Apr 9, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Cardinals pinch hitter Matt Adams (53) celebrates with second baseman Daniel Descalso (33) after hitting a two run home run off of Cincinnati Reds starting pitcher Bronson Arroyo (not pictured) during the sixth inning at Busch Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

What a difference a day makes. On Monday the Reds scored nine runs on five hits and a bunch of walks and errors in the ninth inning. On Tuesday they score one run on five hits and go to the dugout shaking their heads 14 times, 10 by starter Lance Lynn in the first five innings.

Five Reds’ batters were fanned twice each. Lynn made it look so easy that it did not even resemble the team that thumped the Redbirds 13-4 the night before.

It is a long season and I totally get that. Players hit and don’t hit, I get that as well. Strategies are something of a different nature however.

Anybody who has witnessed Bronson Arroyo on the mound for as long as Dusty Baker has, knows when he loses it, it happens quickly. He was pitching a perfect game through five innings last night then the Dutch boy pulled his finger out and the flood waters began.

Arroyo gave up four runs on five hits and the Cards could still be batting if not for a rope thrown by center-fielder Shin-Soo Choo nailing Matt Holliday at the plate to extinguish the blaze.

Okay smart guy, what is your answer?  After Arroyo gave up the double to Daniel Descalso and the long home run by Matt Adams, with a fielder’s choice sandwiched between them, I would have sent him to the showers. Perfect game gone, no-hitter gone, shutout gone, what was left to shoot for?  I could cite you an endless array of instances where Arroyo went from bad to worse.

Another strategic move I would second guess is the starting of Derrick Robinson in left field. Chris Heisey isn’t hitting and I see that. Okay if you wish to platoon him, what is wrong with Xavier Paul being your left handed man? He earned his stripes last season, did he not? I can see using Robinson as a pinch hitter, pinch runner, defensive replacement or whatever. But starting when nobody is hurt, no thank you.

I know many people do not like to read about anything less than positive about the Reds, or Baker for that matter. There is nothing heretical about some objective criticisms. I will praise them when praise is due, I will mean mouth them when I feel the need.  I have second-guessed Baker throughout his stay in the Queen City. Why would he pitch J.J. Hoover over and over and over again? Big strong arms out there, let us use them.

If he really likes Robinson, he being a switch-hitter should be starting all the games since Heisey has shown once again, he is a bench player. I still believe Paul should be platooned with Heisey.

As a side note I believe the Cardinals would do anything to gain an advantage. Last night the Reds communication line between the dugout and the bullpen was having a wardrobe malfunction courtesy of Busch Stadium. Brings to remembrance the storm warning Tony LaRussa kept to himself a couple years ago.

It will be a long hot season, there will, unfortunately be much more to complain about as we go along. God bless us everyone.

Follow me on Twitter.

Read more of my work on my MLB blog.

Sept 14, 2012; Miami, FL, USA; Arroyo throws against the Miami Marlins during the first inning at Marlins Park. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

With his 36th birthday in the rear-view mirror, Bronson Arroyo will be taking the hill for his eighth and possibly final season as a Cincinnati Red. When Arroyo made his major league debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates way back in 2000, Reds outfielder Yorman Rodriguez was only eight years old. Bronson is entering the final year of his three-year, $35 million contact extension, signed back in 2010.

After pitching for two seasons with the Pirates, Arroyo was claimed off waivers in 2003 by the Boston Red Sox where he would go on to get a World Series ring in 2004. The Reds traded outfielder Wily Mo Peña for Arroyo in 2006, a season in which Bronson would get his first selection to the All-Star game.

Arroyo is still a very capable and crafty pitcher. He is not blowing away opposing hitters with speed ranging 85-90 MPH but he gets a lot of movement on his fastball and is able to locate it with precision. He still has the occasional outing where he transforms into a human batting tee but more often than not he delivers a quality start. His signature high leg-kick motion can also deceive hitters and is used by many coaches to model balance, a pitcher’s best friend. Bronson is no slouch defensively either winning a Gold Glove Award in 2010.

Being the oldest player on the roster and closer to 40 than 30 is only one problem. The other problem is the hefty salary his tenure commands. Pair the two along with the fact that the Reds have a stable full of young pitching talent coming into their own and you can see the proverbial writing on the wall. Guys like Tony Cingrani and Daniel Corcino, just to name a couple, keep getting better and better and their relative youth will command much smaller paychecks. Smaller paychecks are getting scarce for Reds pitching, especially considering the fact that Mat Latos, Homer Bailey and Mike Leake all avoided arbitration and got substantial pay raises in the offseason.

The other is that Bronson Arroyo will pitch in his next scheduled start. I can only recall once when that was not the case. That actually covers the time Arroyo has been a Red, not just my time here at BRM.

October 1, 2012; St. Louis, MO. USA; (EDITORS NOTE: multiple exposure) Arroyo throws to a St. Louis Cardinals batter during the fourth inning at Busch Stadium. (Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports)

Actually, I knew both of those things prior to my time here, but both have become more magnified since.

It’s like clockwork. Set the rotation, look for when Arroyo is scheduled to pitch and…he does. And he does so without any fanfare. He’s steady and reliable, and sometimes we forget that. Well, I didn’t some time ago.

Oh, if you see two Arroyo’s in the image to the right, you’re fine. It is supposed to be like that.

Anyway, here’s how Bronson has kicked his way as a Red.

In looking at Arroyo’s ERA+ and his WAR (not shown), 2012 was Arroyo’s second best as a Red. His best was his first in Cincy, 2006, when he posted that ERA+ of 142 (his career best) and WAR of 6.5, according to Baseball Reference. Last year, those were 113 and 3.4, respectively.

I could honestly go all day about parts of Arroyo’s 2012 that were positive, but there is one game where he seem to get things going in a positive direction. Is it a coincidence it was when the Reds staff welcomed some of us from BRM to GABP? It was that game. In fact, heading into that evening in a game against the Milwaukee Brewers, Arroyo saw his ERA at a season’s high (aside from the ERA after his first outing of 2012) of 4.19. But that evening was different.

Arroyo took a no-hitter into the eighth inning that game, but seemed to tire. He didn’t get the win that night, but after that performance, he trended a different direction for the remainder of 2012. These numbers should show you something…

Pre-June 26: 14 G, 3-5, 4.19 ERA, 1.314 WHIP, 4.29 SO/BB, 15 HR, slash against: .290/.317/.478
June 26 and on: 18 G, 9-5, 3.41 ERA, 1.129 WHIP, 3.29 SO/BB, 11 HR, slash against: .249/.288/.376

I could now bring out what I have in the others in this series (projections), but I don’t have to do that. Why? We already know what to expect from Bronson. Here’s the laundry list.

• double-digit wins and losses, usually over .500 (his average is 12-11 based on a 162 game season)
• ERA around 4 (4.09 as a Red)
• 32 starts (lowest of any season since he came to Cincinnati)
• 200 innings pitched (199 is the lowest he has hurled in any one year)
• the occasional bad outings sprinkled throughout the season
• about 30 HR (his average is actually 29 as a Red…if you take away that dreadful 46 he surrendered in 2011)

And when it comes to singing the virtues of Arroyo, I am not alone here. Yesterday, Jimmi Adair of Redlegs Review offered this:

Nonetheless, he (Arroyo) continued to take the ball every time his turn in the rotation came up. He was among the team’s stars for many years before Votto, Jay Bruce, and others came along. Oh, how quickly we forget. But not me. In a time when athletes seem to look for any excuse imaginable not to play, Arroyo has proved to be a classic throwback. His grit, will, and service to the Reds is not something which should be taken for granted. There aren’t many “gamers” like Arroyo left in the game today, and it’s nice to know that Arroyo will be around to watch for at least one more year.

So, as we clamor over the young budding stars on the roster, let us not forget the contributions from Arroyo. He has played a key role in helping turn the franchise around, and I hope he is rewarded with a world championship in the fall.

One aspect about Arroyo that does get some press is that he is viewed as one of Dusty’s clubhouse guys. With the departures of Scott Rolen (well, the Reds are still waiting on that front) and Miguel Cairo, Arroyo’s role may be a little more broad for 2013.

So, in case you’re wondering about those projections…

Bill James (via Frangraphs): 12-12, 3.88 ERA, 33 G, 218 IP, 33 HR, 43 BB, 136 SO, 1.22 WHIP
CAIRO: 11-11, 4.28 ERA, 32 G, 199 IP, 31 HR, 44 BB, 130 SO, 1.20 WHIP

These show you how predictable Arroyo is, and it’s not all bad either.

He’s not flashy. He’s not overpowering. He’s not one that attracts attention (unless he’s got his guitar in his hand and doing an impromptu performance). He’s…Bronson Arroyo.