Stumble it!
NEW YORK — Taking two out of three from the Yankees this weekend wasn’t satisfying enough. Reds manager Dusty Baker wanted the sweep, but events conspired to keep that from happening.
In Sunday’s 4-1 loss to New York, back spasms put third baseman Edwin Encarnacion out of the game in the third inning, forcing Baker to move Jeff Keppinger from shortstop to third while also inserting Paul Janish at short.
In the top of the eighth inning with a runner on second and two outs, Baker went for broke and called for pinch-hitter Javier Valentin to bat for Janish against closer Mariano Rivera. Normally, it’d be the sound move, especially since Janish has been overmatched at the plate lately.
But the problem was that there were no infielders left on the bench. Before the game, backup Andy Phillips was designated for assignment to make room for Keppinger’s activation from the 15-day disabled list.
It didn’t matter.
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NEXT GAME 6/24 - vs. the Blue Jays @ Rogers Centre at 7:07PM EDT
TV: FSN Ohio | RADIO: WLW 700
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- Home run too little, too late in Rox loss - June 22nd, 2008
- Jimenez's career night silences Mets - June 22nd, 2008
- Reds Win 2 straight! - June 22nd, 2008
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