Cincinnati Reds

Throwing Edinson Volquez into the Lions Den has turned out to be a bad move.

He looked fantastic the first time out, but since then has been unrecognizable.

In only 12 innings he has given up 14 hits, 11 earned runs, ten walks and surrendered three long balls. All that pans out to an ERA of 8.25.

Apparently he has been thrown to the wolves much too early after having Tommy John surgery. He performed very well in his rehab assignments at Louisville, but his second and third starts have been horrendous.

Despite being ten games over the .500 mark, playing their best baseball in ten years, and being in the playoff race this late in the season for the first time since the Clinton Administration, the Cincinnati Reds still find time to hit the snooze bar at the wrong time.

What is it about Sunday that has this team spooked or jinxed?

It’s like their personal Bermuda Triangle.

Within the last 20 years, hundreds of articles have been written about Pete Rose's ban from baseball, so I will spare you what has all ready been said. Instead, I'd like to touch more on the effects of his punishment as opposed to the actions that warranted it.

The court of public opinion maintains that the time has come to reinstate him—and I agree, as far as the Hall of Fame goes.

Banning Rose from baseball not only penalizes the man himself, it hurts the sport and denies fans the opportunity to see one of the game's greatest heroes.

It was fun while it lasted.  But as scripted, the Reds season is over.

But much like the malaise one feels before the onset of the flu, it's just an all-too-familiar feeling.

Entering Friday, our beloved Redlegs find themselves only 1.5 games behind the division-leading St. Louis Cardinals and a half-game back of the San Francisco Giants for the NL Wild Card.

Non-Reds fans just read that and laughed, maybe thought to themselves, "Has this guy been stealing his Granny's morphine?"

No, only her anti-anxiety medication.

It should be noted, as the Reds are seven games into the second half of their season, that division races are rather tense affairs.  Why do I point this out?  Simply put, we Reds fans aren't used to this.

In years past, as we approached this time of year, I'd start thinking about the Bengals. That, or just flat out question why I'm still watching every Reds games when .500 is out of reach, and they are 10-15 games back.

That's Jay Bruce trying to use his Jedi mind trick on an umpire, "No, you did not just see me swing at a ball that was three-feet over my head."

There is no doubt Bruce has potential. Unfortunately, potential and seven bucks will only buy you a hopper full of movie theater popcorn.

The Reds have around a three year window before they start going broke with big money extension or arbitration cases.

If Cincinnati does not lock Joey Votto down to a multi-year deal, the improving but already paltry attendance will drop to Florida Marlins level.

This weekend, the Cincinnati Reds will be inducting three former players to the Reds Hall of Fame—Pedro Borbon, Chris Sabo, and Tony Mullane. I am familiar with both Borbon and Sabo, and enjoyed watching them play.

With the second half of the Major league baseball season under way, here are some predictions as to what could end up happening when the regular season is all said and done. There will also be two bold predictions at the end, those of which would shock the sports world, and could happen if events fall a certain way.

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A little over a year removed from having Tommy John surgery, Cincinnati Reds RHP Edinson Volquez is set to make his season debut tomorrow night at home against the Colorado Rockies.

It’s like the Reds are getting a pitcher back without giving up anything.

But what type of pitcher are the Reds getting? Tommy John surgery is pretty common these days, but how do pitchers fare when they first come back from the surgery?