What They Need – Cincinnati Reds: A fifth starter
If I wrote a post a week ago about what the Reds really need, the answer would have been to sack Corey Patterson already (he of the .200 average and .240 OPS), and bring up Jay Bruce to play center already. Or at the very least, stop having Patterson bat leadoff (fer chrissakes!).
But seeing how those problems have been (finally) solved, what the Reds really need now is a fifth starter.
Any kind of fifth starter would do, actually.
The Reds actually have a pretty awesome rotation from 1-4, with ace Aaron Harang, Rookie sensation Edinson Volquez, an improving Bronson Arroyo, and high upside flamethrower Johnny Cueto. Their lineup is also pretty stacked, now that Bruce has finally been called up (as long as someone will tell Dusty Baker to stop doing stupid things like telling Adam Dunn to bunt).
But what has really been dragging the Reds down is a guaranteed loss every fifth day. Current fifth starter Matt Belisle has been thoroughly execrable, allowing 47 hits in 29 2/3 innings while posting a 1.79 WHIP and a 7.28 ERA. Original fifth starter Josh Fogg was amazingly even worse, putting up a 2.09 WHIP and a 13.09 ERA in his 3 starts.
Even the most replacement-y of replacement pitchers would be a drastic improvement at this point, and you certainly have to think that AAA stalwart Homer Bailey or Double-A ace Ben Jukich (5-2, 2.34 ERA at Chattanoga), could do better.
May 31st, 2008 at 10:15 am
It’s time to bring up Bailey! No reason not to at this point.
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May 31st, 2008 at 11:06 am
I picked up Bailey in our fantasy league ages ago because surely, even Dusty Baker could see that Belisle was a sucktastic sucking void of suckery!
But then they just stuck Fogg back in there again. Sigh.
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May 31st, 2008 at 10:50 pm
I’m thinking Bailey will be called up right after the All-Star break.
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June 2nd, 2008 at 4:00 pm
Bailey Got the Call!
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