May Day Owings Pitches Reds to 6-5 Win

Micah Owings is barely old enough to remember Sam "May Day" Malone the character from the 25 year old sitcom Cheers but the Cincinnati Reds sent out an SOS.

Dusty used Paul Janish as a pitcher last night in the Reds 15-3 defeat at the hands of the Milwaukee Brewers last night. Janish, who is subbing for Alex Gonzalez and his sore oblique muscle, was sore due to the one-inning stint that saved Dusty Baker's bullpen an inning.

He was supposed to rest his shoulder but a non-swine variety of the flu wiped out the right side of the Reds infield. Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips the third and fourth hitters in the lineup were sick. Baker has to wait to see if they are well enough to be in the lineup.

Catcher, Ramon Hernandez played first with Ryan Hanigan behind the plate. Votto had played every inning of the Reds first 27 games. With the two catchers in the lineup and arguably two pitcher, albeit Janish had just one career inning, the Reds had a spare battery right in the lineup.

Owings had to pick up not only some big time slack for a pitching staff that needed innings from its starter but he also had to provide some offense.

"It was crazy," Owings said.

"The bullpen was upside down," Baker said. "The lineup was upside down too. The guys came through."

Jerry Hairston played secondbase and turned double plays started by Janish in the second and third innings. But after Cincinnati built a three-run lead, he dropped a potential double play ball that helped the Brewers load the bases. Prince Fielder unloaded them with a double.

"If they had turned that Micah might not have given up anything," Baker said.

That is when Owings bat made a difference.

"I've been blessed with the ability to swing it," said Owings, who was a DH and firstbaseman when he wasn't pitching in his college days.

He followed Janish's second hit of the game with a triple to right center. He scored what turned out to be the winning run on a wild pitch.

The Brewers made it close but the regular bullpen, Nick Masset, Arthur Rhodes and Francisco Cordero closed it out.

"It was a big win. It showed us we can win, no matter who we put out there," Baker said.

Asked if he could play firstbase in an emergency, Owings responded, "Phew, I'd have to let Dusty make that call."

Jay Bruce, who started the Reds offense in the first with his eighth home run off Braden Looper in the first inning, volunteered to switch positions to help a bench that consisted of just outfielders Darnell McDonald and Chris Dickerson.

"I told Dusty that I could play firstbase," Bruce said. "I played it when I was real young but as I got a little older, I grew into my body I got faster. They put me in the outfield."