In his first National League season last year, Edinson Volquez pitched his way onto the All-Star team by not allowing more than one earned run in any of his first eight starts, tying a major league record.
The right-hander won't approach that mark this season. Volquez allowed six hits and four earned runs over 4 1/3 innings of his 2009 debut in the Reds' 9-7 loss to the Mets on Wednesday. That performance followed a spotty last start of spring training, when he was roughed up for five hits and two earned runs in 3 2/3 innings of a 6-5 loss to Pittsburgh.
The 25-year-old allowed a total of seven walks over those two starts. He threw 107 pitches -- only 60 of them strikes -- against the Mets.
Volquez's next scheduled start is Monday at Milwaukee.
REDS 8, METS 6: Cincinnati relief pitchers Jared Burton, Arthur Rhodes, David Weathers and Francisco Cordero teamed up to allow one run in three innings as the Reds held off the Mets to salvage the final game of the season-opening three-game series. SS Paul Janish, starting in place of Alex Gonzalez, capped Cincinnati's four-run fifth inning with a two-run single that gave the Reds an 8-4 lead. Cincinnati improved to 5-9 against New York starter Oliver Perez.
