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Claussen gives Reds just what they need
By Hal McCoy
Dayton Daily News
CINCINNATI | On Sunday the Cincinnati Reds staged a fun-filled picnic that had everything but ants and Aunt Hilda's molded Jell-O.
The Reds frolicked on the Great American Ball Park grass to an 11-2 pie-in-the-face victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates.
It had pitching from Brandon Claussen. It had offense from Ken Griffey Jr., Jason LaRue and Ryan Freel. It had defense from Freel.
A premier pitching performance from a Reds starter is platypus-rare, so when Claussen walked Jose Castillo with two outs in the eighth, manager Dave Miley was booed when he left the dugout to get Claussen.
The boos turned into a standing ovation when Claussen walked to the dugout — two runs, seven hits in 72/3 innings.
"We were looking for 110 to 115 pitches, so when he got close to that we knew he wasn't going nine," Miley said. "It worked because he deserved the ovation. The boos for me? I can handle that."
A year ago, Claussen was coming off surgery and was coddled like a toddler and seldom permitted beyond 80 pitches, which is why Sunday's 72/3 innings are the most of his career.
"They've let the reins go and I'm ready to run," said Claussen, who missed a couple of starts with a sprained ankle and is not quite ready to run the Belmont.
"It's nice to pound a team early, then I can throw the ball and let 'em hit it," said Claussen.
The Reds scored one in the first and six in the second, including a two-run homer by LaRue and a three-run homer by Griffey.
Miley was pleased that Claussen didn't just play pitch-and-catch with catcher LaRue. He kept pitching.
"He had outstanding command and he pitched with that lead," said Miley. "He continued to pitch when a lot of pitchers just try to get by on fastballs. He kept mixing in all his pitches."
The pre-game clubhouse subject was home runs and the keynote speaker, naturally, was The Deacon of Dingers, The Bishop of Bash, Mr. Big Clout . . . Griffey.
Said Griffey, smiling broadly, "Only two parks can hold me, Turner Field (Atlanta) and Yellowstone."
The Reds have never played Yellowstone, so who knows? Griffey is homerless in 47 at-bats in Turner.
Griffey hasn't hit a home run in the expansiveness and darkness that is Detroit's Comerica Park, a place about which Dmitri Young said, "Is so dark it is like Gotham City," but Griffey has only 14 at-bats there.
And, of course, he has never played in Washington's RFK Stadium, but he has homered in every other standing major-league baseball park and many that have crumbled to rubble.
On Sunday, Griffey crushed his 19th in Great American Ball Park to go with 38 he hit in Cinergy Field and the 508 in all venues.
He drove in five runs, three on the home run, one with a sacrifice fly, one with a double, then was excused from the game after six innings, before dessert was served.
Freel had three hits, drove in two and scored one. When Griffey left the game, Freel shifted from second base to center field and burglarized a home run from Ty Wigginton with a spring-loaded leap above the bullpen fence.
"My first home-run robbery," he said. "I'm a little guy and don't get that many chances. But I do have a 371/2-inch vertical leap, highest on the team during spring training. And I used it all."
Said Griffey, "His jump? You've seen the movie (White Men Can't Jump). Yeah, it was a great catch and when you see a teammate do that, it gives you the chills."
As for staking Claussen to a 7-0 lead after two and 9-0 after three, Griffey said, "Any time you can make the starting pitcher comfortable with a lot of early runs is good. You give him seven runs it makes it easier for him and he knew what to do with them."
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Originally Posted by Reds_fan_4_life
). That swing is a work of art in all seriousness, so smooth and pure.
