by Chris Asbrock

The Reds are coming off a tough loss yesterday, in front of a sold out crowd, to the Pittsburgh Pirates. A game where Pirates third baseman, Pedro Alvarez, single handedly beat the Reds. Alvarez drove in all 5 runs yesterday for the Pirates, as they took down the Reds 5-3.

The Reds are now out west. They are in Arizona for three, Oakland for two and finish up with three more in Texas.

This is a huge road trip for the Reds.

As of right now, the Reds own the 2nd best record, based on winning percentage, in baseball. Yet, they sit 3.5 games back of the St. Louis Cardinals. It doesn’t appear the Cardinals will ever lose a game. During this road trip, they are taking on three teams that are at towards the top of their respective divisions. Oakland and Arizona both lead the division, while Texas trails Oakland by a game.

This is a big chance for the Reds, as the Cardinals will be facing Texas, Houston and Oakland over their next 8 games. The only downfall is the fact they face a brutal Houston team.

With that being said, let’s look at this Reds ball club through 74 games.

They have the 2nd best record in baseball. They aren’t very good against good teams and they beat up on bad teams. The bullpen is a wounded group. They have numerous players on the disabled list. They are a very inconsistent hitting team. They are missing a power-hitting right-handed bat, in Ryan Ludwick. Ludwick appears to be coming back sometime in mid-August. The thing is, can the Reds wait that long to miss a big bat?

Names such as Manny Ramirez and Giancarlo Stanton have been tossed around as bats the Reds could add. What should the Reds do?

My solution is, trade for Giancarlo Stanton. Stanton would cost some higher prospects and maybe a player or two from the big league roster. To me, right now, that cost isn’t too high. One player I would not part ways with is Tony Cingrani. Cingrani is the guy who will be filling in for Bronson, when his contract comes off the books next season.

Stanton would be a perfect fit for GABP.

As for the bullpen, both Broxton and Marshall are on the 15 day DL. With both coming back, hopefully soon, that would allow for Cingrani to either stay up here or head back down to AAA to get more work on his secondary pitches.

Even though this team isn’t getting the breaks it did last season, I think this Reds team is in good shape still. The only thing that is kind of concerning is the fact that the Cardinals continue to win.

Hopefully, the lack of another power bat won’t hurt the Reds too much now. If they can stay in the race until Ludwick gets back, then I can see this team making a serious run. If not, Walt Jocketty and the Reds brass must make a move to keep this team going so they can be a force in October.