Geez, record a couple of STP covers and all of a sudden you’re a tough guy. Cincy’s Bronson Arroyo, as quoted by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Joe Rutter.

Arroyo, the losing pitcher in the Pirates’ 7-2 victory Wednesday night, stood by his statement that he was beaten by an inferior team. And he was surprised to learn several Pirates players were upset by what was said.


“The Pirates? That is a weak lineup,” Arroyo (above) said before the game yesterday. “What else do you want me to say? They’re not the Yankees.”

“I felt like I was embarrassed to get behind 4-1 early in a game like that,” said Arroyo, who joined the Reds in a spring training trade with the Boston Red Sox. “It’s not a secret. They don’t have a bunch of All-Stars in that lineup. They had seven righties up there, which is tailor-made for me. I was embarrassed to be beaten by those guys.

“That’s not to say you can’t be beat on any given day, but I thought it was a horse (crap) outing, especially against a team like that. I mean, they are one of the weakest teams in baseball. That’s just the way it is. If I gave up four runs in six innings to the Yankees, I probably wouldn’t be embarrassed, but I was.”

“If I can’t stand on the mound and feel comfortable against that lineup, then something’s wrong with me,” he said.