If you follow the Cincinnati Reds official social media accounts, you know fans like to complain that manager David Bell taking his starters out of the game too early. I know some of these complaints are coming because the Reds bullpen is blowing leads late in games while the starters pitch excellently. However, that’s on the bullpen. The relievers have to do their job. The starters can’t pitch all nine innings, especially in this era of baseball. Starting pitchers are pitching less innings, and Bell isn’t the only major league manager pulling starters early.
The Reds’ Starting Pitchers
First, let’s look at the number of innings and pitches the Reds rotation has thrown.