Junior might return Friday
ARLINGTON, Texas - Reds manager Bob Boone said Ken Griffey Jr. likely won't return to the starting lineup before Wednesday and even that is optimistic. Griffey, who suffered a mild strain in his right hamstring running to first base on Friday at Anaheim, is available to pinch hit.
"But if it's Wednesday, then it'll probably be Friday," Boone said. "That's without even talking to him. There's a chance he could play this (series at Texas). But my tendency has been that if he tells me he can play (Wednesday), then I'll say, "Good, but we've got the off-day on Thursday, so let's wait (until Friday).
"The exciting thing is it appears that it's not real serious."
But with Griffey having already missed 41 games because of a torn patella tendon in his right knee, he scarcely can afford to miss any more games with injuries if he is to put up anything close to the kind of numbers he is accustomed to.
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RESTING REGULARS--Second baseman Todd Walker was out of the lineup Tuesday night, and Boone said he likely will rest first baseman Sean Casey, third baseman Aaron Boone and shortstop Barry Larkin a game each either tonight or Friday night. The Reds have Thursday off, meaning that with the exception of Walker, each player will have consecutive days off.
"I don't know if guys are tired right now, but that's the way it looks," Bob Boone said. "Anytime you don't hit, you look flat, and that's what it looks like."
Finding rest for players wasn't supposed to be a problem after Ken Griffey Jr. came off a six-week stay on the disabled list two weeks ago. But Griffey now is day-to-day with another injury, and the Reds currently are in a six-game stretch of interleague road games that concludes tonight. That means they have to use a designated hitter, making it even tougher to find suitable circumstances for resting certain guys.
Meanwhile, Griffey likely won't return to the starting lineup before Friday night, when the Reds open a three-game series with Pittsburgh at Cinergy Field. He remains available to pinch hit, but hasn't done so since straining his right hamstring on Friday night at Anaheim.
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Although Jeff Bagwell had four days off from throwing last week while taking advantage of last Thursday's off-day and serving as the DH the next three days against the A's, his sore right shoulder isn't much better than it has been all year.
Bagwell, who had surgery to repair a torn labrum and remove bone spurs in his right shoulder in October, aggravated the already ailing shoulder playing defense on Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
"It's about the same," Bagwell said when asked if the four days helped him. "I was sore after I dove on it (in Arizona), so I needed that time off anyway. But it's about the same."
Story has legs
Shortstop Julio Lugo, who strained his right groin last Wednesday, felt a bit less discomfort Tuesday running the bases and taking grounders for the third consecutive day.
He wasn't well enough, however, to start. Adam Everett started at short for the second consecutive game and third time in the five games Lugo has missed.
"We talked about him utilizing his legs and how important are his legs and how important is his speed," Jimy Williams said. "You got a guy playing the middle part of that diamond and hitting leadoff. His legs are, to me, that much more important.
"There's more emphasis put on it because you don't want to put him in jeopardy of a setback. ... He's not running 100 percent. You have to be 100 percent if you're going to bat leadoff and play shortstop."
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Knee Sidelines Alomar
Roberto Alomar's sprained left knee kept him out of last night's starting lineup, and manager Bobby Valentine could rest him again tonight with a day off tomorrow. Alomar twisted the knee in the seventh inning of Monday's 3-1 win over the White Sox as he tried to duck away from Jeromy Burnitz's throw to second. Alomar struck out in the ninth inning in a pinch-hitting assignment last night.
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ARLINGTON, Texas - Reds manager Bob Boone said Ken Griffey Jr. likely won't return to the starting lineup before Wednesday and even that is optimistic. Griffey, who suffered a mild strain in his right hamstring running to first base on Friday at Anaheim, is available to pinch hit.
"But if it's Wednesday, then it'll probably be Friday," Boone said. "That's without even talking to him. There's a chance he could play this (series at Texas). But my tendency has been that if he tells me he can play (Wednesday), then I'll say, "Good, but we've got the off-day on Thursday, so let's wait (until Friday).
"The exciting thing is it appears that it's not real serious."
But with Griffey having already missed 41 games because of a torn patella tendon in his right knee, he scarcely can afford to miss any more games with injuries if he is to put up anything close to the kind of numbers he is accustomed to.
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RESTING REGULARS--Second baseman Todd Walker was out of the lineup Tuesday night, and Boone said he likely will rest first baseman Sean Casey, third baseman Aaron Boone and shortstop Barry Larkin a game each either tonight or Friday night. The Reds have Thursday off, meaning that with the exception of Walker, each player will have consecutive days off.
"I don't know if guys are tired right now, but that's the way it looks," Bob Boone said. "Anytime you don't hit, you look flat, and that's what it looks like."
Finding rest for players wasn't supposed to be a problem after Ken Griffey Jr. came off a six-week stay on the disabled list two weeks ago. But Griffey now is day-to-day with another injury, and the Reds currently are in a six-game stretch of interleague road games that concludes tonight. That means they have to use a designated hitter, making it even tougher to find suitable circumstances for resting certain guys.
Meanwhile, Griffey likely won't return to the starting lineup before Friday night, when the Reds open a three-game series with Pittsburgh at Cinergy Field. He remains available to pinch hit, but hasn't done so since straining his right hamstring on Friday night at Anaheim.
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Although Jeff Bagwell had four days off from throwing last week while taking advantage of last Thursday's off-day and serving as the DH the next three days against the A's, his sore right shoulder isn't much better than it has been all year.
Bagwell, who had surgery to repair a torn labrum and remove bone spurs in his right shoulder in October, aggravated the already ailing shoulder playing defense on Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
"It's about the same," Bagwell said when asked if the four days helped him. "I was sore after I dove on it (in Arizona), so I needed that time off anyway. But it's about the same."
Story has legs
Shortstop Julio Lugo, who strained his right groin last Wednesday, felt a bit less discomfort Tuesday running the bases and taking grounders for the third consecutive day.
He wasn't well enough, however, to start. Adam Everett started at short for the second consecutive game and third time in the five games Lugo has missed.
"We talked about him utilizing his legs and how important are his legs and how important is his speed," Jimy Williams said. "You got a guy playing the middle part of that diamond and hitting leadoff. His legs are, to me, that much more important.
"There's more emphasis put on it because you don't want to put him in jeopardy of a setback. ... He's not running 100 percent. You have to be 100 percent if you're going to bat leadoff and play shortstop."
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Knee Sidelines Alomar
Roberto Alomar's sprained left knee kept him out of last night's starting lineup, and manager Bobby Valentine could rest him again tonight with a day off tomorrow. Alomar twisted the knee in the seventh inning of Monday's 3-1 win over the White Sox as he tried to duck away from Jeromy Burnitz's throw to second. Alomar struck out in the ninth inning in a pinch-hitting assignment last night.
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