CNATI: Cincinnati OH Sports Journalism

Spring Training 2010

Live: Reds at Angels 3.10.10

By C. Trent Rosecrans, CNATI.com Posted March 10, 2010 11:38 AM ET

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Welcome to Tempe Diablo Stadium.

We were in the dugout and someone said to Mike Leake: "You must be huge here."

Leake answered, "Yeah, I'm like Godzilla."

To that, Hal said, "No, he's on the other side."

Hal, his producer and I are all in the visitor's radio box because the press box and auxillary press box are ful. Arizona has Godzilla mania. The Japanese press is here in full effect for Hideki Matsui.

And right as we say that, someone above the dugout decked out in Arizona State gear says, "Hey Mike Leake, you didn't think I'd miss you pitching here."

Leake then talked to a Sun Devils baseball fan for a while. Although, I did not to him I thought his groupies would be a little bit better looking, considering the high talent level in Tempe -- which, by the way, like the facilities here, blows Florida out of the water.

Leake has another admirer in Dusty Baker.

"He has a quiet confidence, he has a great idea of how to pitch at such a young age, he has a great command of the strike zone," Baker said. "I was talking to Bob Welch, and he was helping ASU out before we took (Leake) and he told me I'd like this young man because his 'cheese is at the knees.'

"The thing I've noticed about him is unlike most young guys, he recognizes quickly how a hitter reacts to a certain pitch and acts accordingly. A lot of guys throw a breaking ball early in the count and never come back to it. Or a guy is late on a fastball and then throw him offspeed."

Baker said he'd also heard from Bronson Arroyo that Arroyo likes more the Leake's hairstyle.

"He said he likes his demeanor," Baker said.

As for the hair, Baker said he used them as an example of before and after. But Baker did pay Leake the ultimate compliment, "he's cool," Baker said.

Reds
Stubbs cf
Heisey lf
Phillips 2b
Francisco 3b
Hernandez c
Bruce rf
Alonso 1b
Frazier DH
Janish ss

Lincoln RHP

Angels
Aybar ss
Abreu rf
Morales 1b
Matsui DH
Rivera lf
Napoli c
Wood 3b
Evans cf
Amarista 2b

Reckling LHP

* Baker was also asked about Torii Hunter's comments in USA Today about Dominican players. Baker was at the USA Today roundtable where Hunter's comments were made, but said he wasn't there fo rthat part or didn't remember them.

"Torii's one of the most respected guys in the game by all races," Baker said. "I hope he was making light of the situation and it came out  and was interpreted wrong. I know Torii pretty well and I know he has a lot of Latin friends. I don't like to see any division in baseball or division in the races, especially in this world we live in today. Torii's one of the guys that usually brings guys together. Like everything else, this two shall pass."

* Baker was also asked about Chris Heisey. He said last year Heisey was ahead of everyone after playing winter ball, right now he's with everyone else.

However, he had another message he gave Heisey.

"I reminded him he's a hitter and not a slugger, some of these young guys try to get on the team by slugging and not hitting and being themselves," Baker said. "I told him a story that I got a letter when I was with the Dodgers, I got a letter from Joe Black reminding me I was a hitter, not a slugger."

* Top 1: After two outs, Reckling gives up back-to-back walks to Phillips and Francisco (really). No, really, Francisco walks. Reckling tries to pick of Phillips and throws it into center, allowing the runners to move up. Hernandez grounds out. Redlegs 0, Angels 0

* Bottom 1: Lincoln get Aybar swgining. He was up 0-2, then after a ball, gets him waving weakly at a cureball. And now Bobby Abreu looks at strike three. 0-2 to Morales. Then a foul. So far he's thrown one ball. Make that two. And three. 2-2. And a fly out to center. 14 pitches, 11 strikes, 3 balls. Redlegs 0, Angels 0

* Top 2: Bruce goes down lookng. A double for Alonso to left-center -- he don a good job. He goes to third on a wild pitch. Then Reckling hits Frazier square in the back. Frazier's been a magnet for lefties so far. Chapman hit him in the intrasquad and now this. Janish walks. Stubbs hits one on the nose, right at Aybar. Frazier has to freeze at second, Aybar flips to Amarista for the force at second, and with no chance to get Stubbs, Frazier's in no-man's land. And it's your run of the mill 6-4-5-4-1 DP to end the inning. But the run scores. Redlegs 1, Angels 0

* Bottom 2: 6-up, 6-down for Lincoln. Redlegs 1, Angels 0

* Top 3: 1-2-3 for Kohn, which I can only say like this:




   
* Bottom 3: And that's all for Lincoln, Arthur Rhodes in. Line on Lincoln: 2IP, 2K. Remember the fun with small sample sizes, the sizes are small if they're good or bad. So if you cried about how awful Mike Lincoln is after his outing the other day, do you have to go all Chapman-mania on this outing? Like I've said many times, in spring training, nearly any reaction is an overreaction. (I'm still pretty damn proud of that line. I doubt it's 100 percent original, but I can't remember anyone saying it before, but I could be wrong.)

Wood singles for the first Angels hit of the day. And then Evans grounds into a 6-4-3. Amarista pops up. Redlegs 1, Angels 0

* Top 4: O'Sullivan in for the Angels.

Just got back from talking to Mike Lincoln, he felt a lot better, obviously, about his outing. "I think I threw more pitches the other day, but I'll take it."

* Bottom 4: Mike Leake in. K of Aybar. He walks his second batter, but then gets a double play to end the inning.

* Top 5: A quick inning by the Angels' Fernando Rodriguez. 1-2-3. Redlegs 1, Angels 0

* Bottom 5: Leake back out. Matsui pops up the first pitch. Then a liner to short. And we have our first Juan Francisco error of the season, he can't pick up a Mike Napoli grounder. That'll ruin the shot at 27 up, 27 down. And for some reason, it's ruled a base hit by the scorer. ANd it doesn't matter as the next batter pops up. Redlegs 1, Angels 0

* Top 7: And we're back. Same score. Leake said it was "kind of a like a dream come true" to face Bobby Abreu and Kendry Morales. He was also excited about playing here in his "second hometown." And, by the way, it's still 1-0. Cairo walks, Frazier singles up the middle. Valaika is in for Janish. Redlegs 1, Angels 0

* Top 8: This time it was Mo Egger that took up my time on whateverwe'recallingittoday1530 (really, do they change their name or Fox Sports Ohio FS Ohio Fox Net Ohio Sports change their name more?)

And we're still 1-0.

Wladimir Balentien triples to center, Castillo singles him in. Sutton singles in another run. Then there's a double by Corky Miller, a single by Laynce Nix. 4-0. Cairo walks, Frazier singles in two more. It's 6-0 and that's it for the pitcher. A pop up of Valaika and a double play end the inning. Redlegs 6, Angels 0

* Bottom 8: Kip Wells in for the Reds. Really nice play on a grounder to third by Drew Sutton and Josh Anderson makes his second diving catch of the day. Nice work out here behind Wells. Wells loads the bases and is saved on a wild pitch, Corky Miller runs it down and a nice job by Wells covering home to get the final out of the inning.

Final: Redlegs 6, Angels 0

Categories: Cincinnati Reds, Featured Stories, Spring Training 2010

Tags: Chris Heisey, Dusty Baker, Mike Leake, Reds