Cincinnati Reds Make Decision on Long-Time Closing Pitcher After Recent Struggles

The two losses against the Cardinals at home are concerning, as St. Louis is one of the worst teams in baseball on the road, now having a road win-loss of 4-12.

Should Reds fans be concerned by the same exact start we have seen from them in back-to-back seasons?

Closer Alexis Diaz gets demoted to Triple-A

As the Reds look to close out the home-stand against the Cardinals on Thursday, Cincinnati announced that they will be demoting Alexis Diaz to Triple-A Louisville.

The long-time closer for the Reds started off the season with three good outings, but a game against the Miami Marlins on April 21 seemed to destroy the closer's confidence.

Fast forward to his most recent outing on Wednesday, Diaz was brought in during the top of the ninth to keep the game close, with the Reds trailing 1-0 and hoping for a potential comeback.

Diaz proceeded to give up back-to-back-to-back home runs that would make the game out of reach for Cincinnati with a final score of 6-0.

An extremely tough outing on Wednesday seemed to be enough for the Reds to make a move and give a different bullpen pitcher a chance.

Diaz's demotion will give 23-year-old righty Luis Mey a chance at the big leagues.

Mey, the Rds' No. 20 prospect, has appeared in 10 games for the Triple-A Louisville Bats, posting a 4.00 ERA and 1.56 WHIP with seven hits and seven walks allowed over nine innings.