| Jason Follain. 30th August, 2010 - 10:15 am
 The National League Central was supposed to be the St. Louis Cardinals? personal whipping boy in 2010. Little did they know that the Cincinnati Reds? plans for the future included contending in 2010. While Cincinnati was a trendy sleeper pick to challenge for the NL Wild Card, the common belief was that the pitching staff?s blend of promising youth and veteran leadership wasn?t ready to contend. Their season to date is proof positive of the old adage, ?that?s why they play the games.?
Without question, the Reds are a team designed to hit the ball and hit it far. The undisputed star of their potent lineup is ever-improving first baseman Joey Votto. The Reds would have been smitten if Votto simply reprised his stellar 2009 season, but he has gone one step further in stepping his offensive game up to Pujolsian levels. One would be hard-pressed to find a single statistic that Votto hasn?t improved upon in his three full seasons in Cincinnati.
It?s hard to imagine that Votto can be any better than he has this season, but you can count me as one writer who will not be surprised if he raises his game to even further heights. Although runs batted in is not a statistic I make a habit of utilizing when evaluating player performance, it is hard ignore when a guy still has a legitimate shot at the triple crown in late August. Keep in mind that is a feat that hasn?t been accomplished by a National Leaguer since Joe Medwick of the St. Louis Cardinals did so in 1937.
Votto doesn?t need RBI totals to validate the success he has had this season, as his other numbers tell a similar story. Many who follow the game closely will tell you that the modern statistical triple crown consists of batting average, on base percentage and slugging percentage, categories in which Votto would currently lead the National League in if it weren?t for the seven pesky slugging percentage points he trails Albert Pujols by. He is also tied for second in home runs with 31, having eclipsed his career best of 25 before the month of August began.
The Reds were a team that had a lot of question marks going into the season, almost all of which whose answers have ended up on the positive side of the ledger. One such question mark was veteran third baseman Scott Rolen. When Cincinnati traded for the aging slugger last season, many questioned why a young team with what most would characterize as slim chances at playoff contention in 2010 would take on a player set to earn $11 million. Apparently, Reds management knew something the rest of us didn?t, because not only did they assume his salary, but they extended his contract for two additional seasons.
Rolen has not disappointed his employers thus far, as he is enjoying a career revival at age 35. What had been missing from his game for the past several seasons was the power that was once the hallmark of his offensive game. Rolen?s slugging percentage this season is higher than in any full season since 2004 at .526, contributing to his .891 OPS which ranks second among National League third basemen.
The unsung hero of the upstart Cincinnati Reds is a pitching staff that hasn?t been world beaters by any means, but with the offense that this team has assembled, an average pitching staff goes a long way. Early on, it was rookie sensation Mike Leake that dazzled National League hitters with his five pitch repertoire, as he compiled a 2.22 ERA in his first 11 starts. He has scuffled since, enough so that manager Dusty Baker moved the youngster to the bullpen last week.
Pitcher Bronson Arroyo has built a career as an innings eater on good control and keeping hitters off balance by mixing his pitches. This season is no different as evidenced partly by the fact that he throws his change-up 25.7% of the time; only four pitchers throw the pitch more often than Arroyo. He has provided the veteran leadership his team needs while delivering a solid 3.82 ERA over his 174 1/3 innings, aiming for his sixth straight 200 inning campaign. He has also limited opposing batters to a .233 batting average, thereby proving that he may have a few years left in that 33 year old arm of his.
The starter the Reds have turned to of late is 23 year old rookie Travis Wood, who has given them ten starts of 3.38 ERA ball. The Reds hope he can continue his impressive run to begin his career, as opposing batters are struggling to break the Mendoza line, batting .199 against him, tops amongst starters with at least 50 innings pitched. On top of that, National League hitters are managing just 6.3 hits per nine innings off of the rookie. The Reds can only hope that he doesn?t meet the fate of his fellow rookie, Leake, and maintain this success through to the end of the season.
Cincinnati is currently sitting on a four game lead over their newly anointed bitter enemies, the St. Louis Cardinals. Never one to bite his tongue, second baseman Brandon Phillips ignited their August 9-11 series with his inflammatory comments and subsequent bench-clearing brawl. At the time, it seemed as if Phillips antics had backfired on his team, as they ended up getting swept by the red birds. However, since then they have reeled off a 10-4 run to pad their NL Central lead.
There is no doubt the Reds will continue to hit, but can the starting rotation stand tall and keep them in games throughout the home stretch of the season? If they can, Dusty Baker?s team will be pulling off quite the improbable upset. Strange things are happening in the National League this season, what with the pre-season favorites in each division trailing their upstart division rivals. I have to believe that, at the very least, one of the surprise teams will succumb to the team that was ?supposed? to finish atop the division. I also have a sneaking suspicion that the Reds will be this team. In September and October, the team with stellar pitching down the stretch more times than not will find a way to win. The Cincinnati Reds, in my opinion, do not have what it takes to hold on to their lead over the mighty Cardinals. However, they will be a force to be reckoned with in 2011 and beyond.
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