Wednesday, August 04, 1999

Guzman will start Thursday

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Pitcher likes pressure of pennant race

BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Juan Guzman checks out his new home after joining the Reds Tuesday. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        The Reds' season is 104 games old, but Juan Guzman feels the dawn of a new year has arrived.

        “This is like the beginning of the season for me, now that I'm on a contending team,” the Reds' newest starting pitcher said Tuesday after reporting to the club.

        Cincinnati obtained Guzman, 32, less than an hour before Saturday's midnight ET non-waiver trading deadline for minor-league pitching prospects B.J. Ryan and Jacobo Sequea.

        Guzman's credentials suggest he thrives on pressure. The right-hander was 5-0 in the American League Championship Series with the Toronto Blue Jays from 1991-93 and registered a 2.70 ERA in three World Series starts in 1992-93.

        “I've been through this before,” said Guzman, who'll make his Cincinnati debut in Thursday's series finale against the Colorado Rockies. The Reds cleared a roster spot for Guzman by optioning catcher Jason LaRue to Triple-A Indianapolis.

        Though Guzman's record with Baltimore (5-9, 4.18 ERA) looked ordinary, he was better in his last 10 starts, posting a 3.05 ERA. His 3-5 record in that span stemmed partly from weak run support, with the Orioles scoring three or fewer runs five times.

Juan Guzman Profile, stats

        Guzman pitched on, sensing the Orioles would deal him to a contender. After all, that's why they acquired him the year before on July 31.

        “This year, I was more prepared than last year,” he said. “This year I knew for sure I was going to be gone, because I'm a free agent next year. They weren't going to let me go without getting anything back. The last two months, I had been pitching really well. I was going to get ready for whatever team I was going to.”

        Guzman pitched 65 innings in that 10-game stretch, indicating the shoulder that put him on the disabled list in 1995 and 1997 hasn't troubled him.

        “Physically, I feel fine. There's no problem,” he said. “I don't feel any soreness in my shoulder. I keep working and rebuilding so I can get my full velocity.”

        Switching leagues for the first time won't change Guzman's approach, which has been characterized by a tireless work ethic. He said his father, Daniel, instilled this quality within him.

        Guzman said that whenever he advised his father to take it easy, he'd refuse. “He said, "That's the way I've been been all my life. I can't just sit around. I have to do something,'” Guzman said. “Now I understand. That's why I work so hard.”

        Becoming a National Leaguer means hitting, a mostly foreign activity to Guzman. He was 0-for-2 in the World Series and 1-for-6 this year in the regular season, collecting an RBI single off Atlanta's Kevin Millwood June 12 in a 5-0 shutout victory.

        Guzman's brief discussion of hitting marked the only time a faint note of uncertainty crept into his voice. “We'll see,” he said. “That's all I can say.”

       

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