Prayer service for injured pastors
Spotted: Concert for a Cure
Concert for a Cure
Get latest headlines via RSS feeds
NewsVine
Del.icio.us
Digg
Facebook
Furl
Reddit
StumbleuponBruce sits as Baker juggles his lineup
COMMENT: What Reds should be on the All-Star team?
Monday, July 07, 2008
CINCINNATI — It was Jay Bruce's turn to sit in the dugout Sunday, but Cincinnati Reds manager Dusty Baker prefers not to call it a day off — not a day of rest, even if Sunday traditionally is the day of rest.
"A day off, to me, is when you need a day of rest," said Baker. "This is just Bruce's turn in the rotation."
Rotation? Yep, that's what it has become — four guys playing three positions and rotating as odd man out.
The rotatees: Bruce, Jerry Hairston Jr., Jeff Keppinger, Edwin Encarnacion — playing center field (Bruce, Hairston), shortstop (Hairston, Keppinger) and third base (Encarnacion, Keppinger).
"I'm trying to do it so that everybody plays and yet have the best lineup for that day," said Baker. "At the same time I'm trying not to have anybody off more than a couple of days so they don't lose their stroke. This way we should be stronger than most going down the stretch."
Baker knows he has considerations to think about.
"I'd rather not have to do it," he said. "But I've talked to everybody about it. Considerations are the fact that Hairston has played so well, I know Keppinger is going to get hot and he can't get hot on the bench, we need Edwin's sock in there and we need Jay's overall ability and development to flourish and show itself."
A letter or a lineup?
Baker remembers what it was like when the team was a M*A*S*H ward and he didn't have enough players in their natural positions.
"That was terrible," he said. "We had everybody out and I was trying to mix and match. I'd make out a lineup and then say, 'No, not that one.' It was like writing a letter where you keep crumpling it up and throwing it away. Ah, not that one.
"Then I'd ask my coaches, Chris Speier and Brook Jacoby, and Chris would say, 'I like lineups 1 and 2,' and Jakes would say, I like 2 and 4.'"
Three not the charm
The three times closer Francisco Cordero has pitched three straight days he has given up runs on the third day. Coincidence. There are no coincidences in murder investigations or in baseball.
"I don't like to use him three days in a row," said Baker. "I don't like to use any pitcher three days in a row. Sometimes you have to do things you don't like to do."
Baker said he once read something, proven with numbers, "That a relief pitcher's earned run average on his first day was something like 2.80, the second day went down to something ridiculous like 1.90 and on the third day it went up to like 5.40. I read that and held that to be true.
"Sometimes a closer has to go three or four days in a row and sometimes they get nothing for a week, then the appearances pile up.
The shutout receiver
An interesting statistic involving one of the three Reds catchers, Paul Bako.
Reds pitchers have thrown five shutouts (all combined and none by one pitcher) and Bako has been the catcher all five times.
Quote of the day
"We're 10 back in the standings and 12 up in batting practice appearances." — Ken Griffey Jr. remarking on how often the Reds take batting practice, including Sunday morning after a night game Saturday.
