Kuzul

After the first month of the season, are the Reds still the team to beat in the NL Central Division? They have most of the same faces from their division-winning 2010 season.

Gone is Orlando Cabrera, but his spot is taken by Janish being promoted to a starter and Edgar Renteria filling in. No huge loss there.

Also gone is Laynce Nix. A reserve outfielder who contributed quite frequently, he will not be missed as Chris Heisey’s fills in more than adquately now as the fourth outfielder. Throw in outfielders Fred Lewis and Jeremy Hermida and it makes you wonder if Nix would play much if he were still here.

After several seasons as the “ace” of the staff, Aaron Harang’s option was not picked up and he was taken by San Diego. He is doing quite well with them, and I am glad for him.

The Reds have talent and plenty of it. Jay Bruce, Drew Stubbs and Jonny Gomes provide a powerful outfield. A starting infield of Scott Rolen at third, Janish at short, Brandon Phillips at second and NL MVP Joey Votto at first is one of the best in the league, certainly in the division.

Ryan Hanigan and Ramon Hernandez are a catching tandem that is probably tops in baseball.

The pitching is where the water has become murky. They began the season with only 60% of their starting rotation intact. They have done poorly when looking at the complete body of work. Their ERA is one of the highest in the league. Now that Edinson Volquez has left the first inning scoreless twice in a row, good things are beginning to happen.

Homer Bailey pitched six strong innings Thursday in his first start of the year. Jonny Cueto will start his first game against the Cubs on Sunday.

Their chief rivalry will come from the St. Louis Cardinals who came on strong after a dismal first week or so. Lance Berkman and Matt Holliday are among the league leaders in all offensive categories and Albert Pujols is beginning to make some noise.

The Cards pitching rotation has been better than most people thought they would, given the fact that Adam Wainwright was lost for the year before it started. Second-year man Jaime Garcia has been impressive, tossing a two-hit shutout Friday. Their Achilles heel thus far has been the deep part of the bullpen. Blown saves are the only thing that keeps them from being in a virtual cakewalk right now.

Many thought that the Milwaukee Brewers would win the division since they acquired starting pitchers Shawn Marcum and Cy Young winner Zack Greinke. Both were hurt at the start of the season, and they started a little slow.

After being swept in the first season series by the Reds, the Brewers came on strong and were just a half-game off the pace. They have lost six straight and eight out of their last 10 to fall within one game of the cellar.

The Chicago Cubs, Pittsburgh Pirates and Houston Astros are attempting to keep their heads above water. One is as bad as the other at this point, so I do not see them being major factors in the pennant race.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

With opening day only three days away, the Cincinnati Reds roster is looking more like the Walking Wounded than a defending champion.

A pitching rotation of Edinson Volquez, Bronson Arroyo, Travis Wood, Mike Leake and probably Sam LeCure will not strike fear into the hearts of the collective sluggers of the Milwaukee Brewers. Their combined ERA is 6.45.

Arroyo is currently suffering through a bout of Mononucleosis, while would-be starters Homer Bailey and Johnny Cueto are starting the season on the shelf.

Spring Training sensation Dave Sappelt, along with pitcher Dontrelle Willis will begin the season in Louisville while Jeremy Hermida will throw his line into the waters of the MLB to see if there are any bites.

The Reds pitching this spring has been terrible for the most part. Volquez was rocked in his last show before he opens the season on Thursday. He has worked only 9+ innings this spring in preparation for the season premiere and boasts an 8.38 ERA in two starts.

The final position spot on the 25-man roster is a battle between home grown Juan Francisco and newcomer Fred Lewis. On paper Francisco would be a lead pipe cinch but with Dusty Baker’s love for veterans, it is anybody’s guess. Lewis has a minor injury so that could be a factor.

In my opinion, as controversial as it may be at times, would have been to keep Hermida and let Lewis hang with the Bats for a little while. Hermida has had a real good spring, batting .342 with 3 HR and an OBP of .458.

Lewis has an anemic average of .205 but is among the team leaders with 11 RBI.

The final two cuts for the bullpen will involve a final four of Matt Maloney, Jared Burton, Logan Ondrusek and Jose Arredondo. My money is on Ondrusek and Burton to remain with the mother ship as the other two will probably begin the season with the Bats in Louisville.

This is my best guess of what you will see when the game starts Thursday:

1. Drew Stubbs – CF

2. Brandon Phillips -2B

3. Joey Votto – 1B

4. Scott Rolen – 3B

5. Jay Bruce – RF

6. Jonny Gomes – LF

7. Ryan Hanigan – C

8. Paul Janish – SS

9. Edinson Volquez – P

It looks a little bleak right now, but buck up kids, the Reds are going to REPEAT this season.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

There hasn’t been this much anticipation for a Reds season in years, but for anyone who has been paying attention to spring training, the news hasn’t been very good and it continues to get worse as starting pitcher Homer Bailey was placed on the 15-day disabled list with a shoulder impingement.

For Bailey, who has shown flashes but is still seeking consistency over the course of an entire season, it’s another setback.

The injury is only supposed to sideline him for a few starts, but it’s always something with this guy, who has a great competitive zeal but keeps getting injuries that always seem to sidetrack any progress he’s trying to make.

Suddenly, a probably Volquez-Arroyo-Cueto-Wood-Bailey rotation has turned into Volquez-Arroyo-Wood-Leake-LeCure.

Sam LeCure has league average stuff, and can help a team out for a short stretch at the bottom of the rotation, but suddenly, the staff doesn’t look nearly as fierce, and a quick glance at the Spring Training numbers reveal that not a single starter has an ERA below 4.00.

Some may dismiss that, and say “oh, it’s just spring training.”  However, outside of Arroyo, all of these guys have short track records, so we can’t assume that they will be able to “flip the switch” once the real games get underway.

The Reds had a lot of things go right last year, one of those being remarkable health. Even in a watered down division that doesn’t nearly have the firepower of, say an AL East, it’s still a relatively bad sign.

As I mentioned in a prior article, never trade away what may be perceived to be “excess” pitching, for the word truly doesn’t exist as it pertains to the marathon known as the Major League Baseball season.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Most pitching coaches and baseball aficionados would agree that it takes a few years for a starting pitcher to learn what it takes to be a successful big league pitcher. As Tom Glavine explained to John Feinstein in Living on the Black, “Young pitchers know how to throw hard, but very few know how to pitch”.

When looking for a young pitcher to target late in fantasy drafts, owners should identify players who have yet to produce top level fantasy stats despite having gifted arms and a collection of filthy pitches. 

Take for example Clayton Kershaw, a 23-year-old southpaw for the Los Angeles Dodgers. In his first year in the majors, Kershaw was 5-5 with a 4.26 ERA and a WHIP of 1.49. Although he had excellent stuff, including a mid 90’s fastball and a knee-buckling curve, Kershaw was young and needed to learn how to pitch, and not just throw hard. 

In his third year with the Dodgers, Kershaw struck out 212 batters while posting a sub-three ERA. After taking the typical few years to learn how to be a pitcher, Kershaw is now the team’s top pitcher and is poised for a CY Young caliber season. 

Here is a list of 10 young pitchers who are poised to have a breakout season. Some of these pitchers may still be a year or two away from learning their craft; however, all of them have excellent skills and could become stars in 2011.

Begin Slideshow

By mid-February, most of us are securely wrapped in our winter cocoons. A multitude of wool coats clutter our closets, nights are spent wrapped in Snuggies (don’t hate) and the thought of getting up in the morning is like an icicle to the nads.

Then, just as we’re ready to give hibernation a shot (show me someone who says hibernation doesn’t sound awesome and I’ll show you a stone-cold liar), we’re reminded of the golden age of summer by one simple phrase: pitchers and catchers report.

When baseball fans hear those four words, it’s as if some bizarre baseball dog whistle pierces through the frigid still of the season, calling us to action. It’s as if a bat signal is lit in the night sky, gleaming triumphantly and reminding us the time has come. Baseball fanatics begin to cling to their Internet feeds, hungry for any nugget of intel from the Promised Lands down South.

Yep, every year, as the temperature slowly climbs and daylight invades our evening commute, America’s pastime begins to pervade our consciousness. For baseball fans, February is the beginning.

And, of course, for Reds fans it’s no different.

This winter, the talk in Cincinnati has been about sustaining a winner. Can they? Will they? What will stand in the way? With most of the roster returning, the Reds have only a select few question marks (the fourth and fifth starters will be selected from three candidates, the last bullpen and bench spots are up for grabs) and those issues have been discussed at length already.

However, while Cincinnati may not see much roster upheaval, their success in 2011 most certainly will depend on the continued development of several key youngsters, and a few new additions. So, to celebrate the pilgrimage of the Reds hurlers to Arizona, here are five pitchers (not named Chapman) whose progress should be monitored closely as Spring Training gets underway.

Begin Slideshow

Although the Reds didn’t have a “true” ace this season, which cost them in the postseason, they had a ton of quality depth that helped them navigate through the 162-game meat grinder.

Bronson Arroyo, Johnny Cueto, Edinson Volquez, Travis Wood, Aroldis Chapman and Homer Bailey are the seven names for the five available spots in the rotation. 

Without further ado, here’s a look at the individuals, and their potential for making the five-man rotation in 2011.

Begin Slideshow

Congratulations to the Cincinnati Reds for winning the National League Central and advancing to the postseason for the first time since 1995.

The Reds are one of baseball’s young, up-and-coming teams with tons of future superstars in Joey Votto and Aroldis Chapman.

They have excellent veteran leaders in Scott Rolen, Orlando Cabrera, and Brandon Phillips.  Cincinnati’s manager is also one of the game’s best in Dusty Baker.

This team should be a contender to dethrone the Phillies as National League champions in 2010.

Unfortunately, the Reds starting pitching will be their demise.

The Reds do not have a number one pitcher to rely on once the postseason begins next week. Who are they going to throw out there, Bronson Arroyo? He would not be the best pitcher to send out onto the field in an elimination game.

The Reds rotation also remains a question mark even though their starting pitching has tons of depth.  Which Johnny Cueto will show up? Is Edison Volquez back to full strength?

Seriously, this team can not send out Homer Bailey to start a playoff game.

This team will be in major trouble if they have to face the Phillies or the Giants in the NLDS. 

The Phillies are going to send Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, and Roy Oswalt to the mound in their first three games. The Giants have Tim Lincecum, Matt Cain, and Jonathan Sanchez ready to pitch come next week.

Who are the Reds going to send to the mound for games one through three? An average Arroyo, an inconsistent Cueto, and an unhealthy Volquez is not a recipe for postseason success.

Cincinnati’s offense is one of the best in MLB.  They are currently first in the National League in runs (768), home runs (181), and batting average (.271).

Unfortunately, just a good offense is not going to carry a team to a title. Ask the 2007 Phillies or the 1997 Indians if you want proof.

Starting pitching gets the job done in the postseason and the Cincinnati Reds do not have it this season.

Enjoy the postseason Reds’ fans.  Your team may be eliminated before you know it.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

The Cincinnati Reds have slept walk through the National League for much of September, but it really doesn’t matter.
 
The magic number for clinching a playoff spot is down to six. If the Reds go 6-6 in their 12 remaining games, the Cardinals would have to go 13-0 to tie. Pop some bottles.
 
The biggest surprise of the season is just a few days away from calling themselves “NL Central Champs.” Sounds pretty good huh?
 
Now it’s time to start thinking about postseason play.
 
The Reds will unfortunately have the NL’s worst starting pitching staff heading into October. Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels, Tim Lineccum, Barry Zito, Tim Hudson, Mat Latos, and Ubaldo Jimmenz are all top-flight starters.
 
The Reds don’t boost a single one.
 
What they do have is a ton of solid to very good starters.
 
Bronson Arroyo will start the first game of the series. His consistency has been incredible and he is the only starter with any sort of postseason experience. He picked up his 15th win of the season last week, doing so for the third straight year.
 
He now has 16, a new personal best. He doesn’t blow by anybody; he just uses his excellent location and guile to frustrate the opponent.
 
For the season he has 20 quality starts in 31 outings for a 16-10 record.
 
Johnny Cueto is a lock for the second game. He leads the team with a 3.35 ERA. He has really come of age in his third season in the majors, cutting down on his walks and posting a 1.23 WHIP.
 
He has also done a better job of keeping his emotions in check. In previous seasons, a young Cueto would get frustrated and few hits would turn into a huge inning and an early shower.
 
He is much more composed and the Reds should feel safe trotting him on the mound for Game Two.
 
With more days off in the playoffs, the Reds will need just one more starter. The answer is not an easy one. Homer Bailey, Edinson Volquez, and Travis Wood are the three candidates.
 
Homer Bailey has been fairly consistent over the course of the past eight weeks. He missed three months with an arm issue earlier in the season, but appears to be healthily.
 
He has had nine starts since coming back and lowered his ERA .80 of a point to 4.73 over that span. Not exactly anything to get too wound up about. He is learning how to work himself out of jams and has cut down on his walks.
 
Bailey has consistently been able to reach 95 MPH on the radar gun and this is the same pitcher that Albert Pujols said “will be amazing” early this year.
 
Volquez returned from Tommy John surgery in July to mix results. He has been boom or bust for the Reds.
 
In 10 starts since his return, he has given up one run or less in half of his starts. Yet he has failed to reach the fifth inning in four of his starts, highlighted by not being able to get out of the first inning against the Giants.
 
The problem has been his mechanics. The Reds brass decided to send him way down the ladder to work out the kinks.
 
Since being called up from Class-A Dayton, he is 0-1 with a 1.98 ERA in two starts. Volquez has the stuff to snag the third spot in the rotation, but has he fully figured out all of his mechanical issues?
 
The rookie Wood is the third candidate. The lefty has been great for the Reds since being called up July 1st. He has the best ERA of the bunch at 3.43 ERA.
 
Wood has been excellent all season, allowing more than four earned runs only once in 15 starts. He has been the model of consistency for a rookie pitcher.
 
If the Reds play the lefty laced Phillies lineup, except Wood to get the call. Oh yeah, he almost threw a no-hitter against them back in July.
 
The problem is his pitch count (that’s Nolan Ryan’s groan you are hearing in the background). Between his AAA starts and 15 big league one’s; he has logged over 189 innings pitched. That is by far the most in his career for the 23-year-old.
 
Mike Leake has already been shutdown after reaching his innings limit, wouldn’t one assume the Reds will do the same with Wood?
 
Volquez is the best bet. He has the most dominating stuff when he is on and the Reds have to just cross their fingers that he doesn’t have a meltdown in the early innings.
 
But the beauty of the three-man rotation is that Bailey can always come in to save the day if Volquez falters early. Wood would be the guy, but he needs to be shutdown and preserved for the future.
 
Go with Volquez and take a deep breath.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Have you ever looked at an actor and thought how much he looked like a baseball player, football player or boxer?

Some bear such striking resemblances to a sports star that it is almost freaky.

I know in the movie Billy Crystal did for HBO called “*61”, I was overwhelmed with how much Barry Pepper looked like Roger Maris. It was just incredible.

That got me to thinking about which stars looked quite a bit like which actor.

Take a look with me and see if you agree about the resemblance.

Begin Slideshow

By the grace of God, the Reds won the series against the Pittsburgh Pirates, instead of losing it 2-1.

Out of 16 pitchers on the roster, is Coco Cordero the only one who can be entrusted to close a game?

 If so, we should just hand the Central Division trophy over to the Cardinals right now.

I had been griping about his performances until recently, as it appeared he had straightened himself out. He just blew two save opportunities over the weekend series with the Pirates. He was rescued from the first one thanks to Chris Heisey and Joey Votto, but not the second.

The scene Sunday was as familiar as a recurring nightmare. Cordero has loaded the bases, by walking the first batter and then sandwiching three singles between two outs.

That set the classic stage for calamity. One of their better hitters, Andrew McCutchen steps in with the opportunity to be a hero or a goat. He doubled to deep left field and cleared the bases, essentially winning the game.

If Dusty Baker is going to keep trotting Cordero out to the mound in the ninth inning to protect a lead, he should have him on a one-batter leash. In other words he should be hooked after he allows the first base-runner.

Cordero is streaky. By that I mean when he is not on, he gives up hit after walk after hit, ad nauseum.

With 19 games left, the Reds can ill afford a tailspin. With as many relievers as Baker has available, he should always have a fresh arm ready that can get one or two outs without catastrophe.

I have cringed all year long when he enters the game in a “save” situation. He trails only National’s reliever Tyler Clippard in blown saves this season.

Whenever you see a won-loss record for a closer, it is not good. In a perfect world a closer would have a 0-0 record with a decent ERA. Cordero is now 6-5 meaning that in 11 games he did not do what he was called upon to do.

Friday night Homer Bailey was pitching a spectacular game, giving the team seven strong innings, allowing just five hits and one run. He also struck out nine while not issuing any base on balls. He deserved a win, leaving the game with a 3-1 lead, but was saddled with a no-decision.

Sunday afternoon Johnny Cueto left the game with a three-hit shutout intact and a one run lead. I am sure by now that he had already kissed his win goodbye when he saw the Dominican head toward the mound.

How can a starting pitcher feel good about a guy who continually blows up and dismantles everything they had worked five to seven innings to accomplish?

Baker has the old philosophy that a person needs to get right back on the horse after he has been thrown off. Dusty please know this: a man cannot get back on the horse if he is dead. Stick a fork in Coco now. He is done!

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com