Volquez hurting, but Reds prevail

Reds starting pitcher Edinson Volquez throws during the first inning against St. Louis. Volquez pitched only one inning before being replaced by Mike Lincoln.

Associated Press photo by Jeff Roberson Reds starting pitcher Edinson Volquez throws during the first inning against St. Louis. Volquez pitched only one inning before being replaced by Mike Lincoln.

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By Hal McCoy, Staff Writer 1:30 AM Tuesday, June 2, 2009

ST. LOUIS — All the Cincinnati Reds need is a third baseman with a bandaged head playing the flute and the picture would be complete.

Edinson Volquez's return from the wounded-in-action list lasted one inning Monday night in Busch Stadium and he quickly rejoined his incapacitated buddies.

Volquez missed his last start with back spasms but this time left after one inning against the St. Louis Cardinals with numbness in the pinky and ring fingers of his right hand, or as he described it later, "Tingling from my elbow down to my fingers."

He joined Edwin Encarnacion (wrist), Joey Votto (stress), Willy Taveras (hamstring) and Jerry Hairston Jr. (flu) on the unable to perform couch.

If that sounds like a prescription for a sound drubbing, well, it wasn't. After Volequez spotted the Cardinal a one-run lead in the first and Mike Lincoln gave them another in the third, the quilt-patch Reds came back to score a 5-3 victory, moving back to within 2 ½ games of first place.

And although Volquez vacated the mound and is going to Cincinnati this morning to be examined, it may not be serious. After the game Volquez said he didn't feel it any more and that he felt it on only one pitch, a fastball to the second hitter he faced, Colby Rasmus.

To compensate, "I threw about 10 curveballs in a row and I usually don't throw more than three curves the whole game," he said.

And that got manager Dusty Baker's attention, too.

"We figured something was wrong when he started throwing all those breaking balls," said Baker. "I mean, he was throwing great in the bullpen — 94 or 95 miles an hour."

Said Volquez, "I'll have to check with somebody on what's going on with me. I'd never been on the DL and then this and I've never had this happen to me, either. Never had pain in my arm.

"It disappeared then and I don't feel it no more," he said. "It's crazy. The best part is that we won and stopped a losing streak."

The win ended a six-game road losing streak and was the Reds' first victory on this trip after losing three straight in Milwaukee over the weekend.

The Reds pulled this one out with a three-run fourth inning, highlighted by a two-run double by Laynce Nix.

Lincoln followed Volquez with three innings during which a home run to Rasmus was the only damage and Lincoln was rewarded with the win.

"Our guys were scraping and fighting," said Baker. "They were determined against a good Cardinals team that plays well at home. That's a big one to stop that losing streak and maybe we can start a winning streak."

Of Lincoln's stand-in performance, Baker said, "Lincoln has been struggling but he is throwing the ball better right now. He gave up a double (on his first pitch) and a home run, but he didn't give up any more."

Baker was asked before the game about how he has patched together makeshift and quickshift lineups since the injuries began piling up after nearly an injury-free April.

"I haven't had my infield together for I don't know how long," said Baker. "All four have been gone at one time or another. We've held together because of our extra guys. Our extra guys have done an outstanding job. But how long can we expect our extra guys to perform like this? That's the question.

"You want your regular guys back, for sure, but without our extra guys, boy, we wouldn't be close to where we are. So many times this year we've played with 23 or 24 guys."

And Monday was another time.

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