So where do the Reds go from here? They’re still healthily above .500, and in fact (despite two losses against the Braves) now find themselves second in the division, a half game up on Pittsburgh and 3 games back from the first place Cardinals. Looking at the schedule, you have to think that the Reds have a very good chance to find some consistent good play in the coming weeks. After coming off one of the toughest schedules to begin the year in the league, the Reds will perhaps find some comfort in a few familiar foes.

The first is this weekend series against the Brewers. This is the first time the Reds will see Milwaukee on the season, and boy are they struggling. They’ve lost six of their last seven, and come into GABP with an overall record of 15-17. After hosting the Brewers, the Reds go on a road trip to take on the Marlins, Phillies and Mets. All of three teams are suffering down at the bottom of the National League East, and all of them are well below .500. These are the teams the Reds need to beat to offset the losses suffered against greater competition.

We’ll preview the Brewer’s series below. But for now, let’s talk about who’s hot and who’s not.

Three Up

Shin-Soo Choo

Man, how clutch was that 9th inning bomb in game 2? I had a feeling when Choo came to the plate that the game was ours, and I was right. It seems as though Choo can do just about anything he sets his mind to offensively. If the team needs a quick run, he’ll hit it out of the park. If they need someone on base, there’s no one that’s doing it better in the league. And although we haven’t seen much of his base running yet, it should be noted that Choo is a decent base stealer as well.

There are rumbles about whether or not the Reds should try to sign Choo to a longer contract before the season ends. In my opinion, if a deal can be reached, I’d pull the trigger. For as fast as Billy Hamilton is, there’s nothing guaranteed about a guy who has a handful of ABs above AA, and has been struggling mightily with the AAA pitchers. Choo is quickly becoming the best leadoff hitter in the game, and the Reds would do well to sign him for three or four years.

Devin Mesoraco

April 12, 2013; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Cincinnati Reds catcher Devin Mesoraco (39) hits a RBI double against the Pittsburgh Pirates during the sixth inning at PNC Park. The Pittsburgh Pirates won 6-5. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Choo’s big bomb wouldn’t have meant much without the young catcher’s home run right before it. In my interview with Johnny Bench, I made sure to ask him his opinion on Devin Mesoraco, and it’s clear that the kid isn’t quite there yet. But when we see flashes of his potential, it’s enough to get you very excited for the future.

Alfredo Simon

Simon was generally ranked pretty low in April’s end-of-month power rankings by Steve, Josh and myself. However, there are certain outings and situations that can cause a player’s stock to soar overnight, and Simon’s appearance in game one against the Braves is a great example of such an occasion. Simon came in to a losing ball game to pitch two innings, which equals six batters. Simon struck out all six. It was a truly dominating appearance, and the flash was nice to see from a pitcher some fans had maybe thought couldn’t perform up to the Reds standards.

Three Down

Todd Frazier

Frazier’s struggles continue after one of the hottest starts in the league. Things didn’t get much better in the return to GABP against the Braves. He went 2-8 overall, with only a pretty meaningless RBI in the first game of the series. Unfortunately, we may be looking at the “real” Todd Frazier. Maybe not quite this bad, but certainly not as good as his early numbers suggested he might be. Of course, I could be wrong. But his home/road splits are troubling, and when he start struggling at home as well, you know you’re in for a couple of bad games.

Apr 29, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; Cincinnati Reds left fielder Xavier Paul (26) breaks his bat as he drives in a run on a ground out to St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Pete Kozma (not pictured) during the fourth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Xavier Paul

To be fair, our expectations for Xavier Paul as an every day left fielder shouldn’t be very high. He was the fifth outfielder for a reason, and was pretty good (bordering on very good) in that spot. However, since taking over after the injury to Chris Heisey, Paul has only 4 hits in his last 23 at bats. That’s not gonna cut it as an every day guy.

Mike Leake

The inclusion on this list isn’t necessarily about Leake’s play (although, to be honest, he hasn’t been that great), but more because of the Tony Cingrani problem. The fact that he’s being talked about as a potential option to send down to Louisville has to have him thinking. The unbiased eye says that when Johnny Cueto returns from injury, Mike Leake should be the one the odd man out. However, as we’ve seen, Dusty Baker‘s eye is isn’t exactly unbiased. I think Leake has a higher chance of sticking around than some may think, and it may even be hovering around 50/50.

What to Expect from the Milwaukee Brewers

The Reds will see the division rival Brewers for the first time this weekend, and it really couldn’t come at a better time. The Reds are starting to skid a little bit again, and the Brewers are definitely skidding. It will be a contest of who can reverse the ship the fastest, and you have to think that the Reds should be that team.

Apr 27, 2013; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Milwaukee Brewers left fielder Ryan Braun (8) gets a high five after the defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers 6-4 at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Of course the first name you think of when you think Brewers is Ryan Braun. And indeed, the Brewer Left Fielder has been up to his old tricks again this season, hitting .321/.413/.587 with 7 homers and 24 RBIs. But the real surprise so far for the Brewers this season has been Yuniesky Betancourt. While filling in for the injured Aramis Ramirez at 3B, Betancourt has been raking. He’s up to 8 home runs now with 24 RBIs. For those keeping track at home, that’s better than Ryan Braun. Youngster Jean Segura has also been a pleasant surprise, hitting .328/.372/.513 with 4 homers and 8 stolen bases. I predicted at the beginning of the season that Segura could be a 40-40 guy at some point in his career, and he’s certainly showing the potential.

So with all of these scorching hot bats, how are the Brewers not winning games? Pitching. It always comes down to one or the other, doesn’t it?

Game One in the series will see youngster Tony Cingrani taking on Yovani Gallardo. Gallardo, like most of the Brewers pitching staff, is off to an ice cold start in 2013. He’s sporting a 4.50 ERA through 42 innings. Despite the high ERA, Gallardo has found his way to a 3-1 record. The Reds will be looking to add another loss to that column.

I will be at game two of this series, and I’ll get to see Mat Latos take on Marco Estrada. Estrada has the worst ERA of the starters for Milwaukee, coming in with a 6.05 mark through 38.2 innings. He’s died by the long ball, having already given up 11 homers on the season, tied for first in the MLB with Toronto’s Mark Buerhle. You have to think Great American Ballpark is Estrada’s worst nightmare. He’ll have to be on his A game, as Latos has been lights out lately.

The wrap up game will pit Bronson Arroyo against Wily Peralta. Peralta has also been struggling this season, as he’s sitting at a 5.54 ERA through 39 innings. Arroyo has been struggling of late as well (as far as Reds pitching standards go), so this is probably the best shot the Brewers have at taking one in Cincinnati.

This is an important series for the Reds to get back on track. The Brewers are down right now, and the Reds would do good to capitalize on their pitching struggles. Of course, I said the same thing about the Braves, and look how that ended up. Just goes to show that anything can happen in baseball.

The Reds, who got off to a terrible start to their road trip in Washington and St. Louis, rebounded with the three wins at Wrigley Field to draw even for this particular road trip at 5-5. The Reds are still posting a terrible 6-10 road record (vs 12-4 in Great American Ballpark), but are luckily coming back to Cincinnati for another homestand.

I’ll be attending this Saturdays’ game vs. the Brewers, but before we get that far, the good guys will have to face the team who had baseball’s best April, the Atlanta Braves. But first, Three Up and Three Down.

Three Up

Joey Votto

After going a whole 8 games without a walk to end April (which is a lifetime in Votto Years), Joey has been knocking the cover off the ball so far in May with a triple slash of .307/.455/.469. It’s easy to say that Votto struggled in April, but looking back at the numbers, it’s very comparable to what the Reds superstar usually does in April. At the end of the day, Votto is the very essence of consistency. We know what we’re getting with him, and he rarely fails to deliver. Let’s hope this hot streak he’s on can carry over into the series with the Braves.

Jay Bruce

Apr 27, 2013; Washington, D.C., USA; Cincinnati Reds right fielder Jay Bruce (32) singles in the eighth inning against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park. The Nationals defeated the Reds 6-3. Mandatory Credit: Joy R. Absalon-USA TODAY Sports

A lot of us have been hard on Bruce so far in the season, and for a good reason. He’s a home run hitter who’s only hit one home run. And that’s still the case in May. So, why is he on the Three Up list? Because he’s still finding a way to drive in runs. He drove in 4 runs in the series against the Cubs, none of them coming from the long ball.

It’s been very evident that Jay is attempting to become a different kind of hitter. Like Joey Votto before him, I think Bruce has realized that being successful on offense doesn’t always come down to hitting home runs. He’s driving the ball to left much more this season than he ever has before, he’s starting to see more pitches (although his strikeout rate is still absurdly high), and he’s starting to deliver some key hits with runners on base.

Now, naturally someone as successful at hitting bombs as Bruce will struggle trying to change his playing style. Maybe that’s what we saw in April. I think his mind is trying to tell him to be more patient, but his body just wants to crush the ball into the Ohio River. Until he can become a master at both, he’ll continue to hit very few home runs. But, as long as he’s getting the RBIs, I don’t mind it.

JJ Hoover

The youngest Red in the bullpen finally looks to be coming around. I was very hot on Hoover coming into the season, demanding that he be placed on the 25 man roster to start the season, which he ultimately was. However, early struggles had me wondering if his rookie season may have been a tiny fluke. Of course, everyone who reads my articles knows I’m not nearly as reactionary as some of my fellow writers. Remember when everyone wanted to jump ship when the Reds got swept by the Pirates? Seemingly, JJ Hoover was in the same situation.

But boy, did he ever come up big against the Cubs. After the Cuban Missile almost lost us game one, Hoover came in like a champion and got the last out with runners in scoring position. And in game three, with Broxton and Chapman both having worked two games in a row, Dusty trusted Hoover over Sean Marshall to pitch the 9th, and he didn’t disappoint. I’ve said all along that this kid has closer potential. It’s just one of those things you feel when you watch a guy pitch. If Chapman ever finds his way into the rotation, this guy should be good to go to take his place.

Three Down

Shin-Soo Choo

“But Jordan! How can a guy who hit a leadoff homer and hit .330 during the Cubs series be on the Three Down list?” I can hear you all crying, wearing your Choo jerseys and throwing your “How to Speak Korean” books against the wall in disgust. Well, I’ll tell you. No, I’ll do you one better: I’ll show you.

There. Did you see that? That wasn’t Brandon Phillips‘ fault. That was all Choo. I’m sorry, but I don’t care how good you are at the plate, if you’re making boneheaded plays in the outfield that potentially injures not only yourself but our star second baseman, I’ve got a problem. Choo’s defense has been below average at best this season, but due to his scorching bat a lot of Reds fans have been quick to forget.

I bet you BP doesn’t forget about this one…

Zack Cozart

Apr 29, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; Cincinnati Reds shortstop Zack Cozart (2) lays down a bunt during the first inning against the St. Louis Cardinals at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Cozart has had an awful start to the season, and things haven’t been much better in May. The Reds shortstop is hovering right below the Mendoza line, which isn’t good at all. It might be time for Dusty Baker to start looking for another top-of-the-lineup bat. There’s not much to say about Cozart, other than he’s stinking it up right now.

Devin Mesoraco

For as much offense as some fans think Devin Mesoraco brings to this Reds lineup, he sure hasn’t been showing much of it lately. He did manage to drive in two runs in the Cubs series, but RBIs were pretty common place in Wrigley. Mesoraco is 3 for his last 19 ABs, which just isn’t getting the job done. Hopefully Hanigan is ready to contribute when he gets back from the DL, because Mesoraco and Corky Miller aren’t competing up to big league standards.

What to Expect Against the Atlanta Braves

The Braves were one of the hottest teams in baseball through April, and for many good reasons. For one, their pitching is phenomenal. As is always the case with teams from Atlanta, the pitching staff and bullpen have been key to their overall success. Their staff ERA of 3.25 is second in the National League only to the Cardinals’ 3.13, and we’ve seen twice just how good their pitching has been this year.

Apr 1, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves left fielder Justin Upton (8) (right) reacts with his brother center fielder B.J. Upton (2) after hitting a home run against the Philadelphia Phillies during the fifth inning at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Also crucial to the Braves’ success has been the offseason acquisition of the Upton Brothers, especially Justin Upton. The youngest brother is leading the world in Home Runs, already with 12 on the season. Although his older brother BJ has been struggling mightily this season, Justin has been picking up his slack as far as offense goes.

Game one of this series is tonight, featuring Bronson Arroyo vs Paul Maholm. Maholm is coming off three straight losses, having given up 13 runs in that three game span. On the season he’s sporting a 3.08 ERA through 38 innings pitched. This game should be a matchup of two very technically sound pitchers. But if Maholm struggles again, and if Arroyo is on his game, should result in a win for the Reds.

Game two will not be so easy, as Homer Bailey takes on converted reliever Kris Medlen. Medlen is also coming off three straight losing decisions, having given up a whopping 24 runs in his last three starts. Medlen has a 3.38 ERA in 37.1 innings this season, with 12 walks and 26 strikeouts. Medlen has good stuff, as he showed last season. However, he’s really been struggling as of late. Like the first game, I believe this one should belong to the Reds.

Game three will be a battle of Mikes, as Mike Leake takes on Mike Minor. Minor has won one, lost one and received a no decision in his last three starts, having given up 12 earned runs over that span. Overall he’s 3-2 with a 3.26 ERA, with a spectacular K/BB ratio of  5 walks vs 31 strikouts.

I think the Reds take two of three from this series. All three pitching matchups should be good, but if we follow the trends it says the Reds are favored slightly due to the struggles of Maholm and Medlen as of late. However, it’s really anyone’s series. This should be a well-fought matchup, and should produce some great baseball.

Highlights from April include the Reds debut of Shin-Soo Choo, who might as well have been playing in a Reds jersey for a decade with how much he’s already garnered the love of the fans. He went through a lengthy streak of getting on base in every game, which was pretty much solely responsible for him winning over the fans so quickly. He’s not the best defensively, but I think he’s doing a lot better than a lot of people thought he would going into the season. His defensive game isn’t even close to detracting enough overall value to make him a mistake on the Reds behalf.

Another storyline was the titanic struggle for the Reds’ big boys. Former NL MVP Joey Votto got things going (power-wise, at least) towards the end of the month, but Jay ‘Terrible Tweet” Bruce ended April with only one home run. It’s obvious to see that he’s struggling at the plate, and as one BRM writer put it, he’s filling in for Drew Stubbs quite nicely.

And of course, the injuries. We saw Ryan Ludwick go down in the third inning of the season, Johnny Cueto went down for the second time in a very short stretch of games, and Ryan Hanigan, Chris Heisey, Sean Marshall, Sam LeCure and Manny Parra have all seen their fair share of bumps and bruises. Hopefully the injury bug has passed through Cincinnati for the most part this season, as the team can’t handle much more of this.

And now, the Reds Power Rankings for April. I’ve asked BlogRedMachine writer Josh Bresser and Senior Editor Steve Engbloom to join me in ranking the Reds’ 25 man roster 1-25 based on their play and off-field antics through April. Let’s see how things ended up:

As you can see, early reports from the season have each of us favoring certain players over others. With the exception of Joey Votto at 1 and Todd Frazier at 6, BRM writers disagreed across the board. Not by much, mind you, but it just goes to show how early statistics and showings can have different weight in different writers minds.

It’s clear that Jay Bruce took some heat from everyone for his rant on Twitter. One of the great things about this Reds team is that they’re low-drama. With the exception of the BP situation in St. Louis, this team hasn’t had anything for the press to talk about except their play on the field. That all changed with a couple of tweets from the Beaumont Bomber. The tweets weren’t terrible, but it’s telling that the player struggling perhaps the most on the roster was the one who tweeted them out. Just a thought.

Rank your top 25 Reds Players in the comments below!