The battle for the fifth starter in the Reds rotation has become intense.
Micah Owings work on a two-seam fastball is paying off. The righthander obtained from Arizona in a trade for Adam Dunn, throttled the Red Sox on Tuesday.
He pitched three scoreless innings in his first start and kept the Red Sox off the board while he was on the mound. He allowed two hits to start the game but struck out Brad Wilkerson and got Rocco Baldelli to ground into a 4-6-3 double play.
Owings was scheduled to throw 50 pitches and ended the third inning with 35. He used up his quota with two out and two on in the fourth. Jed Lowrie doubled to start the fourth. Owings struck out Wilkerson for the second time and got Baldelli to ground out but walked Jason Varitek.
Jared Burton relieved Owings and allowed a two-run double to Paul McAnulty.
"I felt good," Owings said. "I used the same approach to pound the lower half of the strike zone. I am pleased but I always feel like I can do better."
Three other pitchers are in the mix for the last open starting spot.
Ramon Ramirez is with the Venezuelan World Baseball Classic team. Homer Bailey pitched three scoreless innings on Monday. Nick Masset had a rough outing on Saturday but will take the mound on Thursday against Pittsburgh.
"There was a point in my career over the past two or three years that I thought too much about that stuff," Owings said. "I realize that I just have to go out there and compete. I'm not competing against the guys in this clubhouse. We're on the same team. We're all in this together. I think Dusty made that clear early on. I like that. I like that he did that. It kind of reminded me to go out worry about what I can worry about. I just want to be part of this team and help as much as I can."
The Reds pounded the Red Sox, Ramon Ramirez in the fourth inning.
Jay Bruce hit with Norris Hopper on base with a bunt single. Bruce hit a foul fly down the leftfield line but McAnulty dropped it. Bruce cleared the right centerfield fence three pitches later. Brandon Phillips singled. Then Edwin Encarnacion unloaded on a bomb to leftfield.
Jonny Gomes hit a grand slam in the Reds five-run seventh.
Carlos Fisher, who advanced from AA Chattanooga to AAA Louiville last season, nailed it down for Cincinnati. Fisher finished 5-0 with a 1.04 Earned Run Average for Louisville.
"Owings looked good. We were trying to get him to 50 pitches and he lost it for a minute. He threw the ball great. Carlos Fisher threw the ball great. He dropped a couple hooks on some guys. I had never seen him pitch but he impressed us," manager Dusty Baker said.
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