Reds decision vs. Blue Jays shows they don’t trust this rookie arm

On Tuesday, the Cincinnati Reds were forced to change up their pitching plans after Nick Lodolo was sidelined with an illness. The Reds' starter reported a fever and chills and was scratched from his start against the Toronto Blue Jays.

In a pinch, the Reds decided to go with right-handed reliever Scott Barlow as the opener for the game, and he proceeded to get shelled during his lone inning of work. Barlow walked three batters, gave up a solo home run to Blue Jays outfielder George Springer, and by the time he left the mound, the Reds were down 4-0. Cincinnati went on to lose by the final score of 12-9.

Oddly enough, the Reds also called up some reinforcements prior to the game. Left-hander Sam Moll was optioned back to Triple-A, and Cincinnati selected the contract of Reiver Sanmartin in order to add some depth to the bullpen. But why didn't the Reds just call up Chase Petty?

Reds decision vs. Blue Jays shows they don’t trust Chase Petty

Petty was in line to start for the Louisville Bats on Tuesday and could've easily made the trek to Cincinnati. His performance against the St. Paul Saints, however, may be a clue as to why Cincinnati's front office decided to promote Sanmartin over Petty.

In 5⅓ innings on Tuesday night at Slugger Field, Petty allowed five runs on eight hits. He walked three batters and struck out three as well. Three of the five runs were earned, and Petty exited after allowing back-to-back walks in the sixth inning to load the bases.

Petty's been part of the big-league roster on a few occasions this season, but by and large, has been disappointing to say the least. In three games, Petty has seven strikeouts and eight walks in just six innings of work. He's allowed 14 runs on 14 hits in his brief stint with the Reds this season, and while it's a small sample size, his 19.50 ERA is embarrassing.

Petty's numbers in the minor leagues aren't much better. In 23 starts for the Bats, Petty owns a 5.74 ERA and has walked 52 batters in just over 100 innings this season. He has a rather unsightly 1.490 WHIP, and it's obvious that the Reds' brass has absolutely zero confidence in the young right-hander at this time.

Petty's fallen out of favor with scouts as well and is no longer among the Reds' top-100 prospects. Even with the roster expanded to 28 players, unless the situation becomes absolutely dire, it's unlikely the Reds will recall Petty during the final month of the season.

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