Harang threw 7IP yesterday and Cueto threw 6IP the day before so it shouldn’t have been short. In addition, with a 9 run lead, you can throw just about anyone out there for a few innings.

As far as Volquez he was clearly losing his command toward the end (although it wasn’t great all day). The commentators agreed that you could tell by his body language that he was tiring – and he showed clear frustration a few time in the 7th when he couldn’t get the ball over the plate…

Up 9-0 after a kid has already thrown 105 pitches? We are barely into May as well. Not a good idea to pile up such huge work loads in meaningless innings this early in the year.

If it was an old rubber arm (Livan hernandez type) I wouldn’t be as critical, but a 23 year old flame thrower, I say take him out

I agree with you. However, not in a 9-0 game. I mean this still a young kid, who throws hard, who needs his innings monitored. Although I don’t fully understand PAP, it seems logical that if you have the choice between a lot of PAP or little to no PAP – you should choose the little to no PAP in a 9-0 game. The Cubs’ announcers commented that the Reds would need to closely monitor Edinson’s pitches in his next start. My problem is that 1. what if that game really is 0-0 (when they should leave him in) and they are forced to pull him out or 2. the game is 0-0 and they don’t pull him. Then you have back to back games where the pitch counts are up there – either way the unnecessary usage in this game could potentially hurt them.

isn’t all that challenging.

Is that it was a 9-0 game. Moreover, if this were an isolated incident I wouldn’t care. But Dusty has a track record for this. Not having a plan to get a guy out of a game when he has thrown 105 pitches and is ahead by 9 runs is reckless and dangerous.

Baker hasn’t abused him so far, and people jump on Baker for nothing.

at the same time, you have to call a spade a spade.

there was literally no reason for Volquez to be pitching. it’s probably not that big a deal, but, when someone’s managerial duties on an issue are already in question, making such an unorthodox and unjustifiable move really should raise eyebrows.

early on, they talked about wanting to baby Volquez. now that he’s “proven” himself, you have to wonder whether Dusty hasn’t decided to take the kid gloves a little too far off, and that he doesn’t understand that developing young arms requires LONG-TERM management, not just a few games, and then no-holds-barred. obviously, we’ll see in the next few starts whether Dusty understands that his duty as manager of a young ace isn’t complete after a few carefully managed starts.

The alternative is having a pitcher throw too few pitches and not being able to throw 120+ on a day that the bullpen is tired and needs the SP to go deep. I don’t think a game where Volquez throws 120 will kill him, or his arm. The key is making sure that he doesn’t throw 140 pitch Dusty-specials.

Is that Maine has thrown 360+ innings in his major league career and Edinson has barely 1/3 that amount. John is also two years older than Volquez and is past the injury nexus while EV is right on the edge.