Tuesday, April 13, 1999
REDS NOTEBOOK
Neagle pitching at Indy tonight
BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
CHICAGO — Left-hander Denny Neagle is set for what may be his final tuneup outing tonight before being activated from the disabled list. He hopes to throw about 90 pitches, the equivalent of six or seven innings, for Triple-A Indianapolis against Columbus.
But what if it rains in Indianapolis?
“We could always improvise,” said Reds manager Jack McKeon, unfazed.
That would mean more traveling for Neagle, who's recovering from weakened shoulder muscles. Pitching coach Don Gullett wants the former 20-game winner to work in a real game, not a simulated one. Indianapolis plays at Richmond (Va.) on Wednesday; the Reds' Double-A Chattanooga affiliate began a three-game series at West Tenn in Jackson, Tenn., on Monday.
Gullett said if Neagle's start is delayed or moved, his regular-season debut, currently slated for Sunday against Pittsburgh at Cinergy Field, also would be rescheduled.
For openers
Neagle, a certified jokester, did his best to add to the pomp and circumstance of the Cubs' home opener by staging a pratfall as he jogged to the first-base line during pregame introductions.
Later, many Reds joined the crowd in applauding for former Chicago Bears running back Walter Payton, the Hall of Famer who threw out the ceremonial first pitch. Payton, who's on a waiting list to receive a liver transplant, has been weakened but looked robust enough as he fired the ball to “catcher” Sammy Sosa.
“That was awesome,” right fielder Dmitri Young said of seeing Payton.
Ugly moment
Some aspects of the Cubs' opener were forgettable, however. A fan in the right-field seats hurled a ball at Young, who had tossed it into the stands as a friendly gesture, in the bottom of the first inning. Fortunately, Young wasn't hit.
“My first instinct was to grab the ball and chuck it back up there,” Young said. “But that wouldn't have looked good for me or the team.”
Etc.
Third baseman Aaron Boone, who hadn't played since last Tuesday while weathering a bout with an enlarged colon caused by a viral infection, returned to the Reds' lineup.
• Cubs starter Kevin Tapani left the game after three innings with tightness in his pitching shoulder.
• McKeon, who likes to keep his reserves sharp by occasionally starting them, knows his work isn't done despite getting playing time for Jeffrey Hammonds, Mark Lewis, Hal Morris and Chris Stynes in St. Louis. “Now I've got to find a way to get (outfielder Michael) Tucker in for a game,” McKeon said. “I will.”
• Right-hander Stan Belinda, who remains on the disabled list with tendinitis in his shoulder, will throw again on Wednesday, having progressed with a pain-free bullpen session on Sunday.
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