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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 > 2010 > May > 24 > Entry
Bailey DLed - and not happy about it
Homer Bailey was less than pleased when he arrived at Great American Ball Park Monday and discovered he was on the 15-day disabled list. Not pleased at all.
He thought he might miss one start - he even refused a cortisone shot because he felt his stiff right shoulder isn’t that bad - but now he’ll miss at least two, maybe three starts.
His next start was scheduled for Friday but it will be somebody else, probably right-hander Sam LeCure, who was just named International League Pitcher of the Week and last pitched Saturday. LeCure was 2-0 last week for Class AAA Louisville and didn’t give up a run in those two starts - 16 innings, no runs, nine hits three walks, 13 strikeouts.
On Saturday, the 26-year-old fourth round pick in 2005 pitched a complete-game shutout against Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, a one-hitter during which he didn’t give up that hit until there was one out in the eighth inning.
BAILEY SAT down at his locker early Monday and was about to put a bottle to his lips when a media horde swooped in and he said, “Geez, I thought I was just going to sit here and enjoy my V8.”
Bailey said an MRI showed no structural damage and was told it might just be a little inflammation in the shoulder.
“Dr. (Tim) Kremchek (team doctor) wanted to do a cortisone shot and I said, ‘That’s not necessary,’” said Bailey. “I just found out when I got here that they are DL-ing me, even though nobody asked my opinion. That’s where everything stands right now. I’m not a big advocate of cortisone shots.
“I could understand missing one start, but I’m not a doctor,” he quickly added.
Bailey started Sunday’s game in Cleveland, but left in the third inning. He said he didn’t feel anything until the third inning in his right shoulder.
“Stuff was starting to tighten up in the third,” he said. “I was letting it go pretty good in the first, but I didn’t have a clue where it was going. Story of my life, right?”
Bailey said he thought it could be the way he threw one pitch, “A little funny,” or it could be something that has built up over time. So many things it could be. We’ll take another couple of days to see what is going on in there.
“I have a lot of dye in the shoulder from the MRI and we have to wait until the dye is out of there before I starting trying to do anything,” Bailey added. “I don’t feel like doing anything right now. I feel like I have a water balloon in my shoulder.”
FOR THE SHORT term, until the Reds need a starter Friday, they called up relief pitcher Enerio Del Rosario. He is 1-1 with a 1.46 ERA and converted three of four saves in his last 20 starts at Louisville and didn’t allow a run in his last 11 appearances.
Del Rosario was nearly released before the spring of 2009, but minor-league pitching coach Tom Brown recognized a strong, live arm when he has one. At the time, Del Rosario was pitching straight over the top. Brown suggested he drop down and throw sidearm.
The rest, as they say, is total turnaround.
“It made all the difference in the world,” said the 24-year-old 6-2. 165-pound Dominican. “Everything improved. It took me about two weeks to adjust. I just had to try something different. Now I have better control, throw more strikes and I’m throwing harder.”
The Reds had him throwing in the low 90’s this spring and he impressed manager Dusty Baker.
“He has gone as long as two innings and we’ll try to match him up. I have some minor-league stats on him and we’ll see who he fares best against,” said Baker. “We needed another arm in here. We brought up the reliever until we need a starter in Homer’s spot Friday. It’s good we have a pool of players to call on in our time of need and our bullpen situation.”
When LeCure (or somebody else) starts Friday he’ll be the first pitcher to make a start for the Reds this season other than Aaron Harang, Bronson Arroyo, Johnny Cueto, Mike Leake and Bailey. By Friday the Reds will have used the same five starts in 48 straight games, longest spell since the 1992 team went 80 straight with its original five starters (Jose Rijo, Tom Browning, Tim Belcher, Chris Hammond, Greg Swindell.
FOR THOSE who think the Reds should call up Cuban Aroldis Chapman, this from a National League scout who saw him pitch for Louisville against Indianapolis: “You better hope they don’t call him up. The kid should be in Double-A, not Triple-A. Hey, he has a great arm - a great, great arm. Every pitch he throws is between 88 and 102, but the best pitch in baseball remains a strike. And he doesn’t throw him. In the game I saw he got ahead of only two hitters the whole game. And he got mad at the umpire and tried to throw even harder. That never works.”
THE OTHER SITUATION concerns the blister on Johnny Cueto’s finger. He is listed as Thursday’s starter but when asked about the blister Baker said, “We think he’ll be OK. We’re trying to alleviate as many early exits as we can. We caught the blister before it got too serious.
“I told Cueto to call his momma and see if she has any Dominican remedies,” said Baker. “I’m sure she does.” Jose Rijo used to rub snake oil on his arm.
“Hey, man, God put remedies on earth long before we had pills and salves and all that kind of stuff,” Baker added. “Anything you need on earth is already here. You just have to find it.”
CHRIS DICKERSON began playing catch today for the first time, but that’s about all he can do for now and there is no timetable for his return.
“No clue, absolutely no clue,” he said. “The stitches in my hand are out and I have good mobility, but I can feel those incisions in my palm. I certainly can’t swing a bat. I’ve been doing a lot of handshakes to see where I’m as far as the pain in my hand. And I still don’t have any feelings in the tops of three of my fingers - it feels like pins and needles.”
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By michael
May 26, 2010 5:15 PM | Link to this
Well, the Reds probably could have just started Micah O. in one of Homer’s scheduled starts and let Homer rest.
By MAC
May 26, 2010 5:47 AM | Link to this
Dude, what’s been T. Wood’s problem this season?
By K-Dub
May 25, 2010 2:15 PM | Link to this
Forget the Dominican remedies! There’s got to be some of Schottzy’s hair stowed away in the clubhouse. Just rub a little of that on Cueto’s finger. While you’re at it, put some on Homer’s shoulder too! Look what it did for Davey Johnson… Oh wait!
By dude
May 25, 2010 1:18 PM | Link to this
Kind of evens the Reds out against the Cards. They have two starters with issues also. I got to watch Mc LaCure in LVL this year. If he don’t get a case of the Big League jitters he will do ok. By far the best pitcher the Bats have.
By MAC
May 25, 2010 1:10 PM | Link to this
I stand corrected & feel somewhat like Rosanna, Rosanna Dana…”never mind.” But, check out Brown’s history (AA Mudcats) and you’ll see he has a strong history as a pitching coach, has been w/ Reds org. 4 years, yet last season was his 1st as a Reds pitching coach…go figure.
By Terry
May 25, 2010 6:26 AM | Link to this
MAC, not Tom Browning, but Tom Brown. So, it WAS someone within the organization.
By MAC
May 25, 2010 1:28 AM | Link to this
Interesting, but not all that surprising that it was Browning and not someone w/in the organization that helped Del Rosario turn things around. Perhaps Bailey needs to talk to his coaching friend in Texas who helped him last year? 2 good examples of SPs the Reds want to use as traditional power type pitchers, but it’s the non traditional approach (Non-Reds) that has helped them most?
By NickM
May 24, 2010 6:57 PM | Link to this
No “Dominican remedies” for Cueto! We know how that turned out for Arod and Volquez.