"The Reds don't know what to do with Edinson Volquez. They honestly don't.

Great stuff. Gold fastball, platinum changeup. Former all-star. In 2008, Volquez went 17-6. The Reds traded Josh Hamilton to get him. It was the last time anyone thought that was a good idea.

Since then, Volquez has flunked a drug test, been suspended 50 games and had mega-surgery on his pitching elbow. He looks at the first inning and sees nine Willie Mayses on the other team's lineup card. On Sunday in Cleveland, after getting bopped like a speed bag, Volquez decided the Reds need to hit better.

His gall just threw 100 miles an hour.

On Monday, the Reds optioned Volquez to Louisville, to locate his maturity.

"He needs better command of his fastball,'' Reds GM Walt Jocketty noted. And, Jocketty agreed, of his concentration: "I think he got the message. It wasn't getting any better up here. And we need this guy.''

This was their Opening Day guy. This was a reason the Reds were seen as decent money to repeat as NL Central champs. But the pitcher with the stuff of an ace has the head of a deuce, evidently. Too bad.

Pleasant guy, Edinson Volquez. A happy presence in the home clubhouse, who seemed to have overcome the maturity issues that caused the Texas Rangers to be willing to deal him when he was their best pitching prospect.

Texas loved his arm, but wondered about the rest. To start 2007, the Rangers dropped Volquez from the majors to Class A. It wasn't just his control that worried them. They had a list of to-do's for their wayward prodigy, if he ever wanted to escape Bakersfield:

• Run on and off the field in 12 seconds or less;

• On days he pitched, talk to no one but the catcher, manager and pitching coach. "That was a hard one. I like to talk,'' Volquez told me on May 18, 2008, almost three years ago to the day.

• Keep his shirt tucked in.

• Write a plan for the hitters he'd face.

• Shave his dreads with a No. 2 blade.

"It was crazy for me, for a little while,'' Volquez said then. But he praised the Rangers. "I took everything seriously. I started to respect the game. It was good for me.'' "