It seems ever since I took a small break from writing to attend to some family matters, the Reds could not find a way to inflate their win total. Instead they had their first slump of the season which included a sweep at the hands of the Pirates and two consecutive losses in Wrigley before exploding yesterday for 9 runs and a win.

Edinson Volquez is now 2-0 and has pitched 3 great games. His only problem has been his inability to pitch late into games. His last two outings have been 5 inning outings due to high pitch count. I also notice he shakes off Bako an awful lot. They need to get on the same page if their success will continue.

Griffey continues his climb towards 600 career homeruns. He hit numbers 595 and 596 in the series with the Cubs. His swing looks as Junior-esque as ever and he is not hitting any cheapies either. Both against the Cubs were to dead centerfield and on 3-2 counts. Both times the pitcher hit his spot too. When will pitchers learn not to pitch Junior middle in? He will turn that mistake into a bleacher bomb every time.

New York Yankees blogger Joe Gallo said it this morning to me and I couldn’t agree more, Joey Votto should be given full time duty at first base. Nothing against Hatty, Votto is just younger and better. He seems to have found his swing…all he had to do was look in Northside Chicago. Two times in his very young career Votto has had a 5 RBI performance against the Cubs. He did it again yesterday and is starting to look comfortable at first base too. I don’t know where anybody got the idea he was not a good defensive first basemen…everything I’ve seen thus far contradicts that statement.

With Evan Longoria being called up by Tampa Bay and having already signed a multi-million dollar extension, and Corey Patterson beginning to struggle a little bit, I don’t think Jay Bruce will have to wait much longer to receive a callup to the big club. His numbers in AAA Louisville are once again impressive. Take a look:

.333, 1 2B, 2 3B, 3 HR, 9 RBI in 13 games. He’s also got 18 total hits.

This kid is ready for The Show. I would really like to see him inserted into the lineup and see how he looks sandwiched in the outfield by Adam Dunn and his (and my) childhood idol, Ken Griffey Jr.

As Josh Fogg continues to show he is not the answer to the 5th starter’s role, Homer Bailey’s progress in AAA continues to impress me. He is 2-1 with a 1.42 ERA and a 0.89 WHIP. He’s averaging just under 7 IP per outing and has only walked 3 in 19 IP. He has struck out 13.

I must say I have been impressed with how Dusty has handled his young arms. He has let them try to work their way out of trouble but has not hesitated to pull the plug when the pitch count gets a little too high, no matter how well he’s pitching.

Stay tuned for a tribute to Ken Griffey Jr. when he finally hits number 600.

In saying that, CNNSI.com posted a wonderful article about the careers of Griffey and Frank Thomas written by Tom Verducci. You can find it here: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/writers/tom_verducci/04/15/verducci.griffey/index.html

Reds begin a series with the Brewers tonight. Arroyo takes the hill against Ben Sheets who has looked nasty this season.

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