Monday, September 16, 2002
Reds Notebook
Starting suits Graves
By John Fay jfay@enquirer.com
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Danny Graves gave the Reds exactly what they were hoping for when they moved him to starter, pitching five shutout innings in Sunday's 6-0 loss to the Chicago Cubs.
Graves allowed only three hits and didn't walk a batter.
“He was terrific, very pitch-efficient,” Reds manager Bob Boone said. “It doesn't surprise me.”
Graves needed only 61 pitches to get through the five innings.
“He just pounded the strike zone,” Boone said. “That's how he's pitched any time he's had a long stint.”
The Reds moved Graves into the rotation because they think his style is more suited for starting than closing.
“When he gives up a couple of hits, it's not critical because he gets so many groundballs,” Boone said.
Graves had one mildly difficult inning. He allowed back-to-back, two-out singles in the second.
“That inning killed me as far as the pitch count went,” Graves said. “I think I threw 20, 21 pitches.”
It's conceivable that Graves could go six or seven innings in his next start - provided he's pitch-efficient again.
“We'll have to play that by ear,” Graves said. “I didn't know what my pitch count was going to be today until two days ago.”
CAREER HIGH: Barry Larkin's first-inning double Sunday was the Reds shortstop's career-high 35th this year. Larkin's previous best was 34 in 1998.
UNSIGNED: Three of the Reds' top 10 draft picks remained unsigned, including Mark Schramek, the second pick in the first round. Third-round pick Kyle Edens and fifth-round pick Kevin Howard also are unsigned.
“I'm optimistic,” said Reds director of player personnel Leland Maddox. “There's no deadline because none of them is in school.”
All three are college players. A team loses the rights to a player as soon as they attend class.
SUPER SAMMY: Sammy Sosa's three-run homer in the eighth inning Sunday gave the Cubs slugger his eighth consecutive 100-RBI season (he has 102 RBI this year). The only other National League players to accomplish the feat are Hall of Famers Mel Ott and Willie Mays.
FARM REPORT: Single-A Stockton defeated Lake Elsinore 6-2 to win the California League title.
Bobby Basham, making his first start for the Ports, went eight innings, allowing five hits and two runs. He struck out 13 and walked none. Basham, a 22-year-old right-hander, was the Reds' seventh-round pick in the 2001.
GOODWILL MISSION: Some Reds visited with a group from Children's Hospital's ventilator unit that was attending Sunday's game at Cinergy Field and sitting in the patio area.
Scott Sullivan, Scott Williamson, Chris Reitsma, Joey Hamilton, Juan Castro, Gookie Dawkins, Kelly Stinnett and Tom Hume met with about 60 patients from Children's.
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Reds Notebook: Starting suits Graves
