Thursday, May 09, 2002
Reds Notebook:
Larson on fire in Louisville
By John Fay jfay@enquirer.com
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Brandon Larson, the Reds' No.1 pick in 1997, hit his third grand slam of the year in Triple-A Louisville's 6-5 win over Rochester Wednesday.
Larson is hitting .337 with six home runs and 19 RBI. The Reds' two backup infielders — Gookie Dawkins and Wilton Guerrero — have three RBI between them. Third baseman Aaron Boone is struggling at the plate (.220 entering Wednesday), but the Reds have no true backup, so he has started 32 of 33 games.
So is Larson being considered for a promotion?
“Our preference is for him to play every day,” Reds general manager Jim Bowden said. “But when you're in contention, your first priority is winning.”
Larson plays only third base, so that limits him as a bench player.
Don't be surprised if Donny Leon is brought up in a bench role. Leon, a 25-year-old switch hitter, is hitting .359 with 12 home runs and 29 RBI at Double-A Chattanooga.
He can play third, first and left field.
GABE TO APPEAL: Gabe White was informed that he's being fined $750 for throwing a pitch over the head of Barry Bonds on April 28. The fine won't break White, who makes $2.35million, but he's appealing on principle.
“If I pay the fine, I accept that I did something wrong,” White said.
White says he didn't.
“The game was tied,” he said. “He was the leadoff hitter in the inning. If I hit him, I can't get him out. We didn't stare each other down. There was no turmoil. I had to cover the bag on the play. He jogged past me and didn't say anything.”
The play was noticed because of what happened in the next inning. Felix Ro driguez hit Sean Casey with a pitch, and that led to both benches clearing and a war of words.
“If Rodriguez doesn't hit Casey,” Bob Boone said, “what happened never gets noticed.”
ADOPTION: Ken Griffey Jr. and his wife, Melissa, have adopted an infant boy. Tevin Kendall Griffey was born Sunday.
NO ADMITTANCE: Tom Browning pitched the only perfect game at Cinergy Field. But that didn't guarantee him entry into the stadium.
Browning is doing a few innings on Fox Sports Net's broadcast Friday.
He showed up Wednesday to do a little research. He had even arranged for a media credential. But the credential wasn't at the gate by the time he arrived Wednesday and Browning couldn't talk his way in. So he left without getting in.
“There was a mix-up at the gate,” Reds spokesman Rob Butcher said. “I called to apologize. He was great about it.”
UP NEXT: The Reds are off today. They open a three-game series with the St.Louis Cardinals Friday night.
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