Graves gets call
First major-league start is tonight
By Tony Jackson, Cinci Post staff reporter
At the behest of Danny Graves, Reds manager Bob Boone is calling Graves' first major league start against Pittsburgh tonight a "bullpen day,'' meaning Graves is the starter only in the technical sense and that he really is only the first in what figures to be a parade of relievers who will be called upon to pitch. All semantic tapdancing aside, though, this more likely is just the initial step in a complete and permanent conversion of the one-time All-Star closer to a full-time starter.
That being the case, the auditions for the Reds' soon-to-be-vacant closer role are unofficially under way. Even if no one is saying as much.
"That's for you guys to talk about,'' Boone told a small gathering of local scribes after Monday night's game, a 9-8 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates before 13,434 at Cinergy Field. "I've got three guys who are pretty good, and they're all going to be on the back end. I'm not auditioning them. I just want them to pitch. I've been pretty pleased with the way they've thrown. We're just going to let them pitch. That audition might be out there somewhere else. But I think all three of them are capable of doing it.''
The three are Scott Williamson, who got the final two outs in a shaky ninth inning to record his first save since May 31, 2000; Joey Hamilton, a career starter who only four days ago recorded the first save of his 11-year career in professional baseball; and John Riedling, who recorded one major league save in each of the past two seasons but has none in 2002.
All three appeared in the opener of this less-than-monumental, three-game series with the Pirates. None of them really distinguished himself.
Which only means the competition, which won't really be decided until the final weeks of spring training, is evenly matched.
"I think they want to give some people the opportunity to see what they can do in that situation,'' Hamilton said. "I think you'll probably see a few different people in that role, so they can kind of get an idea of what it is they want. I've thought about closing, especially in the last week or two. I wouldn't mind giving it a shot. I think I have the stuff to do it and the mentality that has to go along with it. It's definitely something that does interest me.''
Graves
6-3, 3.50
Graves' routine won't change
Reds closer Danny Graves, who lobbied against making his first major league start against Pittsburgh tonight in favor of waiting until next season when he can take on the mindset of a starter from the beginning of spring training, says he will not alter his normal routine just because he is the first of several relievers who will take the mound in what manager Bob Boone says will be a bullpen day.
"I'm not going to change what I do pregame, and I'm not going to change what I do the night before,'' Graves said. "If I try to change things up, that's when I'll get in trouble.''
Graves said that if asked to by a reporter, he would even violate the starting pitcher's unwritten rule of not giving interviews before the game on the day of a start.
- Tony Jackson
Danny Graves ranks second all-time in franchise history with 128 saves but may soon be a starter. (AP)
09/08/2002 00:02 am ET
Now 'beginning,' Danny Graves
Reliever doesn't wish to be termed a starter
By Chris Haft / MLB.com
MILWAUKEE -- Perhaps it's best not to call Danny Graves a starter right now. Maybe he should be called a "first pitcher" or "game opener" or "leadoff reliever."
But, by conventional definition, Graves is a starter. Manager Bob Boone hastened Graves' seemingly imminent conversion from the bullpen to the rotation by naming him to start Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Cinergy Field.
The Reds could have used Graves on the mound in any capacity Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers, who scored in each of the first five innings in a 9-6 victory at Miller Park.
Graves, the Reds' closer who ranks second all-time in franchise history with 128 saves, repeated his reluctance to start games at this stage of the season, since his arm is conditioned to relief work.
"I'm not physically able to [start] right now, unless I throw six pitches an inning," Graves said Saturday. "If it was that easy, I'll be 30-1 next year."
But Boone said that he and Graves reached a "compromise" by agreeing that the Reds would closely monitor the right-hander's pitch count and physical state.
"I think he's capable of throwing 50 or 60 pitches, but I don't know if I'd push him that far," Boone said.
Because Graves won't be expected to last five innings or more, Boone said that Tuesday will become a "bullpen day," in which multiple relievers chip in to handle the pitching workload. Boone added that he's inclined to use the remaining three spots for this turn in the rotation as bullpen days. "I'm not wedded to it, [though]," he added.
While implying that Graves would start as many as four games, Boone said that, as part of their compromise, the Reds wouldn't force him into trying to improve his pitching endurance. That can wait until next year, when Graves likely will report to spring training as a prospective starter.
"We're not going to build up his pitch count, so he can be a legitimate starter in the last two games," Boone said.
Graves has been a legitimate relief ace since 1999, when he led the team with 27 saves. The following year, he posted the first of three consecutive 30-save seasons, joining John Franco as the only Reds relievers to accomplish that feat. This year, Graves is 6-3 with a 3.32 ERA. His 31 saves tied him for ninth in the National League entering Saturday's action.
Graves' proficiency in extended relief roles has piqued Boone's curiosity. Graves has made 23 career appearances lasting three innings or more, posting a 6-0 record with a 1.35 ERA in those games. His most recent effort of this sort was extremely impressive -- a 3 2/3-inning, one-hit shutout stint at Houston on Aug. 24. This, combined with Brian Moehler's season-ending shoulder injury and the Reds' reluctance to commit to Chris Reitsma as a starter, has led to Graves' audition.
Graves, 29, hopes that Boone will continue to use him out of the bullpen between starts.
"I still want to get my saves, be the closer and be part of the relief corps," Graves said. "I don't want to be a starter right now. I don't want to be called a starter. And I think our conversation this morning made me feel comfortable when he said they were bullpen days and, on Tuesday, I just happen to be starting that bullpen day.
"There are plenty of other guys to start those bullpen days -- [Scott] Williamson, [John] Riedling, [Jose] Rijo, Reitsma. If it's a full bullpen day, I don't think it matters who starts."
But Graves knows that Boone also wants to determine which pitcher might possess the aptitude to be a closer if he moves to the rotation. Graves said he'd be willing to cede a save opportunity or two for this purpose and wouldn't necessarily have to start.
"I think it's more of a test to see who can close. In [Boone's] mind and in my mind, we know that I can start," Graves said. "I understand the situation," Graves added. "We're pretty much out of the race for first place, so this is the time you experiment with things. I told him, 'If you want to try somebody out, I don't have to be in the rotation for you to do that.'"
Referring to his two career home runs, Graves jokingly concluded that Boone's incentive to start him might be more than just pitching-related: "Maybe he wants an extra bat in the lineup."
First major-league start is tonight
By Tony Jackson, Cinci Post staff reporter
At the behest of Danny Graves, Reds manager Bob Boone is calling Graves' first major league start against Pittsburgh tonight a "bullpen day,'' meaning Graves is the starter only in the technical sense and that he really is only the first in what figures to be a parade of relievers who will be called upon to pitch. All semantic tapdancing aside, though, this more likely is just the initial step in a complete and permanent conversion of the one-time All-Star closer to a full-time starter.
That being the case, the auditions for the Reds' soon-to-be-vacant closer role are unofficially under way. Even if no one is saying as much.
"That's for you guys to talk about,'' Boone told a small gathering of local scribes after Monday night's game, a 9-8 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates before 13,434 at Cinergy Field. "I've got three guys who are pretty good, and they're all going to be on the back end. I'm not auditioning them. I just want them to pitch. I've been pretty pleased with the way they've thrown. We're just going to let them pitch. That audition might be out there somewhere else. But I think all three of them are capable of doing it.''
The three are Scott Williamson, who got the final two outs in a shaky ninth inning to record his first save since May 31, 2000; Joey Hamilton, a career starter who only four days ago recorded the first save of his 11-year career in professional baseball; and John Riedling, who recorded one major league save in each of the past two seasons but has none in 2002.
All three appeared in the opener of this less-than-monumental, three-game series with the Pirates. None of them really distinguished himself.
Which only means the competition, which won't really be decided until the final weeks of spring training, is evenly matched.
"I think they want to give some people the opportunity to see what they can do in that situation,'' Hamilton said. "I think you'll probably see a few different people in that role, so they can kind of get an idea of what it is they want. I've thought about closing, especially in the last week or two. I wouldn't mind giving it a shot. I think I have the stuff to do it and the mentality that has to go along with it. It's definitely something that does interest me.''
Graves
6-3, 3.50
Graves' routine won't change
Reds closer Danny Graves, who lobbied against making his first major league start against Pittsburgh tonight in favor of waiting until next season when he can take on the mindset of a starter from the beginning of spring training, says he will not alter his normal routine just because he is the first of several relievers who will take the mound in what manager Bob Boone says will be a bullpen day.
"I'm not going to change what I do pregame, and I'm not going to change what I do the night before,'' Graves said. "If I try to change things up, that's when I'll get in trouble.''
Graves said that if asked to by a reporter, he would even violate the starting pitcher's unwritten rule of not giving interviews before the game on the day of a start.
- Tony Jackson
Danny Graves ranks second all-time in franchise history with 128 saves but may soon be a starter. (AP)
09/08/2002 00:02 am ET
Now 'beginning,' Danny Graves
Reliever doesn't wish to be termed a starter
By Chris Haft / MLB.com
MILWAUKEE -- Perhaps it's best not to call Danny Graves a starter right now. Maybe he should be called a "first pitcher" or "game opener" or "leadoff reliever."
But, by conventional definition, Graves is a starter. Manager Bob Boone hastened Graves' seemingly imminent conversion from the bullpen to the rotation by naming him to start Tuesday against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Cinergy Field.
The Reds could have used Graves on the mound in any capacity Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers, who scored in each of the first five innings in a 9-6 victory at Miller Park.
Graves, the Reds' closer who ranks second all-time in franchise history with 128 saves, repeated his reluctance to start games at this stage of the season, since his arm is conditioned to relief work.
"I'm not physically able to [start] right now, unless I throw six pitches an inning," Graves said Saturday. "If it was that easy, I'll be 30-1 next year."
But Boone said that he and Graves reached a "compromise" by agreeing that the Reds would closely monitor the right-hander's pitch count and physical state.
"I think he's capable of throwing 50 or 60 pitches, but I don't know if I'd push him that far," Boone said.
Because Graves won't be expected to last five innings or more, Boone said that Tuesday will become a "bullpen day," in which multiple relievers chip in to handle the pitching workload. Boone added that he's inclined to use the remaining three spots for this turn in the rotation as bullpen days. "I'm not wedded to it, [though]," he added.
While implying that Graves would start as many as four games, Boone said that, as part of their compromise, the Reds wouldn't force him into trying to improve his pitching endurance. That can wait until next year, when Graves likely will report to spring training as a prospective starter.
"We're not going to build up his pitch count, so he can be a legitimate starter in the last two games," Boone said.
Graves has been a legitimate relief ace since 1999, when he led the team with 27 saves. The following year, he posted the first of three consecutive 30-save seasons, joining John Franco as the only Reds relievers to accomplish that feat. This year, Graves is 6-3 with a 3.32 ERA. His 31 saves tied him for ninth in the National League entering Saturday's action.
Graves' proficiency in extended relief roles has piqued Boone's curiosity. Graves has made 23 career appearances lasting three innings or more, posting a 6-0 record with a 1.35 ERA in those games. His most recent effort of this sort was extremely impressive -- a 3 2/3-inning, one-hit shutout stint at Houston on Aug. 24. This, combined with Brian Moehler's season-ending shoulder injury and the Reds' reluctance to commit to Chris Reitsma as a starter, has led to Graves' audition.
Graves, 29, hopes that Boone will continue to use him out of the bullpen between starts.
"I still want to get my saves, be the closer and be part of the relief corps," Graves said. "I don't want to be a starter right now. I don't want to be called a starter. And I think our conversation this morning made me feel comfortable when he said they were bullpen days and, on Tuesday, I just happen to be starting that bullpen day.
"There are plenty of other guys to start those bullpen days -- [Scott] Williamson, [John] Riedling, [Jose] Rijo, Reitsma. If it's a full bullpen day, I don't think it matters who starts."
But Graves knows that Boone also wants to determine which pitcher might possess the aptitude to be a closer if he moves to the rotation. Graves said he'd be willing to cede a save opportunity or two for this purpose and wouldn't necessarily have to start.
"I think it's more of a test to see who can close. In [Boone's] mind and in my mind, we know that I can start," Graves said. "I understand the situation," Graves added. "We're pretty much out of the race for first place, so this is the time you experiment with things. I told him, 'If you want to try somebody out, I don't have to be in the rotation for you to do that.'"
Referring to his two career home runs, Graves jokingly concluded that Boone's incentive to start him might be more than just pitching-related: "Maybe he wants an extra bat in the lineup."
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