You knew the charade could only last for awhile. Soon enough the Reds, specifically the pitching, would be found out. Eventually, reality would set in.
And sure enough, the Reds' shaking starting staff has now been exposed. It's been uncovered and revealed. It's been stripped naked. And what's left isn't exactly a pretty sight.
With the trading of Kyle Lohse and the injury to left-hander Bobby Livingston, Cincy's starting staff is basically in tatters. Beyond ace Aaron Harang and the solid Bronson Arroyo, there really isn't much left.
When the middle and backend of your rotation is made up of the likes of undependable and nondescript arms such as Matt Belisle, Phil Dumatrait, Elizardo Ramirez and Tom Shearn, you know your prospects are bleak. The Titanic stood a better chance. Although to be fair, Shearn has been at least tolerable, having pitched competently in three of his four starts.
But Dumatrait has been gosh damn awful, Ramirez not much better while Belisle has shown flashes of potential but, by and large, he must be considered a major disappointment and a big-time underachiever.
When you're relying on the aforementioned trio, in addition to Shearn, to keep you on the periphery of a Divisional chase, then school's out. It's time to call in the dogs and piss on the fire. The hunt is over!
Who'd have thought that when the Reds dealt Lohse, they were dooming any chance they had for a postseason run. At the time, Cincy was seemingly out of the race, so peddling the soon-to-be free agent Lohse made sense because he didn't figure to resign with the Reds.
Everyone from G.M. Wayne Krivsky to the most casual Reds' fan realized that with Lohse's departure, the starting staff's stability took a substantial hit. Though he was far from being consistent, Lohse did step up periodically and he could be downright dominant when he was at his best. Without him, almost the entire load fell on Harang and Arroyo and as good as they can be, that's just too heavy a burden for them to shoulder.
Incredibly, because of some stellar mashing and solid defense, the Reds crawled out of the grave of a last place position and actually got to within 6 1/2 games of first place. Left for dead, they had miraculously resurrected themselves and pulled into contention in the NL's Central Division.
Yet, if you looked closely, you knew the revival wouldn't last. It was built on a house of cards. It couldn't be sustained. Not with the arms they were sending out every third, fourth and fifth day. It was like trying to survive a butt-kicking contest using only one leg.
During the nice run that rejuvenated their season, the Reds' tail-end starters were basically doing it with smoke and mirrors. They were just getting by. They were walking a tightrope. But eventually the smoke cleared and the mirrors cracked and what was left was far from intimidating and not very impressive. Opposing hitters soon discovered that beyond Harang and Arroyo, it was fairly easy pickings. They feasted on the lesser lights like vultures do a corpse.
It was inevitable that the bottom would fall out and predictably, Cincy suffered through a recent and fatal five-game losing streak. When neither Arroyo or Harang could put the brakes to the skid, the Reds were done. They were toast. Expecting any help from Belisle, Dumatrait or Ramirez was a pipe dream. Hoping to find saviors among that group is beyond wishful thinking. It's pure fantasy.
And so with all pennant hopes gone, the Reds will now play out the string and aim for a more reasonable goal, like respectability. But it won't be easy to achieve. Not when the majority of your rotation is like a two-ton anchor. You just can't get anywhere when you're carrying dead weight.