That's the number of pitches the Reds saw today from Cardinals' pitching. If ever there's a bright side, that sure is it.

The Reds today averaged 4.77 pitches per plate appearance as a team. If nothing else, I really think the offense has shown tremendous progress recently.

Waive McDonald, put Jonny Gomes on the 40-man roster and bring him up, and suddenly you've got a nice lefty-righty leftield platoon with some pop. Chris Dickerson can be the defensive, late-inning replacement.

Despite the disappointing loss, really encouraging progress being shown by this club. Further, on a slightly unrelated note, I do not buy Micah Owings' career stats as being a product of sample size issues. That dude can flat swing the bat. If he fails as a pitcher (and I am high on him as a fifth starter), he'll have a 10-year career as a left fielder in my honest opinion.