By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

SARASOTA, Fla. - Reds manager Bob Boone has a theory that someone with Wily Mo Pena's immense talent can suddenly take off.

We could be seeing that right now.

Pena, the 21-year-old Dominican, went 3-for-4 with a double in the Reds' 2-0 loss to Toronto Sunday, extending his hitting streak to six games. He's 11-for-20 in the streak.

"He just continues to get it done," Boone said.

The Reds have been playing Pena at first base, third base, left field and right field to get him at-bats. Pena leads the team with 46 at-bats, and is hitting .370.

"I worked hard in the Dominican on hitting the breaking ball," he said. "I know it's my weakness."

The 6'3, 252-pound Pena is best known for his power. But with that comes strikeouts - 126 in 388 at-bats at Double-A last year.

He's hit two home runs this spring with 13 strikeouts. But he's willing to sacrifice power to cut down on the Ks.

"We know what he can do when they make a mistake," Boone said. "They're going to try to trick him. But he's picking up the ball better. I'm more than encouraged by what I've seen."