Thursday, March 16, 2000Bowden blasts Reds' bullpen
REDS NOTEBOOK
BY CHRIS HAFT
The Cincinnati EnquirerSARASOTA, Fla. — For the second March in a row, General Manager Jim Bowden has chosen to light a spring bonfire under his bullpen.
Bowden declined to name the pitchers who annoyed him after Wednesday's 8-1 exhibition loss to the Boston Red Sox. But one of them likely was Gabe White. The left-hander allowed three runs (two earned) and three hits while working the eighth inning as his ERA rose from 2.00 to 3.60.
“I think we have a pitcher or two, thinking they've made this club, who are going about their business as if they're just trying to throw the ball and get strength,” Bowden said. “We have one or two guys who need to step it up, or they're going to find themselves shocked come Opening Day when they're not on the 25-man roster.”
Bowden added that the underachieving pitchers have been “very disappointing” in their preparations for the regular season but added, “There's plenty of time to correct that with two weeks to go.”
The Reds have alternatives. Team officials are known to be pleased with the efforts of non-roster invitees Hector Mercado, a left-hander who's unscored upon in eight innings spanning five appearances, and Bobby Munoz, the right-hander who threw a perfect fifth inning against the Red Sox.
Last year, the emergence of Scott Williamson and Dennys Reyes prompted Bowden to say, “If I were a reliever on this team, I wouldn't feel comfortable right now.” Bowden's mes sage was aimed primarily at right-hander John Hudek, who was traded a month later.
A NEW MAN: Hall of Fame slugger Reggie Jackson, now an assistant in the New York Yankees' front office, didn't recognize Munoz, an ex-Yankee, when they crossed paths last Friday night.
“There's a difference when you can see cheekbones,” Munoz said.
Hampered by a strained gluteus muscle for most of the spring, Munoz made his first appearance Wednesday. Though he threw well, his transition from slob to specimen was a better story.
Having lost close to 70 pounds in the last year and a half, Munoz reported to the Reds' camp as a non-roster invitee at 235 pounds. At 6-foot-8, he casts an impressive figure.
“Consequently, I haven't had a beer in almost a year and a half,” said Munoz. “Yeah, that hurts. But that was a big part of it. The after-game drinking and pizza-eating is over and done with ... I guess you could use me as the poster boy of what not to do in sports. Great arm, great ability and pretty much throw it down the tubes because you don't care.”
The Reds are Munoz's seventh organization in 12 professional seasons. At 32, he still has an opportunity to add to his four years of major-league service time. And though he probably won't open the season in Cincinnati, he knows he can make a good impression.
“I have to do the best I can, to where if something doesn't happen right now, it stays in the back of their mind to let them know I'm not too far behind,” Munoz said.
TWICE AS NICE: Williamson pitched two innings for the first time this spring and had mixed success.
After escaping a bases-loaded, one-out jam in the sixth by striking out Tim Spehr and coaxing Jose Offerman's groundout, Williamson yielded Carl Everett's first-pitch homer in the seventh.
“I'm not really worrying about results right now,” said the 1999 NL Rookie of the Year, who was sidelined for three days last weekend with a strained hamstring. “I'm just trying to get my arm strength up.”
An American League scout clocked Williamson's fastball at 92-95 mph, close to the right-hander's peak velocity. “Good movement, good sink,” the scout said of Williamson's pitches. “He's all right.”
BELL TOILS: Right-hander Rob Bell, a candidate for the No. 5 starting spot, is scheduled to pitch in a minor-league exhibition today.
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