Cincinnati Reds

The Cincinnati Reds announced today that Edinson Volquez would be returning to the team after more than a year’s absence.

This is great news for the Reds who could use a pitching boost in the middle of the season.

I am now officially in love with Joey Votto...well, if he were a she. 

The main headline on the Yahoo splash page runs Votto through the ringer for not hugging and slapping the rear end of Marlon Byrd.

Says Votto, "I don't like the Cubs. And I'm not going to pat anybody with a Cubs uniform on the back. But because he made that really cool play, it turned out to be a really cool experience. I'm really glad we got the win today."

Yeah baby, that's the spirit! 

Francisco Cordero is tied with Heath Bell for second in the major leagues in saves.

He is 24 for 30 (80%) for the season. His career save percentage is 81.5%. His save percentage with the Reds 85.8%.

Here are some more stats to chew on.

Of the 15 pitchers with 20 or more saves, Cordero is worst in the league in WHIP (1.55), ERA (4.20), and third worst in batting average against (.263).

The Reds pay Cordero a lot of money, so continuing to run him out there for every save will likely be the choice.

Although the Cincinnati Reds ended the first half of the 2010 season with a four game skid, they are still sitting atop of the N.L. Central eight games above .500. They also lead their division rival, St. Louis, by one game. 

2002 was the last time the Reds were in playoff contention at the half-way mark and Cincinnati fans everywhere are eager to see if their beloved team will actually make a post season appearance.

Entering the 2010 season, the top second baseman in the National League included: Chase Utley (Philadelphia), Dan Uggla (Florida), and Brandon Phillips (Cincinnati).

At the mid-way point of the season, Phillips is making a case to be considered the best. Martin Prado is emerging as a superstar in Atlanta, but does not have all the tools Phillips has.

The chart below clearly shows Phillips is the most complete second sacker in the league.

Walks are annoying. Sometimes they are a necessary evil, but for the most part they make me want to jab a sharp object into my eyeball.

The Reds tend to have this penchant for giving free passes when there are members of the opposing team already occupying the base paths (I'm talking to you Coco!). Cincinnati is playing well, extremely well, but is on pace to exceed the amount of walks issued last year when the pitching staff used home plate as a well oiled turnstile.

That's not good.

The season's midway point has technically past, so that means that the trade deadline is fast approaching.  Cincinnati clings to a two-game lead over St. Louis today.

The big prize in the trade market this year is Cliff Lee.  The Reds must get in on this action.  I know Lee could leave after the season, but it will be worth it. 

Let me break it down for you.

Yesterday I took a look at the July 31 trade deadline needs of the buyers in the National League East, so today I will look at the needs of the buyers in the National League Central.

Unlike the East, which had four teams as potential buyers, the Central only has two teams that should be buyers — the Cincinnati Reds and St. Louis Cardinals.

The Milwaukee Brewers are kind of hanging around, but unless they go on a tear in July, they shouldn’t be buyers. The Chicago Cubs are a mess and we all know the plight of the Houston Astros and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Note to Phillies' manager Charlie Manuel: Don't get drunk on the night you select the reserves of an All-Star Game. Snubbing Joey Votto in favor of Omar Infante, a utility player, was not a wise idea.

As of July 5, Votto is leading or near the top of the National League in almost every major offensive category.

Let's have a look:

First in home runs, first in on-base percentage, first in slugging percentage, first in OPS (obviously), third in batting average, tied for third in RBI, and tied for fourth in runs scored.

Baseball's All-Star Game is in Los Angeles/Anaheim... I'm not really sure where the LAAA's actually play.  Either way, players from all over the league will get to see the Beach Boy's and Katy Perry's favorite girls.

One player, however, will not. His name?

Joey Votto.

How is it that baseball can never, ever, get anything right?  Most of us have heard the stats by now, but for those of us that haven't here's a quick recap:

Votto's batting average? .318. That's tied for third in the NL.