CINCINNATI — Edwin Encarnacion was not in the Louisville Bats lineup Tuesday and it caused a bit of a flap and a stir with the Cincinnati Reds.
Nobody from Louisville called the Reds to say something was wrong with Encarnacion or gave a reason why he was not in the lineup on his rehab assignment.
Manager Dusty Baker was in the dark on this one and said, "Maybe a day off to give his legs a rest? I don't know."
What makes a day off seems strange is that the Bats are off today, so Encarnacion has a day off. Now he has two.
A Reds official checked the Bats and was told, "Manager's decision (Rick Sweet)." The official said he had never heard anything like that before. Usually when a team sends a play to the minors on rehab that player plays, unless something is wrong.
The official also pointed out that in his first nine games with the Bats, Encarnacion played six innings in his first game, seven innings in his second game and was the designated hitter twice, so he shouldn't be tired.
As it turns out, it was just decided to give him two days off after he played the first nine, nothing more to it.
Baker said it isn't likely Encarnacion will join the Reds on this homestand, not even the weekend against St. Louis, and said, "I'm not counting on him for the weekend and optimistically maybe he'll make the next road trip."
Volquez to throw
Edinson Volquez stood with a large ice bag on his right elbow, but an examination Monday revealed that the inflammation is gone. He will begin throwing again Friday, long toss at about 60 feet.
Volquez was ready to throw off a mound last week, but a second MRI revealed the inflammation still in his elbow. He’ll have a third MRI before he is permitted to begin throwing off the mound.
“I’m starting over and that’s bad,” said Volquez. “But at least the inflammation is gone and there is no pain, even when the doctor twisted and turned my elbow. It’s hard to watch games. All I can do is scream at the umpires.”
Saving the bullpen
While the Reds have the second best bullpen ERA in the National League (3.34), they are fourth in least innings pitched. Baker believes they go hand-in-hand.
“That’s how you want it,” he said. “That means they’ll be strong down the stretch. You have a light workload the first half and you can be strong the second half.
“We do have to watch carefully our workloads in the bullpen, especially the older guys like Arthur Rhodes (39) and David Weathers (39),” Baker added. “You have to have a good bullpen to win. It’s a must.”
Bruce stays in
Jay Bruce is near the top of the National League with 18 homers, but he continues to struggle to keep his batting average above sea level. His .214 averages comes from only 54 hits, with nearly one-third of his hits home runs.
Baker, though, sees no reason to sit him down, even with Jonny Gomes hitting .343 and Chris Dickerson hitting .279 (.467 over his last 11 games.)
“We can’t thwart his development,” said Baker of Bruce. “That would prevent him from being what he is going to be.”
Quote of the day
“He must have really good blood because he is a fast healer. I believe in that — good blood, fast healer.” — Manager Dusty Baker on the rapid recovery rate of shortstop Alex Gonzalez after his surgery to remove bone chips.
