Interesting to note here that the Cincinnati Reds’ starting rotation is the only one of the 30 Major League clubs that do not have a victory. That should tell you that at the very least, there is a problem lying within the rotation.

The rotation, as a whole, is sporting a 5.45 ERA – 13th in the National League. And to think that prior to the team’s road trip, that ERA was 3.11. And here’s a stat that is most telling: the Reds’ pitching staff has thrown the most pitches in the Majors. Certainly not something to hang your hat on.

I will assume that manager Dusty Baker and/or pitching coach Bryan Price have had some closed-door meetings, addressing those issues. Price illustrated that in abundance on Sunday, saying:

“Our starting pitchers are throwing way too many pitches,”

“They’re averaging just under 20 pitches per inning as a group. We’re walking too many guys. Between walks and hit batters and a low first-pitch-strike percentage, we’re just not doing everything we can to increase our chances of pitching more effectively. We’ve addressed that. However, we have to put it to work.”

Mixed results is the best description of the starters’ efforts, as of late. Consider that the only quality starts have come from rookie Mike Leake (in his second professional start) and Bronson Arroyo (pitched six innings twice but allowed five runs both times). The same cannot be said of Aaron Harang, Johnny Cueto or Homer Bailey. The aforementioned three have been basically throwing five innings then getting the hook soon thereafter.

And their lack of success comes down to one simple reason: they are not throwing strikes. And as a result, the bullpen is getting overworked.

There is also the issue of getting tagged early, as the first inning seems to be the inning of choice for the starters to get rocked. Naturally, that’s something that has to be corrected. And I’m not ceetain that coach Price can teach tem anything that they haven’t learned already.

Which makes one speculate as to figure out what to do with the rotation. Fortunately, the season’s just 13 games old. And if this does have to happen, right now is probably the right time.

If anything else, the starters currently in place have to be mindful of the fact that as opposed to seasons past, the Reds do have reinforcements down in Louisville. And if this trend continues to fester, then management may have no other option but to call up one, if not more pitchers to the big club.

Harang is in the final year of his contract and has a $12.75 million option for 2011. It becomes a $14 million option should he be traded. If the reds want to contend, then Harang will have to do a heck of a lot better than he is doing right now.

Meanwhile, Bailey is out of options, and I seriously doubt Reds management is going to put him on waivers. He has upside, although you wouldn’t know it by his current stat track (6.97 ERA in 2 starts and 10 1/3 innings).

Cueto seems like the likeliest to get moved, whether it is to Louisville (he has all of his options remaining) or by way of a trade. My best guess is that he gets sent down if he doesn’t improve.

I think that Arroyo is safe for right now. He’s an innings-eater and unlike Harang, he isn’t giving up the long-ball frequently and is capable of pitching out of jams.

Which brings us to Leake. You take away the inordinate number of walks that he has issued, he has been the Reds’ best pitcher up to this juncture of the season. And keep in mind that he hasn’t pitched in the minors.

Speaking of starting pitching, Aroldis Chapman is down in Louisville right now. And doing well, by all accounts, save for the occasional wildness. Should the current Reds’ rotation continue to underwhelm, expect Chapman to be called up. General manager Walt Jocketty probably has other Bats pitchers in mind, besides Chapman. Two that come to mind, based on their results down in Louisville, are Travis Wood and Matt Maloney-  both lefties.

Again, there’s 149 games left, and the season is a marathon as opposed to a sprint. But rest assured – if Harang and Co. does not improve soon, you can expect changes to the rotation. And sooner than you think.