By Kevin Kelly
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Resting on the top shelf of the locker were six videotapes and one used baseball. Josh Hall didn't get the win in his major-league debut against the Giants on Saturday at Great American Ball Park, but the 22-year-old pitcher took with him a few mementos.
"It's the ball I warmed up with in the 'pen," Hall said. "And the videotapes, I'll have to decide who gets those."
Called up from Double-A to start Saturday, Hall impressed during his part of a 5-4 Reds win before a crowd of 36,682 that included Hall's wife, parents and as many as 30 other friends and family members.
"That kid ought to be very proud of himself," Reds manager Dave Miley said.
The victory was Cincinnati's fourth consecutive and fifth in the six games since general manager Jim Bowden and field manager Bob Boone were fired Monday.
The Reds won in the seventh Saturday when, with the scored tied at four, pinchhitter Barry Larkin walked with the bases loaded to score D'Angelo Jimenez.
"Since I've been here, I've been very pleased," Miley said. "If you go out there and play like that, nobody can say anything to you."
The day started early for Hall, a seventh-round pick in the 1998 draft who was 6-8 with a 3.20 ERA in 21 appearances at Chattanooga this season.
His minor-league manager told him to arrive at Great American Ball Park by 9 a.m.
With players not scheduled to report until 11:45 a.m., that meant he was the first in the Reds clubhouse Saturday morning.
"I just walked around and checked out the place," he said. "I just got adapted and acquainted with everybody."
Hall, who has worked his way back from serious shoulder injuries early in his professional career, then went out and proved himself.
A candidate for the fifth spot in the rotation this spring, he allowed two runs on four hits while striking out and walking two.
"It's just something we've been waiting for," Hall said. "I've put in a lot of hard work. My parents, my family, everybody has put in a lot of hard work."
He retired the Giants in order in the first inning but needed 33 pitches to finish a two-run second inning.
Barry Bonds, who entered with a major league-leading 33 home runs, .508 on-base percentage and .722 slugging percentage, hit a 2-0 pitch into the Giants bullpen for the first run.
"It's not every day when I'm pitching in a game and Barry Bonds steps to the plate," Hall said. "It was cool. You give it up and it's like, 'Barry Bonds just hit that off of me.' At the same time it's like, 'Man, I just gave up a home run.' "
San Francisco followed Bonds' 647th career homer with three consecutive hits to take a 2-0 lead.
Hall then retired the next three batters to get out of the inning, and retired nine of his last 11 after that.
"He stayed cool when he got in trouble," Reds catcher Kelly Stinnett said, "and got out of a big jam there."
The Reds scored one run in the fourth - a solo homer by Jimenez - and three in the fifth.
Ray Olmedo's bunt drove in one run and first baseman Sean Casey, who made a pair of spectacular grabs at first base early in the game, drove in two with a single to center field.
Hall was pulled before the start of the sixth. Relief pitcher Ryan Wagner allowed two homers that tied the game entering the bottom of the seventh.
Though he didn't get the victory Saturday, Hall forces the Reds to make a difficult call.
Cincinnati won't need a fifth starter again until Saturday.
Team officials gathered in Miley's office after the game to discuss their plans.
"You think about it, but then you don't think about it," Hall said. "You know that, 'I need to throw well, pitch well, in order to stay here or to just keep me in the back of their mind.' The main thing was that I just wanted to pitch a good game."
The four trades that brought eight pitchers to the Reds organization last week certainly weren't lost on Hall.
"It makes you feel like you're not good enough," he said. "You've just got to keep pitching.
"Baseball is a funny game. You never know what's going to happen. You've just got to keep doing your job and it will pay off one day."
Like it did Saturday.
| San Francisco | AB | R | H | BI | BB | SO | Avg. |
| NPerez 2b | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .265 |
| Aurilia ss | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .268 |
| Feliz 1b | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .228 |
| Bonds lf | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .330 |
| Alfonzo 3b | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .247 |
| BSantiago c | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .283 |
| Hammonds cf | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .159 |
| Worrell p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| JoCruz rf | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .247 |
| Foppert p | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .063 |
| Herges p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 |
| Galarraga ph | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | .319 |
| FRodriguez p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 |
| Eyre p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .000 |
| Grissom cf | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .311 |
| Totals | 35 | 4 | 8 | 4 | 2 | 4 | |
| Cincinnati | AB | R | H | BI | BB | SO | Avg. |
| DJimenez 2b | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | .333 |
| Olmedo ss | 5 | 0 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | .313 |
| Casey 1b | 4 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | .297 |
| Dunn lf | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | .220 |
| WPena cf | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .152 |
| Wagner p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | --- |
| Larkin ph | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | .267 |
| Riedling p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .235 |
| Heredia p | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | .333 |
| Taylor rf-cf | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | .200 |
| Stinnett c | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .260 |
| JCastro 3b | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .249 |
| Hall p | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | .000 |
| RMateo rf | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | .232 |
| Totals | 32 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 8 | |
| San Francisco | 020 | 001 | 100 | -4 | 8 | 1 |
| Cincinnati | 000 | 130 | 10x | -5 | 8 | 0 |
E-Foppert (1). LOB-San Francisco 6, Cincinnati 9. 2B-Hammonds (3). HR-Galarraga (8), off Wagner; BSantiago (11), off Wagner; DJimenez (1), off Foppert; Bonds (34), off Hall. RBIs-Bonds (69), BSantiago (43), Hammonds (4), Galarraga (29), DJimenez (6), Olmedo (8), Casey 2 (57), Larkin (18). CS-WPena (1).
DP-San Francisco 1 (BSantiago and NPerez).
| San Francisco | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | NP | ERA |
| Foppert | 4 1/3 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 78 | 5.27 |
| Herges | 1 2/3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 2.72 |
| FRodriguez L, 6-2 | 1/3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 3.59 |
| Eyre | 1 1/3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 36 | 3.25 |
| Worrell | 1/3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 2.01 |
| Cincinnati | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | NP | ERA |
| Hall | 5 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 78 | 3.60 |
| Wagner W, 1-0 BS, 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 2.25 |
| Riedling H, 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 17 | 5.35 |
| Heredia S, 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 2.60 |
Umpires-Home, Jerry Layne; First, Dana DeMuth; Second, Marvin Hudson; Third, Greg Gibson.
T-2:59. A-36,682 (42,263).
How the runs scored:
Giants second. Bonds homered to right on a 2-0 count. Alfonzo singled to left. Santiago singled to center, Alfonzo to second. Hammonds doubled to left, Alfonzo scored, Santiago to third. Cruz lined out to first baseman Casey. Foppert grounded out, second baseman Jimenez to first baseman Casey. Perez grounded out, first baseman Casey unassisted.
2 runs, 4 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Giants 2, Reds 0.
Reds fourth. Jimenez homered to right on a 1-0 count. Olmedo singled to center. Casey flied out to center fielder Hammonds. Dunn walked, Olmedo to second. Pena flied out to center fielder Hammonds. Taylor struck out.
1 run, 2 hits, 0 errors, 2 left on. Giants 2, Reds 1.
Reds fifth. Stinnett singled to left. Castro safe on fielder's choice and Foppert's error, Stinnett to second. Hall grounded into fielder's choice, pitcher Foppert to shortstop Aurilia, Stinnett out, Castro to second. Jimenez walked on a full count, Castro to third, Hall to second. Olmedo bunt single to second, Castro scored, Hall to third, Jimenez to second. Casey singled to center, Hall scored, Jimenez scored, Olmedo to third. Herges pitching. Dunn struck out. Pena fouled out to catcher Santiago.
3 runs, 3 hits, 1 error, 2 left on. Reds 4, Giants 2.
Giants sixth. Wagner pitching. Taylor in as center fielder. Mateo in as right fielder. Bonds grounded out, shortstop Olmedo to first baseman Casey. Alfonzo flied out to center fielder Taylor. Santiago homered to left on the first pitch. Hammonds grounded out, third baseman Castro to first baseman Casey.
1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Reds 4, Giants 3.
Giants seventh. Cruz grounded out, second baseman Jimenez to first baseman Casey. Galarraga pinch-hitting for Herges. Galarraga homered to center on a 1-1 count. Perez flied out to center fielder Taylor. Aurilia struck out.
1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 left on. Reds 4, Giants 4.
Reds seventh. Rodriguez pitching. Mateo flied out to right fielder Cruz. Jimenez singled to center. Eyre pitching. Olmedo singled to left, Jimenez to second. Casey fouled out to third baseman Alfonzo. Dunn walked on four pitches, Jimenez to third, Olmedo to second. Larkin pinch-hitting for Wagner. Larkin walked on four pitches, Jimenez scored, Olmedo to third, Dunn to second. Taylor flied out to right fielder Cruz.
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