Despite a solid 6-3 start to the season the Reds have a few areas of concern surrounding the team early on with its starting rotation.

While starters Johnny Cueto and Homer Bailey continue to work towards a return from the DL by month’s end, the current staff is not doing a great job of eating up innings.

That has put an early tax on the team’s bullpen and it showed this weekend as the team dropped two of three to the Diamondbacks in Arizona with bullpen proving ineffective.

Only twice has a Reds’ starter gone seven innings through nine games:

3/31 MIL - Edinson Volquez (6.0 innings)
4/2 MIL - Travis Wood (7.0 IP)
4/3 MIL - Bronson Arroyo (7.0 IP)
4/5 HOU - Mike Leake (6.0 IP)
4/6 HOU - Volquez (5.0 IP)
4/7 HOU - Sam Lecure (5.0 IP)
4/8 @ARI - Wood (5.0 IP)
4/9 @ARI - Arroyo (6.0 IP)
4/10 @ARI - Leake (4.2 IP)

It is a bit early to get too worried, but if the trend continues look for some worn out arms in the bullpen sooner rather than later.

COMPLETE PITCHING STATS (CBSSports.com)

MLB cincinnati reds, homer bailey, johnny cueto, edinson volquez, bronson arroyo, mike leake, travis wood, sam lecure