Cincinnati Reds: First 5 Games Reason for Concern?

The first series of the season saw the Cincinnati Reds complete a series victory over the Miami Marlins, as they took two out of three from the Fish. 

Pitching was good in an overall sense and the bats were decent.

Now that we're facing the world champion Cardinals, it seems nothing has changed.  The Reds just cannot beat the St. Louis Cardinals.

The offense has been dismal over the first two games of the series, collecting only two runs in two games.  Meanwhile, the pitching was beat up on Monday and was decent Tuesday.  So far, it's not the pitching that has produced a real cause for concern, but the offense.

Zack Cozart, Jay Bruce and Brandon Phillips have all come out of the gate with pretty good starts, but they basically stand alone.  It's worth highlighting here that Joey Votto has only three hits in his first 16 at-bats, and has collected six strikeouts.  This is not to say that we need to bench the $200-million man (that would be absurd), but it's worth noting right now.

Drew Stubbs, the item of most of my offseason criticism, has begun 2-for-15 and struck out four times.  For someone like Stubbs, who has so much speed and potential, to pick up right where he left off last season is a big-time cause for concern.

What kind of chance do the Reds have without an offense?  Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake can have good starts all they want, but without good offense, their efforts are going to be mostly futile.

Which brings me to the pitching—the starters haven't looked too bad.  Johnny Cueto was dominant on Opening Day, Bronson Arroyo had a good game on Sunday until the seventh inning, and Mike Leake had a quality start last night. 

Meanwhile, Homer Bailey was shelled on Monday and newcomer Mat Latos struggled on Saturday, failing to get past inning five.  I'm not ready to write off Latos after one start, but he's still leaving Cincinnati with plenty of questions.  I was at Saturday's game against Miami and noticed that if he gets under pressure, every other pitch will bounce in the dirt.  That's an issue that needs addressing.

As for Bailey, he's already on thin ice.  There are guys ready to take his place, and you can believe that he'd be the first to leave the rotation if someone proves themselves ready.  Lasting five and two-thirds and allowing four runs wasn't a good way to start the year.

In the bullpen, it seems that we have a boom-or-bust situation.  Aroldis Chapman, Bill Bray, Sean Marshall and Logan Ondrusek have given plenty of reason to like the bullpen.  Meanwhile, the first few innings for Alfredo Simon, Sam LeCure and Jose Arredondo have been ugly.  Arredondo, more specifically, has to get his control under control (no awful pun intended).  He's only pitched an inning and a third and has walked four batters.

I don't write this article with the purpose of writing off the Reds for 2012—no, I aim only to address a few of the issues right now.  The offense needs a spark and the bullpen needs a few adjustments.  The starters, while I'm skeptical of Bailey and Latos at the moment, will be fine. 

Let's get these problems fixed and see the Reds back in the postseason.