05/05/2005 11:49 AM ET
Reds mailbag: Will Griffey bounce back?
Anthony Castrovince answers more of your questions

Greetings from the Great American Ball Park press box, the birthplace of great prose and somewhat-tolerable media meals.

In the wake of the Reds' collapse against the Cardinals on Monday night, my e-mail inbox filled up faster than that time I signed up for free spam. Readers were outraged at the performance of the bullpen, which is a topic I've addressed in this edition of the mailbag.

So let's get to it. I apologize to those whose letters I haven't had time to get to, but keep the questions coming for future editions...

I think it's safe to say Monday's loss to the Cardinals was one of the worst in the past five years. Is this the type of performance we should expect from the Reds bullpen all year? I thought the bullpen was a point of emphasis in the offseason.
-- John K., Boston

Whenever a Major League bullpen blows a six-run lead in the ninth inning, that's going to be the exception, not the rule.

That being said, the Reds obviously have legitimate issues in the bullpen, John. You're right that it was a point of emphasis in the offseason, yet it remains this club's weakest link.

General manager Dan O'Brien says the problem has been the lack of defined roles for the middle relievers. They've come in at various points of games -- early, late, with big leads, without big leads, you name it -- and therefore haven't been able to get settled.

My counter to that is it's the job of a big league reliever to put up zeroes no matter the situation, and these guys just haven't been getting it done lately. I don't think a major shakeup is necessary, as it's still pretty early in the season. But clearly the Reds should explore tinkering with the bullpen, as several pitchers -- Chris Booker, Todd Coffey, Randy Keisler, Tom Shearn and Ricky Stone, to name a few -- have put up strong numbers at Triple-A Louisville.
Click here for the rest