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Hall of Fame baseball writer Hal McCoy has retired from the Dayton Daily News after covering the Cincinnati Reds for 37 years. Hal's blog, though, will continue to be a must-read for Reds fans. He'll share his thoughts on the team this season and will file updates from Great American Ball Park. You also can catch Hal in print every Sunday in his popular Ask Hal columnHome > Blogs > The Real McCoy | Cincinnati Reds baseball news > Archives > 2008 > July > 03
Thursday, July 3, 2008
Thompson: back to Louisville
They pulled the trigger on Daryl Thompson and if D-Train can find his way back to Louisville, he’ll be pitching for the Bats again. Of course, he doesn’t have to take a subway so he’ll find his way.
One night after taking a beating from the Pittsburgh Pirates, Thompson was optioned back to Class AAA Louisville.
His roster spot was taken by infielder Andy Phillips - and isn’t that bizarre? The Reds lost him on waivers to the New York Mets after the Reds designated him for assignment while they were in Yankee Stadium.
GM Walt Jocketty said at the time that he hated to lose him. Well, the Mets quickly put Phillips back on waivers and the Reds claimed him back.
Hopefully, his luggage catches up.
“Yeah, Andy Phillips is back,” said manager Dusty Baker, “after a very short stint in New York. Very short?”
Maybe the Reds just loaned him to the Mets.
So what does this mean for the Reds rotation? They don’t need a fifth starter until a week from Saturday in Milwaukee. And it is most likely that spot will be taken by Josh Fogg.
Fogg’s back is OK (“It’s been OK for a month,” he said) and he has been stretched out. His last three rehab starts were 8 1/3 inning, a complete game and 8 shutout innings, all more than 100 pitches.
And Thompson?
“He’s close, real close,” said Baker. “Most guys with his experience have command problems, throwing strikes. He was throwing strikes, but he was up in the zone. He was throwing middle of the plate strikes.
“He is not afraid and has tremendous desire and athleticism,” Baker added. “For his best sake, well, he is one of the best guys in our future plans. He has to tighten his slider a little bit and that will make everything else better.
“We like him and just think how far he has come since spring training,” said Baker. “He’s come up the ladder rather quickly. With his future and what we think of him, we thought it is in his best interests to go back and tighten things up.”
DESIGNATED DAY OFF? With a lefthander pitching tonight for the Washington Nationals, Adam Dunn is the guy who got the GSB, as the team likes to call it - a good, solid benching.
Jerry Hairston Jr. and Jeff Keppinger were 1-2 in the order, with Hairston in center and Jay Bruce in left, but with three righthanders pitching for the Nats after tonight, Dunn will return.
Baker admits Hairston and Keppinger are the best 1-2 situation for the team, but they won’t stay in the lineup that way.
“This is chance to have Hairston and Keppinger at the top,” said Baker. “But like I keep saying, with everybody back we have pluck one of them out of there and put out the best lineup we can come up with for that day. With the American League, it was a lot easier with the DH. We could play everybody.
“Ideally, yeah, it is best for us to have Hairston and Keppinger one-two. Ideally,” he said. “They’re really good hitters who can handle the bat and they give us flexibility.”
But every game isn’t an ideal situation, in Baker’s mind, for Hairston and Keppinger batting 1-2.
WITH THE Nationals in town, GM Jim Bowden is along for the ride and the former Reds GM is a big advocate of new Reds GM Walt Jocketty.
“I’m a big fan of Walt Jocketty’s,” said Bowden. “They hired the right guy. If they give him the leeway, and it looks as if they are spending money, he’ll do a good job. He’ll do what he did in St. Louis.”
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