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Bailey's April home is in AAA.

Bailey and Bruce Sent Down -- (3/28) Homer Bailey's not going to the Queen City when the Reds pack up to go north to start the season. The Reds' promising pitcher struggled in Grapefruit League action and will rejoin his former AAA squad down the river in Louisville. Bailey allowed 40 hits and walks with a 5.21 ERA in 19 innings in Florida. The Reds started camp with arguably three open rotation spots, so the demotion is notable and dissapointing. Ten more cuts are still in line for these final days before Monday's home opener with the Arizona Diamondbacks. MLB roster maximums are 25 players. Top OF prospect Jay Bruce was assigned to Louisville earlier in the week. He had only 3 RBI on the spring and missed a week with a quadriceps injury right when Cincinnati signed CF Corey Patterson, who looks to make the squad.  Also joining Bailey and Bruce in Louisville will be utilityman Jerry Gil, who impressed with his arm and a couple of spring dingers. . . Reds Rotation -- The rest of the rotation after Aaron Harang and Bronson Arroyo looks to consist of veteran pickup Josh Fogg and newbies Edinson Volquez, obtained from Texas in the Josh Hamilton trade, and Johnny Cueto. Volquez's last outing of one run and five K's in five innings against the Phillies seems to have cemented him into the five spot. Cueto had a 2.08 ERA and 12 K's in 13 innings before getting into a 41 pitch 5 run first inning disaster against Tampa Bay. Backstop Boy -- Widely rumored to be headed to the DL, Catcher David Ross appeared in the lineup and caught 5 innings with no back spasms Wednesday night. He said he feels ready for the regular season.

Corey Patterson has reached 45 steals in an MLB season and is now with the Reds.

Oriole Outs and Cub Castoffs (3/11) -- New faces Corey Patterson (OF) and Jerry Hairston, Jr. (IF) made their first Reds appearances of the spring this week in hopes of staying with the club. Both are veteran invitees and could each help with a little power and certainly with speed. Each earned some fame (or infamy) with Baltimore and the Cubs in their careers, though Dusty Baker knows Patterson more from his years with the Cubs (2000-2005). Patterson is a career .258 hitter but bottomed out last year after a fine 2006 campaign in Baltimore when he hit .276 with 16 homers and 45 steals. Hairston spent 1998 through 2004 in Baltimore but lost out at 2B to Brian Roberts of recent steroid rumor notoriety. He had some promise with OBA's of .353 and .378 in '03 and '04 with double digit steals both years, but was not able to maintain such numbers in Chicago and Texas. Still, these are ballplayers Baker likes and is willing to give a chance on minor league contracts. Who knows where they can fit in, but I've owned Patterson with his steals in fantasy ball, and it ain't all bad . . .

SS Alex Gonzalez will miss the rest of spring training at least.

Injury Update -- (3/3) Shortstop Alex Gonzalez, slotted to start at that position for 2008, may not be ready for the season opener. In fact, it's becoming increasingly likely that Jeff Keppinger or another candidate will have to fill in when they yell "play ball" at Great American. Gonzalez has a compression fracture in his left knee and is to wait three weeks before another examination and decision. He will not be participating in any baseball activities in the interim. Gonzalez had a bone bruise in the same knee, different spot, that cost him many games last September, but he still managed 16 homers and 55 RBI in 2007 in 110 games. Keppinger hit .332 with 5 bombs in 67 games last year and could be a pleasant fill in, though without much defensive range. Juan Castro might be available, but is coming off reconstructive right elbow surgery. Adam Rosales is also a SS possibility, having gone 5-8 with a home run already, but is untested having split last year between A-ball and AA. Dusty Baker does not want to move Brandon Phillips to short, mainly so Phillips will have minimal distractions in the hitting game. Meanwhile, promising Jay Bruce suffered a mild left quadriceps strain in Sunday's 8-4 loss to Toronto. No further word as of yet, but Bruce did have a two run double in the game. The muscle tightened as he rounded first, Bruce said. Catcher David Ross has yet to take the field due to low back spasms. 3/11 Update -- Ross has yet to play and will be out at least another week according to team sources. Gonzalez will not start the season - that's a safe bet in my book now.

Norris Hopper's mom would be proud to have him in center, would fans?

Three's a Crowd -- They're elbowing each other out behind the backstop in Sarasota as the Reds begin Spring Training in earnest. All 62 roster and invitee players got to it on Wednesday, and there was a new catcher in the mix to get the veins of Javier Valentin and David Ross going. It's Paul Bako, 35 years young, not exactly a new sheriff in town, but a veteran presence nonetheless. Dusty Baker liked Bako "a lot" in their mutual tenure in Chicago, so a minor league contract and an invite were in order. The Reds have a recent history of carrying three roster catchers at times (Ross, Valentin, LaRue and/or Moeller), so maybe no elbowing out is necessary, but that roster spot usage does appear wasteful to many. Bako was actually drafted by the Reds in 1993, but played with 8 other teams before signing his minor league deal now with Cincinnati. He is a career .233 batter, so he'll fit in perfectly with Valentin and Ross . . . The outfield's still crowded too, and I have no current answers. It's not really a bad position, though, as I expect 45 bombs and a .400 OBA from Adam Dunn, and as Ken Griffey, Jr. seems healthy and should be productive. Fans would love to see Ryan Freel in center, while prospect geeks want Jay Bruce and Norris Hopper's mother and cousins will want to see the speedster get the CF job. More on this situation as it develops. Griffey is off the golf course and in camp, and don't forget he had 30 homers and 93 RBI's last year while missing almost 20 games. So out with that 9 iron and in with the Louisville Slugger -- play ball, Junior!!   

Dusty Baker looks to build a winner in 2008

Reporting for Duty, Sir! -- (2/16) -- This is the big day in Sarasota, FL for the Cincinnati Reds as pitchers and catchers finally report to camp to commence Spring Training. Leading the pack is new manager, Dusty Baker, whom the faithful expect to lead the team through the drab, mediocre NL Central to a playoff berth. Ah, optimism always abounds under the palm trees in February! Baker has 14 years of managing under his belt and is a three time NL Manager of the Year. Baker will get a good look at promising young arms in Homer Bailey, Edinson Volquez and Johnny Cueto. The three are fighting it out with Jeremy Affeldt and Matt Belisle for the 3-5 spots in the rotation. Obviously, Bronson Arroyo and Aaron Harang are the top two for the 2008 rotation. Some pitchers, including Affeldt, Bill Bray and Todd Coffey, didn't even wait for the official reporting day -- they are already in Sarasota and ready to roll. Young hitters Joey Votto and Jay Bruce have reported ahead of schedule as well. Affeldt is hoping for a rotation spot, but his marked success as a long reliever leaves him open to filling that spot for the Reds if necessary. There is still the pesky, persistent rumor of the Reds trying to sign A's starter Joe Blanton, which would really create a traffic jam in the race for rotation spots. P Tom Shearn, a Columbus native and a feelgood story for 2007 after wandering in the wilderness of the minors for so many years, is not on the 40 man roster but has been invited to camp. David Ross and Javier Valentin look to see who will get the most time at catcher for the Reds this year. Position players are to report by 2/19. The first intrasquad game is scheduled for 2/26, then the Reds travel to play the Phillies on 2/27. The first home Spring Training game in Sarasota is against the Twins on 2/28.

Tags: baseball, cincinnati reds, mlb