BAR: Mike Leake will be attractive on free-agent market

ATLANTA — With all the focus on Johnny Cueto, Homer Bailey and Aroldis Chapman, it seems like Mike Leake can often be overlooked.

Reds manager Bryan Price said that if that's the case, it won't be for long.

"They won't at the end of this year," Price said when asked if Leake is sometimes overlooked and underrated. "Because if he's not signed here to an extension, he'll be on the free-agent market and those who are coveting starting pitching, they'll see a nice stud pitcher. But hopefully he's here with us for a long time."

Leake put up another great performance on Thursday in Atlanta. He gave up hits in the first and second innings and none after that. No Brave reached second base in his eight innings, and the only player that reached base after the second was thrown out.

Once again, it was an effective, efficient performance from Leake.

The thing about Leake is he doesn't wow you with radar-gun readings, but he does everything well. That's not something to take for granted.

"Obviously the home run stands out," Price said after Thursday's game. "He fields his position well, holds runner well, pounds the strike-zone. He's one of our lowest walks-per-9-innings guys. He has the equipment, the intensity, the competitiveness to be in every game. He finds a way to stay in the ballgame, and that, to me, is what's going to make him a regular 200-plus inning guy."

• The Reds got homers from the Nos. 8, 9 and 1 hitters on Thursday.

Catcher Tucker Barnhart, the No. 8 hitter, said he'd never had homers in back-to-back days like he did Wednesday and Thursday, nor had he ever gone back-to-back with his pitcher.

"We were joking that if Billy would have hit one, it would probably have been the most unexpected back-to-back-to-back in baseball history," Barnhart said.

Instead, that inning Hamilton was thrown out on a bunt attempt. He then homered in the ninth.

MINOR LEAGUE ROUNDUP

• Triple-A: Louisville 6, Indianapolis 2: 1B Steve Selsky had three hits, including a home run, and four pitchers combined to allow just four hits. SS Hernan Iribarren also had three hits — all singles. [Box]

• Double-A: Pensacola 3, Jackson 1: Keyvius Sampson made his debut for the Blue Wahoos, allowing a run on four hits over five innings. Layne Somsen picked up the win, throwing three perfect innings. Jesse Winker had two hits, including a triple. Kyle Waldrop was 2-for-4 with a double and RBI, and Marquez Smith was also 2-for-4 with a double. [Box]

• High-A: Daytona 6, Brevard County 4: Each of the top three hitters in the Tortugas' lineup - CF Phillip Ervin, SS Alex Blandino and LF Sebastian Elizalde - had two hits each, with Blandino and Elizalde each notching doubles. Blandino also stole two bases. Nick Howard lasted just 3 2/3 innings, giving up three runs (two earned) on five hits and six walks. He's walked 19 batters in just 15 2/3 innings over four starts this season. [Box]

• Low-A: Fort Wayne 5, Dayton 2: Starter Seth Varner suffered his first loss of the season, giving up two runs on seven hits over five innings. He struck out seven. [Box]

THE ROTATION

1. Pedro Martinez with an all-time "Manny being Manny" story. [SI.com]

2. The New York Times had a great look back at the 1990 NFL Draft class.

3. The Memphis Pyramid is now a Bass Pro Shops. That just blows my mind — and I know Bob Huggins loved Bass Pro Shops, but I wonder if he'd go to this one, since that place has some bad memories. [Commercial Appeal]

4. The "Mail Kimp" girl has been found. [Slate]

5. A new study says most people stop listening to new music at 33. I wouldn't say I stopped, but I did slow down, I think. [AVClub]