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Griffey homers to help Bailey win debut

Jun 9, 2007 - 5:35 AM CINCINNATI (Ticker) -- Homer Bailey won his major-league debut with the help of Mike Stanton and Jeff Conine, two teammates who are nearly twice his age.

Nearly three years to the day after he was selected in the first round to be the Reds' future pitching star, Bailey survived rookie wildness to help the Cincinnati Reds defeat their cross-state rival Cleveland Indians, 4-3, on Friday.

The 21-year-old Bailey progressed through the minor leagues quickly. The LaGrange, Texas, native was 6-1 with a 2.31 ERA at Class AAA Louisville this season. He started 2006 at Class A Sarasota and was promoted to Class AA Chattanooga, where he finished 7-1 with a 1.59 ERA.

"It was fun but I'm glad it's over," Bailey said. "It was not too good an outing. I got behind a lot of hitters but we won and that's what's most important."

While struggling with his command in his major-league debut in front of his parents, Bailey didn't look fazed at all against the American League Central Division leaders and top scoring team in the league.

Bailey allowed just two runs and five hits in five innings. The slender righthander walked four and struck out three and departed after 114 pitches.

"We definitely had opportunities out there," Cleveland manager Eric Wedge said. "We made the kid work but we didn't take advantage of it."

An obviously nervous Bailey labored through seven full counts that helped build his pitch count to 100 by the fifth inning, in which he walked Travis Hafner and Trot Nixon behind Grady Sizemore's single.

Pitching coach Dick Pole visited the mound and Narron showed confidence in his young pitcher. They were rewarded when Bailey froze David Dellucci on a 1-2 pitch to strike him out and hold a 3-2 lead.

"He deserved every opportunity in the world to get out of that inning and he did," Narron said. "The biggest thing was he didn't give in to Nixon."

"He came out really focused in the first inning. He knew what he wanted to do," Reds catcher David Ross said. "We had him throwing cutters, trying to get him threw that inning once he walked Nixon, he got his wind up back. He was tired but he refocused. I told him to air it out for one more batter."

Cleveland wanted to make Bailey work and they did but the rookie was up to the challenge.

"He was very effective," Dellucci said. "He had a cutter that kept us lefthanders off-balance. We had a good gameplan. We tried to get his pitch count up but he made pitches a couple of times that got him out of jams. He had a job to do and he did it. I was looking for something else but he threw me a fastball. It was definitely a strike but I guessed wrong."

Stanton, who started his professional career the year after Bailey was born, pitched two scoreless innings, allowing Casey Blake to extend his hitting streak to 17 games with a harmless single in the seventh.

Reds reliever David Weathers, the third pitcher of the eighth, recorded the final four outs in between a ninth-inning homer by Ryan Garko to record his 12th save.

Brandon Phillips homered in the first inning against Cleveland starter Cliff Lee (2-4) to tie the contest at 1-1, Conine provided a two-run shot in the fourth for a 3-2 edge and Ken Griffey Jr. belted career shot No. 577 in the sixth for a 4-2 lead.

"It was fun," Griffey said. "I'm sure he was a little nervous. There was a lot of anticipation for him being here. Now he can put it behind him and get things done."

Lee entered the game with an 8-0 record against National League teams, but the three home runs marred his six innings. He allowed four hits and three walks.

"It was just another baseball game to me," said Lee of his interleague record. "I couldn't keep the ball in the park. All in all my pitch location was better than it has been. I've been working on command. Brandon hit a ball that was supposed to be in the dirt but I left it up.

"Tip your cap to him for staying back on it. I threw Conine a cutter in. I probably could have made a better pitch, but I'd throw it to him again. Griffey's hit a first-pitch breaking ball and it was down. Again you have to tip your hat to him."

"I thought Cliff threw a lot better," Wedge said. "He competed and used all his pitches. That's the Cliff Lee we're going to need."

Cleveland got an RBI double from Victor Martinez in the first and a fourth-inning sacrifice fly by David Dellucci in the fourth.