Simply put, the Reds must get more out of lefty Dave Williams. A lot more as a matter of fact!

Now Williams' effort on Saturday against the Phillies, in which he yielded only one earned run in eight-plus innings, is certainly a step in the right direction. Hopefully, it's the start of something big. But it's hardly enough. The Reds need Williams to step-up in a major way.

If he doesn't, it could spell serious trouble for the team. For Williams, the prospects could be even worse. So to spare everyone a lot of grief, it would be advisable that the 27-year old Williams start to get dialed in and turn it up a notch or two.

Yet, no matter how things turn out, it will be intriguing to see how the Williams saga unfolds. The subplots involved can't help but make for an interesting tale.

Briefly, the background.

Williams came to the Reds in a December trade with division rival Pittsburgh. Nothing very unusual there. Trades are quite commonplace and bodies are moved constantly.

But Williams arrived in Cincinnati with enormous pressure and a difficult burden to bear. Why? Because in order to acquire Williams, the Reds had to part with the immensely popular and productive Sean Casey.

Watching the "Mayor" leave town didn't go down well with a large segment of the citizenry. It was like saying goodbye to your best friend. There was clearly some resentment and backlash from the fans.

Moreover, it didn't help matters when it was later revealed that had the new ownership and management team been in place earlier, the deal probably would never have been consummated.

As a result, Williams landed in the Queen City with seemingly one strike against him. His position was hardly enviable. In some ways he was a marked man. 

To his credit, Williams was humble and respectful when he arrived, indicating how much he admired Casey and that no one could ever replace him. All he wanted to do, said Williams, was to just fit in and give the Reds some solid work.

Nice sentiments and a wise approach. Come in quiet and low key. But the pressure to produce was there from the get-go.

The harsh truth was that Williams' presence meant Casey's absence. And though he had nothing to do with orchestrating the deal, Williams would be the one held most accountable. Thus, he would be an easy target for those aggrieved by Casey's departure. Not exactly optimum conditions for a newcomer.

But Williams did catch a break in one respect. When Casey went down early in the season with a vertebrae injury and was placed on the disabled list, it temporarily lessened the heat on Williams.

For if Casey was tearing it up and putting up big numbers, it would have been incumbent on Williams to do the same. To justify the trade, Williams would have had to match Casey's output in a relative sense even though one's a positional player and the other a pitcher.

In short, if Casey was going good, that could be bad for the Red hurler.

And the truth is that though Williams hasn't been a disaster, his overall efforts have been clearly disappointing. At best, he's been spotty and mediocre except for his last outing. Certainly Williams hasn't done much to make anyone forget about Casey.

But because Casey has been inactive and thereby unable to make the Reds look bad by moving him, Williams has been given a bit of a reprieve. Hence, his mixed results haven't drawn a lot of attention or scrutiny.

In addition, the Reds’ fast start has also masked the fact that Williams hasn't been a significant factor in their winning ways. If the team was going poorly, you can bet the critics would be zeroing in on the 6-3, 230-pound southpaw for his rather indifferent efforts.

There's no denying that Williams is the real deal when he's on top of his game. No less an expert than Tony LaRussa has said that the new Red has the potential to be one of the better lefties in the NL.

Equipped with a excellent change-up and a tricky curve, Williams has the goods to be a consistent 12 to 14 game winner. Exactly what you want from a fourth or fifth starter.

Williams proved he can get it done last year when he went an admirable 10-11 for a poor Pirate team that plays in a hitters’ park. There's no denying that Williams can be legit.

But he is prone to having bouts where he loses command and issues too many walks. Stamina and endurance have also been a problem for the five-year vet. Too frequently, he doesn't go deep enough into games.

For example, the southpaw has gone beyond five innings in only three of his seven starts in '06.

Williams' mental toughness has also been called into question, particularly when he has men on base. He needs to demonstrate with greater regularity that he can bear down when required. In other words, he must become more of a bulldog.

Yes, the Reds will require much more out of Williams than he given them to date. An unimpressive 2-3 record to go along with a bloated 6.32 ERA just isn't going to cut it. The wolves will be howling if his season doesn't take a quick turnaround.

And then there's always the specter of Casey hanging over him. Unfair as it may be, Williams must produce at a high level to make the trade seem worthwhile. You can't give up a splendid hitter for merely an average pitcher. Williams must win consistently or else the deal will be considered a bust.

Fortunately for Williams, he still has room to grow and is just now coming into his prime. He has the goods to make an impact and become a real force for his new club.

But the Cincinnati fans don't plan on being patient for long. The time is now. Williams must seize the moment. The lefty better step up and soon.