By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

The Reds' big meeting led to only one small change.

Jimmy Haynes was switched from the starting rotation to the bullpen. Todd Van Poppel will take Haynes' spot in the rotation.

There were no roster moves - even the though the club had lost six of seven going into Wednesday's game with the Milwaukee Brewers and you could make a case for sending out a half dozen players.

General manager Dan O'Brien said he resisted the temptation to change things for the sake of change.

"I understand that," he said. "But I'd much rather change for a very specific purpose and a desired goal as a result."

This is a strategy Reds fans and players are going to have to get used to.

"We don't know how Dan O'Brien works yet," Barry Larkin said. "With Jim Bowden, you know moves would have been quicker - with the bullpen especially."

The change the Reds made was to shore up the rotation.

"The focus is what is going to make our starting rotation better," O'Brien said. "We think Todd Van Poppel can do that for us."

The meeting was a regularly scheduled one - not a reaction to the slide. The entire baseball operation was discussed, including player moves.

"You always have to consider that. I think the one thing that came out loud and clear from our coaching staff is that the effort, the focus, the attention of the players has not wavered," O'Brien said. "Granted, they haven't always performed as they would like or we would like."

A lot of players fall into that category. Relievers Ryan Wagner (10.00 ERA), Brian Reith (7.84 ERA) and Phil Norton (7.56 ERA) have struggled mightily. The club leads the majors with eight blown saves.

The bench also has proven to be a major weakness. The club could use outfield help. Jason Romano entered Wednesday 1-for-12 as a Red with six strikeouts. Wily Mo Pena, after an encouraging start, entered Wednesday hitless in his last 12 at-bats. He has struck out nine times in those 12 at-bats.

The only player O'Brien discussed specifically was Wagner, who also is the only player with options. O'Brien said correcting a mechanical flaw has helped Wagner.

"We're going to be patient with him," O'Brien said.

The Reds have collected a lot of young arms through recent trades. You'd think one or two of them could help.

Tim Naehring, the director of player development, gave a report on potential help in the minors.

"There are a couple of individuals on their roster who could help us short-term," O'Brien said.