Kuzul

Say what you will about Homer Bailey, but the man sure has a penchant for spectacular finishes.

The Cincinnati Reds right-hander recorded the first no-hitter of the 2013 MLB season on Tuesday night, blanking the San Francisco Giants in a 3-0 victory at Great American Ballpark.

Bailey barely seemed to break a sweat during his 109-pitch effort, striking out nine batters and mowing through the San Francisco hitters with ease.

The Giants had only one baserunner during the entire contest, as Gregor Blanco drew a walk to start the seventh inning. Other than that, Bailey was perfect. He went through San Francisco’s first 18 hitters without so much as a scare. The Giants continually hit lazy fly balls to the outfield and whiffed as Bailey broke their will with ever-changing speeds.

As noted by ESPN Stats & Info, Bailey became the fourth active pitcher with multiple career no-hitters. The others are Roy Halladay, Justin Verlander and Mark Buehrle—not bad company. 

Bailey’s no-hitter comes just before the All-Star break. Though there have been many close calls, the Reds star’s triumph was the first of 2013. Last season, there were seven no-hitters throughout Major League Baseball, a streak that led some to wonder if that signaled a far tilt toward a pitcher’s era. 

Actually, it was Bailey who closed out last year’s rampant run of no-nos. The Reds star blanked the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sept. 28 at PNC Park, again giving up a mere one walk and striking out 10 batters en route to a 1-0 Cincinnati win. 

As noted by MLB’s Twitter feed, Bailey has something of a “magic number” when it comes to throwing no-hitters. He’s thrown exactly 74 pitches for strikes in both outings, a strange fact in a night full of them for the former top prospect.

While Bailey “only” recorded nine strikeouts on Tuesday night, I’m sure he’s more than satisfied with his performance. The 27-year-old righty atoned for his only “mistake” of the night in getting Blanco to ground out to third to end the game, setting off a raucous celebration in front of over 27,000 at Great American Ballpark.

Watch the video embedded above and share in the triumphant moment for Bailey, his teammates and the Reds fans. 

Follow Tyler Conway on Twitter:

Follow @tylerconway22

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Homer Bailey just threw the first no-hitter of the 2013 MLB season, sailing through the San Francisco Giants lineup as his Cincinnati Reds won the game, 3-0.

This was Bailey’s second no-hitter, with the last one coming on September 28, 2012 against the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Bailey’s latest no-hitter featured just one walk and nine strikeouts and was a display of dominance.

But how does this no-hitter stack up compared to his last one and the last 10 in the MLB? Let’s take a look.

Begin Slideshow

Homer Bailey tossed a no-hitter against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday night, becoming the first MLB pitcher to accomplish the feat since…Homer Bailey.

ESPN’s Buster Olney captured the moment:

The Associated Press’ Joe Kay, meanwhile, noted that Bailey now joins some prestigious Cincinnati Reds history:

Of course, MLB’s official Twitter account and ESPN Stats & Info have a couple of more stats that now put him into an even more elite group:

The 27-year-old righty, who held the Pittsburgh Pirates hitless on Sept. 28 of last season, twirled an absolute gem. He struck out nine and allowed just one baserunner on a walk in the seventh inning to do what no one else has been able to accomplish in 2013, per ESPN Stats & Info:

At this point last season, there were already an astounding five no-hitters.

Bailey was dominant from start to finish and, likely fueled by the adrenaline, was throwing heat all the way into the ninth inning, per Olney:

Moreover, it was a performance that mirrored last year’s gem in an almost eerie fashion, according to MLB’s Twitter:

Of course, it wasn’t all smooth sailing. 

After Blanco advanced to second base following his walk in the second inning, Buster Posey grounded to first. As FOX Sports’ Brian Snow points out, Bailey wasn’t going to cover first in time:

No worries, though, as Votto intelligently fired the ball to third and got Blanco to force a fielder’s choice, thus becoming Bailey’s new best friend for the night:

After putting forth a transcendent performance, he still had the time and energy afterwards to make a quip, courtesy of Newsday’s Marc Carig:

He later explained his mindset to MLB Network, courtesy of MLB’s Twitter:

Of course, despite all the great things about this night—the dominant performance, the heady play by Votto in the seventh, the back-to-back historical component, the celebration—the best might just be the fact that a guy named Homer is missing so many bats, according to the Denver Post‘s Troy Renck:

Author Steve Rushin takes it one step further, ranking all of the Homers:

Anytime you can beat out Simpson, you know it’s been a good night. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Apparently, Cincinnati Reds pitcher Homer Bailey has taken a monopoly over Major League Baseball’s supply of no-hitters.

The Reds right-hander recorded the second no-no of his career on Tuesday night, blanking the San Francisco Giants in a 3-0 win for Cincinnati at Great American Ballpark. 

Bailey suffocated the Giants’ lineup with an excellent differentiation of locations and speed changes, striking out nine batters. Continuing strong through his nine innings of work, Bailey only needed 109 pitches despite his strong strikeout total. 

The only blemish on Bailey’s record was a seventh-inning free pass to outfielder Gregor Blanco.

In a strange twist of fate, it was the Giants’ leadoff hitter who dribbled a meek grounder to third base to record the final out. 

Despite many close calls throughout the first half of the season, Bailey’s was the first no-no of 2013. As noted by ESPN’s Buster Olney, this is the 280th no-hitter in MLB history. 

The 27-year-old righty, in another lucky coincidence, also was the last MLB pitcher to go nine innings without giving up a hit. Bailey blanked the Pittsburgh Pirates on Sept. 28 at PNC Park, the last of the league’s seven no-nos last season.

CSN’s Andrew Baggarly noted that it’s not quite a Johnny Vander Meer accomplishment—he is the only player to record consecutive no-hitters in league history—but it is impressive nonetheless:

Bailey also has quite the history against the Giants. He one-hit them over seven innings during Game 3 of their NLDS clash last season, though Cincinnati lost that contest 2-1 en route to a five-game series defeat. 

However, it was Bailey and the Reds who had the last laugh this time around. Mowing through the San Francisco lineup with ease, Bailey sent the first 18 batters down in order with nary a peep of trouble. Blanco got on base after a tough, seven-pitch at-bat but was unable to advance past second base. He was thrown out at third on a fielder’s choice following Buster Posey’s grounder, the result of a poor base running error.

Bailey then mowed through the eighth and ninth innings, again without all that much resistance from San Francisco’s offense. The Reds star spoke about his feelings during the late frames with MLB Network, per MLB’s Twitter feed:

Giants starter Tim Lincecum also threw 5.1 strong innings, giving up three runs and striking out eight. But Bailey’s biggest offensive stars made sure to give him just enough of a cushion. Joey Votto hit a sac fly that scored Sin-Soo Choo in the bottom of the first, and Brandon Phillips sent Lincecum to the showers with a two-run blast in the sixth frame.

Outside of the no-hit bid, the victory was also critical for the Reds’ divisional chase. They are now just four games behind the first-place Pittsburgh Pirates, who were unable to record their 10th straight win on Tuesday night, losing 3-1 to the Philadelphia Phillies.

The victory brought Bailey’s record to 5-6 on the season, with a 3.57 ERA. His no-hitter was the 16th in Reds franchise history. 

Follow Tyler Conway on Twitter:

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Homer Bailey threw the second no-hitter of his career in a 3-0 win against the San Francisco Giants before 27,509 fans on Tuesday night at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati.

Bailey threw his first no-hitter in a 1-0 win against the Pittsburgh Pirates on September 28.

“You have to have an I-don’t-care attitude in the late innings,” Bailey said after the game, as reported by C. Trent Rosecrans, Reds beat writer for the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Bailey had a perfect game through six innings, retiring 18 batters in a row. He had seven strikeouts on 69 pitches.

After retiring his first 12 batters, the Cincinnati Reds tweeted that Bailey had a perfect game through four innings, and fans’ expectations began growing. He stayed perfect through the fifth and sixth innings.

Bailey got some breathing room when Brandon Phillips hit a two-run home run after Joey Votto singled to center in the bottom of the sixth inning, extending the Reds’ lead to 3-0.

He walked Gregor Blanco to start off the seventh and the perfect game disappeared, but the no-hitter was still alive. Marco Scutaro grounded out to third, then Buster Posey grounded into a fielder’s choice to first while Blanco was tagged out at third after a baserunning mistake. Bailey struck out Pablo Sandoval swinging to end his half of the seventh.

Bailey had the no-hitter going into the eighth inning with eight strikeouts, one walked batter and 89 pitches.

Bailey got Hunter Pence to pop it up to lead off the eighth, and he was five outs away from his second no-hitter. Brandon Belt and Andres Torres both flied out, and Bailey was three outs away.

Bailey entered the ninth inning with the no-hitter intact.

He picked off a bouncing ball hit by the first batter, Brandon Crawford, and threw him out for the first out of the inning. He struck out Tony Abreu to move within one out of the no-no. He got Blanco to ground out to third for the final out, and history was made.

He threw his arms up into the air with the final out as his teammates swarmed him and gave him a Gatorade bath near the pitcher’s mound. 

It was the first no-hitter in the majors this season and also the first no-hitter since Bailey did it last season.

He finished the game with nine strikeouts and one walk.

What a historic performance.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Holy moly, the Cincinnati Reds‘ Homer Bailey tossed a no-hitter Friday night against the Pittsburgh Pirates. You read that right folks. Mr. No-No Bailey’s no-hitter is proof that you NEVER give up on a top arm too early.

Homer Bailey began his professional career as the seventh-overall pick in the 2004 MLB draft. The young phenom would progress quickly and be named Cincinnati’s top overall prospect by Baseball America andBaseball Prospectus prior to the 2007 season. Baseball America billed him as “the next great Texas fireballer in the tradition of Nolan Ryan and Roger Clemens,” while also naming him as one of Major League Baseball’s top five prospects.

But my oh my how one can fall from glory at lightning speeds.

Homer Bailey’s second professional season of 2006 saw him post a 2.47 ERA with 156 K’s in 138.2 innings pitched at Single-A and Double-A. Fans and media alike, clamored for the then 20 year old kid to make his debut.

As the start of the 2007 approached and Baseball America, scouts and fans where all singing their praise of the young right-hander. Little did they know that the next six years would be a roller coaster ride full of ups, downs, trade declarations and disappointments. 

As the 2007 season approached fans and media alike clamored for his Major League debut. But when Homer Bailey finally hit the scene, he did so with a thud that would have knocked King Kong on his backside. He would post a 5.76 ERA in nine starts during the ’07 campaign and follow that up with a 7.93 ERA in eights starts during the ’08 season. These not-so Ryan and Clemens like stats brought out the pessimistic personalities of many.

Bailey would continue to show slight progression for the next three seasons. He posted ERA’s of 4.53, 4.47, and 4.43 from 2009 to 2011. He would even improve his WHIP by nearly 10 points in each successive season. But the hype and buzz that he had created as a young prospect had long dissipated—the fans had grown impatient, the media had grown impatient, and it even seemed as though the Cincinnati Reds had grown impatient.

Rumors surfaced on Fox Sports in 2011 when Ken Rosenthal reported that Bailey was being shopped for Ubaldo Jimenez. Before the 2012 season began, Reds beat writer John Fay speculated that Bailey could be moved in order to make room for a possible Roy Oswalt signing. Let’s also not forget that Homer Bailey was not even guaranteed a spot in the Reds’ starting rotation this year. He, Mike Leake, Aroldis Chapman, Brett Tomko and Jeff Francis were all battling it out for the fourth and fifth spots in the rotation.

But in the end the Reds stuck with him and it has paid off in 2012. Bailey has been amazingly consistent this year. He ranks second on the club with 21 quality starts. Johnny Cueto leads the pack with 22 and ace-in-the-making Mat Latos ranks behind Bailey with 18.

We should also not forget that Homer Bailey is but 26 years old. It can sometimes be easy to get frustrated and give up on top arms that do not develop quickly. You need look no further than the top of the NL ERA leader board at examples of arms that were thrown to the curb only to pay dividends to the next team waiting in line.

R.A. Dickey didn’t hit his stride until the age of 34. The Rangers, Mariners, and Twins had all given up on him. Now at 36 he owns a 20-6 record with a 2.69 ERA for the New York Mets. Kyle Lohse would spend seven years frustrating the Twins, Reds, and Phillies. Then at 29 years old, the Cardinals took a shot on him in 2008. Lohse has not looked back since. He owns a 16-3 record with a 2.77 ERA this season.

Homer Bailey is having his breakout season. He owns a 13-10 record with a 3.75 ERA as well as that always elusive no-hitter. Bailey dominated the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday night. On September 28 of 2012, Homer Bailey lived up to the hype—he was Nolan Ryan-like—he was Roger Clemens-like.

The patience of the Cincinnati Reds paved the way for Bailey to produce one of only 15 no-hitters in team history—the first since Tom Browning’s perfect game in 1988.

Homer Bailey’s no-hitter is proof to NEVER give up on a top arm too early. This career defining moment may just be the spark that sets off career full of highlights. Bailey’s next stop—playoff dominance? We will see.

You can follow Josh Ramsey on Twitter @JRamCincy

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

There was a time, in the not-so-distant past, when a no-hitter in MLB was so infrequent that you could remember the names of the pitchers who tossed such gems over the past several years.

The moments were recalled on the yellowed newspaper clippings of your memory.

The no-hitters dotted recent history, delicious in their stubborn and insistent rarity of occurrence.

You were sometimes lucky to see one a year. The no-hitter was Armageddon-type headline stuff for the newspapers.

Part of the beauty, too, was how the no-hitter often plucked mediocre pitchers from virtual anonymity and shoved them under baseball’s spotlight, all because for one game, that guy with the losing record and the ERA of 4.86 put it all together.

It’s part of my fascination with baseball—how the game has a wonderful way of occasionally making heroes out of the Walter Mittys who play it.

The list of men who have tossed no-hitters is hardly a “Who’s-Who” of pitching.

The no-hitter was, until recent years, baseball’s version of being struck by lightning.

Emphasis on was.

It was around 1990 when the no-hitter increased in frequency. In the 1980s, there were 13 no-hitters thrown, total. Three years in the decade (1982, 1985 and 1989) were devoid of no-hitters altogether. In contrast, the 1990s had 14 no-hitters by 1991, and a new day had dawned.

But now it’s getting ridiculous.

Check the water in the cooler in the dugout. Better yet, have the pitching arms tested for uranium—or Nolan Ryan.

You ready for this?

Since April 17, 2010, 16 no-hitters have been thrown. They’re getting to be as common as complete games, almost.

Friday night, Homer Bailey of the Cincinnati Reds tossed the latest gem, against the Pirates in Pittsburgh (the same Pirates team that was two outs away from being victimized by Justin Verlander in May, which would have been Verlander’s third no-hitter before the age of 30).

Bailey’s no-hitter is the seventh this season alone, a year that has seen three perfect games.

Bailey fits the bill as baseball’s latest no-hit artist. He has a career ERA of 4.59, so naturally he threw a no-hitter.

But seriously—seven no hitters, in one season? And three perfect games?

Call it the dead-ball era, Part II. Or the return of the Hitless Wonders, with apologies to the 1906 Chicago White Sox.

But more power to the pitchers, I say. It’s rather amazing that the spate of no-hitters have come at a time in the game where strike zones are squeezed more than Charmin. There are a lot of umpires in the game today who make the pitcher pour the baseball over an area the size of a postage stamp.

Yet we are seeing dominant performances almost every night. It’s not just starting pitching that has become filled with Ryans and Koufaxes and Johnsons. Every team, it seems, has a reliever or two whose ERA looks like the price of a newspaper.

Fernando Rodney, our old friend from his Tigers days and the closer for the Tampa Bay Rays, is having the year of his life.

Rodney, from 2007 through 2011, never had an ERA of lower than 4.24. Tigers fans know all too well the trials and tribulations he had as the team’s closer.

This year, Rodney has converted 46 of 48 save opportunities and has an ERA of 0.62, or one-seventh of what he’s been churning out in recent years.

A 0.62 figure isn’t an ERA, it’s pocket change.

It’s a fascinating time to be watching baseball, because offenses are shrinking gradually, like that guy who loses weight but you don’t notice until you see photos of him from three years ago.

Every Major League Baseball season contains 2,430 games, or a few less if rainouts aren’t made up. Let’s take a look at total runs scored since 2006 (numbers courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com):

2006: 23,599 (9.7 per game)

2007: 23,322 (9.6)

2008: 22,585 (9.3)

2009: 22,419 (9.2)

2010: 21,308 (8.8)

2011: 20,808 (8.6)

2012: 20,298 (through earlier this week with a handful of games left per team)

Now, I’m no mathematician or sabermetrics guy, but that looks like a trend to me.

So why the degradation involving those guys swinging the bats?

Well, they’re growing pitchers bigger these days. You see the sizes of some of these hurlers? Put them in plaid and they’d pass for Paul Bunyan. Some of these guys are so tall it’s like being pitched to by a giraffe.

The pitchers are getting bigger and stronger, but the bats are the same size.

Another theory? Teams are promoting players earlier in their professional careers, as a rule. And the pitchers are ahead of the hitters in their development.

The stuff out there is nasty. Sliders dropping off tables like cue balls. Curves bending like bamboo. Fastballs exploding and being applied to the strike zone with a paint brush. Changeups twisting hitters into the dirt like a corkscrew.

The poor hitters just can’t keep up, as the above numbers indicate.

So is the no-hitter being ruined? Is it being rendered meaningless? Are we on the verge of greeting the news of the latest no-no with yawns?

Sixteen no-hitters since April 2010. That’s nearly one a month, on average. And there are a whole lot more that are flirted with—getting as far as the seventh or eighth inning in many instances.

Poor Homer Bailey. He threw his no-hitter and it’s like you want to react by saying, “Put it over there, with the others.”

What can you say? The guy was born 20 years too late to thrill us.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

If the starting rotations for this year’s National League playoff teams were ranked one through five, it’s likely that the Cincinnati Reds would be at the bottom.

But after Homer Bailey pitched a no-hitter on Friday night (Sept. 28) against the Pittsburgh Pirates, perhaps, those rankings should be reshuffled.

(This is presuming that the St. Louis Cardinals win the second NL wild-card spot since they have a three-game lead over the Los Angeles Dodgers.) 

The Reds are battling the Washington Nationals for the best record in the NL during the final days of the regular season. One of the reasons Cincinnati has taken a step up into the league’s elite is because Bailey is developing into the pitcher envisioned when he was selected No. 7 overall in the 2004 draft. 

Going into Friday’s game, Bailey had a 12-10 record and 3.92 ERA this season. Those are the most wins he’s earned in his six-year major league career, and that is the best ERA he’s posted. Bailey has also thrown more innings and racked up more strikeouts this season than he ever has before. 

That gives the Reds a solid starting three to throw at the opposition in any series this postseason.

Johnny Cueto has been one of the best starting pitchers in the NL this year, ranking among the league leaders in ERA (currently fifth with a 2.83 mark) and earning consideration as a Cy Young Award candidate until the very end of the season. 

Mat Latos has been excellent since the All-Star break, compiling a 2.89 ERA in 15 starts. He’s performing like the pitcher the Reds hoped they were getting when they traded Edinson Volquez along with top prospects Yonder Alonso and Yasmani Grandal to the San Diego Padres for him. 

Perhaps, Bronson Arroyo is perceived as Cincinnati’s No. 3 starter based on experience (13 major league seasons) and tenure (seven years with the Reds). He’s had a fine season, going 12-9 with a 3.71 ERA. 

But doesn’t Dusty Baker have to consider making Bailey his third starter during the postseason? In what could be a pivotal Game 3 in a playoff series, wouldn’t he want a pitcher who can shut down the opposition? 

Yes, Bailey held the Pittsburgh Pirates without a hit. As a team, the Pirates have one of the lowest run and hit totals in the NL. They’re near the bottom in team batting average. This is exactly the sort of team a good pitcher should shut down, and Bailey did exactly that.

(In addition, Bailey has been outstanding at PNC Park, compiling a 4-0 record and 1.75 ERA in five career starts. Maybe throwing a no-hitter in Pittsburgh was inevitable.) 

Bailey pitched his no-hitter under rather harrowing circumstances as well. As mentioned, the Reds are trying to beat out the Nationals for the best record in the NL, so every win at this point is crucial. But, Bailey also didn’t have any wiggle room on Friday.

A.J. Burnett was pitching almost as well for the Pirates, holding Cincinnati to one run over eight innings. The Reds got their lone run in the first inning, so Burnett held them scoreless—and to five hits—in his seven subsequent frames. 

Though pitching in a 1-0 game would seemingly make the task of throwing a no-hitter even more nerve-wracking, perhaps, it also helps to sharpen focus because any mistake could make the difference in the game. It’s interesting that of the seven no-hitters thrown this season, three of them had a score of 1-0. 

Bailey is pitching his best baseball as the Reds surge into the playoffs. In September, he has a 2.52 ERA, striking out 8.1 batters per nine innings. Both are the best marks he’s had during any month this season. 

So, does the guy who pitched the no-hitter line up as the third or fourth starter for the Reds in the playoffs?

A postseason rotation of Cueto, Latos, Bailey and Arroyo matches up pretty well against any potential opponent in the NLDS. That foursome should hold its own in any subsequent playoff series as well.

We haven’t even mentioned the Reds bullpen. Cincinnati relievers have a collective 2.66 ERA, the best in MLB, led by the spectacular Aroldis Chapman with his 1.55 ERA and rate of 15.4 strikeouts per nine innings. 

(By the way, if you still had any questions as to whether or not pitching matters, five of the top six pitching staffs in the NL are going to be in the playoffs. The sixth team, the Dodgers, is still alive for a wild-card spot, too.)

The tendency is to view the Nationals and San Francisco Giants as the best starting rotations going into the playoffs. Perhaps, the Atlanta Braves are regarded highly too, thanks to the performance of Kris Medlen.

But, the Reds’ starting pitchers should not be underestimated. Bailey’s no-hitter may have just ensured that they won’t be.

Follow @iancass on Twitter

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Fresh off of the 15th no-hitter in the history of the Cincinnati Reds, Homer Bailey has established himself as the team’s X-factor heading into October.

Long seen as a pitcher who never reached his potential, the 26-year-old continues to develop into a great pitcher. He has been phenomenal outside of a handful of starts this year, and he continues to show flashes of brilliance.

ESPN.com breaks down every game thrown by the young pitcher.

Bailey was coming off of a shaky outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers and went to a place where he has always pitched well. He has now thrown three complete games in his career and all have come against the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park.

Until Friday night, fans have been reluctant to give Bailey credit for his development into a solid pitcher. Occasional bad starts overshadow his brilliance, but that is about to come to an end.

The Reds have five games remaining in the regular season, and Bailey is scheduled to go in the final game. A strong outing on Wednesday against the St. Louis Cardinals will go a long way in helping the team make a postseason run.

Cincinnati has not scored more than three runs in any of Bailey’s past seven starts, but Bailey has continued to pitch well in tight games.

His no-hitter has now put him in position to be the team’s X-factor as the postseason approaches.

Road Numbers

Reds fans know one thing about Bailey: he is spectacular on the road.

Coming into the game against the Pirates, he owned the second-lowest earned run average on the road in all of baseball. On the other hand, he has an earned run average over 5.00 at Great American Ball Park. 

Cincinnati is set to open the postseason on the road, and Bailey should get serious consideration to get the ball in Game 2. 

Bailey has an ERA of 2.63 (heading into Friday’s start) and has allowed only five home runs away from home this season. The numbers are so different on the road compared to home that it makes sense to give the right-hander a chance to pitch on the road in the postseason.

With Johnny Cueto starting the series and Mat Latos pitching Game 3, Bailey has earned the right to pitch the second game of the series. If the Reds advance past the National League Division Series, Bailey could potentially pitch two road games if the team does not earn the No. 1 seed.

He could be scheduled to pitch Game 2 of the NLDS as well as Game 2 and Game 6 of the National League Championship Series. With his performance away from home this season, the Reds would be wise to put him in a role in which he could succeed.

Depth of Rotation

Cueto and Latos have been incredible this season, but Bailey was arguably the No. 2 pitcher for most of the season. He has 22 quality starts this season despite having such a high earned run average at home.

At the top of the rotation, Cueto is 19-9 and in the Cy Young debate. Latos is 13-4 and is continuing to pitch at a high level. Behind those two pitchers, the Reds have been looking for somebody to step up.

Bronson Arroyo is 12-9 with a 3.70 ERA and is a completely different style of pitcher than the top two pitchers. His off-speed style keeps hitters guessing, but he has not been as good as Bailey this season.

Bailey was slated as the team’s No. 4 starter to begin the 2012 season. He has certainly pitched his way into contention for the Game 2 start if it happens to be on the road. 

For the first time in his career, Bailey has stayed healthy for a full season and thrown more than 200 innings. Four of the five starters in Cincinnati’s rotation will finish with 10 or more wins and at least 200 innings.

No other team can run out a No. 4 pitcher who can be as dominant as Bailey. He has gone up against other team’s aces and gone pitch-by-pitch with them. In his no-hitter, he improved to 2-2 against Pittsburgh’s A.J. Burnett this season. He has also pitched and led his team to a win against Cliff Lee of the Philadelphia Phillies.

If the Reds end up with the top seed, Bailey can pitch Game 2 against the wild card team’s No. 3 pitcher and not miss a beat. He went 1-0 and only allowed three runs on 10 hits in 12.1 innings against the Atlanta Braves this season.

The right-hander has proven he can pitch against playoff teams and has at least one quality start against every team in the NL playoff picture.

Conclusion

In a season that featured seven no-hitters, Bailey has established himself as the X-factor for the Cincinnati Reds.

Getting Bailey to start on the road in the postseason is crucial for the team to advance into the next round. His dominance away from Cincinnati is no fluke. He is a great pitcher when he does not have to worry about a fly ball reaching the first row in the Great American Ball Park. 

Bailey has proven himself in prime time even at home. He did not allow a run in two innings in the 2010 NLDS against the Phillies, and he steps up on the big stage. He threw two dominant games against the Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals, both playoff teams, on Sunday Night Baseball this season.

Reds fans should enjoy the no-hitter and realize Bailey’s breakthrough season is a great sign.

He is still a young pitcher, but he has the poise to be the X-factor for Cincinnati in the playoffs.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

When Cincinnati Reds right-hander Homer Bailey threw a no-hitter Friday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, he joined an exclusive club as the seventh pitcher/group of pitchers to hurl a no-hitter or perfect game in Major League Baseball…in the 2012 season.

Bailey, who entered the game with a 3.92 ERA and 1.30 WHIP, racked up 10 strikeouts with only one walk in the Reds’ 1-0 victory.

The question now becomes, with so many no-hitters and perfect games this season, where does Bailey’s performance rank?

Well, that’s a good question, and I’m going to answer it for you right now.

Read on for a ranking of the seven no-hitters/perfect games in 2012.

Begin Slideshow