Saturday, March 04, 2000

Parris sharp in win

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Pitcher may be key to rotation this season

BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Steve Parris watches a popup Saturday. (AP photo) | ZOOM |

        PORT CHARLOTTE, Fla. — Steve Parris knows the Reds will demand more from him this season. Perhaps knowledge is power, after all.

        Parris allowed one run in four innings Saturday, an unusually long outing this early in the spring, to help the Reds secure their first exhibition victory with an 8-1 decision over the Texas Rangers.

        Parris must sustain this durability for the Reds' starting pitching to thrive. The right-hander raised hopes last season, along with his status, by posting an 11-4 record with a 3.50 ERA.

        “We need Steve to give us more innings than he gave us last year,” Reds General Manager Jim Bowden said. “This will be the first time he'll have a full year in the big leagues. Hopefully he can get to that 180- to 200-inning level. Innings are going to be a key for us out of the rotation, because our bullpen should be good and we should score enough runs.”

(Michael E. Keating photo) | ZOOM |

        Parris, who pitched 128 2/3 innings in 22 appearances last year, has approached his new role the way he responds to most challenges: calmly.

        “I'm sure there are more expectations this year,” he said. “But I try not to worry about that kind of stuff.”

        Parris' poise is evident on the mound. Opponents hit .223 against him last year with runners on base.

        The numbers also told him that he was vulnerable on his first pitch, which hitters jumped on for a .393 average.

        “That explains why I did so well with guys on base, because I had to,” Parris said. “I need to think about what I'm doing and change a few things.”

        Thinking never has been a problem for Parris, 32. The veteran of 11 professional seasons taught himself long ago about the dangers of self-imposed pressure.

        Said Parris, “I was always trying to get to the next level as quick as I could — "I have to pitch well now to get to Double-A. I have to pitch well now to get to Triple-A.' When I went to Double-A I got shelled in my first three outings and I had like a 9,000 ERA. I'm serious. It was high.

        “After that third game, I said, OK, the season's pretty much lost for statistics. Just go out, pitch and see what happens. And I started pitching great. Two months later I was in Triple-A.”

        This mentality helped Parris cope with last spring's deep disappointment. Though he deserved to make the Opening Day roster, he began the season in Triple-A. The Reds needed only 10 pitchers and were reluctant to demote either Michael Tucker or Mark Sweeney, a pair of outfielders with minor-league options left.

        “It was out of my control,” said Parris, who was summoned to Cincinnati when injuries and ineffectiveness wracked the rotation. “No matter how well I pitched, that was going to hap pen. So I tend not to dwell on things anymore.”

        Parris approaches success the same way he handles adversity.

        “I don't gloat on anything,” said Parris, the rotation's second-leading winner last year behind Pete Harnisch (16-10). “If I throw a shutout, once the game's over, that's it. I'm on to the next one. You guys ask questions, I'll answer them and it's over. I don't even go home and talk about it. It's a long season. If you have seven great games and start getting a big head, you'll have seven bad games. I've seen it happen millions of times.”

        Parris' steadiness extends to his pitching style, which he builds around his fastball, slider and change-up.

        “One doesn't really stand out more than the other, which is a compliment,” catcher Eddie Taubensee said.

        Though the Reds are always hungering for hard throwers, Parris excels with a fastball that surprises hitters more than it dominates them.

        “I'm definitely not overpowering. I don't throw more than 92 miles an hour on a good day,” he said. “I think it's sneaky quick. A lot of guys tell me it gets on them a little quicker than they expect. That helps me a little bit.”

        Parris' confidence is much more forceful than his fastball. He continued believing in himself while laboring in the minors through most of the '90s and enduring shoulder problems that required two surgeries.

        “It was just a matter of refining my pitches,” he said. “It took me a little longer than most guys to get that refinement. It's still coming. It's not there yet.”

       

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