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Much of the weekend buzz in Reds Nation was over the fact that no significant moves were made by the organization at the trade deadline.

Whether or not that was a smart idea remains to be seen, but in the meantime, a first place Atlanta Braves team came rolling into Great American Ballpark, and lost two out of three to a Reds team that has yet to lose a series since the All-Star Break.

In addition to winning, people are starting to notice the team, as a record crowd for a three-game series was on hand.

The trade deadline has come and gone and the Reds stood still, opting to go forward with what they have. 

THE NUMBERS GAME
 
Start 'Em :

As we have now passed the Major League non-waiver trade deadline, watch certain teams closely. Teams who have decided that they are out of the running are likely to do things that will benefit their team for the future, rather than what might be of benefit right now.

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher James Shields is nicknamed “Big Game.” While Sunday’s series finale against the New York Yankees may not have been the biggest game of the year, Shields lived up to his nickname.

Shields tossed 7.1 scoreless innings to lead Tampa Bay past New York 3-0 at Tropicana Field. Tampa Bay shutout the Yankees for the first time since an 8-0 win on Sept. 23, 2006. New York was shutout for the fifth time this season.

The Yankees have just lost two out of three to the Rays, and hold a tight one-game lead in the American League East. It was a great series: every game was extremely well-played and came down to one or two key moments. Here are my thoughts for the final game of this series:

The stage is set for an exciting September

If you watched all three games, these two teams looked extremely well-equipped and very even-matched. When you look at how these teams have matched up over the course of the season, the numbers are striking.

Thanks to Marty Lurie of KNBR, I got the idea to write just how good the Giants are and how well certain players are performing compared to previous seasons.
As August begins, the Giants begin a difficult two months to catch the first place Padres. Starting off the second half going 8-1 in the division and 13-4 overall, they're the hottest team in baseball. Giants' players are peaking at the right time and this team is having fun again as they fight for a post-season berth.

It's been an incredible year so far, and fans have a lot to look forward to in the coming months.

Things just couldn't get worse for the Philadelphia Phillies.

First, after landing the best player on the trade deadline market in Roy Oswalt, he struggled in his debut against a terrible team in the Washington Nationals. It was not a good sight to see, as Washington marched to an 8-1 victory.

Then, entering a game against the Nats again, it seemed that Philly would win and shake off that loss they suffered from.

They didn't. The Nationals won again.

We all know this team needs a huge change. A little fix here and a little fix there isn't working. It's either go hard or go home. This "2011" team is a team I think is very possible for the Mets. Again, this is just an opinion.

The payroll would be lower than this year if this can happen. That is with Castillo and Perez gone. If they trade those two, this team can be in great shape.

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As far as yielding excellent first round talent, the MLB Amateur Draft has been inconsistent for the New York Mets. The Mets up and down draft day success could be comparable to a roller coaster.

Great first round picks have come and gone for the New York Mets in between even more mediocre to below average first round selections. But when the Mets have experienced successful first round selections, those players flourished.

Here is a compilation of the best first round draft picks in Mets history.