The voice passes by Gabe White's locker in a rush. It is Stan Belinda, White's bullpen companion, who is kidding him about his shining moment this spring - striking out the side in quick order Friday against the Minnesota Twins.
White, trying to answer a reporter's question, attempts to pay Belinda no mind but sheepishly smiles, a little embarrassed.
It is, of course, only spring training, and one inning at that. In his next appearance, Sunday against the Pirates, White gave up a long home run and got the loss.
But that one inning showed White's potential, which the Reds are counting on harvesting this year because he'll be their only left-hander in the bullpen, a place he once loathed but now accepts.
He entered camp this year hoping to earn a starting spot, but has since realized his place on the roster is as a reliever.
''He got it out of his head he had to be a starter,'' manager Jack McKeon said. ''Now that
he has accepted it and cleared his mind, he can help us.''
If going to the pen has been a disappointment, White's not letting on. ''If I'd have had the opportunity to start, it would be,'' he said. ''But I didn't get it. Now I just want to make the club.''
White, 26, threw only one inning of relief in the minors, where he was 57-35 with a 3.11 ERA in eight seasons. But he has spent his big-league career (parts of 1994, '95 and '97) shuttling between starting and relieving, and hasn't felt comfortable doing both.
He joined the Reds last August and went 2-2 with a 4.71 ERA as a starter. In his last six games, all in relief, he got hot and posted a 1.93 ERA.
His job this year is simple: get left-handers out, particularly late in games. The Reds' three short relievers - Belinda, Scott Sullivan and Jeff Shaw - all posted great numbers last year, but all are right-handed.
''. . . I haven't faced many left-handers (in the past),'' White said. ''I've faced a lot this spring, and I'm learning more what I'm able to do to them and what I should try to do to them. I need to be able to move my fastball and throw it where I want. That's the key to me having any kind of success.''
White is virtually assured a roster spot. But he's still approaching the final two weeks of camp as if he has a job to win.
''I haven't included myself on this club yet and I won't until Opening Day and I'm sitting in the dugout,'' he said. ''But it is nice to know your manager has confidence in you. I feel that when I talk to Jack. That's very important to me.''
White's edge is that he throws strikes. Ricardo Jordan, also a lefty, has better spring stats (no runs in seven innings, compared with White's six runs in nine innings), but White will win the roster spot because he has better control and location.
''You know when Gabe's in the game, he's going to throw strikes,'' pitching coach Don Gullett said.
''When I'm warming up, I work on throwing strikes,'' White said. ''A lot of guys just try to get loose.''
Which comes back to White's 1-2-3 whiffing of the Twins. He threw strikes and got out of the inning quickly - the blueprint the Reds want him to follow.
''Those days are nice,'' he said. ''Maybe it wasn't as much work as I could have used, but I'll never complain about a day like that.''
Pirates 3, Reds 1
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