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Picking on Reds manager Dusty Baker the day after they pummeled my Cubs is going to sound like sour grapes, but I promise you it's not. I'm just looking out for a great young pitcher who appears subjected to what Dusty does best - ignore pitch counts and mismanage a staff.
Reds rookie Johnny Cueto has the nastiest stuff of the two young pitchers, but Edinson Volquez, filthy in his own right, has been hitting his spots better to the tune of an NL-leading 1.06 ERA. When the season began and we started to get a glimpse of how great these two pitchers could be, we became immediately concerned for their future. Surely, Dusty's impact would ruin them down the line.
Look no further than Wednesday's mismanagement of Volquez.
Edinson, 24, had just finished a 5th inning where he threw 25 pitches and sported a 5-0 lead. Cinci added two more runs to give the right-hander who came over from Texas a seven run cushion in a game where the Cubs clearly had nothing going.
What does Dusty do? Send Volquez out for another inning and drives his pitch count up to 118. There's no logical explanation for that other than simply, just Dusty being Dusty. The Reds have an off day today, so the 'bullpen needed a rest' reasoning has no merit.
Worst of all, that's Edinson's fifth straight outing with 100 or more pitches. I'm all for 'win now,' but with the Reds sitting at the bottom of the National League standings it's worth taking your best pitcher out an inning earlier than you normally would with a veteran.
Maybe this kid has a rubber arm, and I sure as hell hope he does, but I'm not liking the early trend of pitch counts in Cincinnati. It might not effect Baker's tenure, but the next manager is likely to inherit some brilliant, but damaged arms.
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