If the Cincinnati Reds are going to make it to the World Series, they’re going to have to do it without Johnny Cueto.

On Wednesday the team announced that Cueto, a 19-game winner during the regular season, has been deactivated in place of Mike Leake, who will now start game 4 of the NLDS this afternoon.

Cueto started Game 1 against the San Francisco Giants, but was forced to exit the game in the first inning after suffering a mild olblique strain.

The Reds were toying between starting Leake or Latos, the latter on short rest, in Game 4. Adding Leake to the playoff roster meant making Cueto ineligible for the NLCS should the Reds get that far.

Cincinnati enters Game 4 of the NLDS with a 2-1 series lead over San Francisco.

"It was a very, very difficult decision," Reds GM Walt Jocketty told reporters Wednesday. "Our medical staff felt at best Johnny would be able to pitch one game the next series. We thought the importance of this game and rest of series was more important than one game.

"It’s still tough to take a potential Cy Young guy off the roster."

If needed, the Reds says Latos will start Game 5.

Leake is 3-0 with a 4.18 ERA against the Giants. In last 3 starts, he’s gone 23 1/3 innings and allowed 2 earned runs on 21 hits. #reds

— John Fay (@johnfayman) October 10, 2012

The #Reds are going with Frazier over Rolen today at third base.

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) October 10, 2012