Are the Reds snake-bitten or shooting themselves in the foot? What is the best Southwestern metaphor to use when a team is totally frustrating to watch? It probably involves trip to the saloon and a Mrs. Kitty.
For as underwhelming as Mat Latos' first two starts have been, the struggles have been almost entirely contained within the fifth inning. Latos has allowed zero runs in the 1st through 3rd innings, keeping opponents to a Reds-ian .150/.190/.200 line. He's allowed just one in the fourth. The rest of his earned runs and half of his extra-base hits given up have come in the fifth.
This could be a function of needing to stretch out and play chess with hitters who make adjustments in their second and third looks, but it also appears to be largely psychological. As hitters have gotten to him a little in the second time through the order, he's gotten off-kilter and things have snowballed. If he can relax, he can turn an impressive four innings into a quality 6+.
The Reds struggled against Jaime Garcia in 2011, but touched him for 11 hits last week. I have no idea what's going to happen.
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