AN: FINALLY THE NASTY ONE HAS COME BACK TO FANFICTION! That's right welcome back everyone to the next installment of "RTTS: The Journey of a Blockhead". Last chapter we saw Charlie Brown come back from his suspension and win a close matchup against a division rival. What's going to happen this time around? Let's find out!

Chapter 24: Keep it Rolling

== The Next Day ==

It was a quiet Tuesday morning for the team as they were still fresh off their victory yesterday afternoon. Workouts were progressing as normal for the team as they looked to refresh and recharge for the next stretch of games before the end of the season's first month. It was still early on but the team was in first place with a two game lead over the Milwaukee Brewers. Despite the small controversy over Charlie Brown's reaction to Price's decisions earlier he was still the standout of the team with a three and zero record coupled with a sub two earned run average which was phenomenal for a pitcher at this level.

Speaking of everyone's favorite blockhead, he was taking it easy today only fielding fly balls from the team's batting practice with his fellow pitchers and the hitters whom had hit already. Charlie Brown was watching Billy track balls as he felt it would better help him track down pop-ups that occurred on the infield. Brayan was currently batting as Bryan and Brandon were fielding near the two of them.

"I got it!" said Charlie Brown as he motioned with both hands to wave Billy off in the left center gap as he reached his hands up and the ball popped out of his glove and fell harmlessly to the grass.

"Oh, so close CB!" said Billy as he picked it up and threw it in to Brandon near the ball bucket in shallow center field.

"Ugh! Why is this so difficult?! I can strike out some of the greatest hitters in the game, yet I can't field a simple pop fly." said Charlie Brown with a sigh as he slumped his shoulders and hung his head.

"Well your mechanics are good. It's just a matter of finishing the execution of those mechanics. Just make sure to close your glove and cover it with your bare hand. Watch me on this one." explained Billy as he got set and took off to his left as he ran over to medium deep centerfield and made the catch with his right hand covering up his closed glove.

"See it's just that simple." said Billy with a cheeky grin while throwing it in to Bryan this time.

"Okay let's give this a shot." replied Charlie Brown as he got set and punched the inside of his glove as he awaited the pitch.

CRACK!

Brayan ripped the ball to deep left as Charlie Brown started ranging back and ended up on the warning track before raising his arms up to wave off the imaginary centerfielder. He reached his hands up and closed his eyes.

SMACK!

The glove snapped shut and Charlie Brown's bare hand covered the glove as the ball remained firmly in the glove. It may not seem like a lot to the average fan viewing the simple action, but for Charlie Brown this was the first instance in his long baseball career that he managed to catch a fly ball/popup. He slowly opened his eyes as he brought his arms down and opened the glove to see in fact that the ball remained there. After a moment of shock and awe he looked up with a huge smile.

"I finally did it guys! I caught one!" said Charlie Brown giddily as he threw the ball back into Billy who relayed it to Brandon.

"Great job CB!" congratulated CB as the two fist bumped. As they regrouped with the rest of the team in front of the Visitor's dugout to end practice.

"You mean to tell me that was the first time you've ever caught a fly ball?" asked Bryan skeptically with a raised right eyebrow. He found it hard to believe that someone who had been playing as long as Charlie Brown, (approximately twelve years), that you dropped everyone of the previous attempts.

"Sadly yeah, I don't know what it is but I somehow always dropped the ball when I got put in situations like that. Instead of helping me out with my mechanics though, my team would just always blame me for failing." said Charlie Brown in a far-off tone as he reminisced about a darker time in his career. Seeing his look, the others frowned at his past treatment.

"Yikes! Sorry didn't mean to bring up any bad memories Charlie Brown. I sometimes forget how rough you had it in the system of little league growing up." said Bryan backpedaling as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly.

"Ah it's fine, water under the bridge bro." said Charlie Brown as he waved off his apology as he was still the newest addition to the circle of friends. Price then walked out of the dugout followed by Violet and a male figure none of the players had seen before.

The mystery figure stood at six feet and five inches and had a rather muscular figure, probably around two hundred and fifty pounds by Charlie Brown's estimation. The male was dressed in a plain black long sleeved t-shirt with the Cincinnati Reds™' logo on it, a pair of black jeans, black Under Armour™ sneakers and wore dark tinted black Oakley™ brand sunglasses. What stuck out most about the male though was his hair style and facial hair, as he had his scalp shaved save for a six inch chestnut brown mohawk that ran down the center of his scalp and had matching colored beard dreads that reached the center of his chest and covered up most of the logo on is shirt. The stranger than took off his shades to reveal piercing chocolate brown eyes coupled with his slightly frowning face gave off the impression of someone not to mess with.

The players all looked at him in confusion and intrigue as Violet got them to calm down as Price addressed them.

"Gentlemen good effort out there today, our efforts in practice are really showing up in the win column for us so let's keep this effort up. We've got some tough games these next few weeks so let's make all of these division games count." he said firmly yet still proudly at how hot the team had started the season.

The players murmured amongst one another at the praise received yet were still curious as to the newcomer's arrival. Violet then spoke up to catch their attention before any of them could ask anything.

"In light of our success, the front office has decided to have a beat writer travel with you guys and write about the team's dynamics as he observes them in front of his own eyes." she paused as the players were allowed to process that information. Hushed tones and murmurs were heard as some were concerned about the breach of privacy team clubhouses had in the majors, while others were more welcoming to have someone write about the team in a positive light. Charlie Brown was somewhere in the middle of the two camps along with his group. Given the recent events he was leaning more towards not wanting one, but he did see the benefit of having one around as long as they remained truthful and didn't sell their ethics upriver as some many writers/reporters did.

"Please allow me to introduce Clay Levandowski. He's worked in the league before with the Baltimore Orioles™ as an assistant to one of their writers for the past two seasons. Please try to welcome him with open arms." said Violet as the now named Clay nodded to them as he scanned over the players before speaking.

"I'm excited for this opportunity and look forward to working closely with each of you moving forward and getting to know what drives this team to be successful day in and day out." stated Clay in a deep slightly heated voice that was full of conviction. Despite the perceived anger coming off in his words, he had a slight grin which only lasted for a moment as it returned to a slight frown.

The players weren't terribly put off though, but some whispered about keeping him at arm's length for the time being to see how things went. Price then dismissed the team as they broke off into various groups until only Charlie Brown and his group remained packing away their equipment.

"What do you think of the new guy?" asked Charlie Brown as he gauged his teammates' thoughts.

"I'm kind of happy he's here, this is the perfect opportunity for people to see what it's like inside of a major league clubhouse and how team dynamics work." commented Bryan as Brayan nodded along agreeing with his assessment.

"I'm on the fence about him, adding someone like that can do one of two things. Either things will flourish and the team will prosper from it, or things will deteriorate and we'll be at each others' throats in no time." said Brandon as he towed the middle ground rather convincingly.

"I think this is bad for us. That guy looks like trouble." said Billy as the others turned to him; unknown to him Violet was walking up behind him with the Clay in tow. Hearing the conversation Violet was going to interject but Charlie Brown looked towards her and gave a slight shake of his head. Biting her tongue, she got them both slightly behind Billy as he continued his spiel.

"After how the media did you dirty last time CB, how are we supposed to trust them again!? It all sounds like fishy bullshit to me! I mean he's built like a freaking tank and looks like he's permanently pissed off at the world around him, and furthermore…" Billy was cut off by the clearing of someone's throat behind him. Looking at the looks on their faces he could tell that he might be in trouble.

"They're right behind me aren't they?" he asked as the group nodded and sat back to watch the interaction as they figured it would be a good test to see how the new guy reacted. Slowly turning as if an old door with a squeaky pair of hinges, Billy was face to chest with Clay as he looked up into his eyes that still held their piercing gaze but he could see that a stoic look was on his face. Just seeing the fear in the smaller man's eyes was great for Clay as he just stared and took note of the beads of sweat dripping down Billy's forehead. His couldn't help himself and grinned as he spoke.

"While I'm flattered at the compliments to my figure I'll have to pass as I'm attracted to women. Though I can refer you to one of my old cellmates, I believe he was called 'The Diddler of Davenport'." said Clay slyly as the others tried to hold back laughter at the exchange. Billy was just aghast as his face turned bright red either from anger or embarrassment nobody was sure.

"I…well….uhm…that's not what I was implying." said Billy through a fit of stuttering that sent everybody over the edge as they laughed at his expense. Even Clay let out a bellowing fit of laughter.

"Goodness I haven't laughed that hard in a while." said Clay as he wiped a tear out of his right eye before continuing.

"I know you're trying to stick up for your friend and teammate, which I do respect and commend you for." said Clay as Billy was relieved at that and calmed down slightly as the fear left him.

"That's actually the reason why I came here in the first place. Van Pelt's story sounded like a lot of bull especially seeing what I know of and remember of you Charlie Brown." said Clay which confused everyone present.

"I'm sorry what? I don't remember meeting you growing up." said Charlie Brown with clear confusion in his voice and face.

"Not physically, but in the metaphorical sense we did." he replied as he pulled a notepad out from his left front pants pocket and opened it to reveal a folded up letter under the inside cover. Clay then proceeded to hand him the piece of paper as Charlie Brown took it and opened it up.

As he scanned the contents of the letter, realization dawned on Charlie Brown as his mouth opened in shock.

"What is it Charlie Brown?" asked Violet as the others were eager to know too.

"It's a letter I sent to one of my pencil pals growing up. You're 'Loner'." replied Charlie Brown in a shocked tone as he pointed at Clay.

"Guilty as charged." he said with a grin on his face.

"But you never wrote me back after this one. I thought you'd grown tired of it like all my other pencil pals."

"No I was actually in juvy when you sent that one, so I didn't get it until after my release." he said as the others gasped.

"You're a convict?!" exclaimed Brayan while the others hushed him.

"Ex-convict or technically not one at all since one's juvenile records becomes expunged once you turn eighteen." he said as the others accepted that explanation.

"So you came to the team to help set the record on Charlie Brown and the team as a whole straight?" said Violet a little unsure as she started piecing things together.

"Exactly Violet, I owed it to not only my profession but also to a friend that deserves to painted in a positive light for once." responded Clay in a determined manner.

The others fell silent as they processed this new information. They were surprised and awed at his loyalty to someone he barely knew but also to the honesty he displayed when answering their questions. Charlie Brown nodded and proceeded to address Clay.

"I'm impressed by your conviction and also honesty you've displayed here 'Loner'. I believe that we can move forward and build upon this bond we once had. As long as you don't lie and keep everything level we'll get along just fine here. I'd be honored if you were to join our group as we help introduce you to the others and convince them that you're here for the right reasons."

"Really?!" said Clay a bit shocked as the silence had started to worry him.

"Yes sir. You've got a friend in me." said Charlie Brown as he and Clay shook hands for the first time.

"That goes for me to Clay." said Violet as she followed suit.

"Me too." agreed Bryan.

"Same here." said Brandon.

"Definitely the same goes for me. Sorry about the convict part." said Brayan as Clay nodded at the apology.

"Yeah I guess." said Billy as Charlie Brown elbowed him in the side.

"Ow! Okay you're cool with me to. Though I'm still pissed about the diddler comment." said Billy rubbing his side as the others started snickering again.

"Sorry it was just too funny not to capitalize on the conversation." said Clay joking as he fist bumped Billy.

The group then departed the field as Clay was seen talking amongst them and answering any questions they had for him.

== Rest of the Series against the Chicago Cubs™ ==

After Clay's inauguration to Charlie Brown's group, he was introduced to the rest of the players some of whom were still skeptical but others were more accepting. Peppermint Patty and Marcie both accepted Clay as well due to Charlie Brown's vouching for him and after they saw the pencil pal letter to make sure he wasn't lying to them. With those matters taken care of it was time to get back to playing baseball.

Game two of the series Wednesday night ended in a tight loss for the team by a score of three to two. Tony Cingrani took the mound for the Reds and gave a solid six and two thirds innings pitched while only giving up two runs and striking out nine batters. However, reliever Steve Barton was tasked with keeping the lead in the seventh and failed to do so as the go ahead run came into score and he dropped to zero and one on the season. Offense output came off the bat of utility player Kristopher Negron who had a two run double, his third double of the season.

The finale was played Thursday afternoon and the team dropped it as well as the series by a score of five to three. Starter Henry Dennis ended up only lasting three innings as he gave up all five runs while only recording five strikeouts dropping his record to zero and one on the season. All three runs for the offense were scored on the long ball; one was a two run homer from first baseman/catcher Joe Mauer which was his first homer of the season, and the other was a solo homer off the bat of outfielder Nelson Cruz which also was his first of the season.

== Series against the St. Louis Cardinals™ ==

The team left immediately following the game as they headed to St. Louis, Missouri to take on another division foe in the Cardinals. Game one took place Friday evening and the Reds managed to put one in the win column by a score of nine to four. Starter Anthony De Sclafani only lasted five innings and gave up three runs, but the offense bailed him out as he got the win and improved to a one and zero record. The offense came from multiple sources as Cruz and Negron both had a run scoring single, outfielder Adam Eaton contributed a run scoring double (his third of the season), Billy chipped in a pair of two run scoring triples (his first and second of the season), and catcher Eugenio Dias hit a two run homer (his second of the season).

The second game of the series on Saturday afternoon was also a win for the Reds as they played a little bonus baseball by winning in ten innings by a score of four to three. Ace Phil Hughes took the mound and pitched six innings while only giving up the three runs but earned a no decision. Bryan came in and pitched a clean ninth inning to force extras where the offense scored the go-ahead run giving him the win and improving his record to one and zero. Closer Aroldis Chapman came on in the tenth to slam the door and earned his third save of the season. Offensive support was provided by two run scoring singles from Eaton, and Brandon chipped in runs from another single and his second double of the season.

== Game Day Sunday April 17, 2016 ==

It was a clear and pleasant day in the Midwest of the United States as temperatures averaged out around sixty six degrees Fahrenheit despite the nine to ten miles per hour wind blowing in from centerfield. The weather convinced everyone to come out as the stadium was at maximum capacity with an announced attendance of forty-six thousand eight hundred and sixty one fans. The last warm-up pitch was thrown and the game started on time at one fifteen in the afternoon local time.

== Top of the 1st ==

Billy led off the game against right hander Lance Lynn by singling into right field. Then during Brandon's at-bat, he broke to second as he slid in safely under the catcher's throw with his first stolen base of the season.

That spark of offense though failed to light any sort of rally as Brandon struck out on a high curveball, right fielder Jay Bruce grounded out to the first baseman unassisted, and Cruz also struck out by missing a low and in slider.

== Bottom of the 1st ==

Charlie Brown took the mound in the bottom half as he was facing off with a struggling St. Louis lineup looking for a breakthrough. Center fielder John Jay was the leadoff hitter as the southpaw swinger smashed the third pitch deep into the right field corner and landed it just inside the foul line. It would've been a no doubt triple for the speedster, but the ball hopped harmlessly into the stands which forced him to stay at second.

Left fielder Peter Bourjos was the next batter and he too looked to utilize his speed, but he failed to make contact and struck out after three pitches when he chased a high and away four seam fastball. Right fielder Jason Heyward was the next batter as he looked to drive in the run for his team but ended up popping up harmlessly to Brandon at second base for the second out after four pitches.

Third baseman Matt Carpenter was the cleanup hitter and came into the game struggling on the young season hitting under the dread Mendoza line (.200) at a clip of .095. The southpaw batter looked at a ball, before hitting the second pitch back up the middle for a base hit. Jay scored from second easily giving the Cardinals a one to zero lead. Following that shortstop Jhonny Peralta was the next batter and he flew out to Cruz in left field for the final out of the inning after two pitches.

== Top of the 2nd ==

Brayan led off the inning strongly as he singled into left field off of Lynn. The next batter was J. P. Arencibia a catcher/first baseman making his first start of the season in place of injured first baseman Joey Votto. Arencibia popped out to third base for a harmless first out. Third baseman Negron was the next batter and ended up singling into center field to advance Brayan up to second. Shortstop Zack Cozart then dropped down a sacrifice bunt to the first baseman who fired to the second baseman covering first for the second our as Price was putting a lot of faith in Charlie Brown to score the runs.

Charlie Brown walked up looking to come through for his team as he quickly fell behind one and two to Lynn. The next pitch was a fastball that got to the inside corner and Charlie Brown sent it weakly into center field in the middle of no man's land. However, Jay had a full head of steam and raced in to make the catch and stop the rally there.

== Bottom of the 2nd ==

Second baseman Greg Garcia started the inning off against Charlie Brown as he swung at the first pitch inside four seam fastball.

CRACK!

The bat splintered into a couple pieces as the ball ended up weakly landing behind the mound over Charlie Brown's leaping frame. Cozart ran in and barehanded the ball as he fired it to first, but Garcia's hustle helped him reach base safely.

First baseman Kevin Frandsen was the next batter as he took the second pitch into centerfield where Billy was able to move under it easily and retire him for the first out. Next up was catcher Tony Cruz who was aggressive and went after the first pitch which resulted in a swinging bunt. The ball landed a few steps in front of the plate as Brayan fielded it and fired a strike to second base where Cozart was able to catch it and step on the base for the second out. As Cozart stepped out to make the throw to first, he stepped into Garcia's slide as his cleat came down on something soft.

CRUNCH!

That sickening sound was heard throughout the stadium as Garcia grabbed his right hand in pain. The throw was held as Cozart checked on the downed Garcia and the Cardinals training staff came out on the field. Garcia got up a moment later with a hand over his right index finger as he was removed from the game to have an MRI done to see if it was broken. The crowd gave him a slight ovation as he gave a short wave with his left hand as he exited. Pitcher Lance Lynn then struck out after four pitches to end the inning as he was late on the low two seam fastball.

== Top of the 3rd ==

Billy led off the inning with a sharp grounder to the newly inserted second baseman, Kolten Wong, which was handled easily for the first out. Brandon then jumpstarted the inning with a sharp single into right field which was followed up by Bruce copying him as he too hit a single into right field which allowed Brandon to advance to third thanks to his good base running. Cruz then walked up and hit a high drive to center field. Jay was able to get back and make the catch on the warning track, but the deep hit allowed Brandon to tag and score easily from third as he tied the game up at one. Brayan then grounded out to Peralta at shortstop for the final out of the inning.

== Bottom of the 3rd ==

Jay walked up for his second at-bat of the day as he worked the count to one and one and went after the inside third pitch.

CRACK!

His bat was the second victim to Charlie Brown's heater as it splintered and the ball landed near the third base line and looked like it would trickle foul. It then suddenly stopped and spun near the line but didn't move as Charlie Brown ran over and barehanded it before throwing to first. The throw wasn't nearly in time as Jay had his second hit of the day.

Bourjos was the next batter and he struck out for the second time on the day, as he looked at the sixth pitch middle away Palmball that caught the zone which got him rung up by home plate umpire, Rusty Valentine. Heyward then went after the first pitch, and hit it down the left field line but Cruz tracked it down for the second out. Carpenter then hit a ball to left field as well, but Cruz was already positioned perfectly and caught the lazy fly for the final out of the inning.

== Top of the 4th ==

Arencibia led off the inning for the Reds with a hard hit ball that ended up in the right field bleachers for his first homer of the season as it made the score two to one in favor of the visitors. Negron followed that up by capitalizing on the still angry Lynn as he singled into left field. Cozart walked up next as he hoped to keep momentum on his team's side but he grounded into a five to four to three double play to empty the bases for Charlie Brown's at-bat.

Charlie Brown walked to the plate as he stepped in for his second time facing Lynn.

"Well Ed, we seem to have ourselves a pitcher's duel as the Reds managed to take the lead here in the fourth thanks to Arencibia's homer earlier in the inning."

"That's right Eddy the game has been fiercely fought as Charlie Brown surrendered the lead early but fought back to keep them at one run, while the offense scrounged up two runs here against Lynn. Both pitchers are at the top of their game right now and it'll be interesting to see which one blinks first."

"And Charlie Brown looks at a pitch just on the high inside corner for a strike. Ed do you think Charlie Brown is going to help his own cause here?"

"Absolutely I think he's going to get on base to extend the inning, heck he might even go yard in this situation. He's done it once before in his short career so we know he can swing the bat."

"Lynn starts his windup and here's the second pitch of the at-bat."

THWACK!

"Charlie Brown hits it in the air to left field, THAT BALL IS HIT DEEP, its back at the wall! O lordy! Good bye homerun! Mercy! Charlie Brown has given the Reds a three to one lead on his first homer of the season and the second of his career. I can't believe you just called that monobrow!"

"Called what Eddy?" said Ed in a dopey voice causing Eddy to sigh at his friend/colleague's actions as they high-fived at the occurrence. Charlie Brown circled the bases in a moderately slow trot as he high-fived Billy and fist-bumped Brandon before being mobbed by the others and Clay in the dugout. Billy then struck out swinging to end the inning.

== Bottom of the 4th ==

Peralta led off the inning for the Cardinals hoping to get the momentum back to the middle, but failed as he grounded out to Cozart for the first out. Wong walked up next for his first appearance since entering the game in the top of the third to replace the injured Garcia. He bunted the first pitch down the third base line as Negron rushed in and fielded it by couldn't throw it as Wong's speed made it impossible to get him out at first.

Frandsen walked up next and hit the fourth pitch into right for another base hit putting two runners on with only one out. Cruz then stepped in as he hit a soft grounder to first base. Arencibia came in and fielded it as he fired the ball to second before racing back to first base; Cozart caught it for the second out as he unleashed a strike to first. The ball was a step too late as Cruz was safe at first; Arencibia went to argue but saw Wong racing around third base trying to score. He fired the ball home, but the throw was just late and Wong scored making it a three to two game. Lynn walked up looking to keep the inning alive, but ended up flying out to Bruce in shallow right for the final out.

== Top of the 5th ==

Brandon led off the inning with another sharp single to right field. Bruce followed that up by drawing a walk to put two runners on with no outs.

Cruz was the next batter and flew out to shallow right which prevented either runner from tagging up. That brought up Brayan who looked to drive in another run for his pitcher but grounded into a tailor made six to four to three double play to end the inning.

== Bottom of the 5th ==

Jay came up to the plate for his third plate appearance as he hit a soft dribbler back to Charlie Brown on the first pitch. Knowing the extent of Jay's speed, Charlie Brown fielded it quickly but ended up rushing the throw as it airmailed the leaping Arencibia; thankfully for the Reds the ball hit the wall and bounced back to Brayan which prevented Jay from advancing past first.

Bourjos walked up looking to avoid the hat trick as he got under the first pitch fastball as he popped out to Arencibia for the first out of the inning. Heyward was the next hitter as he hit the fourth pitch back up the middle. Billy ran in to field it and saw Jay going for third. Sensing the challenge being thrown down, he fielded the ball cleanly and uncorked a laser beam throw that landed in Negron's glove as Jay slid into it for the second out.

Carpenter walked up next and worked a one and one count on Charlie Brown. On the third pitch, Heyward took off trying to steal second base. Feeling the energy from Billy's throw, Brayan decided to match him as he popped out of his crouch and gunned a throw knocking his mask off in the process. The ball landed right in Brandon's glove as he tagged out the sliding Heyward for the final out as Charlie Brown applauded his friends' defensive efforts to keep them in the lead.

== Top of the 6th ==

Arencibia led off against Lynn by drawing a walk to put another leadoff hitter on base. Manager Mike Matheny had seen enough as yanked Lynn and called in right hander Matt Belisle to pitch. Belisle got both Negron and Cozart to ground into unassisted fielder's choices as Wong stepped on second base both times to bring Charlie Brown up with Cozart on first and two outs. Charlie Brown hit a sharp grounder to third on the fifth pitch but the throw to second was in time to record the final out on the fielder's choice.

== Bottom of the 6th ==

Carpenter came up to face Charlie Brown due to his at-bat resetting after Heyward was thrown out stealing last inning. Carpenter went after the first pitch and flew out to Cruz in deep left field for the first out. Peralta also went after Charlie Brown's first pitch and also flew out to Cruz in left field in a classic sense of déjà vu. The speedy Wong came up and grounded out to Negron at third to give Charlie Brown his first one-two-three inning of the afternoon.

== Top of the 7th ==

Billy led off the inning strong for the Reds as he once again singled into right field. Brandon followed that up by drawing a walk out of Belisle putting two runners on with no outs.

Bruce was up next and hoped to capitalize on the momentum, but ended up striking out swinging for the first out. Cruz then hit a sharp single into left field which made it seem as if Billy was going to score as he came digging hard around third. Bourjos came up firing though and got a one hop throw on the money as Billy was called out at home by Rusty Valentine. Brayan then grounded into a fielder's choice to end the inning as Peralta flipped to Wong for the final out.

== Bottom of the 7th ==

Frandsen led off the inning for the Cardinals but he was set down quickly after striking out after a three pitch at-bat when he missed the high and in four seam fastball. Cruz then followed him up by flying out to medium-deep right field after two pitches.

Belisle was due up next and not wanting his pitcher to hit, Matheny called upon first baseman/third baseman Matt Adams to pinch hit. The southpaw hitter worked a full count and drew a walk when the sixth pitch missed the zone from Charlie Brown.

Having seen enough, Price sensed Charlie Brown getting tired and called upon set-up man Glen Perkins to work out of the situation. The lefty got Jay to ground out to Brandon who stepped on first for the final out of the inning.

== Rest of the Game ==

Perkins held the Cardinals scoreless in the eighth as Price called upon Chapman for the save in the ninth. Chapman slammed the door shut as he had a one-two-three ninth inning to record his fourth save of the season and helped secure Charlie Brown's fourth win of the season.

Arencibia received Player of the Game honors as he was interviewed by Double D as Charlie Brown and Clay high-fived at the nice victory which would be immortalized in Clay's beat column in the Cincinnati newspapers.

'That was a great win out there today; we really managed to keep things moving in a positive direction. Now we have 'Loner' by our side keeping the record straight for everyone to see, there just might be no stopping us now!'

Pitching Summary: Win (4-0), 6.2 IP, 7 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 4 K's, 2.10 ERA, 77 Pitches, 54 Strikes, 23 Balls

Batting Summary: 1 for 3, 1 HR (1st of Season), 1 RBI

AN: And that's a wrap on this chapter, but before I go I wanted to clear something up from this chapter. I did say in an earlier chapter that Arencibia retired, but it turns out my game glitched out. He did retire in real life, but he's still on the team in the game so I will keep it as him being on the roster until he's either traded or replaced by someone else. Other than that just let me know how the chapter was for you with a review and go ahead and drop a favorite and follow to show that you care about this story. Also, feel free to let me know your thoughts on "Loner", he's one of my own OC's who I think would fit nicely as one of Charlie Brown's pencil pals from his childhood. Thanks so much for reading and I'll catch you all in the next chapter, this is "The Nasty One" signing off!

-PRAK #TheNastyOne