Friday, April 30, 1999

Tomko demoted to Indianapolis

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Bowden: 'It's a wake-up call'

BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

        PHILADELPHIA — Brett Tomko, whose ERA swelled to 7.76 after he allowed seven runs (and four homers) to the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday, will have to work out his troubles at Triple-A.

        The Reds demoted the right-hander to Indianapolis on Thursday. Right-hander Steve Parris, the last pitcher cut in spring training, will come up from Indy to replace Tomko.

        “No.1, it's a wake-up call,” General Manager Jim Bowden said. “No.2, it's an opportunity for him to straighten out his game at the minor-league level without hurting the big-league club.”

        Tomko wasn't happy.

        “If I sound bitter about the whole situation, I am,” said Tomko, 26. “How could I not be? That's not my decision; that's their decision.

        “It's obvious I can win games up here, and they know that. So the only thing I can do is to go down there, kick the crap out of some people and get back up here.”

        The Reds think the location of Tomko's pitches is a problem.“He's gotten away from pitching inside effectively,” pitching coach Don Gullett said. “He's trying to pitch away too much; he gets behind (on the count), and we all know the consequences when you get behind.”

        Tomko was behind on each of the three Phillies who homered off him in the first inning Wednesday.

        Gullett said Tomko may have listened too much to Phillies ace Curt Schilling. Tomko and Schilling became friends in the offseason.

        “He's not Curt Schilling. He has to pitch the way Brett Tomko does,” Gullett said.

        All Schilling did, Tomko countered, was extol the virtues of the low-and-outside fastball.

        “Everybody knows that's the toughest pitch to hit,” Tomko said. “At 2-0 and 3-0, that's usually what you try to throw. That's all Schilling was saying. I'm not trying to pitch like him ... For them to say (that), that's a ridiculous statement.”

        Tomko compiled a 24-19 record in 1997-98, becoming the first Red to win at least 11 games in each of his first two big-league seasons since Art Fowler in 1954-55.

        But he surrendered six runs in 3ö innings against San Francisco on Opening Day and lasted past the sixth inning in only two of five starts.

        Parris, who hasn't been summoned yet, also pitched Wednesday night at Columbus and looked effective, allowing two runs and six hits in seven innings, walking two and striking out eight. Parris is 0-1 with a 3.28 ERA in four starts for Indy.

       

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