Thursday, July 04, 2002
Reds Notebook: Slumping Casey rests
By Tom Groeschen tgroeschen@enquirer.com
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Sean Casey, in an 0-for-10 slump, was given Wednesday off. He took extra hitting before the game.
“I want to get him calmed down, and I also wanted to get (Russell) Branyan in,” manager Bob Boone said.
Branyan started in left field, with Adam Dunn moving to first base in Casey's place.
Casey has gotten ripped for his lack of power, with five homers this year. But he entered the season with a .311 career batting average, 10th-best among active players. He is at .284 this year.
FOURTH OF JULY: According to USA Today, a glance at the past 10 years shows 67 percent of the teams in first place on July4 went on to make the playoffs. The Reds are two games behind St.Louis in the NL Central.
HEAT ALERT: The Reds have taken to stretching in the clubhouse this week because of the heat and humidity. Batting practice also has been rearranged to let the starters hit first, so they can cool off in the clubhouse. Temperatures have been in the 90s at the start of every game this week.
How hot is it?
“It's 90,000 degrees out here,” Reds radio voice Marty Brennaman said. “But it's not like St. Louis was over the weekend. It's unbearable there.”
HANGING IN: Barry Larkin, who missed four starts from June 27-30 with spasms in his right shoulder and neck, reported no ill effects since returning for the Houston series Monday.
“I'm feeling good,” Larkin said before Wednesday's game. “A-OK.”
PINEDA TO DL: The Reds announced Wednesday night right-hander Luis Pineda was being placed on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to Monday. A magnetic resonance imaging test revealed right-shoulder tendinitis.
A corresponding roster move will be announced today. The team said Pineda will miss 2-to-4 weeks.
Pineda (1-3, 4.18 ERA) allowed five runs in just one-third of an inning as the starter in Sunday's 12-8 win at St. Louis. His previous game, he threw five scoreless innings in his first big-league start, getting his first career win in a 5-2 victory at Chicago on June 25.
DAVIS IN DOUBLE A: Lance Davis, 1-2 with a 6.84 ERA in five starts at Triple-A Louisville, was outrighted Wednesday to Double-A Chattanooga. Davis, who was 8-4 with a 4.74 ERA with the Reds last year, has had arm trouble this season. He was activated off the disabled list April 26 and sent to the minors.
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Reds Notebook: Slumping Casey rests
