Wily Mo brings big bat back to Reds' lineup

By Kyle Nagel

Dayton Daily News

CINCINNATI | Two hours before Monday's game against the St. Louis Cardinals, Reds players could've looked up at the scoreboard in Great American Ball Park and noticed a chilling statistic. It was 56 degrees.

That was a bit more ominous for Wily Mo Pena, the Reds' outfielder who got his first start Monday — in right field and hitting fourth — since leaving a game against the Florida Marlins on April 23. He had stiffness in his left quadriceps muscle, which doesn't respond well to cold.

Was he ready?

"I guess so," Pena said. "We'll find out."

Before his injury, Pena had started eight straight games and become one of the Reds' most productive hitters. He entered Monday batting .341 with six home runs (tied with Adam Dunn for the team lead) and 12 RBIs.

He had been cleared to play Sunday, but didn't start. Instead, he nailed a fifth-inning, pinch-hit home run in the Reds' 13-3 loss to Milwaukee.

"We're going through an extensive warm-up with him and maintenance program, but other than that, he's doing great," said Reds trainer Mark Mann. "He's got no restrictions at all."

Well, except for some extra stretching in the cold.

"It was like this in Chicago," Pena said of the Reds' three-game series at a frigid Wrigley Field last week. "I had to stretch every two innings. So, that's what I have to do today."

After Pena left the starting lineup, the Reds lost five of seven games to finish a nine-game road trip.

Keep it down

In their first 24 games, Reds' starting pitchers surrendered 29 homers, by far the most in the National League (Pittsburgh and Philadelphia each have given up 23).

That follows the trend set last season, when Cincinnati pitchers allowed 236 homers, breaking the 2003 team record of 209 and falling just three short of the NL record and five short of the Major League record.

The pitching staff as a whole is on pace to give up 256 dingers, which would best the Major League record set the by the 1996 Detroit Tigers (241).

"When the balls are up, they have a chance of getting hit out," Reds manager Dave Miley said. "We have to pitch ahead. When you're behind 2-and-1 and 3-and-1 and facing good hitters, you're on the road to disaster."

Butter fingers

After going errorless in their first eight games — the third-best stretch to begin a season in history — the Reds made 14 errors in the next 16 games. That includes 15 errors in the last 14 games.

Farm report

• Right fielder Norris Hooper went 4-for-4 to extend his hitting streak to nine games for Class AA Chattanooga on Sunday. In those nine games, he is hitting .568 with one home run and nine RBIs.

• Righty David Shafer won his first decision of the season in Class A Sarasota's 8-7 victory in 11 innings on Sunday. He hasn't allowed a run in eight games

(112/3 innings).

Making his pitch

Centerville High School grad Tim Rieger switched sports for a day, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch prior to Monday's game. On Sunday, the former University of Cincinnati runner won the Flying Pig Marathon (2:30.24).

Contact Kyle Nagel at 225-7389.