Cincinnati Reds Demote Edinson Volquez to Triple-A

I am going to have to admit that when I was doing my National League Cy Young prediction post, I pretty darn close to predicting that Cincinnati Reds RHP Edinson Volquez would win the award.

Thank the good Lord I came to my senses.

The Reds demoted Volquez to Triple-A on Monday. He was 3-2 in 2011, but had a 6.35 ERA and was walking 6.7 batters per nine innings.

His first-inning struggles have become stuff of legend this season. He had an 18.00 ERA in 10 first-inning innings in 2011. The Reds tried everything to get Volquez to better adapt to the first inning, and everything failed.

It’s hard to give your team a chance to win when you constantly put your teams in 3-0 deficits.  That’s what Volquez was doing all season.

I personally think the Reds are trying to teach Volquez a lesson by sending him down.

After giving up seven runs in just 2.2 innings in Sunday’s game against the Cleveland Indians, Volquez came up with this gem:

"

“I think everybody has to step up and start getting some runs. The last five games, we’ve scored how many runs? Thirteen [actually 12] in five games? It’s not the way we were playing last year. We’re better than that.”

"

I am not exactly sure how it’s the offense's fault that he gave up seven runs in a little over two innings, but Volquez seems to think so. He must think he was playing softball on Sunday, because baseball teams rarely score seven runs in a game.

Volquez will be back with the Reds this season, but first he is going to have to take his medicine in Triple-A.