Saturday's Reds-Dodgers outcome was a sobering reminder of those three games in Atlanta, Philadelphia and San Francisco last leason when the Reds couldn't hold a large late inning lead. Fortunately, that last one was still a W. Unfortunately, Saturday's mid-90s temperatures likely led to the end of Johnny Cueto's day despite only having thrown 88 pitches. The heat apparently got to Clayton Kershaw an inning prior to that. I had no problem with Baker's decision. The bullpen simply has to get the job done and they didn't.
Some things are apparent and have been for some time. Gomes isn't getting the job done in LF, nor is Fred Lewis. Chris Heisey has struggled when beginning the game in the starting lineup for some reason. That being the case, he hasn't exactly been given a decent opportunity to start everyday and get settled in. Gomes has several years showcasing his inability to hit right handed pitching. Yes, he drove in 86 runs last year due to a torrid start and an abundance of RBI opportunities but the Reds can't depend on statistics which are heavily team dependent and expect the same outcome a year later.
The left side of the infield has also been highly unproductive. Rolen has to get going if he's healthy, or he needs to go back on the DL and Juan Francisco and his powerful bat (along with his substanard glove and plate discipline) need to take some swings. Hopefully he can hit enough to offset his other shortcomings. Renteria and Janish should be on a very short leash at this point as well as Zack Cozart has been hitting well at Louisville. While his numbers may not translate to a highly successful major league hitter, it probably can't get any worse. His callup should also mean Renteria would be designated for assignment.
The Reds need to make the moves necessary to get going before it's too late. This is a time to be shrewd and decisive, not sentimental.
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