Are you the proud owner of a pet donkey given to you for any of your past accomplishments? — Dave, Miamisburg/Centerville/Beavercreek

No, but I’ve been called a jackass a few times, but it comes with the territory. When Joey Votto presents one to Zack Cozart for making the All-Star team, that donkey will be the second associated with baseball. When Charles O. Finley owned the Kansas City A’s, a politician gave Finley a mule because Missouri’s state animal is the mule. Finley named the mule after himself, Charley-O, and permitted the beast to roam in the grass beyond the center field fence, where some goats and sheep also grazed. Finley often put an A’s hat on Charley-O and paraded him around the press room after games.

Since the Reds are where everybody thought they would be, last place, is it time for the Bryan Price demise rumors to start? — CHRIS, Waynesville

You answered your own question. The Reds weren’t expected to compete. They are rebuilding. Price has been told devel- oping players right now is more important than winning games. He is trying to do just that. Why would they fire a guy who is doing just what they asked and actually winning a few more games than expected? They won’t lose 100, as many expected. But it isn’t time to start those rumors because those rumors started on opening day. Last place isn’t his fault, so why fire him?

Because Reds pitchers will bat when they reach the majors, why don’t they bat in the minors where the desig n ated hitter is used so they can at least learn to bunt? — LARRY, Piqua

Teams do have that option to not use the DH in the minors, but pitchers are there to learn and refine their pitching mechanics. In addition, by using the DH the minor league teams can use nine hitters and get at-bats for non-pitching prospects. If they’d just do away with the

To the contrary, he did Reds fans a favor. Votto saw what happened to Todd Frazier and Adam Duvall, teammates who participated in the Home Run Derby. Both went downhill fast after the derby. Duvall admitted that for two weeks afterward infernal DH at all levels then pitchers would have game opportunities to bunt and hit. Won’t happen, though.

Are the Reds going to try to trade Devin Mesoraco at the July 31 trade deadline because his contract is up after 2018? — TERESA, Madison, Ind.

It does make sense on two fronts. The first is that Mesoraco will be due $13.125 million for the 2018 season. The second is that the Reds are loaded throughout the system with catchers, includ- ing Tyler Stephenson, the No. 1 draft pick in 2015, to say nothing about current catchers Tucker Barnhart and Rule 5 player Stuart Turner, who the Reds seem intent upon keeping. One draw- back, though, are Mesoraco’s health issues, which have involved two hip surgeries and a shoulder surgery the past couple of years. And he is sharing time this year with Barnhart so other teams have to be suspect about Mesoraco’s durability. And guess what: He is back on the disabled list with a sore shoulder.

I read that when Reds rookie Jackson Stephens made his debut that his fastball was faster than he threw in the minors and that Raisel Iglesias is throwing much harder than he did in April. Have

he couldn’t lift his arms to his shoulders. That is a lot of hard swings in a short time. Votto’s swing is grooved to hit and if home runs happen they happen. He doesn’t try. He doesn’t want to alter that swing and he doesn’t want to struggle the second half and hurt both himself and his team. The derby is an exhibition and it certainly is a detriment to teams who lose the effectiveness of their players who spend a day swinging from the heels until their tongues hang out.

the Reds turned up the dials on the speed gun to entertain the fans? — STEVE, Adelaide, Australia

Different guns record varying speeds in different parks, I’m told. And there is no indication the Reds are cranking up the radar. Stephens probably was pumped up on adrenaline and Iglesias always throws hard and probably has built up his shoulder strength over the course of the season. And the Reds certainly didn’t have to adjust anything when Aroldis Chapman pitched. They did probably check the gun when he hit 105. It was accurate.

I see a lot of major league outfielders making basket catches at the belt rather than catching the ball above their heads with two hands. Is this something they are teaching or are players doing it on their own? — RICK, Dayton

Whatever works. Nobody teaches a basket catch but some outfielders like to put a little flair into their catches, a little mustard for the hot dog in them. Most teams will let them do it until they miss one. Then the pitcher might tell him where to put the bas- ket catches. Few players can be Willie Mays.

Will the Reds sign Scooter Gennett for next season? — TOM, Kettering

If they don’t, they aren’t trying. Gennett was the steal of the year when the Reds signed him this spring after Milwaukee released him. The Brewers dumped him so Travis Shaw could play third base — a good move — and so they could move Jona- than Villar from third to second, where Gennett played. Horrible move. Villar is hitting .207 with eight homers. Gennett, playing part-time, is hitting .314 with 14 homers. If the Reds trade Zack Cozart, as expected, Jose Peraza can move to shortstop and Gennett can take over second base.

As a neophyte f an new to baseball, I watch every game and I am confused by the umpires’ signals for safe or out. Are there specific signals? — ROY, Springfield

Very elemental, sir. When you see an umpire hook his thumb into the air, as if he is hitch-hiking on I-70, the runner is out. When he spreads his arms wide at the chest, as if he is an eagle ready to take flight, the runner is safe. When you see an umpire run toward the dugout and put on a head set, he isn’t listening to Bachman Turner Overdrive, he is awaiting a decision from New York on a replay/review.

Zack Greinke shut PHOENIX — down the Cincinnati Reds

— and picked up the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Greinke threw seven scoreless innings and Paul Gold- schmidt hit his 20th homer in the Diamondbacks’ 6-3 victory Friday night.

Arizona rebounded from a 5-4 loss in Los Angeles a night earlier when closer Fernando Rodney blew a three-run lead in the ninth. The Dodgers won all three games by one run.

“On a night when we were maybe a little down and smarting after a tough series in L.A., we had a guy step up in Zack Greinke,” manager Torey Lovullo said. “He was the right guy for us at the right moment. He had the weight of 24 guys on his shoulders and carried them.”

Greinke (11-4) allowed four hits, struck out seven and walked one — and even singled in a run. The righthander struck out Jose Peraza to end the seventh with runners on the corners.

“It felt like it was a big win,” Greinke said. “It was a bad series in L.A. We played close, but just didn’t get any wins. It is nice to get a win so you can have some positive thoughts again.”

He’s 9-0 at home, and the Diamondbacks are 33-13 — matching their victory total from last season.

Drawing a loud mixed reac- tion from the crowd when he entered the game, Rodney got Tucker Barnhart to ground out to second for his 22nd save.

“These athletes, what they want to do after a perfor- mance where they maybe didn’t have their absolute best is to get out there as quick as possible and turn the page,” Lovullo said.

Joey Votto and Scott Schebler homered in the ninth for the Reds. Votto hit a two-run homer — his 25th — with no outs off T.J. McFarland, and Schebler homered off Jake Barrett with two outs. Barrett was returning from shoulder problems that knocked him out of spring training.

“We had the ability to score runs as we saw there late in the game. We hit some homers, put the barrel on the ball,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “We didn’t do much with Greinke. We didn’t have a lot of balls that were hard-hit.”

Goldschmidt homered to right-center off Tim Adleman (5-6) in the fifth to make it 4-0. He tied Jake Lamb for the team lead in homers and RBIs (67).

“Honestly, I don’t think we felt like we need to turn the page or do anything different,” Goldschmidt said. “Whether you are winning or losing the day before, it doesn’t carry over.”

Adleman allowed four runs — three earned — and six hits in five innings.

Arizona added two runs in the seventh off Blake Wood. David Peralta had an RBI double, stole third and scored when catcher Barnhart’s throw sailed past third.

Brandon Drury and Jeff Mathis had RBI doubles in the second to give Arizona a 2-0 lead. Greinke was hit by a pitch in the inning, then helped himself in the fourth with a two-out RBI single up the middle.