.500 Club

We're only 10 games in, but lemme guess... there's something about the Reds' 5-5 start but you can't quite put your finger on it? Something that might help explain their .500 record through the first two weeks?

Here, lemme help you... the reason they've played like a .500 team is because they ARE a .500 team. I think.

The difference between .500 teams and .600 isn't very much at all in baseball -- 10 games here or there, a fair ball on one night that was a foul ball on the other -- but the Reds still consistently do something that all .500 teams do:

They make #2 and #3 starters look like Nolan Ryan and Cy Young.

Wandy Rodriguez is a quality major league pitcher. No denying that. But he's not nearly as good as the Reds made him look today. Pretty sure he didn't throw more than like 15 pitches in any single inning,

I feel like I'm always saying this after pitchers like Kyle Lohse or Ian Snell or Jeff Suppan or John Maine or Randy Wolf go out and hold the Reds to four hits over seven scoreless innings when there's absolutely no earthly reason for it to happen in the first place. Wandy Rodriguez clearly falls into that category.

He pitched well -- I'm not trying pull a "Sandlot" and say that the dude plays ball like a girl or anything -- but my point is the Reds always seem to be really amenable to another pitcher coming out and completely shutting them down.

By the way, not for nothing, Jared Burton needs to figure out what the deal is... and quickly. I really think he's the Reds most important reliever behind Cordero, but right now he's throwing LaRosa's meatballs up there.

Postgame update: Jeff Piecoro just called Wandy Rodriguez "masterful." That bothers me. Mostly because I actually think he might be right and I'm WAY too stubborn to admit it.

Oh and in case you're wondering what kind of silly name "Wandy" is anyway... here's your answer.

Volquez goes tomorrow, trying to shrink his current 9.64 ERA. I think he'll be on his game.