Friday, April 27, 2001
Reds Notebook
Yankees turn up interest in Reyes
By Chris Haft
The Cincinnati Enquirer
SAN FRANCISCO — The New York Yankees apparently have intensified their interest in Dennys Reyes, who earned Thursday's victory with 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief. That belief has spread to the Reds' clubhouse, where second baseman Pokey Reese waved at Reyes and jokingly called, “Adios, amigo.”
Cincinnati wants starting pitching, and the Yankees have prospects to offer. Though the defending world champions might be reluctant to part with Ted Lilly, they might be willing to deal Randy Keisler, who rose from Double-A to the majors last year. Both Lilly and Keisler are 25 and left-handed.
RELIEF FOR BULLPEN: The Reds purchased the contract of right-hander Matt Skrmetta from Triple-A Louisville and optioned first baseman-pinch hitter D.T. Cromer to the RiverBats.
The move was forced by the Reds' tired bullpen — they used four relievers in each of the final two games here — and the knowledge that they're approaching a challenging series against the Colorado Rockies, who pile up runs at home.
“We need a 12th pitcher for Colorado because of the pitchers we used here and because Coors Field is Coors Field,” Reds general manager Jim Bowden said.
Skrmetta was 1-1 with a 1.13 ERA in seven relief appearances for Louisville. Cromer hit .286 (2-for-7) in eight games with the Reds.
CREEPY AT COORS: Manager Bob Boone has made just one other visit to Denver's Coors Field. And he doesn't like the park's tendency to inflate offenses.
“I must admit I'm not looking forward to going there, just because it's a different game,” said Boone, who managed the Kansas City Royals when they played a pair of 1997 exhibition games at Coors. “From a manager's perspective, you're so protective of your pitching all the time. There, a 3-2 game becomes a 7-5 game. That's an aberration, and I don't like it.”
ETC.: Reese said his bruised left shoulder was much improved but agreed with manager Bob Boone's decision not to start for the second game in a row. Reese, who entered the game as part of a sixth-inning double-switch, probably will return to the lineup today.
• Jim Maloney, the hard-throwing right-hander who excelled for Cincinnati from 1960-70, attended Thursday's game. Maloney resides in nearby Fresno, Calif.
• UP NEXT: Chris Reitsma (2-1) will test his 1.03 ERA in tonight's series opener against the Colorado Rockies at Coors Field, which is rarely friendly to pitchers. The Reds rookie will oppose Pedro Astacio (3-1), who owns a similarly impressive 1.93 ERA.
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Yankees turn up interest in Reyes
