By John Erardi
Enquirer staff writer

Right-hander Aaron Harang is one of the pitchers the Reds received in last summer's flurry of deals. Enquirer file photo/ERNEST COLEMAN

It has been a year since the Reds fired their manager and general manager and traded Aaron Boone, Jose Guillen and Scott Williamson, among others.

This week, on the one-year anniversary of that purge, the Reds players didn't want to snipe at the team's problems, given the eight-game losing streak.

Even Barry Larkin, normally outspoken about the team's need to acquire some help for the stretch drive, took a pass.

But inside observers of the Reds believe the long-term outlook of the team is better now than it was a year ago when the mid-season purge occurred.

"I feel more optimistic now than I did last year," said Reds broadcaster Marty Brennaman. "I think that overall there is an air of optimism generated by the new baseball regime here."

The Reds radio crew, with all of its years of watching the franchise ebb and flow, wasn't shy about assessing things.

Two things right up front in the organization's favor are that the players respect Dave Miley's managerial abilities and don't have the inherent distrust of Reds general manager Dan O'Brien that they had of his predecessor, Jim Bowden, Brennaman said.

"But when you are in the race for three months and all of a sudden the wheels fall off, nobody likes that," Brennaman said. "Still, the core of (Sean) Casey and (Austin) Kearns and (Adam) Dunn and (Ken) Griffey and now, Wily Mo Pena" provides hope if the pitching the Reds acquired in those trades of last July continues to develop.

Aaron Harang, acquired in the trade of Guillen, has pitched pretty well. Brandon Claussen, acquired in the Boone trade, has had one good Reds start and one bad one.

As farm director Tim Naehring notes, there is more good pitching being developed in the Reds minors these days than at any time in his four years in the organization. Granted, that pitching is not in a position to help immediately, but within a year, some of it will be ripe.

Hudson may be close

Some prospects are already a lot closer than others, Naehring said, most notably Luke Hudson, who recently moved up to Triple-A. Another pitcher whose stuff he likes is Todd Coffey, now pitching at Double-A Chattanooga.

"His fastball's up to 95, 96, and he has a major league 'out' pitch with his split-finger pitch," Naehring said. "He also has a very impressive strikeouts-to-walks ratio."

Chris Welsh, a former Reds pitcher and now the TV analyst, has one criticism of the club's pitching development:

"Where are the left-handed relievers?" Welsh asked. "Where are these guys who are being taught to throw sidearm or throw a curveball to get left-handers out?"

Welsh likes the way some Reds players have aged - most notably Adam Dunn, and of course, Wily Mo Pena - and said the trade of Guillen for Harang was "terrific."

"Harang is much better this year than he was last year and has a chance to be a really good pitcher," Welsh said. "I think (Jose) Acevedo is going to be a good pitcher, too, although he has some things to work out. "

Welsh said there isn't another club in the division which would have sent Acevedo out to the mound for eight out of nine bad starts.

"(The Reds are) the only club that has allowed a guy to struggle as mightily as Acevedo and not done something about it - for his own good," Welsh said.

"Claussen I like, although I don't know if it's a good trade in light of having to give up Aaron Boone. They (the Reds) could have had both of them if they wanted. But you aren't going to see this organization (under O'Brien) making trades for veterans. He's committed to his farm system."

O'Brien has drawn criticism for making no attempt to re-sign Boone (who signed with Cleveland) to play third base, even though he won't be able to do so before late August, Indians officials said Thursday.

Historical losing stretch

The more immediate problem for the Reds' front office is whether it can right the team and give it a chance to finish the season above .500 ... or wind up watching the team finish with its fourth consecutive losing season for the first time since 1955.

For the most part, this team has been given the benefit of the doubt by fans because it has started some seasons well and has featured some marquee players. That tends to give the illusion that this team is better than its record the past four seasons.

It's similar to what was going on here in the early 1950s, said Reds broadcaster Joe Nuxhall, who was a Reds starting pitcher in those days.

"We were shy a couple of starting pitchers and third base always seemed to be a problem," he said. "But, overall, we had very good position players - Gus (Bell) and Wally (Post) ... and Klu (Ted Kluszewski) and Temple (Johnny) and McMillan (Roy). The situation isn't all that much different than it is now - good sluggers, not enough pitching, problems at third - the difference being that we had a lot better bench."

Brennaman and Nuxhall both think the Reds brass should consider giving Austin Kearns a taste of third base in instructional ball after the season just to see how it might go. Third and first base have long been the positions where one tries to squeeze an extra bat into the lineup.

"I don't know why not," Nuxhall said. "Austin would be the most logical one. But I tell what I'd do: I'd get that kid (Edwin) Encarnacion in there before too long. He impressed me this past spring. He's going to make errors, but he looked good."