“Of the three times I’ve been called up, this is definitely the most exciting, knowing that I’m going to be here for an extended period of time,” Stephenson, 23, said before the opener of Cincinnati’s three-game series against St. Louis at Great American Ball Park.
Stephenson, the Reds’ first-round pick in the 2011 draft, was 2-0 with a 3.00 earned-run average in two spot starts early in the season, but going 8-9 with a 4.41 ERA in 24 starts for Triple-A Louisville suggested a need for more seasoning. Bats manager Delino DeShields went public with some harsh criticism of Stephenson after a particularly disturbing start on Aug. 20, and the pitcher responded by allowing eight hits and three runs in 13 innings over his last two Triple-A starts.
“It didn’t affect me,” Stephenson said. “I understood where he was coming from. I was frustrated, too. I’d be stupid to not listen to coaching. He apologized.”
Reds manager Bryan Price believes Stephenson would’ve been called up this month even without those two earlier Cincinnati starts on his log.
“He’s taken advantage of the first two times he’s been out there,” Price said. “I don’t think that, without those starts, anything would’ve changed. We would like to have seen him have a breakout season this year and force our hand. It didn’t happen as fast as we would’ve liked. He’s got work to do, and this is a great place to do it.”
The Reds also recalled right-hander Keyvius Sampson and left-hander Cody Reed and selected left-hander Wandy Peralta’s contract from Louisville. When Peralta pitches, he will become the 30th pitcher used this season, tying the franchise record set in 2003. He also will become the 12th player to make his major-league debut with the Reds this season.
Stiff neck: First baseman Joey Votto showed up for work on Friday with what Price described as a "crick" in his neck, which was enough to keep him out of the starting lineup.
“It wasn’t an issue in Anaheim,” Price said. “It became an issue today.”
Votto went 1-for-4 on Wednesday to fall short in his bid to become the first player in franchise history to hit at least .400 in back-to-back months. He hit .413 in July before finishing August at .394.
Barnhart back: Catcher Tucker Barnhart's start Friday was his first since Aug. 23 as he dealt with a sore right hand.
“His hand was sore and stiff, and we made sure we got that out,” Price said. “He did a full set of pregame activities on the last day in Anaheim and got the extra day of rest (on Thursday).”
The Reds lost six of the seven games Barnhart wasn’t available to start.
Next: The Reds make their first 4:10 p.m. start since June 25 on Saturday for the second game of the series against St. Louis. Right-hander Dan Straily (10-7) is Cincinnati's scheduled starter. He was 6-0 with a 1.98 ERA in eight starts since the All-Star break before tying career highs by allowing seven runs and four home runs in a 9-2 loss at Anaheim on Monday. Left-hander Jaime Garcia (10-10) is expected to start for the Cardinals.
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