Reds' shameful plan vs. Athletics shows exactly why MLB rules changes may be coming

The Cincinnati Reds used an opener on Tuesday night against the Oakland Athletics. Jakob Junis stepped onto the mound for Reds manager David Bell and gave his skipper four solid innings. The game was then turned over to reliever Buck Farmer in the fifth, and eventually Bell used a total of six pitchers.

But the Reds will double down in the efforts to get through Wednesday's game without adding another starter to the roster. According to Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Reds will run out Fernando Cruz as the opener for tonight's game against the A's.

There will surely be a transaction or two before the game. Brent Suter may be activated to replace Casey Legumina, or perhaps Yosver Zulueta is recalled prior to the start of Wednesday's contest. The Reds could shock some by even calling up Connor Phillips to log some innings in relief.

Reds' shameful plan vs. Athletics shows exactly why MLB rule changes may be coming

But the Reds' strategy is exactly why Major League Baseball is considering another set of rules changes in the near future. ESPN recently reported that the commissioner's office wants starters to pitch deeper into games. The report went as far as to suggest a six-inning minimum for starters

Of course there are flaws with the thought process. What about a pitcher returning from injury who's on a pitch count? What about a rookie making his first start in the big leagues? What if a pitcher gets injured before logging six innings of work? Those are all valid questions, and ones that MLB and the Player's Association would have to iron out before any changes took effect.

But the bottom line is that MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, and to an even greater extent, baseball fans want to see starters going deeper into games. The analytics that cite a player's pitch count and his success a third time through the batting order have overtaken the sport and robbed fans of seeing a starting pitcher toe the rubber into the sixth, seventh, and even eighth inning.

Whether the MLB rule change or some variation of it eventually makes it way into the game is debatable, but Reds' shameful plan to use openers on back-to-back versus the Athletics is exactly why the idea of a six-inning minimum is being tossed about.

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