Reds Lucky to Avoid Stephen Strasburg, Maybe

The Reds send Mike Leake to the mound for the first time this season to take on the Washington Nationals and left-hander Ross Detwiler.

The Reds have a chance to secure the series with a win today.  For the first time since Monday the Reds will have a different lineup.  Devin Mesoraco will catch Leake in his first start of the season.

Yet the game is a prelude to the series finale in which both teams send their ace to the mound.

Johnny Cueto will pitch for Cincinnati.  Washington sends the much hyped Stephen Strasburg to the mound.  Stasburg was the first choice in all of baseball in the 2009 draft.

He faced the Reds just once before on July 21, 2010. He gave up three runs in 5 2/3 innings in a winning effort over Cincinnati, which won the Central Division crown that season.  Strasburg struck out seven.

It was suggested by some Yayhoo that the Reds were lucky that they haven't faced Strasburg since.


"Maybe he's lucky," Dusty Baker said.  "He's a good one.  Somebody has to rise to the occasion.  There are other guys you might pick beside him to face but you can't duck anybody.  Our guy's (Cueto) been in longer. You can't get too far ahead.  This game today puts us in position to win the series."

Jay Bruce busted out of a slump on Friday by hitting two doubles both to the opposite field.


"Well when you're not hitting you go to the opposite field and work your way back Tommy Davis told me, " Baker said.  "When you're pulling your swing is as good as it is going to be. It was nice to see him go to the opposite field but to make contact.  These runs are  too precious to waste."

Manny Parra made his Reds' debut on Friday.  Control has been his nemesis during spring training but Friday Parra pitched two scoreless innings.


"Parra looked good," Baker said.  "He threw strikes. I told him our team you have to trust your defense.  Walks are like strikeouts, you have no chances.  Nothing from nothing leaves nothing it's a Billy Preston song.  We work hard on defense.  Defense is work.  Hitting is fun but defense is work.  You don't win games on defense but it loses games.  This game is designed for 27 outs not 30.  A whole lot of things happen.  They turn the lineup over."

Brandon Phillips made a diving catch of a line drive and turned it into a double play to back Parra.

It came as no surprise to Baker, who has seen many plays just like it made by the Gold Glove secondbaseman.  His newest teammate Shin-Soo Choo hasn't seen Phillips play as long.

"I wasn't surprised but Choo was," Baker said.  "I went by his locker he said, Wow.  I told him to get used to it.