NL Central

Talk about your worst-case scenario.

The Brewers had lost two in a row to the Cubs at Wrigley, the second game punctuated by a LaTroy Hawkins meltdown when the Brewers had a three-run lead in the eighth inning.

The wind was blowing out for the third day in a row. Derrek Lee was back in the lineup (for a while at least) after sitting out the game prior while nursing a thumb. Cub ace Carlos Zambrano was on the bump for the home team coming off a strong outing against the Mets despite his Opening Day woes in Atlanta.

Everyone has heard of Stephen Strasburg, the highly-touted first round draft pick of the Washington Nationals, but not as many people have heard about Mike Leake, the first round pick of the Cincinnati Reds who skipped the minor leagues and earned the fifth spot in the Reds’ rotation coming out of spring training.

Of those three gentlemen, one needs to make his way to the Queen City, and two need to hit the road. 

Since one is down on the farm and two are already with the big club, it's a question most third grade Reds' fans can answer correctly.

For the Cincinnati Reds to compete this season Aroldis Chapman must be brought up before his next scheduled start in Louisville. 

Aaron Harang either needs to come down with sudden a sudden arm ailment that lands him on the disabled list, be flat out released, or sent to the pen for mop-up duty...serious mop-up duty. 

A perfect example of Reds starting pitcher Homer Bailey came Wednesday night against the Florida Marlins. The frustration fans have felt about this guy is back.

We all thought he had turned the corner. We all thought the former phenom finally "got it." We all thought the Reds had found a solid starter for the next 10 years.

Looks like we were wrong.

Sure, the season is still in its infancy, and the marathon is still in the first mile, but so far Bailey has shown he is still not there yet.

All right, the Pittsburgh Pirates began 2010 by winning two out of three at home, then lost two out of three each in two road series, for a tally of 4-5.

At that rate, alternating an extra win at home and an extra loss on the the road, would put them at .500.

And their record, so far, has been compiled against three fairly redoubtable teams, but all outside their division.

Game No. 11 in our journey to score 162 games this baseball season featured the Brewers and Cubs in an exciting finish at Wrigley Field.

Previous Fantasy Baseball Insiders Tonight updates:

Trevor Hoffman's quest to reach 600 career saves has become somewhat of a hot topic in recent days in Milwaukee.

Hoffman, the all-time saves leader, has blown two save situations already for the Brewers (3-4) this season.

For Hoffman, the Brewers announced this spring that Miller Park would feature a saves countdown in left field on the scoreboard. Fans can see a large banner of Hoffman, followed by a tracking of Hoffman's historic milestone save by save.

Like most Reds diehards, I'm treading lightly on praise right now, but it is soooooo hard to hide the enthusiasm. Oh, and this from the Enquirer today on twitter: @Cincienquirer Aroldis Chapman will make his debut in Louisville Friday. Tickets are, predictably, going fast: http://bit.ly/csEHc0

After beating the Florida Marlins 10-8 in 11 innings, the 2010 edition of the Cincinnati Reds could rightly be called the "Cardiac Reds."

It is hard for me to watch the games in their entirety because it makes me feel like I am going to have another stroke.

But it is like a train wreck—you can't turn away. You just can't.

The Reds have won all five of their games in their final at-bat. That speaks volumes. They have won their last two games in extra innings, both on the road against the Marlins.

In no way is this a knock against Brandon Phillips. He's the best all-around player on the Reds' roster.

People fortunate enough to watch him regularly know he should be shipped the Gold Glove Award before each of the next 11 seasons.

Phillips easily deserves more than the one he has received, but playing in a small market will do that.

He's got pop. He's got speed. He's got a million-dollar smile, and Cincinnati loves him.

Simply put, he is one of the best second basemen in the majors.