I thought I felt smart by picking the Reds to win the NL Central, but damn have I been dead wrong so far.  Just as everyone else knew, the offense was going to be very good, but the pitching, which I thought was much improved, has been a letdown of sorts.  While they’ve gotten fantastic performances from ace Aaron Harang and Edinson Volquez, the back end of the rotation has been disappointing.  Rookie sensation Johnny Cueto has tailed off after that stellar debut and now sports a 5.27 ERA.  The other three pitchers to start multiple games (Bronson Arroyo, Matt Belisle, Josh Fogg) all have laughable ERA’s.  The bullpen has been pretty solid though, save Todd Coffey.  Looks like Coco Cordero is proving that he’s worth that huge contract they gave him.  If they could get anything out of their back end, they could turn things around, but those guys are terrible right now.  I’m actually surprised that Arroyo is doing so bad.
The offense has actually been a huge letdown as well.  Both Ken Griffey and Adam Dunn have averages in the .220’s.  The only real consistent hitters have been Phillips, Encarnacion, Freel, Keppinger, and Votto.  I’m rather confused as to why Jay Bruce is still at AAA Louisville.  It really couldn’t hurt, he has nothing else to prove at the minor league level.  This kid is the future face of the Reds, and I know a lot of Reds fans are calling for him.
I’d also look to give Homer Bailey another shot.  He was pretty bad in Cincy last year, but has been dominating AAA so far (4-3, 2.72 ERA).  He’s still young, but again like Bruce doesn’t have much else to prove at the minor league level…I guess more experience wouldn’t hurt, but I don’t think a promotion would either.

But what do I know, I’m just a clueless blogger who isn’t even a Reds fan.

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