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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 > March > 22 > Entry
Chapman’s back puts Reds at DefCon1
GOODYEAR, Ariz. - It is DefCon1 right now inside the walls of the complex occupied by the Cincinnati Reds near Goodyear Ballpark.
Aroldis Chapman has a twinge in his back, or stiffness in his back, or tightness in his back.
Whatever, the 22-year-old Cuban lefthander was scheduled to go four innings Monday against the Colorado Rockies and could only make it through 1 2/3 innings.
Manager Dusty Baker quickly warned, “Let’s no jump to any conclusions. We took him out of the game as a precautionary measure. He had stiffness in his back and we didn’t want to make it any worse.”
Chapman stayed in the Reds dugut for nearly an inning after he was taken out with two outs in the second inning - an inning in which he gave up a three-run double and needed 31 pitches (16 strikes) to get two outs.
Then he met briefly with the media before leaving to see a doctor. He told writers he’d never had back problems, that he had felt some stiffness all last week, that he didn’t think it was serious.
It was clear right away that there was an ever-present danger. Normally, Chapman’s fasetball spins the dial at 97 to 100 miles an hour. On this day, not only was it hovering in the 93-95 range, he seldom used it and tried to get by with sliders and change-ups.
“I’m not hurt, I just had a little problem with my back, a little stiffness,” he said. “I tried to work it out, but they took me out, ‘Just in case.’ It was less effort for me to throw a slider than a fastball today.”
Pitching coach Bryan Price noticed right away that things were different with Chapman today, that he was trying to trick batters instead of blow them away like an Abrams tank. And he went to the mound just before the three-run double by Colorado’s Jorge Pacheco to tell him just that.
“I didn’t think he was attacking hitters,” said Price. “He was trying to get guys out with his change-up and sliders and I wanted to remind him, ‘You have a good fastball. Use it.’”
He didn’t. He didn’t have a good fastball this day and Jorge Pacheco cleared the bases with a three-run double.
And when he then went 2-and-1 on the next hitter manager Dusty Baker, Price and trainer Paul Lessard surrounded the 22-year-old Cuban lefthander on the mound.
Chapman admitted to the media later that his back bothered him most of last week, “But he didn’t say anything to us,” said Baker. “I guess guys from Cuba are taught not to complain or say much.
“But we could tell something was wrong the way he was wincing and walking around the mound,” Baker added. “He didn’t have his same stuff, the same fastball or anything.
“We had to pull it out of him,” said Baker. “First he said he was all right and I said, ‘No, you have to tell me the truth. Something is wrong.’”
So it is the old “day to day” for Chapman and it remains to be seen if he can make his next appearance four days from now. A lot rides on it.
THERE WERE three players removed from camp after Monday’s 9-1 loss to the Colorado Rockies. OF Chris Heisey was optioned to Class AAA Louisville, while INF Zack Cozart and INF/OF Todd Frazier were sent to minor-league camp for assignment.
THINGS ARE looking pretty dismal offensively. Same stuff for the Reds. Home run or nothing. They hit four home runs to account for all six runs Friday against Seattle in a 6-2 win. They were shut out, 6-0, Saturday by San Francisco. They played a 1-1 10-inning tie with the Chicago Cubs Sunday, with Laynce Nix’s home run providing the run. They lost Monday, 9-1, to Colorado, with Drew Stubbs hitting a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first for the only run.
Do you call that a pattern or a bad habit?
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By MAC
March 29, 2010 1:22 AM | Link to this
No no, your comments R so much more insightful…NOT! The fantasy comment was simple in jest; I realize no one really cares who’s on my Fantasy team, nor do I believe I know much more about BB than anyone else. Then again, U don’t have to be a BB God to realize the Reds haven’t had much home grown pitching over the years or quality hitting in the last several yrs. I’m not trying to be a jerk, but really, look at the offensive stats over the last several yrs; Reds R near the bottom in several categories whether it’s NL only or mixed stats.
By Yo MAC
March 27, 2010 1:20 PM | Link to this
MAC - with your expansive baseball knowledge, I bet you are the pride of your fantasy baseball league. Post your entire team and draft strategy - golly, you can also give us a weekly tally on your record and some of your early pick-ups … it’s simply fascinating …
By MAC
March 27, 2010 4:27 AM | Link to this
Reds Fan: same argument-different day. U’ve tried to make that same argument several times now & I continue to rebut that Reds have had trouble scoring runs for several yrs now…not just 2 ST training games U continue to whine about! Check the stats already! Clearly they need another stick or two…guys need to step up & start producing IF this team is going to turn things around. Your head in the sand…everything is going to be OK… comments make some of DB comments seem almost Presidental. I do agree w/ your Fantasy comments though…I can give it and take it!
By Paul
March 26, 2010 11:29 AM | Link to this
Krick that comment was awesome!!
By Krick
March 26, 2010 9:21 AM | Link to this
I don’t think I’d be worrying about Chapman right now. I’m worried about Harang. So far this spring he’s a mirror image of what he’s been the last two years, and that in a word is “terrible”. If Carson Palmer could hit a receiver like Aaron Harang can hit a bat the Bengals would have been in the Super Bowl. Harang as our opening day pitcher? What a way to start the season.
By Clint
March 26, 2010 1:07 AM | Link to this
Two things: 1) Everyone over-reacting to the Chapman injury. He wasn’t starting with the big club no matter what, we all knew that. This is a perfect added excuse to send him to AAA Louisville. The injury isn’t serious we’re just lacking things to talk about. It’s time for ST to end. 2) This team isn’t going to hit enough this year. They need another bat somewhere.
By Reds fan_somewhere
March 25, 2010 8:49 AM | Link to this
MAC - Hal and this blog going nuts after the first two Spring Training games on March 1 and 2 is completely insane. No one in baseball history would judge a team, regardless of their history, after two games in early March. Oh - and no one cares about who you selected in your goofy fantasy league either.
By MAC
March 25, 2010 1:51 AM | Link to this
Reds Fan, U have a poor argument because the #s show the Reds have been ranked at or near the bottom in a number of offensive categories over the last couple of seasons…it’s not just ST. Hopefully, the vets they now have will make a difference; there seems to be a good mix of Vets & youth?
By Reds fan_Somewhere
March 24, 2010 6:12 PM | Link to this
TB - this blog is nuts, repetitive and will never relax, I had to talk Hal off a cliff after the first two spring training games on March 1 and 2 when the Reds only scored a couple of runs - Hal wrote “where are the bats?” … after only two games?!?!?!?!?!??? … a lot of Reds fans are whacked.
By Jack
March 24, 2010 11:36 AM | Link to this
Gary, they tried small ball last year to no avail. When you play in a homerun park, you have to be able to match the other team.
By Jim M.
March 24, 2010 10:46 AM | Link to this
Hi Hal!, there is a report on mlbtraderumors.com the Mets are shopping Gary Matthews Jr. The writer picked the Reds as a possible destination spot. PLEASE find out if this could be true? he is not worth wasting a spot on the roster for his non hitting/fielding. also the one thing I wanted the Reds to do was get a BETTER hitting coach (Kevin Mitchell helped Gomes big time and would have been my 1st choice), and gthey didnt do it!!
By nyc
March 23, 2010 9:20 PM | Link to this
the reds are bottom-feeders each and every year…i can not understand why the fans actually think they will ever amount to anything..
By tb
March 23, 2010 10:32 AM | Link to this
Steve. Rolen in the 2 slot. Really? Phillips would make more sense. Would everyone please relax. It is called Spring Training. If you think the players really care about these games you are fooling yourself. Go watch basketball for another 2 weeks and come back when the real games start.
By Gary
March 23, 2010 9:35 AM | Link to this
Not hitting? Amazing that this occurs year after year. Why not try Whitey Ball? Manufacture runs, play fundamentals, like bunt, hit and run, steal, play hard on every play instead of standing at home plate on long fly balls that might be home runs.
By Believe It Or Not
March 23, 2010 12:19 AM | Link to this
I think we almost have to have Dickerson in the lineup daily so he can leadoff—that may mean he has to play center and left—playing Gomes when he’s in CF, and Stubbs when he’s in LF. He can hit lefties, if DB allows him to…CD is our only legitimate lead off hitter. When he’s in LF, hit Stubbs second, since he’s difficult to double up.Stubbs cannot lead off; and Phillips cannot hit cleanup.
By MAC
March 22, 2010 11:13 PM | Link to this
I apologize; I picked Chapman up on my Fantasy Team - I guess I jinx him? If we can believe DB, it sounds like Chapman may still have a chance to make the team? I didn’t think it would be a good move in the beginning, but I like to see Chapman make the team @ this point; I guess I have Chapman fever too? Based on what he’s done so far & considering the lack of any close comp for the 5 spot, I say start him in ML…Reds can always bring him back down & let him regroup. Basically, this team has been out of playoff comp before Mother’s Day the past 2 seasons. Why not roll the dice & try to change things this year while our pitching is intact & we have some veteran hitters? Problem is, if our hitters don’t start doing something pretty soon (Phillips, Votto, Rolen where R U?), the Reds may not make it to Mother’s Day this season?
By P-Dub
March 22, 2010 10:49 PM | Link to this
Agreed. We have to get something out of the #2 spot. If not Dickerson, how about Bruce. At least it gives us someone to do some damage in from of Votto/Phillips. If nothing else it should get him some good pitches to hit.
By Steve M.
March 22, 2010 8:47 PM | Link to this
I know the problems are more widespread than just this, but Orlando Cabrera is starting to remind me of Willy Taveras, including with Baker batting him near the top of the order. Why would we have a guy with a .322 lifetime OBP batting second when we could put Scott Rolen (.370 OBP) there?