Weekend Hangover

Today the Cincinnati Reds most likely feel like a college student who started drinking on Friday, didn't stop until Sunday and woke up Monday morning with the realization that work still needs to be done.

And that's never a good feeling.

On Friday the team officially placed slugger Joey Votto on the disabled list for "stress related issues"--no one knows what the issue is as the team is treating that information like they were the CIA- then got swept out of Milwaukee three straight games.

Votto cleaned out his locker Friday and returned home and it's suspected he took the whole Reds offense with him as the team scored just 9 runs is the three game sleep over.

You can have the best pitching in the league and three runs a game still won't cut it.

Votto was the leader of this team. The pilot who flew the plane. When the team needed a big hit, Votto came through. He leads the team in batting average, on-base-percentage, runs batted in and is second in home runs behind Jay Bruce.

Although Brandon Phillips believes the plane can keep flying as he said after Sundays loss to the Brewers that he believes " We're a better team than the Brewers" here's a few reasons Joe's Dugout thinks otherwise.

-There is no scared to pitch to, get-em goin' bat in the line up without Votto. Sure Jay Bruce can club the long ball, but he can't hit for average and the best home run hitters only hit 45-50 a year and the season is 162 games.

-The lack of small ball. When Willy Taveras is on first with no outs, he should have the green light to steal every time. I can't count how many times this year he has stood on first base and two guys get out before he attempts a steal. For the love of god the guy swiped 65 bases last year.

-Not just Taveras stealing but would someone please lay down a bunt when the first two hitters in the inning reach base and the team is down one run.

-That right handed power hitter would look real good right now with Votto out. The front office was to cheap to pull the plug on any off-season trades and now it's killing the offense.

-The fifth starter in the rotation. Last year a handful of pitchers were used as the fifth starter and they combined to win something like three or four games. This year, so far, it hasn't been much better. Sure Micah Owings can hit but you can't keep running a guy to the mound every five days that's going to give up five or six runs and only pitch five or six innings.

Here's to hoping the plane doesn't crash, it'd be nice for once to go into the summer with the Reds still winning.