Tue Jun 3 13:39:33 2008

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The Cincinnati kids

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(Sports Network) - Despite sitting nine games back of the Chicago Cubs for first place in the NL Central, the Cincinnati Reds have a lot going for them, courtesy of several young stars in the making.

Brandon Phillips, 26, has already made a name for himself at second base and he heads a talented young crew that includes the likes of Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Edinson Volquez and Johnny Cueto.

After spending several seasons between the minors and the Cleveland Indians, Phillips found his way to Cincinnati and was given a chance to play everyday. In 2006, the versatile second basemen hit 17 homers and drove in 75 runs, in addition to stealing 25 bases in his first season with the Reds. He followed that campaign with a break through year in 2007, posting 30 homers, 94 RBI and 32 swipes. Phillips, who has 11 home runs, 32 RBI and nine steals to his credit this season, could be viewed as the first piece of the Reds' rebuilding project.

While they have yet to play a full season, rookies Joey Votto and Jay Bruce have shown the same potential as Phillips and could be primed for even bigger things to come. Votto, just 24 years of age, has participated in 53 games for Cincinnati thus far and he has certainly made his bat felt. The hard-hitting first basemen is batting .282 with 10 homers and 29 RBI, giving the Reds a big bat at the corner for what could be a long time to come. Bruce, a 21-year-old outfielder, was recently brought up from the minors and that move has already begun to pay dividends. Through his first seven major league games, Bruce has 15 hits and three home runs in only 26 at-bats. His first major league home run was also the game-winner in extra innings against the Braves on Friday.

With the Big Red machine now pumping out runs at a high rate, all it needs is some pitching and it may have found that in the electric arms of Volquez and Cueto. Volquez, who was acquired in a trade from Texas this offseason, has been simply dominant after failing to live up to the hype that surrounded him as a Ranger the past few seasons. The 24-year-old right-hander leads the league in both ERA (1.46) and strikeouts (83) and he has emerged as one of the elite pitchers in all of baseball. As for Cueto, he has endured a little more growing pains as a 22-year-old rookie, but he has been showing a great deal of potential. The hard-throwing right-hander has had several dominant outings and has fanned 62 batters in 68 2/3 innings. His 5.11 ERA is more indicative of his inexperience than his talent and he is starting to adjust better to major league batters.

To sum it all up, the Reds are certainly on the rise, as their blend of young hitting and pitching talent is nearly unmatched by any other team. When throwing in veteran stars like Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey Jr. and Aaron Harang, Cincinnati could have the right mix to make a late run for the division this season or be the team to beat a year from now. Either way, it is a far better position than the organization has been in for the past several campaigns.

ROSTER/INJURY UPDATE

Right-hander Josh Fogg was recently placed on the 15-day disabled list, making room for another intriguing youngster in Homer Bailey. The 22-year-old Bailey went 4-2 with a 5.79 ERA in nine starts last season, but has long been touted as one of the top pitching prospects in all of baseball. Bailey is expected to start on Thursday.

WHO'S HOT

Bruce went 15-for-26 with six walks, three homers, a pair of steals and seven RBI in his first seven games. He also scored 12 times.

Dunn is 11-for-34 with four home runs, 10 RBI and 11 walks over his last 11 outings.

WHO'S NOT

Harang has yielded 11 earned runs in his last two starts, taking the loss in both of those games.

Paul Bako is 2-for-30 over his last 10 games, striking out 13 times during that stretch.

ON DECK

After a four-game set with the Philadelphia Phillies, the Reds will continue their eight-game road trip with another four-contest series versus the Florida Marlins. On June 10th, Cincinnati will open a lengthy nine-game homestand.