From Jason Stark's season preview.... a cold shower to either temper our expectations or fire us up to prove the world wrong: Hard as I tried, I couldn't find a single scout in Arizona who liked what he saw from the Reds this spring. "A high-strikeout team with no closer," said one. Another said, "Their biggest issue isn't the loss of Madson. It will be lack of innings from their starting pitchers, and how much pressure that puts on their bullpen." But unfortunately, that isn't the only issue. Latos "isn't a No. 1 starter for me," said one scout. They'll run unknown quantities out there at short [Zack Cozart], catcher [Devin Mesoraco] and left field [Chris Heisey]. Scouts continually talked about how sloppily they played all spring. And if they get off to a raw start, Baker's lame-duck status will become a huge topic. So as talented as the Reds may be, "they've taken a step backward," said one scout.