Rick Sweet on Reds Triple A Prospects in Louisville

I went to check up on the Louisville Bats and in particular Devin Mesoraco and Chris Valaika.

Louisville manager Rick Sweet was insightful concerning Cincinnati prospects learning their craft.

The game Tom Cochran dueled Indianapolis lefthander, Jeff Locke, who was making his first start at the Triple A level.  Cochran was with the Reds briefly this season but did not appear in a game.

The Bats trailed 1-0 but put together some good at bats to score four runs to take the lead and the game.

Sweets comments on the game and the Reds prospect follows:

"You look at the last two or three weeks we've had leads in the seventh and eighth innings and lost them so they say the game comes around but I don't like that saying.  I'd just as soon like to win them all."

On Carlos Fisher who got the win....

"They are not supposed to get anything off Fisher.  He's one of the top pitchers in the league.  He pitched well.  A couple times he pulled the ball.  He's got good stuff but depends on the consistency when he can throw it over (the plate)."

On Tom Cochran, who has had problems in the first inning.

"When you start looking at stats, you would think he has trouble in the early innings. He's been a guy that we've taken in and out of the rotation.  He was tremendous for us early in the season when he was in the regular rotation.  Then we started taking him out (for rehabbing ML pitchers) and when you do that it happens at every level, you don't have that good command early in the ballgame.  He never said a word about it but its more our fault as an organization. That's just the way things happen sometimes but he's been solid."

Cochran allowed one run in six innings against the Indians.

On Chris Valaika

"He got off to a tremendous start and went up to the big leagues and played very well up there for the big club.  He came back down and he struggled when he came down.  It's taken him up to about the last couple weeks when he started swinging the bat.  He hit a couple of balls very hard tonight.  He had a big at bat late in the ballgame for us.  He's back to where he was early in the year.  It's unfortunate, especially young guys that go to the big leagues and come back.  They just don't have that 100 percent focus.  They physically put in their time but sometimes mentally they're not really focused on their game.  They're still thinking about the big leagues.  You know 'I've got there, I've been there.  I can do that again'. They lose that sharpness."

On Devin Mesoraco

"Has been solid all year.  He's getting a little tired.  He's running out of gas.  I gave him another night off tonight.  That happens especially with a young guy that mentally has had so much to learn here.  He's really progressed well mentally.  Physically he has a lot of tools but his game calling, handling of pitchers has just gotten better and better the more he's played."

Do you think he's ready?

"I probably have about 10 guys out there that are ready.  When you ask that question and I say yes he's ready.  Then I'm not saying he's the only one ready..He can go up there and play.  I've told Walt (Jocketty) that before.  Yes he's ready.  He can go up there and play.  Does he have to? No.  Is there more things he can learn here? Absolutely.  He needs to play.  I'm not sure the Reds are in position to put him in there everyday. That wouldn't be a benefit to him  As long as we have an opportunity for him to play here.  He'll play here.  Is he ready to go up and play at the major league level? Yes he is."

On Juan Francisco who had a great at bat taking pitches he's been know to swing at and selecting a pitch he could hit.  Francisco knocked in the tying run.  He had three hits all off lefthanded pitching.

"His at bats. I will tell you since he's come back from the knee injury, I have never seen Juan Francisco play better, offensively, defensively, baserunning.  He's playing very good baseball right now.  He went to Arizona and worked very hard.  He got back into shape ahead of schedule. He's played very well since he's come back here. It was a great at bat against a very tough pitcher. (Daniel Moskos) All three of his hits were off lefthanders."

On Corky Miller

"You always know Corky is going to do something right.  He hasn't got to play that much but his knowledge of the game is why he's here. He still can play but his knowledge these young guys need to learn."

Do you compare him to Crash Davis from the movie Bull Durham that was signed to tutor a young pitcher?

"That's what he is.  Absolutely."

"You hear me talk all the time about quality at bats.  I thought throughout the game we had quality at bats but we didn't put them together back-to-back until the eighth inning.  It was against some of their better pitchers.  They've got a very good team over there.  It started with (Michael) Griffen (who singled on the first pitch). A great sacrifice by (Kristopher) Negron.  Valaika had a great at bat and it went on from there."

Teddy Power made a minor adjustment to Cochran's delivery to get the lefthander back on track.

"Teddy Power does a great job making minor adjustments with these pitchers.  He's done it time after time after time. Cochran got off to a great start and he got out of his game a little bit.  He and Teddy made a little change in the bullpen in between his starts.  Cochran text me after his bullpen and said "I've got it."  Teddy told me when got here that he was going to have a great game.  He went out and had a great game.  Just a small adjustment.  That's all it takes."

On Chad Reineke

"He is another guy that went up to the big leagues and came back and really struggled.  He had four or five bad games and we took him out of the rotation for awhile.  He got himself straightened out again and right now he's on top of his game again.  His stuff's good.  His command's good.  He is right on top of everything."