Monday, September 06, 1999
REDS NOTEBOOK
Neagle a big hit too - with his arm
PHILADELPHIA — In case you didn't notice, Denny Neagle pitched a heck of a game Sunday.
The left-hander made his most effective start as a Red, lasting eight innings Sunday and allowing only two hits — Rico Brogna's second-inning solo home run and Mike Lieberthal's eighth-inning solo homer — to help the Reds beat the Phillies 9-7.
Though the Reds grabbed an 8-1 lead for Neagle through four innings, he maintained his concentration.
“I've learned that no matter what the score is or even if you have a big lead like that, you still have to pitch your style of game,” said Neagle, who remained content to mix locations as well as deliveries.
The result: Just five strikeouts, but 15 fly-ball outs on a day when gusts carried balls over the outfield wall.
“I've always been that style of pitcher,” said Neagle (5-5), who's 5-2 since returning from his second stint on the disabled list. “When I go into Coors or Wrigley when the wind's blowing out, I change my approach and try to throw more sinkers. But on days like this, I was thinking about throwing good, quality pitches.”
That's certainly how Phillies manager Terry Francona saw Neagle's effort.
“That was a clinic,” Francona said. “He would get ahead and then wrap that breaking ball around somebody's ankle, then he'd come right back inside. He changed speeds, threw a bunch of strikes (75 in 118 pitches) and kept the ball out of the middle of the plate.”
Caring for Cameron
Reds trainer Greg Lynn said that center fielder Mike Cameron “has a chance” to play during the four-day, five-game series against the Chicago Cubs. But Cameron's strained left hamstring probably won't allow him to appear in today's series opener.
Said Lynn, “He's getting better, but he has kind of plateaued right now. In layman's terms, he can't quite get over the hump.”
Manager Jack McKeon said Cameron will return to the starting lineup once he's healthy.
“I need him in there for defense,” McKeon said.
This will force McKeon to bench an outfielder. Greg Vaughn has homered two games in a row; Jeffrey Hammonds has hit .519 (14-for-27) while starting eight consecutive games in Cameron's absence; and Dmitri Young has collected five hits in the last two games. Hammonds could play right field if McKeon elected to keep him in the lineup.
Williamson update
Lynn wasn't certain when right-hander Scott Williamson, whose case of mild shoulder tendinitis has rendered him inactive for three games, would pitch again.
“We're kind of assessing where he is right now,” Lynn said.
What's certain is that the Reds will urge Williamson to continue an exercise program that will strengthen his shoulder and arm and prevent further injuries.
“That's very important to him,” Lynn said. “I think all the guys should be on some program, but him in particular.”
Larkin's milestone
By singling and scoring in Sunday's first inning, Barry Larkin tied Frank Robinson for third on the Reds' all-time runs list with 1,043.
Pete Rose (1,741 runs) and Johnny Bench (1,091) rank ahead of Robinson and Rose.
Larkin, who leads the Reds with 88 runs scored, is within reach of totaling 100 for only the second time in his career. He had 117 in 1996.
Elusive momento
Reds rookie Travis Dawkins collected his first major-league hit in his first plate appearance Saturday, beating out a sixth-inning infield single.
Phillies third baseman Kevin Jordan, who fielded Dawkins' grounder, threw the ball past first base and into the stands. Second baseman Marlon Anderson retrieved the ball and, being a nice guy, gave it to the youngster who originally grabbed it.
But alert folks on the Reds bench signaled to first-base coach Dave Collins that Dawkins was about to lose a priceless possession.
Collins negotiated a trade, giving the boy one of Hal Morris' bats.
Etc.
In the middle of all this offense, an oddity occurred: Sean Casey struck out three times Sunday for the first time all year. The only other time this happened in his brief career was July 30, 1998, against Atlanta.
• Leftovers from Saturday's 22-3 Reds victory: The Reds' total was the fourth-highest in team history and the seventh-highest ever recorded by a Phillies opponent. Also, the 19-run victory was the Reds' largest since a 22-2 shellacking of Chicago on June 1, 1957.
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