Cincinnati Reds
Notes: Hanigan to the DL
By C. Trent Rosecrans, CNATI.com Posted May 29, 2010 5:40 PM ET
Ryan Hanigan has been put on the 15-day disabled list after breaking his left thumb sliding into second in the fourth inning of Friday's victory over Houston. Hanigan played the rest of the game, going 2-for-3 with two walks.
"It was at the top, the best place it could have happened. It was a clean fracture, so hopefully I can be back soon," Hanigan said, slipping off a protective sheath that covered the top half of the thumb.
He was scheduled to meet with the doctor during the team's batting practice to get a better timetable for his return. The team called up catcher Corky Miller from Class AAA Louisville.
"In my position, it's always unfortunate when you get to the big leagues, because it means someone's hurt, especially Ryan and the season he's having," Miller said. "It's tough for him and hopefully they don't miss anything behind the plate."
Miller played for the Reds at the end of last season and was in spring training with the club.
"It's huge that we have a guy like Corky here," Reds manager Dusty Baker said.
Miller said he's caught everyone on the staff but rookie Mike Leake.
"They like throwing to him," Baker said of the team's pitching staff. "Corky was here at the end last year and was partly responsible for the way we finished."
Miller played in 21 games for the Reds last season, hitting .179. For the Bats this season, he's hitting .287/.354/.485 with four home runs and a team-high 24 RBIs.
"Last week was a tough one, but we had a tough travel schedule, things are going good, I'm seeing the ball well," Miller said. "I had a couple of good weeks. It was pitches I could hit and not swinging at the ones I can't. It seemed to be going everywhere, left field, right field, out of the park, wherever you want."
To make room for MIller on the 40-man roster, the Reds transfered outfielder Chris Dickerson to the 60-day disabled list.
JANISH BACK -- The team reinstated shortstop Paul Janish from the bereavement list and optioned Drew Sutton to Class AAA Louisville.
VOTTO STILL OUT -- First baseman Joey Votto is still out of the lineup with a sore neck.
Before the game, Baker said he wasn't sure yet if Votto would be available to pinch hit.
"Possibly, we'll see how he does running and throwing," Baker said.
BATS NO-HIT -- Miller's been swinging the bat well at Louisville, but he didn't get a hit in Friday night's game. He was hardly alone, as Gwinnett's Todd Redmond no-hit the Bats.
Miller said it was "one of those nights" as the Bats hit the ball hard all night, just none fell in for a hit.
"(Yonder) Alonso hit three balls as hard as you can hit three balls and he went 0-for-3," Miller said.
Miller said he lined one off the foot of the pitcher in the ninth, but it bounced to the shortstop and he was thrown out easily. He also noted another ball that bounced off the first baseman, right to the second baseman for an easy out.
"You had to wonder if it was meant to be," Miller said.
LEHR UNDERGOES SURGERY -- Class AAA starter Justin Lehr underwent arm surgery on Friday, including "Tommy John" surgery to repair the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.
The day after the surgery, Lehr was in the Reds' clubhouse and he's flying to Arizona on Sunday. Lehr lives in Arizona and will rehab at the Reds complex in Goodyear, Ariz.
Despite the season-ending surgery, Lehr was in high spirits. The team said they want him to stay in the organization while he rehabs, which means he will have a place to rehab and also a place to pitch next season when he is ready to come back.
"I'm somewhat relieved because I know I've been close to this for some time," Lehr, 32, said. "I got by last year by making adjustments - the worse my arm got, the more tricks I came up with. That wasn't really me, I knew I was on the edge of not knowing when that last bullet was going to be. I kept having pain and I was losing more and more stability over time. I think the instability led to bone chips and I couldn't go anymore, I couldn't compete. I did it as long as I could the way it was."
Lehr said he felt the arm problems for the last two or three years, but the last straw was his start on May 15. Lehr said he was in the low 90s on his fastball in the first innings of games this year, but by the fifth inning his velocity would be topping out in the high 70s.
"The last pitch I threw was a 78 mph heater that went for a two-run homer," Lehr said.
Lehr, last season's International League Pitcher of the Year, was 1-3 with a 6.57 ERA this season. He pitched well in spring training, but said he was able to get by in short bursts -- two or three innings, however when he got to 50 pitches, he lost control.
While rehabbing in Goodyear, Lehr will also work on the player development side of the Reds' organization. He was credited last year with teaching Homer Bailey a split-fingered fastball and several other pitchers in the Reds organization, have credited Lehr with helping them.
More than anything, Lehr said he's excited to have a shot to play baseball again, "Whether I get to the big leagues again, I don't know," Lehr said. But he will be trying.
"I'm one day out from surgery," Lehr said, "only 300 to go."
Categories: Cincinnati Reds, Featured Stories
Tags: Corky Miller, Dusty Baker, Homer Bailey, Joey Votto, Justin Lehr, Paul Janish, Ryan Hanigan
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