Lefthanded starter Travis Wood will start for the Reds against the Chicago Cubs tomorrow.
Wood had a great season last year and nearly beat out Mike Leake and Aroldis Chapman for the Reds fifth starter out of Goodyear, Arizona this spring.
"He deserves an opportunity and we need him," Dusty Baker said on Wednesday morning.
Wood is 5' 11" and weighs 165. He set a Southern League record with a 1.21 ERA last season before finishing with eight starts at Louisville.
He pitched well this spring and the choice came down to him and Leake.
"It was a hard decision. Leake separated himself by having better command," Baker said. "Wood had a reputation for having great command but we saw quite a few more walks from him this spring, than we wanted to see. That was the difference."
Wood had a quality start in each of his last seven outings.
The native of Little Rock, Arkansas, gave up just two runs in his last 28 2/3 innings, including eight innings of shutout baseball in his last start.
Cincinnati Sports News and Commentary
About Me
- Gary Schatz
- I am a freelance writer. I've covered the Cincinnati Reds, Bengals and others since 1992. I have a background in sales as well. I've sold consumer electronics, advertising and consumer package goods for companies ranging from the now defunct Circuit City to Procter&Gamble. I have worked as a stats operator for Xavier University, the University of Cincinnati, the College of Mount St. Joe and Colerain High School.
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