Reggie Sanders dives back to first in time to beat a pickoff attempt.
(Ernest Coleman photo)
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Ricardo Jordan has to be the only guy in baseball whose ERA could actually drop 122 points in one day.
Jordan, who allowed six runs in one-third of an inning on Opening Day, came back with a solid performance Wednesday, throwing two scoreless innings. It dropped his ERA from 162.00 to 40.50.
''It was good to come back and do what I know I can do,'' said Jordan, who wanted the ball as soon as possible after Tuesday's catastrophe. ''I've just got throw strikes and let my ball do its own work.''
Manager Jack McKeon has noticed. ''If he throws the ball over, he's got a chance to be tough,'' McKeon said.
Jordan, a left-hander who wasn't on the roster until the Reds traded Dave Burba Monday, now will likely stay even when Mark Hutton returns from the disabled list, probably as the 11th pitcher.
''I'm sad to see Dave leave, but this trade worked out for everybody, including me,'' Jordan said.
Odd couple
Willie Greene has come up with a nickname for outfielders Chris Stynes and Jon Nunnally: Ebony and Ivory. 'You always see them together. You never see one without the other,'' Greene said.
Good friends Stynes and Nunnally came to the Reds last year in a trade with Kansas City. Their lockers are next to each other because Nunnally wears No. 22 and Stynes No. 23, and a reporter approaching either to do an interview often ends up talking to both at the same time.
Short talk
Greene, who played shortstop in the late innings Wednesday because McKeon had used both his regular shortstops, said it's not too tough for him to move over from third base. He played short last year and most of his early baseball career.
Greene and Bret Boone turned a double play and looked good doing it. Greene said the last time he did that was 1993.
Boone on rise
McKeon moved Boone from seventh in the batting order to sixth for Thursday's game after Boone went 4-for-5 Wednesday. ''Maybe if he gets four or five more hits tonight, I'll move him up to fifth,'' McKeon said.
Boone went 1-for-4 Thursday.
Boone's quick offensive start has obviously been a confidence booster.
''It's got to be a positive thing,'' McKeon said. ''He went through periods last year when he didn't get four hits in a week. With the way he plays second base, on a good club he could hit .250 and still be a plus.''
Nieves son ill
Outfielder Melvin Nieves has received permission to leave the team indefinitely while he deals with the illness of his son Brandon.
Brandon, one of Nieves' eight-month old twin sons, was born with an abnormal heart and has been in the hospital most of his life. Nieves, who had been in rehabilitation after hernia surgery in Sarasota, Fla,, flew to Cincinnati Wednesday and then to Ann Arbor, Mich., where Brandon is being treated.
''I told him being with his son is more important than his job or the game,'' said General Manager Jim Bowden, who went through a similar ordeal with one of his sons, Tyler.
Nieves is eligible to come off the disabled list Monday, but won't. When he does rejoin the team, he'll be sent to Indianapolis for rehab.
Decked
McKeon ran into an old friend, sort of, Wednesday. When he was introduced to John Mason, the vice president of Republic Bank in Louisville, McKeon recognized the name as a guy he had once punched during a game in the Carolina League 30 years ago.
''I said 'Are you the guy I decked?' '' McKeon said. ''He said 'Yeah.' I told him when I tell the story, I can never remember the name. So he gave me his business card.''
Rijo exam
Injured Reds pitcher Jose Rijo will be re-examined Friday morning by Dr. James Andrews in Birmingham, Ala., as a precaution. Rijo said he has an unusual feeling in his right elbow.
Story telling
McKeon broke into his story-telling persona before Thursday's game, a mood he hadn't been in since early in spring training.
His reasoning? ''When you lose two in a row, you've got to have some fun.''
Game story
Casey out 3-6 weeks
Williams called up
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