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Hey look, Aaron Harang's ERA is under 6.00! I know I've defended Harang vociferously here in the past, but I'll be honest, I'm starting to sour on him. To his credit though, he's posted a 4.62 ERA over his last 6 starts, which clearly isn't great, but if that's what we're getting out of our 5th starter, we're in pretty good shape. And that's the crux of it right there. Aaron Harang is now our fifth starter. I know this pisses some people off (HE GETS PAID TOO MUCH TO BE A FIFTH STARTER), but I think that's looking at it the wrong way. The Reds have a starting rotation that makes somewhere around $25 million. For a rotation that costs that little (yes, that's not a lot for a quality starting rotation), I think we can tolerate Harang for a little bit longer in the 5th spot. That money is spent anyway. And while I'd guess that the Reds have 2 or 3 guys that could outperform Harang in Triple-A, their success is not a given and frankly it's unlikely the Reds will dump Harang with that salary, especially when the team is going so well.
I'll you what though, other than a few minor quibbles, there isn't a whole lot to not like about this team right now. Offensively they are destructive, averaging 5.5 R/G over their last 30. On the other side of the ball, they are stifling, allowing just 3.5 R/G in those same 30 games. It's been years since the offense and defense have been in sync for such a long period of time. I keep waiting for a slip up, and they keep laughing at my fear.
I'm hoping to head down to the game tonight, so you won't likely see me around. It's too nice of a night to pass up, especially since I'll be downtown anyway. Go Reds! They're my favorite team with the best record in the NL!