The Reds are a half-game out of first place in the NL Central with a 18-15 record, but fans have "been slow to jump on the team's bandwagon," according to Steve Watkins of the CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER. The Reds rank 26th out of MLB's 30 clubs in attendance, "averaging 20,881 fans per game." That is "down by 807 per game from the same point last season." Their decline "ranks 19th in MLB for change in attendance," though the Reds are "doing better than last year's steep drop" of 22% representing 6,500 fans per game. Xavier associate professor Linda Schoenstedt said that the Reds are "facing a few obstacles to bringing in big crowds" to Great American Ball Park. The "rebuilding process has involved dropping stars" such as RF Jay Bruce, 3B Todd Frazier and Ps Aroldis Chapman and Johnny Cueto, all of whom are with new teams (BIZJOURNALS.com, 5/9). In Cincinnati, Paul Daugherty noted the Reds drew "just under 26,000 on a beautiful night" Monday, and "many of them" were Yankees fans. Daugherty asked, "If you can’t come close to filling your house with the Bombers in town, why is interleague seen as such an attendance booster? Especially since a large chunk of the crowd was there to cheer the other team" (CINCINNATI.com, 5/9).
STAYING LOYAL: In Buffalo, Mike Harrington noted despite the Blue Jays being in last place in the AL East with a 12-21 record, they are "still selling tons of tickets, with more than 30,000 passed out for 12 of the 14 home dates." Most fans were "drawn in by the back-to-back runs to the ALCS the last two years." But with the team struggling and several players being rumored to be on the trade block, Harrington writes, "Who knows what they might see in the second half?" (BUFFALO NEWS, 5/9).
