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Now that the Cardinals series is over, I think the Reds need to stop worrying about the other teams for a little bit. You're 6 1/2 games back in the division, with two teams to jump to take the lead. This isn't happening overnight. The good news is that the Reds have almost 2 months to make it happen, but they simply need to start focusing on the teams that they're playing instead of what's happening with the Pirates or Cardinals.
This begins with the Oakland Athletics, in for a weird 2 game series. They'll start Dan Straily tonight, another guy who the Reds have never faced. Let's hope that goes better than it usually does.
If the Reds would have been hoping for one guy to help stop the bleeding, they have an ideal one in Mat Latos. His July could have gone better overall, but he's strung together a couple of good starts in a row, and is striking out more than 10 batters per 9 innings at home (to 8.6 on the road). Thanks, LaRosa's.
The bullpen looks okay after the off day. Go Reds! They're my favorite team!