Sunday, April 02, 2000
Casey injures hand in last tuneup
Reds waiting for results of X-rays
BY DAVID JENKINS
Enquirer contributor
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — The 2000 exhibition season ran one game too long for Sean Casey.
Casey suffered a bruised right hand Saturday afternoon in an 8-3 loss to the Baltimore Orioles in the Reds' final exhibition game. Casey's status for Monday's season opener was unclear.
The Reds were waiting for X-ray results Saturday night in Cincinnati.
“It's all right,” Casey said after the game. “Sore.”
Casey was injured when Orioles first baseman Will Clark hit a hard shot that bounced in front of Casey, then struck his hand. The ball was hit so hard that it ricocheted to second baseman Pokey Reese, who threw to pitcher Ron Villone to retire Clark.
The Reds finished spring training with a 16-17 record; they play the Milwaukee Brewers at 1:07 p.m. Monday to start the regular season.
The Reds and Orioles dedicated 6,000-seat BellSouth Park, the the new home to Cincinnati's Double-A affiliate, the Chattanooga Lookouts. It wasn't friendly to the Reds pitchers.
Five pitchers allowed 14 hits, including six in a rocky eighth inning against Danny Graves. Graves, who entered the game with a 1.13 spring ERA, allowed three earned runs in his inning pitched.
Dennys Reyes, the only Reds pitcher not to allow an earned run, took the loss. Starter Ron Villone worked five innings, allowing four hits and two runs. He walked four and struck out four.
Relievers Scott Williamson and Scott Sullivan both allowed an earned run in their inning.
The offense didn't fare much better. The Reds man aged only five hits against five Orioles pitchers.
Ken Griffey Jr. had an RBI single in the first and a double in the third. Mark Lewis homered in the seventh inning. Barry Larkin had a triple, Eddie Taubensee a double.
Greg Myers, a backup catcher formely with the Atlanta Braves, had a solo homer for the Orioles in the sixth, off Williamson. Myers badly reinjured his hamstring on the swing, forcing him to circle the bases at a near-walk. He left the game after that hit.
Clark and Mike Bordick had two hits each for the Orioles, who had 14 hits. The win ended a Baltimore skid of nine losses in 12 games.
Orioles left-hander B.J. Ryan worked a scoreless eighth innings. Ryan, a former Reds prospect, was traded to the Orioles last season in the Juan Guzman deal.
TRADE: The Reds acquired backup infielder Juan Castro from the Los Angeles Dodgers for a player to be named.
In parts of five seasons with the Dodgers, Castro hit .188 with two home runs and 23 RBI.
He hit .274 with seven home runs and 51 RBI for Triple-A Albuquerque last season.
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