Ouch, that one hurt!

Poised to go 8 and 4 and take their second straight series on the road, against another Central Division foe no less, the Reds let one get away. That's a kind way of saying they blew it.

In what has become a distressing pattern over the last few years, Cincinnati botched a game late. If Jerry Narron's club is to be competitive, let alone contend, that trend must come to an immediate halt.

But end-of-game blowups have become far too common in the Queen City.

First there was the Danny Graves implosion. Then, others who followed in his wake proved unsuited for the job of saving games. Now, the Reds are putting their trust primarily in right-hander David Weathers who's currently sporting an inflated 5.78 ERA.

That kind of number doesn't exactly inspire a whole lot of confidence.

Sunday's debacle against the Cardinals was particularly galling. After having battled back from a couple of deficits to go up 7-6 heading into the ninth, the Reds watched Weathers cough up both the lead and the game lickety-split.

First, he allowed a leadoff single to pitcher Jason Marquis. Now Marquis is a good hitter (.310 last year), but he's a pitcher nonetheless.

But that was just a lead-up to his big gaffe. Now facing the torrid Albert Pujols, who had already homered twice in the contest, Weathers left a fat pitch over the plate that the Cardinal strongman promptly deposited into the upper deck of the new Busch Stadium. End of game and the start of the Reds' first two-game losing streak of the season.

No matter how Weathers tried to spin it in the aftermath of the loss, he blundered by going after Pujols. He claimed that the on-deck Scott Rolen posed as much as a threat as did the sizzling Card first baseman. Hence, he virtually had no other choice than to challenge and go after Pujols.

Huh? Are we missing something here? Does anyone in his right mind think that Scott Rolen is anywhere near the hitter and basher that is Pujols?

Oh, we might also want to mention that Albert had feasted on Weathers previously, going 5 for 10 against the Red righty before his monster smash.

So, instead of working around the dangerous Pujols, the one guy you don't ever allow to beat you, Weathers serves up some juicy meat that Pujols gratefully devours.

Weathers would have been better advised to nibble away at the corners and if he walked Pujols, so what. The possibility for a twin killing was still in play and the odds would have been much more in his favor facing Rolen.

Weathers faltered on two counts. Bad thinking and poor execution.

Which gets us back to the main point. The Reds need to find and develop a true closer and do it soon.

Not even Weathers' most ardent supporters would claim that he's a true shut down pitcher. Though his stuff is adequate, it's far from overpowering or intimidating. As a result, he lacks the most essential trait for any successful closer – the ability to rear back and produce that big strikeout when needed.

The truth is that Weathers is simply a stop gap or a bridge until promising hurlers like Todd Coffey or Ryan Wagner are deemed ready to assume the closer role. But at this stage, the question is how much longer should management wait before they turn to the youngsters?

The hard throwing Coffey is off to a good start and is coming on strong. He's got the kind of heat that could make him special. But the Reds are picking their spots with him in hopes of boosting his confidence. It's as though they don't want to rush him for fear he might be overwhelmed if asked to nail down games this early in his career.

But if the big redhead continues to make steady progress, the Reds should cut the tether and let him fly. He seems poised to handle the responsibility.

Wagner also looms as a potential stud out of the bullpen. In previous stints with the Reds, he's shown flashes of tantalizing talent. Yet, he's been inconsistent and has taken his lumps on occasion.

But Wagner seemed to have come of age this spring and the numbers he put up were simply outstanding. Arguably, he was the Reds most effective reliever down in Florida. Nonetheless, he was farmed out in, what on the surface, seemed like a true injustice.

The company line was that they wanted Wagner to build on his spring, work on perfecting a two-seam fastball and just use his time in the minors to mature and grow. But the message was unmistakable.

The Reds' organization remains very high on Wagner and feels with a bit more seasoning, he will be the one vying with Coffey to be the next long-term closer.

To be fair, it must be said that though he's clearly more suited to middle relief, Weathers has been reasonably solid. He's converted three of four save chances thus far this year. But a 75% success rate just won't do. A topflight closer should be in the mid-to-high 80's at least. And you'll never get that with Weathers because he's already reached his ceiling. At age 36, he doesn't figure to get much better.

Not so with Coffey and Wagner. Their upside has few limitations.

For now, manager Narrow will probably continue to give Weathers the ball in most save situations while perhaps turning to Kent Mercker on occasion.

But Weathers should be on a short lease. If he continues to falter like he did in St. Louis, then the Reds must quickly turn to their future.

It's anybody’s guess if either Coffey or Wagner are ready for such pressure packed duty but if Weathers is anything short of remarkable, it's clearly time to find out.

For if it's saving grace that the Reds need, it’s most likely the youngsters who'll provide it.