Candle lighting leads to Reds victory

[CincyRedsFan30]

Higher spirits: Reds win, 5-1
Coffey comes in cold, gives Cincy a boost

By Hal McCoy

Dayton Daily News

CINCINNATI | So maybe Our Lady of San Juan is a Cincinnati Reds fan, or the Patron Saint of Bullpen Misery.

When the Reds arrived in their clubhouse Tuesday, before their 5-1 victory over the San Diego Padres, there was a flickering candle on a table in the middle of the room.

"What we need is some sort of sacrifice," outfielder Austin Kearns said.

On this night, the votive candle was sufficient, a candle with a label that had a prayer to Our Lady of San Juan.

Pinch-hitter Jacob Cruz was the perpetrator, the guy who last year tried scribbling positive quotations on the bulletin board every day.

"Got up this morning and headed for the grocery store to buy it," Cruz said. "Anybody got any better ideas? Everything goes wrong and you come in the next day and think it can't get worse and it does."

Before Tuesday, the Reds had lost 10 of 11 in ways a bad movie producer couldn't concoct, in ways the 120-loss 1962 New York Mets couldn't produce.

At the beginning Tuesday, it looked as if Our Lady of San Juan was an evil injury spirit.

Starting pitcher Brandon Claussen, leading 2-0, was hit in the left triceps in the fourth inning. That hurt, but it isn't why he left the game. He twisted his left ankle when he fell.

"Don't know how it happened, other than my ankle stuck in the dirt and the dirt didn't give way and there is a lot of earth there," said Claussen, wearing a protective boot, even though X-Rays were negative.

Shortstop Rich Aurilia batted twice then left the game when he strained his left hamstring running to first base.

"I was halfway to first and it grabbed pretty good," said Aurilia. "What do I think? It's par for the course for me so far this year. We'll have an MRI (today) and find out what to do."

But Our Lady of SJ smiled, too.

Sean Casey had two doubles and drove in three runs.

Todd Coffey replaced the injured Claussen with one out and runners on first and third and coaxed a double play out of Xavier Nady and was credited with his first major-league win.

"After going 13 innings (Monday), we had to call on guys in the bullpen we didn't want to call on," said manager Dave Miley.

One was David Weathers, who gave up two hits but recorded two big outs.

"He was running on fumes and you have to give him credit for going out there, but he got us two big outs (in the seventh)," said Miley.

Coffey was lounging in the bullpen when Claussen went down and was quickly thrust into the game. . .no bullpen warm-up pitches.

"I've done that twice in the minors, come in for an injured pitcher without warming up in the bullpen," he said. "You just have to calm down and make sure you're ready before you pitch.

"It's different, but you just relax and get warmed up before you face a hitter."

When a relief pitcher replaces an injured pitcher without bullpen warm-ups, the replacement is permitted as many warm-ups as he wants and Coffey took about 20.

Ken Griffey Jr. threw Mark Loretta out at third base on a single by Brian Giles during an inning in which the Padres had four hits but only one run, a leadoff home run by Damian Jackson.

Griffey's 13-game hitting streak ended, but he said. "My team didn't need me offensively tonight, just defensively. Trey (his son) hit a grand slam tonight and that was the family offense.

"Every now and then I surprise somebody with my arm," he said. "The way the ball was hit, I wasn't surprised (Loretta) tried for third. I'da done it, too. I just happened to make a good throw."

The Reds bullpen didn't quiver and quake — Coffey, Ricky Stone, Weathers, Ryan Wagner and Danny Graves pitched 5 2/3 scoreless innings.

"For Todd Coffey to do what he did, come in cold in a game like that. . .this can ignite us and get something going," said Claussen.

Cruz said the candle will be lit for this afternoon's game.

[redsrbetter]

You better light that candle right in the face of whatever has brought these bad choices.