Cincinnati Reds

Liking what they had from the 91-win National League Central champions, and not wanting to spend what it would take to dip into the pool for free agents, the Reds made no major upgrades last winter.

Still liking what he had and not wanting to part with any of his organization's young prospects, general manager Walt Jocketty also stood pat at the Trade Deadline.

Wednesday's finale saw the Reds notch only two hits off journeyman pitcher Miguel Batista, who went the distance in the Reds' 3-0 loss to the Mets.

Even in Game No. 161. with the end of the season almost here, the Reds found themselves grinding out a dogfight of a game in extra innings.

To get a 5-4, 13-inning win over the Mets, the Reds turned to their bag of tricks, with a suicide squeeze by Drew Stubbs scoring Juan Francisco with the go-ahead run.

It certainly wasn't an expectation or a goal, but Chris Heisey became one of the Reds' biggest home run threats this season. Heisey went 3-for-5 on Monday, but his three-run homer in the top of the seventh was the really big hit in the Reds' 6-5 victory over the Mets at Citi Field.

Dontrelle Willis the Reds pitcher got his first win with a huge assist from Dontrelle Willis the hitter on Sunday. Willis pitched well and slugged a tie-breaking, two-run double in the top of the sixth as the Reds emerged with a 5-4 victory over the Pirates to avoid a three-game series sweep.

Bronson Arroyo felt right, looked right and most importantly pitched right. He dealt a six-hit complete-game shutout in leading the Reds to a 2-0 win over the Astros on Wednesday afternoon in the home finale at Great American Ball Park.

Reds pitcher Homer Bailey would certainly not decline earning win No. 9 of the season for a career high. But it came with a hint of the bittersweet.

After the Reds took a 6-4 victory over the Astros Tuesday to snap a four-game losing streak, Bailey wondered more of what could have been. He had two lengthy stints on the disabled list with shoulder problems this season, which has limited him to 21 starts.

There were only four hits notched on Monday by Reds hitters in a 3-2 loss to the last-place Astros. That brought the grand total to eight hits over the last three games and the losing streak to four games coming off the weekend sweep by first-place Milwaukee.

Until about 90 minutes before game time on Sunday, Reds lefty Matt Maloney was preparing himself to start on Monday vs. the Astros.

Then scheduled starter Dontrelle Willis was scratched because of back spasms. And instead of drawing a 100-loss, last-place club laden with rookie hitters like Houston's Jimmy Paredes or Jose Altuve, Maloney faced first-place Milwaukee with superstar sluggers like Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun.

Bronson Arroyo has never missed a start because of an injury and he certainly has no plans to skip one because he fears infamy.

During a 6-3 Reds loss to the Brewers that mathematically eliminated Cincinnati from postseason play, Arroyo gave up four of Milwaukee's five home runs in the game. It gave him 44 homers allowed in 2011, smashing Eric Milton's 2005 club record of 40.