There’s a distinct possibility that Aaron Harang could have seen his last start as a Red following yesterday’s short outing.
His first outing back from the DL was gutsy. No, he didn’t go the mandated 5 innings to get a win, but he did manage to at least put the Reds in a position to win the game. Yesterday? Aaron simply imploded by issuing three key walks in the bottom of the 3rd to prompt his exit as the Reds fell 10-5 to the Colorado Rockies.
Harang’s first walk broke the cardinal sin, walk the opposing pitcher. The second was to Dexter [...]

The greatest moment of the evening was in the top of the 8th inning with the entrance of Aroldis Chapman. There were other moments/events that occurred at Great American Ball Park last night, too.
An odd occurrence. Jonny Gomes with an opposite field home run? Really? In the bottom of the 4th, Gomes went oppo to give the Reds a 4-1 lead, a lead they would never relinquish. On a slider no less. The Brewers would close to 4-3 in the next half inning as Gomes misplayed a Chris Dickerson hit into a two-run error. That would be as close as [...]

Two moves had to be made to make room for Aaron Harang and Aroldis Chapman. Outfielder Laynce Nix was placed on the DL due to his ankle and Edinson Volquez was optioned to Dayton to work on mechanics. Volquez will start tomorrow night for the Dragons. All was first confirmed by John Fay on Twitter and then on his blog.
The Nix move was not a surprise at all, but the Volquez move caught me a bit off guard. Nix hasn’t been able to do much of anything since he re-aggravated the ankle in San Fran. Volquez going to Dayton did [...]

Cuban Defector Aroldis Chapman has been called up by the Cincinnati Reds and will debut possibly tomorrow. He probably will since Aaron Harang is starting. The Reds are trying to strengthen their bullpen for this September push. And, with Arthur Rhodes ailing with his plantar fasciitis, there is a left-handed set-up spot available.
By adding him in August, the Reds will make him eligible for the postseason and unleash him on opposing hitters who have never seen him. The 22-year-old Chapman signed a six-year, $30 million deal with Cincinnati in January. He was in the competition for [...]

The Reds announced that Edinson Volquez will move to the bullpen and out of the starting rotation for the time being. Edinson, who was supposed to start today, got bumped for rookie Travis “Freakin” Wood. And, to take Volquez’ spot in the rotation is none other than Aaron Harang. Harang will start Tuesday against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Reds manager Dusty Baker said Volquez will work on his delivery in the bullpen and be available in relief. “It depends on how (Volquez) looks and when Harang comes back, it kind of depends on who’s pitching the [...]

OK. So the Reds squeezed out that 12-11 win yesterday to salvage a game from the Giants. As it turned out, the win was big as the Pirates once again defeated the Cardinals.
West Coast Trip Wrap
Despite the massive panic attack we all had over the last three days, the Redlegs return to the Queen City after posting a very successful West Coast road trip going 6-3. The offense was especially successful for the nine game stretch. Of course, the big gun was Joey Votto (.382, 3 HR, 11 RBI, 8 R) proved to everyone he deserved the SI cover. But [...]

The Louisville Bats are reporting that pitcher Sam LeCure and infielder Chris Valaika have been called up and will join the Reds. With the injury to Jim Edmonds (oblique) plus the fact that Cincy had 6 outfielders in the mix, calling up Valaika makes sense. If Edmonds’ injury is serious enough, he could be done for the season and Tim will never let me live it down as I was all for the Edmonds move. That would open a 40-man roster spot.
LeCure’s call up makes sense, too. With the bullpen having to go 7.1 innings last night, they are taxed. [...]

As the Reds prepare for a taste of the west, here’s a few things to think about and/or keep in mind.
1. Aaron Harang had a rehab outing last evening with the Louisville Bats. Didn’t go too good. Less than stellar really. His line: 5 IP, 5 R, 5 H, 2 BB, 5K. Pair that with the outing Homer Bailey had yesterday plus Bailey’s success toward the end of his rehab and things aren’t looking s good fr the guy that was once known as the #1.
2. According to John Fay of Cincinnati Reds Blog, the Reds are confident that their [...]

Homer Bailey took the ball today due to the suspension of Johnny Cueto. What Bailey did was cloud the picture of the Reds starting staff, if for only one day.
Bailey tossed 6 masterful innings en route to the win in a 2-0 series sweeping victory over the Florida Marlins. The best part was that Bailey didn’t allow a run and he didn’t walk a single batter. He threw 102 pitches with 71 being for strikes. A tidy pitching line.
But those that determine the Reds roster may have to take a step back and at least re-examine the situation regarding Bailey.
The original plan [...]

Well, its been a long time coming that the Reds are playing meaningful games in August. But the time is here and now. The St. Louis Cardinals are coming to town for a three game series. And, spirits are running high here in Cincy. The Reds are taking a two game lead into the series. The unfortunate thing for the Reds is that we are facing Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter of the Cards. They are two of the top starters in the National League. But we are hot right now winning 8 [...]

As I closed my post from yesterday, I left a teaser as to three questions looming over the Reds for the second half of the season. Here are those three questions.
1. What moves, if any, can Walt Jocketty make to improve an already surprising Reds club?
The one area that may need a cleansing is the bullpen. The pen was one of the team’s strong points last season, but that has not been the case so far in 2010. On three occasions this season, a team has coughed up a 6+ run lead in the ninth inning. The Reds can sheepishly [...]

Aaron Harang has been placed on the 15-day disabled list today. The move is retroactive to June 30th. The injury is in his lower back. He has been experiencing back spasms the last two days. Mat Maloney was called up from Louisville to take his spot in the rotation.
Maloney will make the start against the Mets on Tuesday night. The 26-year-old left-hander had a legitimate chance to crack the starting rotation during spring training, but the fifth spot was eventually given to rookie right-hander Mike Leake. Maloney has a 3.50 ERA over 15 starts with the [...]