Billy’s back:
What some might consider the downside of September roster expansion reared its head Tuesday night when the Cardinals and Reds combined to use 16 pitchers, eight each, in St. Louis’ 8-7, 10-inning win.
Reds starter Jackson Stephens lasted 32/3 innings, which almost doubled the duration of his counterpart, rookie Jack Flaherty, who pitched two.
“The expanded rosters are beneficial this time of year, but it is hard to get a matchup,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “They can burn a couple guys to get the right guy up there. It makes it easier to take a guy out that’s struggling.”
Stephens retired his first 10 batters before the Cardinals recorded five consecutive hits, capped by Yadier Molina’s three-run homer and Paul DeJong’s solo homer.
“Typically, it came down to execution,” Price said. “He got the first 10 guys out. He did a really nice job of pitching in, establishing inside and using his breaking ball and change-up.
“It seems the second time around he wasn’t making the same quality pitches.”
“I didn’t execute pitches,” Stephens said. “I was pounding the zone pretty much all night. Then I got behind on some counts and got into fastball counts and didn’t execute the pitch.
“I’m sure they made adjustments, but that’s baseball.”
Stephens will make his next scheduled start Sunday, Price promised.
The Reds activated center fielder Billy Hamilton from the 10-day disabled list, but he won’t be immediately returning to the starting lineup. Hamilton fractured his left thumb trying to bunt on Sept. 6.
“Today’s the first day he’s taking live batting practice on the field,” Price said. “We’ll have to see how his hand feels with the ball coming off the bat. He needs repetitions on the field and in the (batting) cage before we can start him in a game.
“He can be used as a pinch-runner and defensive player. I’m optimistic he’ll start before too long.”
Patrick Kivlehan made his second straight start at third base Wednesday in place of Eugenio Suarez, whose wife gave birth to the couple’s first child.
Kivlehan was 0 for 3 with a sacrifice fly and handled nine balls in the field with no problem against the Cardinals on Tuesday.
Veteran righthander Homer Bailey (5-8, 6.86 ERA) will make his 17th start, more than twice as many as the combined eight he made in 2015 and 2016, when he faces St. Louis in the finale of the three-game series and the last game between the two teams this season.
Bailey is 6-16 with a 5.75 ERA in 22 career starts against the Cardinals, who will counter with RHP Carlos Martinez (11-11, 3.57).
Martinez is 0-2 with a 7.15 ERA in two starts against the Reds this season.
The Reds stay home for a threegame interleague series with Boston, starting at 7:10 p.m. Friday.
Heavy workload: Bye-bye, Cards: TODAY’S GAME
Cardinals at Reds, 7:10 p.m., FS Ohio, 700, 1410
Phase 1 of the three-year, $72 DAYTON — million renovation of UD Arena remains on schedule. Arena director Scott DeBolt expects the Dayton Flyers will get a chance to practice on their home court at least a week before their exhibition games Nov. 4, if not earlier.
“Hopefully, we’ll get them in the building at least to shoot around to get a feel for it a little bit,” DeBolt said Wednesday.
The men’s team opens Nov. 10 against Ball State. The women play their home opener Nov. 17 against Morgan State.
In his first public comments since firing offensive coordinator Ken Zampese on Friday, Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis talked about how hard the decision was and what his message is to the players moving forward with Bill Lazor.
“I told the players on Monday morning, ‘This is not magic. You have to do the work,’” Lewis said. “We got Kenny out of here. Not Kenny. We did. They’ve got to understand that. They’re part of that. Next time, look around. There will be different guys sit-
The Dayton Public DAYTON — Schools parted ways with one of the more successful coaches in the history of the multiple-school urban district Tuesday by not rehiring Pete Pullen as the Dunbar High School boys basketball coach.
DPS voted 4-2 to approve newcomer Charles Taylor as the Wolverines’ coach during Tuesday’s
Neither team will play the annual Red and Blue Game at UD Arena. Instead, Dayton will hold a Fan Festival Cookout with the men’s and women’s basketball teams on Oct. 14 before a 1 p.m. football game against Campbell at Welcome Stadium. Players will sign autographs and meet fans.
“We looked at some different options, like trying to take it over to campus to the old Fieldhouse,” DeBolt said. “There are no lines painted over there, and we don’t have any official hoops. There’s no air conditioning over there — not that there is (at UD Arena) — but it’s a lot warmer over there. And capacity-wise, it’s pretty small.”
As for moving the games off campus, DeBolt said, “We looked at some different things, but it’s just not the same.” ting there.”
Zampese had been on Lewis’ staff since he took over in Cincinnati in 2003, working 12 seasons as quarterbacks coach before being promoted to offensive coordinator in 2016 when Hue Jackson left to be the head coach in Cleveland.
But the Bengals failed to score a touchdown in their first two games, and the morning after the 13-9 loss to Houston, they made school board meeting.
“I have to live with that,” said Pullen, who guided the Wolverines the past 13 seasons and won four Division II state championships. “I teach my players how to lose graciously. This is a loss for me, so I’m going to walk out with my head up high. I know there’s better things for me.”
Board president Robert Walker and board member Ron Lee cited loyalty to a revised hiring process for DPS coaches in which Taylor scored higher than Pullen. They were joined by board members Sheila Taylor, who chairs the ath- the change.
“I just wasn’t pleased with our direction of things,” Lewis said. “I wasn’t pleased with our execution. I’ve tried to voice my opinion, be helpful, and I just felt like we needed to move forward.
“It is very difficult. Kenny has busted his tail here. He’s been with me since I started, even when I was involved with other jobs prior to here I’d been in contact with Kenny. (We’ve) been great friends and he’s a fine, fine football coach. He’ll get another opportunity and he’ll knock it out of the park. But this just didn’t
The Browns are CLEVELAND — 0-2 just like everyone expected they would be after opening the season with the Pittsburgh Steelers at home and the Baltimore Ravens on the road.
But their next three opponents are also 0-2, so if they really are improved after last season’s 1-15 disaster, if they really are more talented and if they really are heading in the right direction, there should be concrete evidence in the upcoming stretch — especially if they establish their desired identity.
“We’re 0-2, but the feel in the building, the feel with our football team, is nothing like I felt a year ago,” coach Hue Jackson said.
The players detect a difference, too.
“We are figuring out ways to not let the negativity of people saying, ‘Oh, here we go again,’ we’re not letting that creep in,” wide receiver Ricardo Louis said. “We don’t want that to creep in at all because that’s where it starts. We want to eliminate that as soon as possible. So leaders on this team are stepping up, addressing that. It’s a different feeling. We don’t want to accept losing at all.”
Different feelings won’t matter, though, if the Browns whiff