By John Fay
The Cincinnati Enquirer

A year ago, Ken Griffey Jr. and the Reds were stretching before games, but now the focus is on "movement preparation" to warm up muscles. The goal is to avoid pulls and strains. The Cincinnati Enquirer file/MICHAEL E. KEATING

SARASOTA, Fla. - When you talk about the Reds' chances this year, it's hard to go a sentence or two without using the two-word phrase "if healthy."

The Reds, by nearly every measure, were a bad team last year. That's usually the case when a team loses 93 games. But the Reds were a decent team for nearly half a season. They were 36-35 and four games out in the National League Central on June 19.

Then the injuries caught up with them.

By the time the year was over, 19 players had made 25 appearances on the disabled list. Eleven players ended the year on the DL - three other players were shut down for precautionary reasons. The only starting position players to avoid the DL were Sean Casey and Jason LaRue. That, combined with cost-cutting trades, gave the Reds a Triple-A look by season's end.

It's not a look the Reds want to repeat.

"The players understand the importance of having health and us having a full, active 25-man roster," Reds general manager Dan O'Brien said.

One of O'Brien's ongoing projects since he took over has been looking at the way the Reds did things to keep healthy.

"We looked throughout the organization and discussed the things we feel we've done well and also highlighted those areas where improvement is needed," O'Brien said.

"It's been a collaborative effort for a number of months to get to the point where we're at now. We've made some adjustments - no question."

The biggest change might be at the minor-league level. Pitchers at Single-A and below will be limited to 75 pitchers per outing. Those clubs will use an eight-man tandem system with their starting rotation.

That's an effort to avoid the rash of surgeries to young prospects such as Chris Gruler, Ty Howington, Josh Hall, Luke Hudson and Ricardo Aramboles.

Reds medical director Dr. Tim Kremchek says the change in general management to O'Brien from Jim Bowden should help stem the tide of ailing arms.

"We got into such a rush to get guys to the majors that it put undue pressure not only on players but the coaches," Kremchek said. "Things were tinkered with that needed to be tinkered with. Things were tinkered with that didn't need to be tinkered with. Sometimes we got caught up in a bind.

"Rather than have a three- or four-year plan, we got caught up in a one- or two-year plan. Pitchers threw more innings in (Single-)A ball than they should have. We should have been counting those pitches."

Kremchek thinks limiting pitches in the low minors will help with that.

"There's no question when you're a pitcher that you have so many pitches in your arm from the time you're a kid until you're done," he said.

On the major-league level, the most noticeable change is that stretching and conditioning are mandatory and done as a team.

"No. 1, everything is more regimented," Kremchek said. "Everyone's more accountable for their activity, and there's no favoritism. If you've been here 15 years, five years or you're a rookie, you do the same thing."

Carlos Alvarez, the strength and conditioning coach, runs the stretching programs. But the mandate for full participation comes from above.

"It stems from Dan (O'Brien)," Kremchek said. "But it translated to (manager Dave) Miley. Miley's got to enforce it. Dave enforces it quite well. I feel respect there."

O'Brien also has worked hard to get everyone - Alvarez, trainer Mark Mann and Kremchek and their staffs - on the same page.

"There's a coordination that, quite frankly, we know we have to improve on," O'Brien said. "We spent a lot of time in the offseason talking about communication. We're doing everything in concert."

The Reds also tweaked their programs. Alvarez introduced a "regeneration" program in which the Reds stretch after games or workouts.

"I think that will help us recover faster," Alvarez said.

The Reds don't just stretch anymore. They've gone to "movement preparation."

"We warm up the muscle through movement, rather than static stretching. It's a big difference," Alvarez said.

"We want to do as many things as we can do to try to avoid things like muscle pulls," O'Brien said.

O'Brien knows the changes don't sound very big, and that's because they aren't.

"These are not radical changes," he said. "But they're adjustments introducing a few new, innovative approaches. What we're trying to do is build on a base and try to make the situation better."

The Reds also added a physical therapist who will be based in Sarasota.

"He's here for not only minor-league players but major-league players who might need a warm environment to stimulate their rehab," O'Brien said.

But, with injuries, there's more than a little luck involved. Brandon Larson suffered a turf toe injury breaking out of the box on a routine play.

Ken Griffey Jr.'s shoulder injury last year? No stretching would have prevented it.

O'Brien knows there's nothing you can do about something like that.

"Regardless of what program you put in place, there are no guarantees," he said. "But I think we're going the extra mile."

E-mail jfay@enquirer.com