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Bullpens are funny things. Or irritating. Certainly unpredictable. The Reds had one of the best relief corps in the majors last season and they were deep enough that many believed Aroldis Chapman should have been moved into the rotation. Chapman has ...

A quick warning about Jurickson Profar's call to the majors to replace the disabled Ian Kinsler: Do not expect Mike Trout; do not expect Bryce Harper; do not expect Manny Machado. Yes, the performance of those three wunderkinds has, unfortunately,...

On Friday afternoon, Aroldis Chapman had a rare bad outing trying to finish up the Cincinnati Reds' 6-2 lead over the Chicago Cubs. So bad, in fact, that manager Dusty Baker actually removed his Proven Closer (tm) for J.J. Hoover with the game on the...

Some reaction to Tuesday's excellent slate of games ... Wanted to check out those gritty Diamondbacks so was watching their game against the Yankees. The 4-2 Yankees win ended up coming down to one pitch, Robinson Cano's three-run homer off Brand...

Consider that the Cincinnati Reds entered Monday's home game against the Philadelphia Phillies having lost five games in a row. Aroldis Chapman, the relief pitcher deemed so valuable as a late-inning reliever that the Reds backed off their plan to mo...

The Atlanta Braves sent a message this weekend: Don't forget about us. We all know the Washington Nationals were prohibitive favorites to win the NL East -- 38 of 43 ESPN.com experts picked them -- and only five picked the Braves. I think the Bra...

The Tigers need one. The Brewers thought they had one. The Cubs already have a new one. Some teams probably wish they had a different one. Closers are already melting down in rapid fashion. On Monday afternoon, with closer Jason Motte sidelined wi...

Quick thoughts on Thursday's action ... One of the fun things about opening week is overreacting to just a few game results. Hey, we all do it. So when the Toronto Blue Jays lost their first two games and then saw the Cleveland Indians score thre...

Spring training consists of a lot of bunting practice and manufactured stories, false alarms and overhyped weight losses (or increases). But some news events and stories are potentially important. Here are the 25 biggest ones -- from on the field -- ...

Paul Daugherty of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports the Cincinnati Reds are expected to announce today that Aroldis Chapman will return to the bullpen, where he will pitch one inning at a time, often protecting three-run leads that are held 99 percent ...

Jim Bowden writes about the turmoil brewing in Reds camp on ESPN Insider: Manager Dusty Baker -- and the players -- think Aroldis Chapman should remain the team's closer; general manager Walt Jocketty, with the support of pitching coach Bryan Price,...

Jerry Crasnick has a story today on Aroldis Chapman's conversion from the bullpen to the Cincinnati Reds' rotation. It's a two-park risk equation, of course: 1) Losing Chapman's dominance out of the bullpen (38 saves, 1.51 ERA, 15.3 K's per nine, ...

Last weekend, I presented the top 10 teams in my personal power rankings. That was before the Blue Jays officially acquired R.A. Dickey, so I updated my top 10 after that trade, and, to spur on more debate, now present the rest of my rankings. Agree ...

Jerry Crasnick reports that the Los Angeles Angels have signed Ryan Madson to a one-year deal, pending a physical. The Reds are also reportedly close to re-signing Jonathan Broxton, a move that would allow them to move Aroldis Chapman into the rotati...

That was one of the more entertaining games of the postseason, a classic pitching duel of sorts, with some interesting strategic decisions and some missed opportunities. The Cincinnati Reds will be kicking themselves for not taking advantage of one o...

One year ago -- 368 days to be exact -- Freddie Freeman batted in the bottom of the 13th inning with one out and grounded a 3-2 pitch from the Phillies' David Herndon to first base. John Mayberry Jr. started a 3-6-3 double play and the Braves' season...