John Fay Reports:
The Reds' front-office people and the coaching staff will meet this afternoon.
The meeting is the regular monthly review, but it comes at a time when the Reds are ripe for a shakeup.
General manager Dan O'Brien is not a change-for-the-sake-of-change guy, but he wouldn't rule out tinkering with the roster.
"We'll talk specifics," O'Brien said. "The outcome as far as moves is unknown."
The Reds have struggled across the board. But the bullpen, which had blown two five-run leads and one six-run lead in the last five games entering Tuesday, is a major concern.
The bullpen ERA of 6.01 was the second worst in the National League.
The bullpen is the easiest place to make moves. The Reds have players with options who are struggling (Joe Valentine and Matt Belisle) and pitchers performing well in Triple-A.
Right-hander Ricky Stone, who has extensive big-league experience, is 2-1 with a 2.57 ERA and three saves at Louisville. Left-hander Randy Keisler, who also has pitched in the big leagues, is 2-0 with a 1.71 ERA. Right-hander Chris Booker, one of the organization's hardest throwers, is 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA and has struck out 12 in 10 1/3 innings.
Asked if any of those pitchers could help the Reds down the line, O'Brien said: "Of course."
Right-handers Luke Hudson and Josh Hancock both could help when they come off the disabled list. But in both cases, it'll be weeks, not days, before they are ready.
The Reds brought in three veteran pitchers to remake the bullpen, but only one of the three, left-hander Kent Mercker, has been consistent. Right-hander David Weathers had strung together some good outings before Monday's blowup. Right-hander Ben Weathers has been up and down on nearly a nightly basis.
Valentine (0-2, 8.71 ERA) and Belisle (1-3, 6.16) haven't been any better.
Ryan Wagner (1-1, 4.05) has been the best of the lot.
"We have the confidence to continue to give them the ball," O'Brien said. "But at some point, you have to have some level of proficiency."
To shake up the lineup, the Reds would have to go outside the system, i.e., a trade.
"We're always looking to improve the club across the board," O'Brien said. "That's an ongoing effort. But when you step back and look at it, we have confidence that our position players will eventually hit their strides. We've seen evidence of that lately."