David Hernandez Not Matt Harvey Could Be The Trade Deadline Surprise

The Reds are using a six-man rotation up to the trading deadline on July 31.  The speculation is that Matt Harvey will be traded to a contender.  The reasoning is his salary requirements are too high for the small market Reds to bear.  Harvey's agent is Scott Boras, well known for driving a hard bargain.

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Teams in the pennant race more often than not are looking for pitching help unless there is a void left by an injury to a position player.

It need not be a starter, however, there are teams in the hunt, who have had problems in the bullpen, the Braves, Cardinals and Cleveland Indians come to mind.  There old saying goes, "If you think you have enough pitching, go get more."

That leads us to David Hernandez, who was a bargain sign by the Reds.  Hernandez is not a household name.  He has pitched in relative anonymity for five teams including the Reds in his nine-year career.  The 32-year old has been a stabilizing force in the Reds' bullpen.

Hernandez is 4-0 with a 1,83 ERA.  He has pitched 39 1/3 innings in 33 appearances.  Multiple innings do not adversely affect him (12 times). He has retired the first batter in 23 of his 33 appearances.  In his last 24 outings, Hernandez has a 1.30 ERA

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"Hernandez has always been a good pitcher.  I remember him in Baltimore and Arizona and a couple of other places.  I didn't have a lot of history on him," Jim Riggleman said. "From day one he's been a real pro, kind of a quiet leader.  He just has real good stuff. His abilities seem to be progressing.  He's really had a really good breaking ball.  He threw hard last night.  He's done a great job for us all year but last night was the best that I've seen him."

"I think he feels good right now.  He's got a big arm but he's a pitcher not a thrower.  He has an idea what he's doing out there."