Saturday, May 18, 2002
Inside pitch beans Rijo right in wallet
Reds notebook
By John Fay, jfay@enquirer.com
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Throw too far inside, and pay the man. That's what the Reds are finding out.
Jose Rijo was the latest Red fined. Bob Watson, Major League Baseball's chief of discipline, informed Rijo's agent, Tom Reich, of the fine.
Rijo was penalized for hitting San Francisco leadoff hitter David Bell with his first pitch May 3.
Reich asked Rijo if he wanted to appeal. Rijo gave him an emphatic yes.
“I'm going to take it to court,” Rijo said Friday. “I'd take it to criminal court if I could. It's ridiculous.”
Rijo's argument:
• Both starting pitchers were warned before the game that hitting batters would lead to ejections. “I'm going to hit someone after that?” Rijo said.
• Bell is followed in the order by Rich Aurilia, then Barry Bonds. “My plan was to get Bell and Aurilia,” he said, “so I'd be pitching to Bonds with nobody on base.
“I don't want to face him with runners on,” Rijo said. “I'm Rijo. But I'm not the old Rijo. I'm not that good.”
Rijo says it's a pitcher's right to throw inside. He thought Bell was a little too close to the plate in light of the incident that happened five days before and what was said afterward.
On April 28, the Reds' Gabe White threw a pitch over Bonds' head. Later in that game, Felix Rodriguez hit Sean Casey with a pitch. Both benches cleared; no punches were thrown.
That incident was followed by verbal shots from both sides. But Rijo said he can't change his game plan.
“I barely can break 90 (mph),” he said, “and I can't throw inside?”
White, by the way, was fined $750 for the pitch over Bonds' head. He also is appealing. Luis Pineda was suspended three games and fined $1,000 for hitting Chicago's Todd Hundley earlier this year. It was later reduced to one day and $750 through appeal.
The Reds lead the majors in batters hit by pitches (23 going into Friday).
MORE RIJO: Pineda was complaining to Rijo, his mentor, that umpires weren't giving him much of a strike zone.
“I told him, "You're a rookie,' ” Rijo said. “ "You have to wait.' He said, "I'm not a rookie anymore. I've been up two months.' ”
That brought laughter from Rijo. “I told him maybe after 10 months,” Rijo said.
FAST COMPANY: Adam Dunn has moved into second place in the National League in walks. Dunn entered Friday with 33 walks, one ahead of Sammy Sosa and 20 behind Barry Bonds.
That's a 134-walk pace. The Reds' record is 132 by Joe Morgan in 1975.
REALIGNMENT: Reds manager Bob Boone said one of the keys to the Reds' success this year is how they're aligning their defense.
“We're giving up the lines and packing the middle,” he said. “It's atradeoff.”
To make it work, the pitchers have to help. “Everyone talks about how Atlanta sets its defense,” Boone said. “A big part of that is pitchers executing, so they hit into the defense.”
Reds pitchers have been good about making the alignment work. “We've been preaching, "Throw low strikes with action in the zone,' ” Boone said. “You stay ahead and you eliminate mistakes.”
DOWN ON THE FARM: Shortstop Ranier Olmedo went 2-for-4 Thursday to extend his hitting streak at Double-A Chattanooga to 11 games.
Left-hander Lance Davis made his second start for Triple-A Louisville. He went six innings, allowing one run on five hits. Jose Silva pitched a perfect inning of relief in his second rehab outing.
UP NEXT: The Reds take on the Cardinals in the second game of the four-game set today at 2:10 p.m. Right-hander Rijo (3-1, 3.93 ERA) takes on the ace of the St. Louis staff, right-hander Matt Morris (6-2, 2.53).
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Inside pitch beans Rijo right in wallet
