just had a nice single to left. Both teams have four hits, the pitcher has one for each team. 12-game hitting streak now for Bruce. Wild pitch moves the runners over to secodn and third with Keppinger up. Maybe he can keep it from going 11. Or not. Redlegs 1, Channel 4 News Team 1

* Top 6: Speaking of owns da Cheifs... Kevin Kouzmanoff is now 6-for-9 lifetime against Arroyo with a two-run homer. Chennel 4 News Team 3, Redlegs 1

* Bottom 6: As bad as the Reds are with fundamentals -- the Padres are worse. After a single and stolen base, Brandon Phillips is clean picked off second by Maddux. When you watch Phillips, it seems like second is where he usualy gets into trouble. Thing is, the Padres get him in a pickle and Hkalil Greene drops the ball. Just drops it. Adam Dunn hits a bouncer over Maddux and right ot the hole where nobody is because of the shift. An infield RBI single. It's 3-2 and Maddux is done after 75 pitches. Cla Meredith on for the Padres. Meredith is nasty and I'm pretty sure all these guys hate facing him. Valentin's probably upset he doesn't get another crack at Maddux. Edwin Encarnacion -- not clutch and not working the pitcher. What is he doing swinging at the first pitch. It's No. 19 for the season for Encarnacion. If they get Phillips out.. But that's why bad teams are bad. And the Padres are worse than the Reds. Khalil Greene was playing Votto up the middle, and because of that, he gets the out and ends the inning. Redlegs 4, Channel 4 News Team 3

* Top 7: Arroyo gets two Ks then helped by Brandon Phillips on a really nice play in short right to get pinch hitter Brian Myrow.  Redlegs 4, Channel 4 News Team 3

* Bottom 7: Joe Thatcher pitching for the Padres. Before today's game, the Padres called up Wil Ledezma, so Thatcher isn't the lone lefty anymore. Bunt single for Arroyo -- he's 2-for-3. Single for Keppinger. Junior misses 607 by about two feet. It's an RBI double. Intentional walk to Phillips to bring up Dunn against the lefty Thatcher. Mistake. 9-3. His eighth career grand slam -- the first for any Red this season. But, you know, just another "meaningless" grand slam. Javy singles, and that's it for Thatcher. Welcome Wil Ledezma. So they have a "Wil" and a "Cla" in their bullpen. Redlegs 9, Channel 4 News Team 3

* Top 8: Affeldt in. Proving that even with a six-run lead, Dusty Baker doesn't trust Todd Coffey. Double switch, David Ross catching, Affeldt in the seven spot. Nice line of Arroyo -- 7 innings, 6 hits, 3 runs, 7 Ks and 0 walks. Neither starter walked a batter -- when was the last time we saw that? Just as I wrote that, Affeldt walks Luis Rodriguez for the game's first non-intentional walk. Passed ball but him at second and a single makes it 9-4. A nice 3-6-1 DP to end the inning. Redlegs 9, Channel 4 News Team 4

* Bottom 8: 1-2-3. Redlegs 9, Channel 4 News Team 4

* Top 9: Todd Coffey in for the Redlegs. Single, fielder's choice, single, single -- bases loaded with one out. Things are geting more tense than they should be at 9-4. Coffey goes 2-0 to pinch hitter Edgar Gonzalez. 2-1. 2-2.  Strike 3. Three fastballs in a row and the Reds are an out away. And that's it for Coffey. In comes Cordero to face Gerut. And he goes 3-1. Make it end. He walks in a run. 9-5. Maybe those Houston Street rumors aren't so crazy. Scott Hairston hitting for the Padres. Hairston helps out swigning at one over his head. 0-2. And he hits one a mile high, but Dunn catches it. And this one belongs to the Reds

Redlegs

1. Jay Bruce cf
2. Jeff Keppinger ss
3. Ken Griffey Jr. rf
4. Brandon Phillips 2b
5. Adam Dunn lf
6. Edwin Encarnacion 3b
7. Javier Valentin c
8. Joey Votto 1b
9. Bronson Arroyo p

Josh Fogg said he felt OK, "other than my face being busted."

I'm sure it's a family day picture the Fogg family will forever treasure. Fogg said they took it with his back to the camera. He looks rough, but good to hear he's doing well.

Fogg will not start on Friday, instead he'll be skipped in the rotation and Edinson Volquez will start on Friday.

"Foggy's not bad enough to DL, which we wouldn't want to do," Dusty Baker said. "He looks like Mike Tyson got him. Thank God for the off day tomorrow."

The lesson of family day is that baseball players do all right for themselves.

Padres

1. Jody Gerut cf
2. Luis Rodriguez 2b
3. Brian Giles rf
4. Adrian Gonzalez 1b
5. Kevin Kouzmanoff 3b
6. Chase Headley lf
7. Khalil Greene ss
8. Nick Hundley c
9. Greg Maddux p
   

 * From the Reds:

IF/OF Ryan Freel this morning had surgery to repair the torn distal hamstring tendon behind his right knee.

The 50-minute procedure was performed by Reds medical director Dr. Timothy Kremchek.

Freel is expected to return in 4-6 weeks.

 

And this too:

The Hoxworth bloodmobile will be parked on Joe Nuxhall Way in front of the Reds HOF on Friday from 9:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The drive is open to the public.

Each donor will get 2 View Level tickets to Friday night's game.

Short version because of the Reds' early game...

Yeah, I dropped the ball. I'm bummed about it, but what you gonna do? You just have to forget it and move on and be ready for the next time you get that opportunity. It's too bad that was my first career opportunity.

Two years ago I was at a Braves game and one of the guys I was with had the ball bounce off his hands. I didn't understand, but now I do. Greg, I feel your pain.

* SI.com's John Heyman sees Adam Dunn in pinstripes.

* The Nationals didn't get much for Jon Rauch, that's not a good sign considering the Reds most tradeable players are reliever Jeremy Affeldt and David Weathers.

* Jerry Hairston Jr. and Elvin from the Cosby Shown? You decide. Also in our Reds look-alikes, readers have given us Homer Bailey=Christian Bale and Javier Valentin=Turtle from Entourage. Ken Griffey Jr. has always referred to Edwin Encarnacion as "baby Tyson" -- and the Reds third baseman does look like a young Mike Tyson. Gary Majewski could have a winter job as Xavier's mascot (not the blob, the other one).

* An interesting look at third-base coaches.

* Bud ain't happy with the Cubs.

* A list of the Top 10 college mascots. I like having Uga at No. 1, but no Mike the Tiger?

* A list of Ohio State excuses.

* The Gainesville Sun looks at the SEC's glamour coaches.

* This post from Every Day Should Be Saturday is so wrong (and shouldn't be read by anyone who doesn't grasp satire), but good. Really, how Kirk Ferentz is still employed is crazy to me. Stay classy Iowa.

* I'm a man! I'm 40! I do have to call a massive BS on this from our favorite 40-year old college football coach. He says, "I've had only one incident and it wasn't necessarily attacking a media member. If so, I would have said a name. I wasn't trying to embarrass somebody."

You don't have to name names when you hold up the paper and point toward the column. Saying you didn't say a name when you pointed toward the person's picture is more or less the same as saying their name.

(As for the column, I think both columnist and coach can share blame of that whole debacle.)

* Speaking of college football caoches making stupid stances with the media -- George O'Leary isn't talking to the Orlando Sentinel because of "inaccuracies" but won't name what's inaccuracte so the paper can correct it. And he won't talk to the Sentinel until there's a correction. Sound familiar? The Skipper's even older than 40. But it wouldn't be the first time he misled people.

* My friend and mentor Mark Schlabach ranks the Big East's quarterbacks and has UC's Dustin Grutza No. 8 of eight.

* A new Gutter Twins track.

* Banksy has been unmasked.