Sunday, August 05, 2001
Tollberg worked out kinks in minors
SAN DIEGO — Brian Tollberg used his time wisely in the minor leagues.
Tolberg was recalled from Triple-A Portland on Saturday then pitched four-hit ball over eight innings as the San Diego Padres beat the Cincinnati Reds 2-0.
Tollberg (5-3) was sent to Portland July 23 after a pair of subpar outings in which he allowed eight runs and 17 hits in 10 innings.
The right-hander returned a different pitcher as he came within three outs of throwing his first career shutout in a game that lasted just 1 hour, 59 minutes.
“It really helped me to work on some stuff,” Tollberg said. “I could have gone down and been (mad), but I chose to make it a positive thing.”
Phil Nevin provided the offense with a solo homer, his 30th, and an RBI single. Nevin, who reached the 30-home run mark for the second straight season, stranded eight runners in Friday's 9-2 loss to Cincinnati.
“It wasn't easy going to sleep last night,” Nevin said. “But you have to learn to deal with it.”
Nevin's homer came on a hanging curveball from Chris Reitsma (5-11) in the fifth inning. Nevin nearly homered again in the sixth, but his line drive hit about two feet from the top of the left-field fence. The ball went for a single to drive in Damian Jackson.
“The pitch was a mistake,” Nevin said about the home-run pitch. “The pitch selection was probably good, but he left it up in the zone.”
San Diego won for the first time in 29 games this season when scoring less than three runs.
Tollberg who allowed just two runners to reach third base, struck out six and did not walk a batter.
“I was able to located my offspeed pitches pretty well,” Tollberg said. “I did a pretty good job of keeping them off balance.”
Trevor Hoffman pitched the ninth for his 27th save in 29 chances.
Tollberg suffered a fractured right middle finger on a comebacker from Cincinnati's Sean Casey on May 6. The injury put Tollberg on the disabled list and he missed 62 games.
“He had all his pitches working,” Casey said. “He was throwing everything for strikes. He was not afraid to throw any pitch on any count.”
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Tollberg worked out kinks in minors