Mat Latos underwent surgery on October 11 to remove bone chips from his right elbow.

Reds manager Dusty Baker said Tuesday that Mat Latos has seen a "miraculous improvement" with his right elbow. Latos is dealing with a bone spur, which led to the club going with Johnny Cueto for the Wild Card game. The Reds expect Latos to be ready to start Thursday in St. Louis should they beat Pittsburgh Tuesday, but Baker has left open the possibility that Homer Bailey could get the start. "It would probably be between Homer or Latos," Baker said.

Mat Latos said Monday that the soreness he's dealing with is due to bone chips in his pitching elbow. The right-hander expects to be ready to go on Thursday against the Cardinals if the Reds can beat the Pirates Tuesday. Latos seems likely to undergo a cleanup procedure during the offseason, though the club has not yet admitted to the possibility. If he did have surgery, it wouldn't affect his availability for spring training.

Reds manager Dusty Baker said Sunday that he's hopeful Mat Latos (arm) will be ready to pitch on Thursday if the club wins Tuesday's Wild Card game. Baker revealed Saturday that Latos' pitching arm is "barking," which influenced the decision to start Johnny Cueto in the Wild Card game. It seems likely that Latos should be fine for the outing, but check back for updates later in the week.

Mat Latos was the hard-luck loser in a 1-0 game Wednesday after pitching seven innings against the Mets. The lone run came on a HBP, a sac bunt, a passed ball and a single in the third. Another single followed, so the run was deemed earned. The loss was Latos' fourth in his last six decisions after he opened the season 12-3. The Reds scored a total of two runs in those four games. Latos is now all set up to pitch the wild card game next week.

Mat Latos will start on Wednesday against the Mets. The Reds had been listing Greg Reynolds as the starter, but giving Latos the ball on regular rest would set him up to start the first game of the playoffs. That means Homer Bailey, Bronson Arroyo and Johnny Cueto would get the ball over the weekend against the Pirates.

Mat Latos revealed Monday that he's pitched with an abdominal strain since June 30. Latos boasts a 3.41 ERA since the June 30 outing, so it doesn't seem to be affecting the right-hander much. "It doesn't really matter to me," he said. "I could care less because I'm not trying to win over fans or anything like that. I've been pitching with an abdominal strain since the Texas game. I think it was at the end of the June."

Mat Latos struggled in a no-decision against the Pirates on Friday, allowing four runs on eight hits over his six innings. Latos recorded just one strikeout on the evening and walked two. The Pirates jumped on him early in this one, with Jose Tabata and Neil Walker smashing back-to-back homers to begin the bottom of the first. After settling in and retiring eight straight at one point, the Bucs struck for another pair in the fourth inning to complete the damage. Even with poor outings in his last two starts, Latos still owns a terrific 14-6 record, 3.23 ERA, 1.22 WHIP and 180/56 K/BB ratio on the season. He'll look to get back in the win column when he does battle against the Pirates at home on Friday.

Mat Latos was tagged for five runs over 6 2/3 innings in a loss to the Brewers on Friday. It was a promising matchup on paper, but Latos was unable to deliver. The final two runs scored after he was pulled in favor of J.J. Hoover in the seventh inning. This was the first time he had allowed more than four earned runs in a start since way back on July 11. He'll look to rebound next week in a promising matchup against the Astros.

Mat Latos coughed up three runs on nine hits over seven innings Saturday in a no-decision against the Dodgers. He struck out three and walked one. Latos' most critical error came in the second, when he was one strike from escaping the inning before Yasiel Puig connected for a two-run blast. The right-hander suffered a brief scare on Thursday when he was struck on the right leg by a Bronson Arroyo batting practice foul ball, but he's fine. Latos remains 14-5 to go with a 3.02 ERA and 1.20 WHIP.