Rested Frazier reclaims HR stroke

CINCINNATI -- It's safe to say that Reds third baseman Todd Frazier had one interesting, and hectic, All-Star break. It showed when Frazier went 0-for-10 in the first three games of the second half against the Indians.

Frazier was given the day off on Sunday and had one pinch-hitting appearance. The rest paid off Monday night in the Reds' 5-4 win as Frazier was 2-for-3 with a home run and a walk.

"It helped big time," Frazier said of the day off. "It was one of those things where it was a long week. I didn't get much sleep. There's no excuse. When you get on the field, you have to give it your all. I've been doing it, but it just wasn't feeling right."

One week ago, Frazier thrilled the hometown crowd at Great American Ball Park to win a revamped Gillette Home Run Derby. But he was clearly worn out for the All-Star Game, going 0-for-3 in the American League's victory.

Frazier got to spend a couple of days at home in New Jersey before returning to play on Friday.

In his first at-bat on Monday, Frazier hit a first-pitch fastball that was outside and at shin level from Cubs left-hander Clayton Richard for a homer to center field. His 26th long ball ended a season-high 15-game stretch without a homer.

Frazier added a single to left field in the third inning, and his walk in the sixth against Justin Grimm preceded the game-winning two-run homer from Jay Bruce,.

"I didn't need to change nothing. I was just swinging at bad pitches," Frazier said. "We talk about pitch selection a lot. It's a new week. When Monday comes around, we've got a new team coming in, a team I'm familiar with and it's time to take care of business. No more excuses now. The All-Star break is over. You don't blame it on being tired. You don't blame it on anything else. You have aches and pains, but you've got to play, that's it."