The Reds are 49-41 on the season which has them in first place in the N.L. Central, 1 game ahead of the Cardinals. The Reds have had a lot of surprises and a couple disappointments this year and here’s a closer look at them:

Pleasant Surprises: 35-year old Scott Rolen’s power has finally appeared to come all of the way back. He has played in 79 games for the Reds this year and he is 82 of 283 (.290 avg, .909 OPS) with 43 runs scored, 17 homers and 57 RBIs. 29-year old Jonny Gomes has pretty much pushed himself into a full time starting job in the outfield. He has played in 83 games for the Reds this year and he is 77 of 278 (.277 avg, .801 OPS) with 36 runs scored, 11 homers and 60 RBIs. 22-year old righty starting pitcher Mike Leake decided he didn’t need any stinking time in the minors. He made his professional baseball debut with the Cincinnati Reds this year. He has started 17 games for the Reds this year and he is 6-1 with a 3.53 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP. 40-year old lefty reliever Arthur Rhodes made his first All-Star Game at the age of 40. He earned it by pitching in 41 games (0 starts) in the first half of the season for the Reds and he is 3-3 with a 1.54 ERA and a 0.94 WHIP.

Disappointments: 34-year old catcher Ramon Hernandez was brought back over the winter to provide some power for the Reds. He has played in 57 games for the Reds this year and he is 52 of 181 (.287 avg, .768 OPS) with 16 runs scored, 3 homers and 23 RBIs. 32-year old righty starting pitcher Aaron Harang continues his recent slide of the last couple of years. Harang has started 17 games for the Reds this year and he is 6-7 with a 5.02 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. 28-year old righty reliever Nick Masset was outstanding in 2009 for the Reds but not so much in 2010. Masset has pitched in 45 games (0 starts) for the Reds this season and he is 3-3 with 1 save, a 5.26 ERA and a 1.65 WHIP.

The Cincinnati Reds have lost 5 games in a row dropping them to 5-8 on the season which has them in fifth place in the N.L. Central, 3.5 games behind the Cardinals. The Reds have been outscored 69-53 this season as they aren’t hitting or pitching well right now. Maybe they will be able to turn things around this week as they played six home games, three against the Dodgers and three against the Padres.

The Reds are off to a decent start as they are 3-3 on the season despite being outscored 27-22 so far this year. The Reds are only hitting .230 with a .650 OPS so far this season and that just won’t get the job done. They are wasting some really good starting pitching because they aren’t hitting. The Reds travel to Florida (4 games) and Pittsburgh (3 games) this week so maybe they can get the bats going as neither of those teams have a pitching staff that scares anyone.

The Reds are off to a 2-2 start despite getting outscored 22-16. The middle relievers are having a really tough start to the season which doesn’t allow the Reds to make a comeback when the starter gets knocked out early. That isn’t the only problem though as the offense has been a little inconsistent so far this season. The Reds have won two games in a row late in games and that has to be good for the team’s confidence heading forward in 2010.

Aaron Harang has been one of the best starting pitchers in all of baseball this season.  In 32 starts for the Reds, Harang is 16-4 with a 3.61 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP.  In 216.2 innings this season, Harang has allowed 199 hits, walked 51 batters and whiffed 198.  The amazing thing about Harang’s record is that the Reds are only 69-82 on the season which has them in 4th place in the N.L. Central, 9.5 games behind the Cubs and Brewers.