Time to Turn the Page

Well, Friday was a tough one for Reds fans to swallow. The over 21,000 that showed up should be commended. Games like that will happen, which is why the defeats in the finales against Arizona and San Diego last week were tough to swallow. If the Reds bullpen preserves one of those games, they would have entered last night 9-3. A tip of the cap to the Nationals for beating Milwaukee, thus keeping the Reds a game up in first place.

However every team deals with "woulda, coulda, shoulda." Which is why it's imperative Cincinnati turns the page and focuses on the next game. One of the biggest keys to winning the division last year was the Reds were 30 games over .500 versus teams with a losing record, while the Cardinals struggled against those kind of teams down the stretch. The early part of the Reds' schedule is against the type of teams they dominated last year, which is why anything less than a 5-2 home stand against the likes of the Pirates and Diamondbacks would be a disappointment. Especially with a road trip to St. Louis and Milwaukee looming.

The Pirates will be no pushover. Pittsburgh manager Clint Hurdle (a former Red way back when) has proven he can make a team believe. Just ask the 2007 Rockies. The Pirates have a promising core of position players but have failed to develop the pitching to go with it. Sounds similar to the Reds teams of last decade. It's up to Mike Leake to set the tone Saturday as he flip flops positions in the Reds starting rotation with Edison Volquez who's been given an extra day as he deals with a stiff neck.