Reds camp: site for sore arms

Thursday, March 25, 1999
Reds camp: site for sore arms
Three on DL; Harnisch has back spasms

BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Denny Neagle

SARASOTA, Fla. — The Reds' pitching staff began to take shape Wednesday, with a few noticeable dents.
Three pitchers went on the 15-day disabled list with shoulder problems: left-hander Denny Neagle and right-handers Stan Belinda and Scott Winchester. Since all three were known to be ailing to varying degrees, that development wasn't a total shock.
More jarring was the news that Pete Harnisch, the Reds' Opening Day starter, still was bothered by spasms in the left side of his lower back and would skip his next exhibition outing Friday against Philadelphia. Harnisch will rest for a couple of days before throwing again, so the Reds can gauge his condition.
Then, during the eighth inning of a 5-4 Grapefruit League victory over the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, reliever Scott Sullivan strained his left gluteal (buttocks) muscle and left the game.
Though Sullivan's injury wasn't considered serious, it was a fitting conclusion to a day that was a complete pain in the rear end for the Reds.
These developments meant that a pair of young pitchers who have excelled in relief, rookie right-hander Scott Williamson and left-hander Dennys Reyes, have much greater chances of beginning the season in Cincinnati.
“Without question,” pitching coach Don Gullett said. “One of them, for sure.”
Wednesday's events also guaranteed that the Reds will spend the next few days wondering whether Harnisch can open the season able-bodied.
They already had accepted the likelihood that Neagle would begin the year on the disabled list. But that heightened the importance of Harnisch, who led Cincinnati with a 14-7 record and a 3.14 ERA a year ago, as a staff anchor.
Now the Reds' expectations for Harnisch have become hopes.
Ominously, he said his back only hurts him when he tries to throw off a mound, from going through his pitching motion to landing on his front foot.
All interested parties tried to avoid worrying.
Harnisch, who initially reported discomfort after his March 16 start against Detroit: “I figure if I have (pain) the next time I go on the mound, I'll be concerned.”
Manager Jack McKeon, asked if he was overly concerned: “Not today.”
Gullett: “It's just a matter of (resting) a few days to get it calmed down.”
General Manager Jim Bowden: “No one's led me to believe they're really worried about it. I'd be really worried if he wasn't OK, but they think it's all muscular and it'll go away.”
Winchester, who split last year between Cincinnati and Triple-A Indianapolis before undergoing arthroscopic shoulder surgery, will remain sidelined indefinitely.
Neagle and Belinda will be eligible to be activated from the disabled list April 10, the first Saturday of the regular season.
Neagle, who continued to strengthen his shoulder by working four innings in a “B” game Tuesday against Minnesota, will pitch again Sunday in a minor-league exhibition or a simulated game. Barring setbacks, he'll continue to build his durability and might remain in Florida briefly after the season begins to capitalize on warm weather.
Belinda, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis late last season, has controlled the symptoms of that disease but alluded to it while addressing the tendinitis in his shoulder.
“I think it has everything to do with not pitching in a game for six months,” said Belinda, who made his final appearance of 1998 on Aug.9 before focusing on his illness. “It's an arm-strength thing. The tendons just didn't stretch. I think all the throwing I did this winter helped, but until you face live hitters in a game, you really don't know where you are. It felt great the first five outings and it just slowly started settling in.”
Belinda, a nine-year veteran reliever, has endured similar problems each spring since 1995.
“It's one of those deals where I know I'm going to get it, I just don't know when,” said Belinda, who was 0-2 with a 4.50 ERA in eight spring appearances. “It's usually a one-time thing. ... I don't think I'm that far behind. That's why we want to nip it in the bud now.”
Even if Belinda had remained healthy, Williamson might have made the team anyway. He blanked Tampa Bay in the ninth inning to earn his second spring save and lower his ERA to .075.
“(Another pitcher's injury) is definitely not the way you want to earn a spot,” Williamson said. “I can't get caught up in people saying this and that. If it happens, it happens. I'll be very thankful and proud of myself. On the other hand, you just have to keep going and doing your job.”
Reyes will replace Harnisch in Friday's start, which could help him build endurance for a long-relief role.
“It doesn't make any difference whether I start or relieve,” Reyes said. “The main thing is to get the hitter out.”

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