After an 11-day lag because of an ankle injury, veteran outfielder Quinton McCracken had his personal Opening Day from a Major League perspective on Friday night as the Reds played the Cardinals at Busch Stadium. |
Aaron Harang didn't allow a run in seven-plus innings and drove in the only run of the game as the Reds nipped the Cardinals, 1-0, on Friday night at Busch Stadium. |
STATS Editor Jason Isringhausen knows he has been one of the reasons for the St. Louis Cardinals' unimpressive start. The veteran closer hopes to get an opportunity to rectify that problem Friday when the Cardinals continue their homestand at the new Busch Stadium in the opener of a three-game series with the Cincinnati Reds. Isringhausen had 86 saves for St. Louis (5-4) over the previous two seasons and has three more this year, but has struggled recently. |
Adam Dunn hit a solo homer, and Felipe Lopez and Austin Kearns added three-run shots to lead the Cincinnati Reds to an 8-3 victory over the Chicago Cubs on Thursday. Dunn homered in the first, Lopez went deep in the third, and Kearns hit one out in the eighth. Eric Milton (2-0) allowed three runs -- two earned -- in 6 2-3 innings in his second solid outing of the season. |
STATS Writer In 2005, pitching inside the confines of Wrigley Field was anything but friendly for Chicago Cubs veteran Greg Maddux. But the 319-game winner and future Hall of Famer has a chance to win consecutive decisions at home for the first time in 21 months Wednesday when the Cubs continue their three-game series with the Cincinnati Reds. Maddux has not won consecutive home games since July 17-22, 2004, going 6-13 with a 4.27 ERA in 24 starts at home. |
--OF Brian Buchanan, a non-roster player, saw four pitches Sunday against the Indians and had four hits, collecting two doubles and two singles, all on the first pitch. He is hitting .606 this spring. --OF Steve Smitherman, who played 21 games with the major league club in 2003 but none the past two seasons, was released from his minor league contract Monday. --OF Terrence Long was signed to a minor league contract Monday and reported to minor league camp. |
Ken Griffey Jr. doubled twice and hit a two-run homer over the batter's eye Monday night, leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 7-4 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Griffey is healthy during spring training for the first time in five years, and it shows in his swing. The 36-year-old outfielder is 7-for-15 with a pair of homers in four games since returning from the World Baseball Classic. Griffey hit .524 during the Classic, with three homers in six games. |
David Weathers' 6-year-old son followed him into the clubhouse Tuesday afternoon. A few giggles soon followed. Dressed in his miniature Cincinnati Reds uniform with his dad's name and No. 25 on the back, Ryan Weathers quickly started acting like one of the guys. He playfully slapped reliever Chris Hammond on the back. Moments later, reliever Kent Mercker had the boy on the ground, tickling his sides. |
Not much has changed from the start of spring training -- the team remains overloaded with power hitters who strike out 100 times a year and remains questionable in the pitching department, even after adding RHP Bronson Arroyo to the rotation. PROJECTED ROTATION: 1. RHP Aaron Harang 2. RHP Bronson Arroyo 3. LHP Brandon Claussen 4. LHP Eric Milton 5. |
Catcher Jason LaRue is one of the first beneficiaries of new club management. LaRue tried to catch right-hander Paul Wilson in a simulated game Sunday, but he was unable to squat. An MRI revealed a torn medial meniscus in his right knee, requiring arthroscopic surgery. New owner Bob Castellini, whose private jet was parked at a nearby airport, flew LaRue and team medical director Dr. Tim Kremchek from Sarasota, Fla., to Cincinnati Monday morning. |
While the Boston Red Sox took their turns in the batting cage, right-hander Bronson Arroyo mingled with his former teammates in the outfield, exchanging hugs and funny stories while balls flew past. It felt like the last week had flown past, too. Arroyo got to share a few moments with friends before Boston's exhibition Tuesday night against the Cincinnati Reds. Once the Reds were done with pregame batting practice, Arroyo stayed on the field and did some catching up. |
The Florida Marlins traded catcher Ryan Jorgensen to the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday for infielder Carlos Piste in a swap of minor leaguers. Jorgensen, who was hitless in four at-bats last year after being called up in September, came to the Marlins from the Cubs with Dontrelle Willis on March 27, 2002, in the trade for Matt Clement and Antonio Alfonseca. Florida also acquired right-hander Todd Wellemeyer from the Chicago Cubs for minor league pitchers Lincoln Holdzkom and Zach McCormack. |
