Cardinals 6, Reds 4

I know you would have taken Bronson Arroyo out after the sixth. But can you blame Jerry Narron for trying to get one more inning of him? Given the bullpen's ability to blow any lead, I can understand why Narron did what he did.

Arroyo was pretty good until the seventh. "I tried to freeze Albert (Pujols) with a heater in. It stayed middle-away." Pujols hit it 412 to left-center. It was Arroyo's 119th pitch of the night.

He said he felt normal going into the seventh.

“I felt fine, about average for what you feel going out for the seventh inning,” Arroyo said. “I was a little tired. Once you get up over 100 pitches, you’re going to a little tired.”

The other thing of note was Marcus McBeth's debut. He pitched a 1-2-3 eighth, a rare thing for the Reds. Nine pitches, seven strikes -- 92 mph fastballs, 82, 83 mph chane-ups.

The Reds need a roster spot Friday for Homer Bailey. Sending McBeth back to Louisville would empty the bandwagon of the few fans still riding it. The Reds better do some roster magic with Jared Burton or something. When the bullpen's ERA is close to 5.00, you've got to keep a guy who appears to have good stuff and isn't afraid to throw in the strike zone -- even if that's based on one big league outing.