One problem that plagued the Reds last season was impatience at the plate -- not taking walks, and swinging at bad pitches.
Eight games into the 2009 season, things have turned around. The Reds have 40 walks, fifth in the National League, but three of the four teams ahead of them have played more games. "That's something we've really been preaching," manager Dusty Baker said. "Every pitch changes the equation of every at-bat. You swing at a bad pitch, like Brandon Phillips and Edwin Encarnacion were doing last year, and now you are 1-and-2 instead of 2-and-1 or 2-and-2 instead of 3-and-1.
"Just by concentrating and focusing on that one pitch makes a huge difference. The one young guy on our team that still needs to learn that is Jay Bruce. And he will."
Encarnacion, one of the biggest offenders last year, leads the club with eight walks, while Phillips, another offender in 2008, has seven walks.
BREWERS 9, REDS 3: RHP Micah Owings held the Brewers to three runs and five hits for five innings and turned a 3-3 tie over to RHP Jared Burton, but when the sixth inning, finished the Brewers had scored five runs. Former Reds OF Mike Cameron had two homers and a double to drive in three runs for the Brewers, who snapped the Reds' three-game winning streak.
