“They know how I feel about winning every game and most of them feel the same way,” said manager Dusty Baker. “If you’re a pro, you care — whether it’s all on the line or nothing is one the line.
“There is stuff to play for — winning, the opinion the club gets from you for next year, the personal stuff on the back of your bubblegum card,” Baker added.
Baker said that when he played, this time of year for the noncontenders was called the salary drive.
“And I remember my roommate, Ralph Garr, used to tell me, ‘Don’t hit nine.’ I’d say, ‘What do you mean and he’d say, ‘Don’t hit .269 or .259 or .299. It sounds better with one more points, .270 or .260 or .300. Just don’t hit ‘9.’
“One year I was at .299 and on my last at-bat against the Giants and Greg Minton I got a double and ended up hitting .300,” said Baker, referring to 1982.
Yonder not coming
There may be one roster addition tonight when the Reds open a three-game home series against the Houston Astros — right fielder Jay Bruce could come off rehab.
“Maybe Jay will be with us, if for sure he is healthy,” said Baker. “I don’t think there is any more help on the (40-man) roster. Everybody on our 40-man is here now.”
The only exception is first baseman Yonder Alonso and he is only on the roster because it was part of his five-year Major League contract when he signed as the team’s No. 1 draft pick last year.
He started the season at Class A Sarasota and was promoted to Class AA Carolina and was added to the Class AAA Louisville roster for the playoffs.
“Probably not for Alonso,” said Baker. “He hasn’t played that much this year and he is going to the Arizona Fall League. He needs to go home for a break before he goes to the AFL so he can exert maximum effort and have maximum strength and stamina.”
Due to injury, Alonso played only 78 games, 49 for Sarasota and 29 for Carolina, batting 280 times. He hit .303 for 175 at-bats in Class A with seven homers and 38 RBIs and he hit .295 in Double-A with two homers and 14 RBIs in 105 at-bats.
What’s in a number?
From an interested fan with a lot of time on his hands: When Francisco Cordero entered Saturday’s game, he had 244 career appearances, batters were hitting .244 against him this season and his earned run average was 2.44.
Quote of the day
First baseman Kevin Barker was carrying a bat around the clubhouse Sunday morning and when asked if it was a bat with good wood, he said, “Oh, yeah. Great wood. But it isn’t the arrow that works or doesn’t work, it is the Indian who shoots it.”
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