SARASOTA, Fla. - Ignore the results. Brett Tomko is.
Tomko got slapped around pretty good by the Texas Rangers in his second major league outing of the spring. He allowed four runs and eight hits in five innings in a 9-4 loss Tuesday afternoon.
But afterward, Tomko was nearly hopping for joy.
''I felt awesome,'' he said. ''It was a big obstacle to get over, and I got over it. I let loose and I felt good. The four runs were just from a lack of being in game situations.''
Tomko, the 24-year-old right-hander, has spent much of spring training in Reds manager Jack McKeon's doghouse. He now looks set to begin the season in the starting rotation.
Tomko will throw two innings in the relief Thursday, then start in a Triple-A game here on Monday and rejoin the team Tuesday for Opening Day. That lines him up for a fifth start of the season.
''I don't care if I'm fifth or first,'' he said. ''As long as I'm one of the five.''
Tomko flashed the form that helped him to an 11-7 record and 3.43 ERA last year. The key for Tomko Tuesday was his fastball reached 93 miles per hour. That was considerably better than he did at a minor league start Friday.
''I didn't have it the last time out,'' he said. ''I was trying to throw hard, but I couldn't. Today, my fastball was exploding. I thought, 'I still got it.' It felt great. The results weren't great because I didn't have touch on my off-speed stuff. But that will come.''
Said McKeon: ''He threw the ball well. He just got it up.''
Tomko had only pitched once previously for the big-league team this spring. He went three innings, allowing three runs on four hits against the Rangers March 1. He was scheduled to pitch March 5 but was scratched because of a sore right shoulder.
Tuesday's game
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