Wednesday, June 02, 1999
REDS NOTEBOOK
All-Star Game unlikely for Casey
BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
NEW YORK — First baseman Sean Casey fully realizes that no matter how high his batting average climbs, playing a position where glamorous players abound in the National League could hurt his chances to make the All-Star team.
Casey, whose .381 batting average before Tuesday's game ranked second in the NL, was fifth in the early returns from fan balloting with 17,933 votes. The quartet ahead of him were players you might expect to see at the top of the list: St. Louis' Mark McGwire (122,972), Houston's Jeff Bagwell (77,315), Chicago's Mark Grace (24,178) and New York's John Olerud (20,756).
“That's a no-brainer,” Casey said of McGwire's leading the balloting. “And then Bagwell, Olerud ... I'm aware of what's going on. Being in the All-Star Game would be nice, but I play every day to win games for the Reds. That's my ultimate goal.”
Casey, who's beginning his first full year in the majors, insisted that he doesn't dwell on personal accomplishments such as making the All-Star squad.
“I really like to live for today. I don't like to look too far ahead,” he said. “There's enough troubles today to take on. I just figure, keep doing what I've been doing, try to stay focused on each at-bat, and then if the All-Star game comes around, you go from there. Obviously, it would be a dream come true.”
No move yet
Pitching coach Don Gullett said that trying to improve Brett Tomko's performance as the Reds did with Jason Bere — skipping him for a start and working extensively with him on the side — “is obviously an option.”
But neither Gullett nor manager Jack McKeon would detail a plan for Tomko. McKeon also declined to say whether Ron Villone, who has pitched 8 1/3 shutout innings in two extended relief stints, would start for Tomko on Sunday at Kansas City. Tomko yielded three runs, all on solo homers, in 2 2/3 innings in Monday's 5-3 victory over the New York Mets.
“We don't have to worry about that for a long time,” McKeon said.
As they have done virtually all season, McKeon and Gullett questioned Tomko's mental approach.
Told that Tomko said he “wasn't searching for anything right now” after Monday's game, Gullett said, “It sounds like he was at peace with himself. If I wasn't having any success on the mound, I'd be looking for help.”
Said McKeon, “He needs to look in the mirror and decide how he can get to where he wants to be. That's when you find the true character of a guy. When things aren't going well, he seeks advice ... You get a chance to put some positives into a guy's head.”
On the rebound?
Although Mike Cameron extended his hitless streak to 20 at-bats with an 0-for-3 performance Monday, he believes he is closer to breaking out of his slump.
The two walks Cameron drew in his final two plate appearances was a positive sign. “To do that when you're struggling is a big key. It means you're starting to see the ball a little better,” he said.
Cameron didn't improve in his first at-bat Tuesday, striking out against Orel Hershiser with runners at the corners and one out.
Observers fear a prolonged slump from Cameron, whose skid has dropped his average from .284 to .251 before Tuesday's game. He hit .210 last year with the Chicago White Sox, prompting them to trade him to Cincinnati last Nov. 11 for Paul Konerko.
The difference this year, said an upbeat Cameron, is that “I got off to a good start. I have something to work
with.”
Refreshingly, Cameron wasn't defensive about his league-leading strikeout total of 58. He even raised the subject without prompting.
“Everybody in baseball's been hounding me about my strikeouts,” he said. “But when I go through slides, that's the way I go. Then when I hit the ball, I hit the ball hard.” In fact, Cameron's total of 18 extra-base hits ranked second on the Reds entering Tuesday's game to Casey's 29.
Recovering righties
Instead of throwing live batting practice, as expected, Stan Belinda returned to Cincinnati to throw for Reds officials today. Assuming everything proceeds smoothly, Gullett said Belinda then will begin an injury rehabilitation assignment with Triple-A Indianapolis.
Mark Wohlers continued his comeback attempt by throwing 57 pitches, including approximately 40 in a live BP setting to Brian Johnson and Chris Stynes. Hoping to build Wohlers' endurance, Gullett said he asked the former Atlanta relief ace to fire the last 15 pitches as hard as he could, which left the hurler fatigued.
Gullett judged Wohlers favorably: “It was a plus day for me, based on where he was when he ran out of gas.”
Up next
Coming off his shortest outing since September, 1996, Steve Avery (3-4, 3.54 ERA) will attempt to rebound in tonight's series finale against Mets right-hander Jason Isringhausen (0-1, 7.50).
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