Notes: Harang to stay on schedule
07/20/2006
CINCINNATI -- Aaron Harang's short night of two innings in Wednesday's game likely won't prompt manager Jerry Narron to alter the Reds rotation to give the pitcher another start.
Narron said he was "99 percent sure" Harang would stay in his regular spot and make his next start Tuesday at Houston.
"We talked about it," Harang said on Thursday morning. "As far as I know, they're not. It wouldn't work any way we did it."
Harang allowed four earned runs in two innings and threw 51 pitches before a two-hour, 23-minute rain delay halted the game. The bullpen worked seven scoreless innings after the game resumed for a 7-4 victory. The right-hander admitted he lacked his best stuff during the game.
"I really hadn't been sleeping. I've been fighting some allergies," Harang said of his shortest start this season. "I couldn't hit my spots. It was one of those days."
The night wasn't a total loss for Harang, who also worked off a mound in the Reds' indoor batting cage at Great American Ball Park.
"I was throwing during the whole rain delay to stay ready to go in and pitch," Harang said. "Once it got to the two-hour mark, Jerry said, 'That's it.'"
Harang threw 55 more pitches, which moved his pitch count to 106.
"Although the intensity was not as high in the cage," said Harang, who is 10-6 with a 3.72 ERA in 21 starts this season.
Plan B: With the rain delay throwing any regular plans out the window, Narron had several contingencies working throughout Wednesday night. The manager took a slight risk in the eighth by pinch-hitting with Javier Valentin, his only other available catcher with David Ross on the disabled list.
Had starter Jason LaRue been injured, it would have gotten really interesting. Utility man Ryan Freel would have debuted in a new position.
"Freelie would have caught. [Chris] Denorfia said he never caught but would strap it on," Narron said. "We could have done something."
To save pinch-hitters earlier in the game, he looked for opportunities to bat starting pitchers Elizardo Ramirez or Bronson Arroyo. But Cincinnati's ninth spot came up during run-scoring chances.
Had the Reds not taken an eighth-inning lead in Wednesday's game and won it nine innings, the pitching was set up to get through extras.
"If the game would have stayed tied, [Todd] Coffey would have gone back out there for the ninth," Narron said. "[Eddie] Guardado would have pitched the 10th. And [Gary] Majewski would have had to throw as long as he could."
Saturday's scheduled starter, Joe Mays, was also considered available to pitch or pinch-hit.
Red dot special: Freel started in center field on Thursday in place of lefty slugger Ken Griffey Jr., who got a day off following a night game. ... Rich Aurilia shifted from third base and started at first base in place of Scott Hatteberg. It opened up a spot for Edwin Encarnacion to start at third base. ... Wednesday's victory gave the Reds 50 wins for the season. Last season's 50th win did not come until Aug. 8. ... A fan gained illegal entry into Narron's office in the home clubhouse following Wednesday's game. The fan quietly sat down in the manager's office and listened to the postgame press conference and remained after it ended before Narron asked what he was doing there. Security later escorted the unidentified man away without incident.
Source: http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/
CINCINNATI -- Aaron Harang's short night of two innings in Wednesday's game likely won't prompt manager Jerry Narron to alter the Reds rotation to give the pitcher another start.
Narron said he was "99 percent sure" Harang would stay in his regular spot and make his next start Tuesday at Houston.
"We talked about it," Harang said on Thursday morning. "As far as I know, they're not. It wouldn't work any way we did it."
Harang allowed four earned runs in two innings and threw 51 pitches before a two-hour, 23-minute rain delay halted the game. The bullpen worked seven scoreless innings after the game resumed for a 7-4 victory. The right-hander admitted he lacked his best stuff during the game.
"I really hadn't been sleeping. I've been fighting some allergies," Harang said of his shortest start this season. "I couldn't hit my spots. It was one of those days."
The night wasn't a total loss for Harang, who also worked off a mound in the Reds' indoor batting cage at Great American Ball Park.
"I was throwing during the whole rain delay to stay ready to go in and pitch," Harang said. "Once it got to the two-hour mark, Jerry said, 'That's it.'"
Harang threw 55 more pitches, which moved his pitch count to 106.
"Although the intensity was not as high in the cage," said Harang, who is 10-6 with a 3.72 ERA in 21 starts this season.
Plan B: With the rain delay throwing any regular plans out the window, Narron had several contingencies working throughout Wednesday night. The manager took a slight risk in the eighth by pinch-hitting with Javier Valentin, his only other available catcher with David Ross on the disabled list.
Had starter Jason LaRue been injured, it would have gotten really interesting. Utility man Ryan Freel would have debuted in a new position.
"Freelie would have caught. [Chris] Denorfia said he never caught but would strap it on," Narron said. "We could have done something."
To save pinch-hitters earlier in the game, he looked for opportunities to bat starting pitchers Elizardo Ramirez or Bronson Arroyo. But Cincinnati's ninth spot came up during run-scoring chances.
Had the Reds not taken an eighth-inning lead in Wednesday's game and won it nine innings, the pitching was set up to get through extras.
"If the game would have stayed tied, [Todd] Coffey would have gone back out there for the ninth," Narron said. "[Eddie] Guardado would have pitched the 10th. And [Gary] Majewski would have had to throw as long as he could."
Saturday's scheduled starter, Joe Mays, was also considered available to pitch or pinch-hit.
Red dot special: Freel started in center field on Thursday in place of lefty slugger Ken Griffey Jr., who got a day off following a night game. ... Rich Aurilia shifted from third base and started at first base in place of Scott Hatteberg. It opened up a spot for Edwin Encarnacion to start at third base. ... Wednesday's victory gave the Reds 50 wins for the season. Last season's 50th win did not come until Aug. 8. ... A fan gained illegal entry into Narron's office in the home clubhouse following Wednesday's game. The fan quietly sat down in the manager's office and listened to the postgame press conference and remained after it ended before Narron asked what he was doing there. Security later escorted the unidentified man away without incident.
Source: http://cincinnati.reds.mlb.com/
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