Cardinals 4, Reds 1: Cincinnati Loses Game and Johnny Cueto

You have got to be kidding me.

I believe that was the phrase I used when I saw Johnny Cueto going down the steps and into the tunnel last night after two innings. He was on his way to the clubhouse, the latest Cincinnati Red to be bitten by the injury bug.

Cueto did not run out a ground ball in the top of the third, obviously favoring his left leg.

Kip Wells (0-3) relieved Cueto and pitched well until walking in the go-ahead run in the fifth. Former Red Kyle Lohse (5-7) became the latest starting pitcher to shut down the Reds offense. He gave up just four hits and a run in six innings.

The initial diagnosis on Cueto was a tight left hip flexor. After the game, Cueto said he did not think the injury would cause him to miss his next start. He will be examined today by the Reds' medical staff.

The Reds will finish the 2009 season having played just 10 games with their Opening Day lineup.

Last night, Hal McCoy blogged about how quiet the Reds' clubhouse was in St. Louis yesterday.

After a loss, clubhouses are usually quiet. However, he was talking about the atmosphere before the game. Removing a veteran like David Weathers can really effect a team's chemistry. 

The Reds may be out of the division race, but there is still almost two months of baseball yet to be played. Who is going to step up and take control of the clubhouse?

Speaking of veterans, FOXSports.com reported that Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo have both cleared trade waivers. I would be surprised if both were traded, especially considering Edinson Volquez will spend most of next season recovering from Tommy John surgery.

I will close with on a positive note about a former Red. Aaron Boone returned to the field last night, playing five innings for the Corpus Christi Hooks as part of a rehab assignment. Boone underwent open heart surgery on March 26.

He said he hopes to return to the Houston Astros when rosters expand on Sept. 1.