Reds Finally See a Silver Lining

In a rough week all the way around, the Cincinnati Reds finally got something to celebrate.

Willie Greene and Chris Stynes homered Thursday night as the Reds beat the San Diego Padres, 5-1, getting their first victory and their first break in a run of bad pitching and bad luck.

“It’s a relief,” said Steve Cooke, who got the win by ending two days of poor Red pitching. “You don’t want to start the season losing a whole bunch of games.”

Since the eve of opening day, the Reds had experienced nothing but trouble. Their woes extended right up to batting practice on Thursday, when first baseman Sean Casey was hit by a thrown ball and broke the bone below his right eye and was taken off the field on a stretcher.

Casey came to the Reds on the eve of the opener in the trade that sent Dave Burba to Cleveland and shocked Reds fans. Cincinnati gave up 20 runs as it lost the first two games, and owner Marge Schott broke her hip in a fall at her home on Tuesday night.

Cooke steadied the Reds by holding the Padres to four hits and one run over six innings, and Jeff Shaw closed it out by picking Tony Gwynn off first base in the eighth and then pitching a perfect ninth for the save.

The Padres threatened in the eighth, when Stan Belinda walked Quilvio Veras and Gwynn came to bat one out later. McKeon brought in Mike Remlinger, his opening day starter, to face Gwynn, who was only three for 17 (.176) in his career against the left-hander.

Gwynn got a broken-bat single to right that sent Veras to third, but Shaw came on and caught Gwynn frozen off the base with a pickoff throw. Shaw then got Ken Caminiti to ground out and end the threat.

Red shortstop Pokey Reese, who tied a major league record with four errors in the opener, had another error Thursday. He has five errors and no hits in three games.

Before the game, the Reds announced that pitcher Jose Rijo will have his right elbow examined by Dr. James Andrews today. Rijo, trying to come back from four elbow operations in three years, says something feels funny in the elbow and suspects he has scar tissue.

NEXT SERIES FOR DODGERS

WHO: Cincinnati Reds

WHERE: at Cincinnati

WHEN: Today, 4 p.m.

Saturday, 10:15 a.m.

Sunday, 10:15 a.m.