Press Clippings September 10, 2015

THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 1883-John Reilly becomes the first player in club history to two home runs in a game. Both were inside-the-park home runs.

CINCINNATI ENQUIRER Votto explodes in Reds' loss to Pirates By C. Trent Rosecrans / Cincinnati Enquirer / [email protected] / @ctrent

Well, you can't argue the passion of Joey Votto.

Even as the Reds were on their way to their 81st loss of the season, the team's best player showed a level of intensity few could match.

Votto was ejected in the eighth of Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Pirates after arguing with home-plate umpire Bill Welke.

Votto had watched strike two – a ball all replays and tracking systems showed was outside – and then turned to discuss it with Welke. Votto then pointed toward the Reds' dugout and appeared to say, "I had asked for time." As soon as Votto said something to the bench, Welke signaled that Votto had been ejected.

“When Joey looked over, that, to me, was my sign to get out there and make sure I had an understanding of what was going on in that situation. By the time I got there, Joey had been ejected,” manager Bryan Price said. “At that point in time, I did not know, but by the time I got isolated with Bill at home plate, we did both come to the conclusion that Joey had asked for time out, and Bill didn’t feel like he was going to give him time out for whatever – due to whatever history had happened. So our argument is, of course, a guy asks for time out, you give him time out, and then you give him a certain period of time out of the box, and then you insist he gets back in the box or you put the ball in play. Those are some of the options."

Votto then slammed his helmet and went nose to nose with Welke. At one point, Welke pointed to his cheek and seemed to mouth, "you spit on me."

At that point, Price came out of the Reds' dugout and third-base Jim Riggleman and first-base umpire Laz Diaz, a former Marine, tried to hold Votto back.

As Price argued, he, too, was ejected.

“I wasn’t at home plate, but I do know that Joey has a good rapport with the umpires. I think when he talks, he talks respectfully, and obviously something got sideways there between the two of them, and it went into a direction we had hoped it wouldn’t," Price said. "I think Joey handled himself professionally up until the ejection and then was rightfully upset. How do you qualify what’s the right way to be upset? He was upset. Bill was upset. I was upset. There was a lot of upset people today. You know, and that’s – we felt it was warranted.”

Votto had already left the Reds clubhouse by the time the media was allowed to enter after the game.

It was the third ejection for both Votto and Price this season. In May, Votto was ejected by home-plate umpire Chris Conroy during a game in Pittsburgh and was suspended one game for bumping Conroy. Votto later apologized.

Votto's ejection Wednesday night came in the middle of a Reds rally, with two runners on, one out and the Reds trailing 5-3.

Instead of Votto, the hottest hitter in baseball since the All-Star break, rookie Ramon Cabrera was sent up to the plate not only searching for his first big-league hit, but doing so with a 1-2 count. Cabrera came through, hitting the first pitch he saw from into right field to load the bases.

Ryan LaMarre scored on Brandon Phillips' ground out, and then after an intentional walk to Todd Frazier, Jay Bruce struck out to end the Reds' threat.

With Brayan Pena having already left the game due to injury and Adam Duvall having been used to pinch-hit, Ivan De Jesus Jr. moved to first, Cabrera stayed behind the plate, and Jason Bourgeois – who started the rally with a single off of Watson in the eighth – stayed in the game.

Pedro Villarreal gave up two hits but got a play in the bottom of the eighth to keep the Reds within a going to the bottom of the ninth. Pirates closer Mark Melancon gave up a walk but nothing else to earn his 44th of the season.

Votto's outburst overshadowed an up-and-down start for rookie Keyvius Sampson, who fell to 2-4 on the season.

Twice through the Pirates lineup, Sampson more or less held Pittsburgh at bay. He allowed a run on just two hits and a walk through five – but he then gave up three hits and two walks, as well as four runs on a single swing of the bat in front of an announced crowd of 19,620 at Great American Ball Park.

Gregory Polanco, who led off the game with a double, led off the sixth with a single and stole second.

In the first, the Pirates had Polanco on second and no outs, and Sampson got out of it allowing just a single run. He wouldn't be so lucky in the sixth.

After Polanco singled and popped up to short for the first out, Sampson walked Andrew McCutchen, and then gave up a single to Aramis Ramirez to load the bases.

Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kang, who hit a 447-foot on Tuesday, hit a 2-2 pitch not as far, but just as gone, to give Pittsburgh a 5-1 lead and changing the narrative of Sampson's outing from a young learning from his lumps to one of another beatings applied to a rookie pitcher.

“(Sampson) had thrown five really nice innings with a low pitch count. Kang, up to that point, was 0-for-4 in his career against him, and I let him face him. That didn’t work out well. And that’s on me,” Price said. “It’s my decision, and I own that. I still felt like Keyvius was the guy for that at-bat. We had Sam LeCure ready, and that was another option. He was ready to go, and I stuck with Keyvius. It was as well as he’s thrown the ball in a long time. It didn’t work out that inning, but I was really happy with how he threw the ball.”

Following the grand slam, Sampson walked Neil Walker and out came Price to end his night after 90 pitches in 5 1/3 innings.

In the first, the Pirates helped Sampson out by giving him his first out, as Marte sacrificed Polanco to third. McCutchen followed with a fly ball to center for another out, but a 1-0 Pirates lead. Sampson followed that with a of Ramirez.

After Polanco's double, Sampson would go on to retire 15 of his next 17, allowing a walk in the second and lead-off single to Walker in the fifth, but that was all the Pirates got until the sixth.

“We can look at it a lot of different ways in retrospect. The kid threw five beautiful innings with 65 pitches. It’s always 'when do you get him out?' ” Price said. “That would have been his last inning. We were in agreement with that, just to get him a good feeling. At some point, there has to be an expectation for a quality start. When I say quality, I don’t mean six innings and three runs. It starts with six innings, and we don’t want the feel-good moment to be he threw five good innings. That doesn’t satisfy anyone. It certainly doesn’t satisfy our club and our needs or Keyvius with his development.

“It was a situation where I felt he deserved an opportunity to face Kang in that situation, and it didn’t work out. If things go the way as planned, I hope to see Keyvius in a lot more of those situations with the opportunity to pitch through a tough spot in the middle of a ballgame and get it done.”

Frazier blasted his 31st home run of the season, a solo shot, in the second to tie the game, but Pirates starter J.A. Happ was even more effective than Sampson – albeit aided in part by Welke, whose strike zone was called into question by several Reds throughout the evening even before Votto's explosion.

The Reds added another run in the seventh when Votto doubled and Phillips reached on an error. That ended Happ's night, as Clint Hurdle brought in Joakim Soria to face Frazier. Frazier hit a sacrifice fly to right to make it 5-2.

The Reds threatened in the eighth against lefty Tony Watson. First Bourgeois, pinch-hitting for Tucker Barnhart, singled, and then another pinch hitter, Pena, doubled. Pena pulled up lame rounding first and was replaced by pinch runner LaMarre.

Watson walked Billy Hamilton to load the bases with no outs. De Jesus hit a long sacrifice fly to right, scoring Bourgeois, but LaMarre didn't tag up on the play, leaving runners at first and second for Votto with one out.

Shoulder injury ends Reds' Negron's season By C. Trent Rosecrans / Cincinnati Enquirer / [email protected] / @ctrent

His arm in a sling and surgery scheduled for next week, Reds utility man Kristopher Negron still wore a smile on Wednesday, the day he learned his season was over.

In his first day after being called up from -A Louisville on Tuesday, Negron suffered a torn labrum and fracture in his scapula of his left (non-throwing) shoulder. Negron was injured on a diving catch to rob the Pirates' Starling Marte in the seventh inning, just two innings after entering the game for Adam Duvall, who left after getting hit by a pitch on his left knee.

"At least it was a pretty sweet play," Negron said on Wednesday, the day an MRI showed the extent of the damage.

Negron's season is over, and rehab will take approximately five months, according to Paul Lessard, the Reds' head athletic trainer.

Negron said he was surprised the injury is as severe as it is.

"It just felt like it got really sore when I hit the ground. And then once we got in here, it started feeling a little bit worse," Negron said. "Now that I've had the MRI, it was actually worse than I thought."

It's the second time this season Negron has suffered a left shoulder injury. The first was in July, which caused a brief stint on the Louisville disabled list.

Negron was with the Reds from until June, struggling during his time in the big leagues. He also struggled in the minors, hitting just .216/.280/.309 for the Bats. He did provide positional flexibility for the Reds after his call-up following the end of Louisville's season. On Tuesday Reds medical director Dr. Timothy Kremchek will perform surgery to replair Negron's labrum.

"It's been a rollercoaster year. It's had its ups and downs but it's just another bump in the road," Negron said. "I've come back before, and I will do it again."

One thing that won't change, Negron said, is how he plays the outfield. His shoulder injury in Lousiville came on a similar diving play he said.

"(Not diving) never crosses my mind," Negron said. "I saw that ball go up, and I was like, 'This is going to be fun.' It's just the way I play. I play hard, you guys know that. As soon as the ball went up, the one thing on my mind was to go get it."

The news was better on Duvall, who was hit on the knee by Pirates starter Francisco Liriano. While Duvall was not in the lineup on Wednesday, he said he was available if needed.

INNINGS RUNNING OUT: Michael Lorenzen may have just “one or two” more starts left this season, but Raisel Iglesias could have a couple more, Reds manager Bryan Price said on Wednesday.

The Reds still have 24 games to go after Wednesday’s game against the Pirates, but with innings limits coming up, it’s unlikely either Iglesias or Lorenzen are pitching the final week or so of the season.

Price had said earlier this year that Lorenzen would likely be limited to 150-155 innings. He’s thrown 143 2/3 innings so far between Triple-A Louisville and the big leagues. He is scheduled to start Friday against the Cardinals and next Wednesday in San Francisco.

Iglesias has thrown 119 1/3 innings between the majors and minors, but his special circumstances will likely mean his innings limit will be more nebulous. Iglesias is pitching a full season for the first time since 2012, when he was in Cuba.

“We’re not ready to put together a farewell party for Raisel from the starting rotation quite yet,” Price said.

With 24 games remaining, someone will have to start, so it’s possible both Lorenzen and Iglesias could pitch a little longer than expected.

“Also understand that, under the circumstances we’re in, that if I need another start from one of these guys – a bonus start or whatever – that I would do that,” Price said. “I don’t feel like these guys are five or seven innings from hurting themselves. We’re just trying to follow some protocols we have in place. We may have to work around those limits to a certain degree, but nothing of a significant number."

HAMILTON RETURNS: After returning from a three-game rehab assignment with Double-A Pensacola on Tuesday, Reds center fielder Billy Hamilton was back in the lineup on Wednesday.

Hamilton suffered a sprained capsule in his right shoulder on Aug. 18. He played in three games for the Blue Wahoos, going 3-for- 11 with three walks. He said he also tested out his arm during the games.

“There wasn’t a play where I threw anybody out, but I just tried to throw it hard anyway to see how my shoulder felt. I had four at- bats each game, five in one. So I swung a lot, and I tested my shoulder in the outfield when I threw a couple of balls in real hard. It felt really, really good. I’m just glad to be back.”

The Blue Wahoos clinched a playoff spot on Saturday with Hamilton in the lineup.

“It just feels good to be like in a playoff thing, whether it’s the big leagues or whatever you’re doing,” Hamilton said. “I see those guys get all into it and be all about winning. It’s a good thing to be down there, and knowing it’s getting closer to me playing is a good thing. I played there in 2012, and it was kind of fun to see those guys that were there – the staff and people who run it.”

SMITH BETTER: Right-hander Josh Smith threw two scoreless innings for the Reds on Tuesday, his first day of his third stint with the Reds. Smith didn’t pitch in his first call-up, but he made three starts in June and July, going 0-2 with a 7.30 ERA before being sent back down to Double-A Pensacola.

“The first time I was up there, for me it was trying to do too much and be something I’m not,” Smith said. “But now being up here, I know I’ve gotten the opportunity for a reason and I’m just going to pitch the way I have all year, and that’s good enough to get me here, so that’s good enough to be successful here.”

Price liked what he saw out of Smith in his two innings against the Pirates.

“He took very seriously some of the discussions we had when he was departing,” Price said. “He was too good of a pitcher, he’s always been a strike thrower, and he needed to pitch in the strike zone with his stuff and trust it, and he came back and he was really pleased that he came in and threw strikes and had a much more aggressive approach. He worked ahead. He did all of the things he needed to do to be successful. I was very happy for him. “

PLAYOFF TIME: The Reds had a third minor-league affiliate qualify for the playoffs on Tuesday when rookie Billings won its final game of the season to qualify for the Pioneer League playoffs.

The Reds’ high-A Daytona team started the Florida State League playoffs on Tuesday, with lefty Amir Garrett striking out 12 and allowing just one hit and no walks over seven innings in a Game 1 victory.

Double-A Pensacola begins its Southern League playoff series with Biloxi on Thursday.

MLB.COM Hamilton marks birthday with return to lineup Starting for first time since Aug. 18, outfielder brings enthusiasm from Pensacola By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com / [email protected] / @m_sheldon

CINCINNATI -- On Wednesday, which happened to be his 25th birthday, one of center fielder Billy Hamilton's presents was getting to play baseball for the Reds again. Hamilton, who was activated from the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday, was back in the starting lineup for the first time since Aug. 18.

That was the game when Hamilton sprained the capsule inside his right shoulder attempting a diving catch vs. the Royals. He was placed on the DL the following day.

"It's not fun watching your guys going to war without you," Hamilton said before Wednesday night's 5-4 loss to the Pirates. "I wanted to be out there with them. I'm happy to be back with the guys."

Instead of batting ninth like he has most of the time since mid-May, Hamilton was back in the leadoff spot. Because a left-hander in Pirates starter J.A. Happ was pitching, manager Bryan Price thought Hamilton batting on his stronger right-handed side would provide an edge.

Batting .224/.271/.288 in 108 games with 54 steals, Hamilton was 0-for-4 with three and a walk vs. Pittsburgh. That included a strikeout to end the game representing the go-ahead run. He caught a couple of fly balls in center field -- including Andrew McCutchen sacrifice fly in the first inning and Francisco Cervelli's in the fifth, after which he made an overamped throw to the infield -- but had no plays at the plate.

During his three-game rehab assignment at Double-A Pensacola, Hamilton was 3-for-11 with three walks and a . Most importantly, there were no issues with his shoulder while hitting or playing defense.

"There wasn't a play where I threw anybody out, but I just tried to throw it hard anyway to see how my shoulder felt," Hamilton said. "I had four at-bats each game, five in one. So I swung a lot, and I tested my shoulder in the outfield when I threw a couple of balls in real hard. It felt really, really good. I'm just glad to be back."

Unlike the 57-81 Reds, who have been out of contention for quite a while, Hamilton got to be part of a pennant-chase atmosphere in the Minor Leagues. Pensacola clinched a spot in the Southern League postseason.

"It was real fun," Hamilton said. "Those guys, I've played with a few of them and been around most of them in . It's always good to see those guys and get back down there. It just feels good to be, like, in a playoff thing, whether it's the big leagues or whatever you're doing. I see those guys get all into it and be all about winning.

"It's a good thing to be down there, and knowing it's getting closer to me playing is a good thing. I played there in 2012, and it was kind of fun to see those guys that were there -- the staff and people who run it."

Votto ejected, launches tirade at umpire Reds star tossed after complaining to dugout about not being granted timeout; Price also thrown out By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com / [email protected] / @m_sheldon

CINCINNATI -- It was a key moment seemingly tailor-made for the Reds' best hitter to produce a big hit during an eighth-inning rally. Instead, Joey Votto was ejected from Wednesday's game vs. the Pirates before he had a chance to deliver one during a 5-4 loss.

Facing Tony Watson while Cincinnati trailed, 5-3, with runners on first and second base, Votto took a 1-1 pitch for a called strike by home-plate umpire Bill Welke. Votto appeared to call timeout from the batter's box, and Welke did not grant it. When Votto turned to the Reds' dugout to complain that he couldn't get a timeout, Welke tossed him.

An enraged Votto immediately spiked his helmet and made face-to-face contact with Welke before he was separated by coaches and umpire Laz Diaz. Price spent several more moments having words with Welke before he was also rung up.

"When Joey looked over, that, to me, was my sign to get out there and make sure I had an understanding of what was going on in that situation," Price explained. "By the time I got there, Joey had been ejected."

In all three games of the series, Votto had demonstrated displeasure with the strike zone from the umpiring crew. He had been called out on strikes once in each of the games -- including by Welke in the first inning on Wednesday. Votto also struck out swinging in the fourth inning.

Votto had already left the Reds' clubhouse before reporters were granted access after the game.

"By the time I got isolated with Bill at home plate, we did both come to the conclusion that Joey had asked for timeout, and Bill didn't feel like he was going to give him timeout ... due to whatever history had happened. So our argument is, of course, a guy asks for timeout, you give him timeout, and then you give him a certain period of time out of the box, and then you insist he gets back in the box or you put the ball in play. Those are some of the options.

"I wasn't at home plate, but I do know that Joey has a good rapport with the umpires. I think when he talks, he talks respectfully, and obviously something got sideways there between the two of them and it went into a direction we had hoped it wouldn't. I think Joey handled himself professionally up until the ejection and then was rightfully upset. How do you qualify what's the right way to be upset? He was upset. Bill was upset. I was upset. There were a lot of upset people today."

It was the fifth career ejection for Price and the third this season. It was also the third ejection of 2015 for Votto and seventh of his career. He served a one-game suspension earlier this year for bumping umpire Chris Conroy during a May 6 argument at Pittsburgh.

Rookie Ramon Cabrera pinch-hit for Votto, and despite the 1-2 count, blooped a single into right field for his first Major League hit. Cincinnati scored one more run in the inning on a Brandon Phillips groundout.

Rallying Reds drop heated finale to Pirates By Adam Berry and Mark Sheldon / MLB.com / [email protected] / @m_sheldon

CINCINNATI -- Backed by Jung Ho Kang's sixth-inning grand slam, the Pirates' first slam of the year, left-hander J.A. Happ struck out 10 over six-plus innings and the Bucs held on late to secure a 5-4 win over the Reds on Wednesday night at Great American Ball Park.

With the win and the Cardinals' 4-3 victory over the Cubs on Wednesday, the Pirates remained 4 1/2 games behind St. Louis in the Central standings and pulled three games ahead of Chicago in the NL Wild Card race.

"It's just been good. I'm happy to be a part of this team," said Happ, acquired from the Mariners before the non-waiver Trade Deadline. "We're playing good baseball. Being a part of this group, it's been fun. I'm looking forward to some more, for sure."

The Reds made it interesting in the eighth inning -- in more ways than one. A two-run rally cut the Pirates' earlier 5-1 lead to just one run, and Joey Votto and manager Bryan Price were ejected during the middle of Votto's at-bat. But setup man Tony Watson wiggled out of the jam, and Pirates closer Mark Melancon slammed the door with his Major League-leading 44th save.

"He made some good pitches," Pirates manager Clint Hurdle said of Watson, who needed 37 pitches to get through the frame. "Some strange things went on, but he's a warrior out there. He battles. He's our guy. We thought he'd get it done."

Unable to complete four innings in three of his last four outings, Reds right-hander Keyvius Sampson was on his way to his best start since Aug. 8 before Kang's homer. Sampson cruised into the sixth inning, then gave up two singles and a walk. Kang chased Sampson from the game with his first Major League grand slam, a 394-foot rocket to left field.

VOTTO, PRICE EJECTED Votto was ejected during a heated dispute with home-plate umpire Bill Welke. Facing Watson, while Cincinnati trailed by two runs with runners on first and second base, Votto took a 1-1 pitch for a called strike by Welke. He appeared to dispute the call and turned to the Reds' dugout from outside the batter's box to say he asked for timeout when Welke tossed him from the game. Votto spiked his helmet and had to be held back from going after Welke. Price was also ejected following an argument a few moments later.

Rookie Ramon Cabrera pinch-hit for Votto, and despite the 1-2 count, blooped a single into right field for his first Major League hit.

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED The Kang Show: Kang's grand slam was the Pirates' first in more than a year. Their most recent one before Wednesday night came from Ike Davis, who went deep off Mike Leake on April 21, 2014. The blast -- which left his bat at 108 mph, according to Statcast™ -- continued Kang's recent power surge, as the rookie straight out of the Korean Baseball Organization leads the Bucs with 11 second-half homers.

"He was looking for one pitch in one spot," Hurdle said. "He got it, timed it well, put the barrel to it and rode it out of the ballpark. Very pretty swing."

Frazier Flavor: With one out in the bottom of the second inning of a 1-0 game, Todd Frazier tied it when he hit Happ's 1-0 offspeed pitch for a home run to right-center field. It was Frazier's 31st homer of the season. In the seventh against Joakim Soria, Frazier added a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Votto to tie his career high of 80 RBIs set last season.

It's Happ-ening: Happ continued his magnificent run since joining the Pirates, picking up his fifth straight win and tying the second- highest strikeout total of his nine-year career. The lefty has put together a 1.79 ERA in six starts with Pittsburgh, the lowest of any pitcher in the Pirates' rotation.

Happ showed off his strikeout stuff right away, fanning the side in the first inning. The lefty got Billy Hamilton swinging and froze Ivan De Jesus Jr. and Votto for called strikeouts, the first of five he'd record of that variety. As Pittsburgh improved to 6-1 in his seven starts, Happ attributed his success to the way he and Francisco Cervelli worked the ball around the zone.

"Not going to be perfect," Happ said. "But we definitely tried to execute that today, and I think that caused some success, for sure."

Sampson started smooth: Prone to high pitch counts, and unable to get past four innings in any of his last four starts while being around 100 pitches, Sampson started out strong Wednesday despite working on three days' rest. After Gregory Polanco's leadoff double in the first inning, Sampson retired 13 of his next 14 batters and had 65 pitches through five innings.

"I was trying to keep my tempo up and attack the hitters. It's what I was trying to do all night," Sampson said.

QUOTABLE "I think this team has shown resiliency. It's shown character. It's shown backbone. It's shown some grit. Everyone out there knows what we're playing for." -- Hurdle, on the Pirates winning two straight series in St. Louis and Cincinnati after being swept in Milwaukee

"He had thrown five really nice innings with a low pitch count. Kang, up to that point, was 0-for-4 in his career against him, and I let him face him. That didn't work out well. And that's on me. It's my decision, and I own that. I still felt like Keyvius was the guy for that at-bat." -- Price

PENA PULLS UP WITH LEG INJURY Pinch-hitting against Watson in the eighth with a runner on first base, Brayan Pena hit a double to left field but limped between first base and second base while grabbing the back of his right leg. The Reds' regular catcher was lifted for pinch-runner Ryan LaMarre, and since Tucker Barnhart was lifted for a pinch-hitter just ahead of Pena in the eighth, third catcher Ramon Cabrera took over behind the plate. Pena was diagnosed with a strained right hamstring.

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS The only NL rookie with more home runs than Kang since the All-Star break is the Cubs' Kyle Schwarber, who has hit 12. With 11 homers in that span, Kang is tied with Cubs third baseman Kris Bryant.

WHAT'S NEXT Pirates: All-Star right-hander A.J. Burnett will rejoin the Pirates' rotation as the Bucs return home to PNC Park for Thursday night's 7:05 ET series opener against the Brewers. Burnett has been sidelined since July 30 by a flexor strain in his right elbow, but he's ready to get back on the mound as he nears the end of what he's said will be his final season.

Reds: John Lamb, still seeking his first Major League win, is slated to start the series opener against the Cardinals on Thursday at 7:10 p.m. ET at Great American Ball Park. It will mark the 41st consecutive start by a Reds rookie pitcher.

Pena strains hamstring while pinch-hitting Reds catcher exits after doubling in eighth-inning rally; tests scheduled Thursday By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com / [email protected] / @m_sheldon

CINCINNATI -- Reds catcher Brayan Pena is hoping for the best from tests scheduled for Thursday after he strained his right hamstring during Wednesday's 5-4 loss to the Pirates.

Pena was pinch-hitting against Tony Watson in the eighth inning of a 5-2 game, with a runner on first base. He slashed a double to left field but limped between first base and second base before grabbing the back of his right leg.

"I felt like something popped," Pena said. "Something was completely different. Sometimes, I've felt I've had hamstring [issues] and played through it. I didn't want to hurt my team. I felt like something popped and we were building something good in that inning. It was a little painful."

Pena was lifted for pinch-runner Ryan LaMarre, who later scored to make it a one-run game. Since Tucker Barnhart was lifted for a pinch-hitter just ahead of Pena in the eighth, third catcher Ramon Cabrera took over behind the plate.

Initial tests by medical director Dr. Tim Kremchek left Pena hopeful that it might not be a serious injury.

"He felt like it was going to be a couple of more days, but we'll know tomorrow much better," said Pena, who is batting .282 in 95 games this season.

Great catch sidelines Negron for the season Reds outfielder has torn labrum in left shoulder and fractured scapula By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com / [email protected] / @m_sheldon

CINCINNATI -- Despite having his left arm immobilized in a padded sling on Wednesday afternoon, Reds utility player Kristopher Negron still had his sense of humor -- and the satisfaction that he did his job.

"At least it was a pretty sweet play," Negron joked.

In the seventh inning of a 7-3 loss to the Pirates a night earlier, Negron made a diving catch near the left-field foul line that robbed Starling Marte of a hit. A sweet play indeed, but it has cost him the rest of the season, as the 29-year-old was diagnosed with a torn labrum in his left shoulder and a fractured scapula. He will need surgery.

Negron laid out for the catch and did a nice job of holding on to the ball as he slid across the grass. He appeared to be in distress after the play and came out of the game.

"I kind of rolled over there because it popped in my mind as soon as I got to the ground," Negron said. "I didn't want [the ball] to pop out, so I rolled over and was able to cradle it. At least we got the out, so it made it that much better.

"It just felt like it got really sore when I hit the ground. And then once we got in [the clubhouse], it started feeling a little bit worse. Now that I've had the MRI, it was actually worse than I thought."

Negron had just entered in the sixth inning as part of a double switch after starting left fielder Adam Duvall suffered a bruised right knee when he was hit by a pitch. A September callup who had just arrived on Tuesday, it was Negron's first time back in the big leagues since he was sent to Triple-A Louisville on June 24.

On July 23, Negron's same shoulder was injured on a similar play, but it was diagnosed as a strain. He spent seven days on the disabled list and had been pain-free since. But not diving again was not an option.

"That never crosses my mind," Negron said. "I saw that ball go up and I was like, 'This is going to be fun.' It's just the way I play. I play hard, you guys know that. As soon as the ball went up, the one thing on my mind was to go get it."

Reds head trainer Paul Lessard described Negron's injury as one similar to right-hander Jon Moscot, who hurt his left shoulder trying to catch a popup in June. The recovery time after the surgery is expected to be five months. After healing, it should not affect Negron's ability to swing a bat.

"Once that stabilizes, it's just a strength issue," Lessard said.

Negron, who made the big league club out of Spring Training, batted .140 in 43 games for the Reds and .216 in 59 games for Louisville. This is his second major injury. In 2012, he tore the ACL and meniscus in his right knee while in Louisville, and it took him two years to get back to the Majors.

"It's been a roller-coaster year. It's had its ups and downs, but it's just another bump in the road," Negron said. "I've come back before, and I will do it again."

Cardinals open road trip against Lamb, Reds By Jenifer Langosch / MLB.com / @LangoschMLB

Following a come-from-behind win at home, the Cardinals embarked on a 10-game, 11-day road trip -- their longest of the season -- Wednesday afternoon with an opportunity to clinch a fifth straight postseason berth before they play in Busch Stadium again.

The Cards open a four-game series against the Reds on Thursday with magic numbers of 8 (to secure at least a National League Wild Card spot) and 20 (to secure a third consecutive NL Central title). Seven of their final 23 games will come against the Reds, who have won just two of their past nine home series against St. Louis.

John Lamb, still seeking his first Major League win, is slated to start the series opener for Cincinnati, and when he does, it will mark the 41st consecutive start by a Reds rookie pitcher. That will tie the Major League record set by -- guess who? -- the Cardinals in 1902. The Reds are winless in Lamb's five starts this year.

The Cardinals, on the other hand, have won each of the past seven starts made by Jaime Garcia, who will get the ball on Thursday. Garcia's 1.89 ERA is the second lowest in the Majors among all starters to have accrued more than 25 innings.

Things to know about this game

• Reds Joey Votto extended his on-base streak to 28 games on Wednesday with a seventh-inning double. He also joined and as the only Reds players to produce at least 30 doubles in seven seasons. Votto, who was ejected for arguing during Wednesday's loss, will be celebrating his 32nd birthday on Thursday.

• Missing from the Cardinals' starting lineup in three games against the Cubs earlier this week, second baseman Kolten Wong may return on Thursday. Wong has been nursing tightness in his left calf. He did make one pinch-hit appearance in the team's most recent series.

• Todd Frazier, who hit his 31st homer of the season -- a solo shot -- and had a sacrifice fly on Wednesday, tied his career high of 80 RBIs that had been set last year.

• The Cardinals have won 15 of their past 18 series against the Reds, including three of four this season.

DAYTON DAILY NEWS Votto ‘caps’ it all off with cereal By Hal McCoy / Dayton Daily News

CINCINNATI — One thing you never see is a baseball player wearing his team’s hat when he is away from the ball park. Oh, they wear baseball caps, but never team caps.

For example, Homer Bailey walked into the clubhouse Wednesday wearing a cap with a hunter pointing a gun on the peak. Brandon Phillips, who never played in Dayton, walked to his locker wearing a Dayton Dragons game hat, black with a green bill, and said, “You have to change it up sometimes.”

Scouts are the same way. You can never identify for whom a scout works by his headgear. For example, scount Billy Scherer was wearing a University of Wyoming cap and Arizona scout Pat Murtaugh was wearing a blue cap with an NFL logo on the peak.

JOEY VOTTO, WHO IS from Canada but professes not to be a big hockey fan, was wearing a Chicago Black Hawks cap. His is from Toronto and when somebody asked, “Why not a Maple Leafs hat,” he said, “I’ve never been a big Leafs fan.”

What Votto has been the second half of this season is a guy who has been as tough to get out as it is to get a guy out of his La-Z- Boy recliner to do yard work on a 95-degree day.

Last season, when Votto was coming back from a knee injury and struggled at the plate (.255, 6 homers, 23 RBI in 220 at-bats), I wrote and told people, “Votto always will be a very good player but it is unrealistic to believe he’ll ever approach his 2010 MVP season.”

I WAS AS WRONG as the Flat Earth Society people. In my 43 years of covering baseball, I have never seen a player have a better second half of a season as Votto is having. I told him that and he smiled broadly and said, “Thanks. Thanks very much. That means a lot.”

And Votto hasn’t lost his sense of humor. Somebody asked him the difference between the first half this season (when he struggled a bit) and the second half.

He said with a smile, “The first half I was going with oat meal and granola for breakfast. After the All-Star break I decided to go strictly with Wheaties.”

Now there is an endorsement waiting to happen. But for Votto that’s about as close as he can come to an explanation. “I don’t have a real explanation,” he said. Hard work is one explanation. Another? “I have done a better job of guiding the ball where I want it to go. But the frstrating thing about all this is that you want your success to have an impact on the team’s success. It has been disappointing not to be part of a winner.”

WHEN THE MEDIA arrived at the ball park Wednesday and saw the lineup they saw that Billy Hamilton is back in the lineup — and batting leadoff. Just the day before manager Bryan Price said Hamilton wouldn’t bat leadoff when he came back from his three- day rehab assignment in Pensacola.

As soon as the media walked into Price’s office, he laughed and said, before anybody could speak, “How about Billy in the leadoff spot? Just like I said yesterday.”

Price said it is because the were pitching a left hander, J.A. Happ, and that Hamilton would bat leadoff occasionally against left handers.

“He is back in there and ready to go and I anticipate him being in the lineup (somewhere in the order) regularly for the duration of the year.”

WHAT A MISERABLE day for Kristopher Negron. He was recalled on Tuesday from Class AAA Louisville. He didn’t start Tuesday’s game, but was a late-inning replacement in left field.

No sooner did he get out there than a ball was hit down the left field line Negron sprinted toward the line and laid out, belly down, to make a sensational diving catch. And he stayed down.

It was thought at the time that he injured his shoulder. He did. But that’s not all. He partially dislocated his left shoulder. He also tore his labrum. He also has a small fracture in his scapula. Other than that, Negron is fine and dandy. He will undergo season- ending surgery and it will take about five months of recovery time.

“Negron had been hurt in Triple-A in July and did all the rehab on the same shoulder,” said Price. “He had recovered and had been swinging the bat well toward the end of the season. There were no lingering effects from the previous injury.”

PITCHER JOSH SMITH also was a Tuesday call-up from Class AAA Louisville and also was pressed into quick duty. He pitched two inning of relief Tuesday night against the Pirates. He gave up one hit and retired the other six, two via strikeouts.

It was vast improvement from his early season call-up when he started three games and was 0-and-2 with a 6.93 .

“Josh took very seriously some of the discussions we had with him when he was departing after his first trip up here,” said Price. “We told him he was too good of a pitcher to pitch the way he was. He was always a strike thrower and he needed to pitch in the strike zone with his stuff, trust it.

“He came back and we were really pleased that he threw strikes, was much more aggressive in his approach and worked ahead. He did all the things he needed to do to be successful.”

Price said he was ecstatic that Smith took to heart and soul what he was told to do when he was sent back.

“There are such a limited amount of players who come to the big leagues without being returned to the minor leagues,” said Price. “Quite often it is because they don’t fully grasp what it takes to be a good player at this level. They have to be reminded by a return to the minor leagues.”

WCPO Pete Rose broke Ty Cobb’s all-time record 30 years ago By John Erardi / WCPO

People are always surprised at my answer when they ask what was my favorite individual moment in Reds history. They think I'm going to say, as do so many other long-time Reds observers: "Pete Rose's record-setting hit."

It's not even in my top five, although one particular day of that pursuit is my No. 1.

It happened at in Chicago, when Rose almost broke Ty Cobb's career hit record, on a day when nobody expected it to happen, bringing some surprise and serendipity to the inevitable.

Going into that three-day weekend series with the Cubs, Rose was slated to start the first two games against right-handed and get the final game off against left-hander Steve Trout.

If not for a small twist of fate, this photo would've been taken at Wrigley.

In his later years, the switch-hitting Rose rarely started against left-handers, because left-handers “turned him around” -- that is, forced him to bat right-handed, his weaker side.

So this is where I am going to begin my reminiscence, a story about the days leading up to "The Hit," and its place in baseball history.

The 30th anniversary of the "The Hit" is tomorrow. It will be officially celebrated Saturday at Great American Ball Park with a Pete Rose bobblehead giveaway to everybody in attendance. There also will be a ceremony on the field honoring Rose.

Yes, a funny thing happened to Rose — and the attendant media circus — on his way to breaking Cobb's all-time hit record in Cincinnati on Sept. 11, 1985, three days after his near-fateful encounter in Chicago on Sept. 8.

A bicycle accident.

Trout was replaced that morning in Chicago, sending the national media scrambling. Many of them had left the Rose circus to go catch the Chicago Bears football game at Soldier Field.

I remained, because I was working on a book for the Cincinnati Enquirer, "Pete Rose: 4,192." It was a book not only about the hit itself, but about Rose's career-long pursuit of it, a pursuit that I personally believe began with his 3,000th hit, because he was "only" 37 years old when he achieved it -- and hit .302 that year (1978) and .331 (with a league-leading .418 on-base percentage) the next.

Rose, who was "only" 37 at the time, and the Reds beat the Giants 8-2 at Riverfront Stadium on July 9, 1978.

Over the years, I've gotten to know Rose pretty well, and I have the strong suspicion that there is no way he wasn't thinking of 4,000 when he got to 3,000. And probably sooner.

I think Rose knew then that if he took care of himself — and he always took care of himself (no booze and no drug stronger than "a greenie," amphetamines that in the 1960s were present and available in almost every major league clubhouse) — that he had a shot at chasing down Cobb.

To me, Rose was a simple yet complicated fellow, somebody I enjoyed being around because of the great stories he told and his zest for life and the way he filled my notebook. I'd first met him at the Reds' spring training, 1985, in Tampa, where I went to begin chronicling his final season of pursuing Cobb.

I remember the meeting well. Rose could see I was a bit nervous

"Come on down," he said, "I won't bite."

After I introduced myself as a brand-new sports writer with the Enquirer (I was 32, but had spent the first 10 years of my career working as a general assignment reporter on the Enquirer's news desk), Rose asked me what I was doing in town.

"I'm doing a book on you," I answered.

"What are you getting out of it?" asked Rose, still congenial, but a bit more serious.

"Nothing beyond my regular Enquirer salary," I answered.

"What am I getting out of it?" asked Rose, again, still congenial, but even more serious.

"Nothing that I know of," I answered.

"Well, you better go make a phone call," he replied, not totally devoid of goodwill.

And that's how it all began.

Rose's interest in money has never wavered.

I made that phone call he had requested, and reported back to him my editor's answer – that Rose had an exclusive deal with The Sporting News and the Enquirer couldn’t pay him if the paper wanted to. So Rose told me that he wouldn't cooperate with me beyond the daily press conferences with the other writers.

But he never once declined my additional questions that came afterward. And he was never anything but wonderful with me. That, too, is what I remember best about Rose: What a great interview he always was, well, except when the gambling investigation came along in 1989.

Rose nearly broke Cobb's record on the road.

In 1985, Rose could still hit, though it was mostly singles. Throughout his career, he was famed as an extra-base gap hitter — his 746 career doubles are second only to Ty Cobb — and for often punctuating them with his patented, head-first, Superman slides. But one of the most memorable days of his 24-year career was the game in which he hit three home runs at Shea Stadium (1978), and another was when he delightfully resurrected that ghost at Wrigley Field seven years later and hit a home run off Derek Botelho for hit No. 4,188.

It's one of the fun sidelights to celebrating 4,192, many baseball fans have a favorite Rose moment or hit, thus making it a very personal record.

Which brings up what is probably my second favorite individual Reds' moment: Rose returning to Cincinnati on Aug. 17, 1984 after playing for the Expos and Phillies and doubling on his first at-bat of his second "career" at Riverfront Stadium, bringing down the house with a headfirst slide as the Cubs' center fielder Bob Dernier misplayed the hit. That is when I, and everybody else, knew that Rose still had "it."

Rose had begun 1985 with a bang, 2-for-3 with 2 RBI on Opening Day, and then settled into a platoon with longtime teammate and friend Tony Perez at first base.

The chase of Cobb picked up in intensity on Sept. 1, when the Reds began a six-day road trip to St. Louis and Chicago, with Rose slated to play in four of them.

Uh-oh.

Would he get the record on the road? Would he manipulate his lineup to take himself out of it? Everybody knew he wouldn't pinch- hit for himself; Pete Rose doesn't do that.

By St. Louis the press contingent had swelled to 70. By Chicago, where he arrived for a three-game weekend series needing only five hits to break the record, it was 150.

In Chicago, as soon as Rose set foot on the field that Friday afternoon, he was encircled by a dozen photographers; dozens more, observed a scribe, "milled about on the grass."

"Is this normal?" asked Reds outfielder Paul O'Neill, who had been called up from the minors only a few days before. On his first at-bat, Rose struck out on three pitches, the last one of them called. In his second at-bat, he worked the count to 3-2.

"Whaddaya think I'm gonna give you now?" asked Cubs catcher Jody Davis.

"Jody, I don't give a (bleep) what you're gonna give me now," said Rose, two seconds later uncoiling on a Derek Botelho fastball.

As soon as the bat met ball, Rose, and Botelho, both knew where hit No. 4,188 was going, over the ivy-covered right-field wall into the fourth row of the bleachers. The tremendous ovation required that Rose make a curtain call -- the first time anybody could remember, including Rose, that he had made a curtain call as a Red on the road.

In the sixth inning of that game, he lined a single to left off Reggie Patterson for hit No. 4,189, only two to go to tie the record. The Reds went on to win 7-5.

In Saturday's game, Rose took an 0-fer, although in his third of four at-bats he had ripped a line drive directly at pitcher Jay Ballard's hip.

"Greatest day of my career," Ballard said. "First major league win, and taking a basehit away from Pete."

Even Rose figured "The Hit" would now come at home. He wasn't going to get any at-bats Sunday, since Trout was starting.

Here is an excerpt from my book: Cubs pitching coach Billy Connors was one of the (first) ones to know. At 10:30 a.m. Sunday, he saw Trout in the Cubs training room. Trout's left shoulder and elbow were badly scraped. "What happened to you?" Connors asked. Trout explained that he'd been bicycling with his wife and daughter near home the previous night. His bike skidded on the gravel and he fell off, landing on his shoulder... The word spread through the stadium via ushers, security guards, writers and broadcasters. The turn of events was too bizarre to believe.... Cincinnati's local TV crew had headed home, as had Rose's wife, Carol, and his attorney, Reuven Katz. Rose’s first at-bat he lined a hit to left for No. 4,190. His second at-bat, he grounded out to second. Rose lined No. 4,191 to right and Wrigley Field went nuts.

More from the book: In the Reds dugout, Rose was getting plenty of advice. "Don't do it, don't do it," Cincinnati native kept saying. Rose knew that teammate and long-time friend Tony Perez wanted the record to come in Cincinnati, too. "What are you doing, buddy?" asked Perez. "What are you going to do?" Answered Rose: "I'm going to try to get a base hit." He said this is the way he had always envisioned it, winning the game with No. 4,192.

I remembered that Rose got one more shot. In the seventh, off Cubs pitcher Larry Sorensen, Rose grounded sharply to shortstop Shawon Dunston's glove side and was thrown out at first. In my memory that was Rose's last at-bat that day. But it wasn't. With Cubs' first baseman and Cincinnati native at the plate in bottom of the eighth and the Reds down 5-4, the skies opened and the game was stopped. Two hours later, play resumed, the Reds tied it up 5-5, and here came Rose in the bottom of the ninth to face Cubs' reliever . Rose struck out swinging.

The threat of the record-breaker coming on the road was over.

Two games later — following an 0-for-4 at Riverfront (three popups and a line-out in his final at bat, "momentarily stopping the hearts of 51,000 fans") — came the record-breaker. It came on the night of the 57th anniversary of Cobb's final at-bat.

Rose, in his first at-bat off pitcher Eric Show in the first inning, smacked No. 4,192 to left, in front of Padres left fielder Carmelo Martinez.

We all know the rest of the story, particularly the emotional celebration at first base when Rose broke down.

But for me, the story had come three days earlier at Wrigley Field.

That is the game I will never forget, the game when Rose stood at the plate with the game on the line and said the "home gate for 4,192" be damned.

That is the Rose I will always remember.

ASSOCIATED PRESS Votto goes wild in argument, Pirates beat Reds on Kang slam By Gary Schatz / The Associated Press

CINCINNATI —

Joey Votto just went berserk.

The Reds star erupted after a called strike and got ejected, with teammates and even an umpire needing to hold him back Wednesday night in Cincinnati's 5-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Votto was tossed by plate umpire Bill Welke while the Reds were trying to rally in the eighth. The 2010 NL MVP slammed down his batting helmet after strike two, hollering and gesturing as he went nose-to-nose with Welke.

"''My understanding is that Joey asked for time and Welke didn't grant it," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "That's what got it started."

"I know that Joey looked over to the dugout and that's my sign to get out there. He was already ejected before I could get there. Our argument is that if someone asks for time he should get it. Joey handled the situation professionally until he got upset," he said. "You can argue about how you act when you're upset. Joey was upset. Bill was upset. I was upset. There were a lot of upset people out there."

The dispute quickly escalated and Reds teammates intervened to restrain Votto, with first base umpire Laz Diaz helping prevent the big hitter from reaching Welke. Price also was ejected.

Votto had left the clubhouse when reporters arrived after the game. Welke declined comment.

Jung Ho Kang hit Pittsburgh's first grand slam of the season, a tiebreaking shot in the sixth inning. The Pirates hold the top spot in the NL wild-card race.

"We were going in on Kang all night and he hadn't caught up with it yet. We kept the same game plan. I was trying to put it on the black but it was over the plate. Anyone can hit that. I have to execute my pitches better," Reds starter Keyvius Sampson said.

J.A. Happ (5-1) struck out a season-high 10. He won his fifth straight start, pitching into the seventh inning and giving up three hits.

Five of the strikeouts were called third strikes, including Votto's first inning strikeout which didn't exactly endear Welke to the Reds slugger.

Mark Melancon worked the ninth for his major league-leading 44th save.

Sampson (2-4) took the loss.

Votto was ejected for the third time this season after the Reds had scored once in the eighth to make it 5-3. There were runners on first and second with one out at the time, and Ramon Cabrera batted for Votto and singled for his first major league hit.

It was 1-all when Gregory Polanco led off the Pittsburgh sixth with a single and stole second. Andrew McCutchen drew a one-out walk and Aramis Ramirez loaded the bases with a sharp single.

Kang's homer was the seventh allowed by Cincinnati this season.

"It was my decision to let Keyvius face Kang. I'll own it," Price said.

McCutchen had a sacrifice fly in the first.

Todd Frazier hit his 31st homer in the second. It was his sixth since he won the All-Star Home Run Derby. He added a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Pirates: RHP A.J. Burnett will be reinstated from the disabled list in time to start the opener of a four-game series against Milwaukee at PNC Park. He has been sidelined since July 31 with elbow inflammation.

Reds: INF/OF Kris Negron will need season-ending surgery to repair a shoulder injury he suffered while making a diving backhanded catch in left field on Tuesday in his first game since being recalled from Triple-A Louisville. "At least it was on a sweet play," Negron said.

UP NEXT

Pirates: Pittsburgh opens an eight-game home stand with four games against the Brewers, who swept a three-game series against the Pirates in Milwaukee earlier this month. RHP A.J. Burnett (8-5, 3.06) is scheduled to make his first start since July 30, the day before he went on the disabled list with right elbow inflammation.

Reds: Rookie RHP John Lamb (0-3, 6.11) makes his first career appearance against St. Louis in the opener of a four-game series.

EJECTED DEJECTED

Votto was ejected on May 6 in Pittsburgh and served a one-game suspension for bumping umpire Chris Conroy. Price was ejected for the third time also, including one before the start of a game in Cleveland on May 23.

Good & bad news for Reds with Thursday's Cards starter By The Associated Press

The St. Louis Cardinals were pulling at their collars until a late rally turned what could have been an uncomfortable division lead into breathable again.

The Cardinals can exhale a bit more as they start a long road trip with the bottom two teams in the NL Central, beginning with Thursday night's series opener against the last-place Cincinnati Reds.

St. Louis (88-51) was five outs from its fourth consecutive loss and a series sweep at the hands of Chicago on Wednesday, potentially tightening its division lead to 3 1/2 games over Pittsburgh and 5 1/2 over the Cubs.

Instead, rookie Stephen Piscotty laced a two-run double in the eighth inning to help the Cardinals win 4-3, avoid their first sweep at home this season and remain 4 1/2 ahead of the Pirates.

St. Louis now looks to separate itself during a seven-game stretch in Cincinnati and Milwaukee before closing a 10-game trip in Chicago.

"It's definitely good to get that one," Piscotty said. "You don't want to get swept by the Cubs. We're fine. There's no panic. We did a good job of fighting back."

The road trip starts in good hands with Jaime Garcia (8-4, 1.89 ERA) on the mound. The Cardinals have won each of his last seven starts, with the left-hander going 5-0 with a 1.76 ERA while limiting hitters to a .212 average.

The good news for Cincinnati (57-81) is that it was the last team to beat Garcia. A three-run homer by Joey Votto was all Garcia gave up in six innings July 28, but it was more than enough for a 4-0 Reds victory. Votto goes off after ejection in loss to Pirates

The bad news for the Reds is that Garcia is 10-3 with a 3.26 ERA against them lifetime. Brandon Phillips has seen him the most of Cincinnati's hitters with a .302 average, two home runs and four doubles in 43 at-bats. Jason Bourgeois (6 for 14, four doubles) and Votto (9 for 31) have also fared well, while Todd Frazier (1 for 17) has not.

While Garcia can't seem to lose lately, Cincinnati starter John Lamb hasn't been able to pick up his first career win.

In fact, the Reds haven't won any of the rookie's five starts since he was called up from Triple-A Louisville on Aug. 13.

Lamb (0-3, 6.11) looked destined to end the slide Saturday against Milwaukee when he carried a 5-1 lead into the sixth. The Brewers, though, used five singles, a double and a Reds error to score five runs in the inning and boot the left-hander out of the game.

Lamb's night was finished after allowing six runs and nine hits in 5 2-3 innings.

"It's just part of the game. Disappointed with the result, obviously," Lamb told MLB's official website. "I felt good about that going out there in the sixth, then the wheels fell off. ... Disappointing."

The Cardinals activated first baseman Matt Adams from the 60-day disabled list Wednesday. He hit .243 with four home runs and 20 RBIs in 144 at-bats before going down with a strained quad.

St. Louis has won eight of 12 meetings this season, including four of six at Great American Ball Park.

TRANSACTIONS Date Transaction 09/09/15 activated LHP CC Sabathia from the 15-day disabled list. St. Louis Cardinals activated 1B Matt Adams from the 60-day disabled list. St. Louis Cardinals designated LHP Nick Greenwood for assignment. sent Danny Dorn outright to . New York Yankees sent Tyler Austin outright to .