Tuesday, March 16, 1999
REDS NOTEBOOK
Reyes may be headed for pen
BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
SARASOTA, Fla. — The Reds may have found a new left-handed reliever. Not in their bullpen, but in their starting rotation.
Dennys Reyes has thrived in tests that every lefty must pass — facing left-handed hitters, which has prompted Cincinnati to consider using him in relief, at least for the short-term.
Otherwise, Gabe White probably will be the only lefty in Cincinnati's bullpen.
“I think Dennys can be a starter who can win 12 to 15 games,” General Manager Jim Bowden said. “If we're in a pennant race and we're looking for a left-handed relief pitcher and we can't trade for one, do you want to see if Reyes can do it, like we transferred Gabe (from starting to relieving)? Sure. You have to have an open mind on that. If Dennys Reyes doesn't make our team, he will start in Indianapolis. If he makes this team, I would think he'd make it initially out of the bullpen.”
In his last two outings, Reyes retired lefties with two outs and at least one runner in scoring position: Minnesota's David Ortiz (strikeout) and Boston's Scott Hatteberg (groundout).
“You couldn't ask for anything more,” manager Jack McKeon said. “The thing I liked was, he went after them with a fastball and threw strikes.”
The Reds must determine whether Reyes can pitch on consecutive days.
“We'd like to find that out,” McKeon said. “I don't see any reason why he can't. But that's something you have to program.”
MULTIFACETED: It's not easy being versatile, as Chris Stynes knows.
Stynes has appeared almost exclusively at second base in exhibition games, though he could be asked to fill in everywhere come the regular season. He started at second base, third base, left field and right field last year, and also substituted at shortstop and center field.
Given the intense competition for reserve roles on the Opening Day roster, Stynes' adaptability gives him an edge.
He tries to practice at various positions each day, but can't always meet that goal.
“It's tough to do because it's a lot of work, on top of (deciding) whether you want to hit extra off a tee or in the cage,” Stynes said. “And you're not playing in games all the time, so you're not consistently used to playing the different positions.”
Stynes has coped by trying to read the ball off the bat when he's in the outfield during batting practice and attending minor-league coach Dave Collins' morning outfield tutorials.
“It's sort of challenging, but it's fun to try to make yourself as good as you can at all those different positions,” he said.
CAUTIOUS OPTIMISM: The Reds weren't carried away by the news that their NL Central Division rivals keep collecting injuries.
The Chicago Cubs are worried about right-hander Kerry Wood's ailing elbow, which will require a magnetic resonance imaging examination, and the St. Louis Cardinals are concerned about shortstop Edgar Renteria and center fielder Ray Lankford, who are enduring knee problems.
Bowden's response was typical.
“I think Houston is a favorite in this division, but it's wide open,” he said. “I think the team that stays the healthiest and gets the best pitching probably will be on top come Oct. 1. Do we have a chance to contend? Absolutely. But we have to stay healthy.”
ETC.: Monday was the Reds' first exhibition sellout since March 28, 1991, when they entertained the New York Mets at Plant City Stadium.
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