NewsFractured thumb doesn't faze Phillips
Cincinnati (28-25) vs. Chicago (26-25), 7:10 p.m. ET
By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com
06/04/09 11:45 PM ET
ST. LOUIS -- Not even a fractured right thumb has slowed Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips and his torrid hitting. Only Chris Carpenter of the Cardinals could do that. Phillips missed a week when the thumb on his throwing hand was struck by a Grady Sizemore ground ball on May 23. Since his return, he has gone eight-for-22 with three home runs, six RBIs and hits in five of his six games. "He had plenty of reps prior to that," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "He didn't lose much. He's playing very well." In May, despite missing five starts, Phillips batted .352 with seven homers and 29 RBIs, but was beaten out for Player of the Month honors by the D-backs' Justin Upton, who hit .373 during May with a .709 slugging percentage, seven homers and 21 RBIs. Overall, Phillips is batting .285 with 10 homers, 40 RBIs and a .352 on-base percentage. He was 0-for-3 in Thursday's 3-1 loss to the Cardinals and hit into a pair of inning-ending 5-4-3 double plays against Carpenter. Phillips plays with a special silicon gel wrap that protects his thumb from bat vibration. That helps reduce the pain a little, but not always. "If the ball is over the plate, it feels great," Phillips said. "If they get it in there, I feel it a little bit. I'm a man. I'm going to play." Pitching matchupCIN: RHP Micah Owings (3-6, 5.10 ERA)
In a 5-2 loss to the Brewers on Sunday, Owings pitched 5 2/3 innings and allowed five earned runs and eight hits with three walks and five strikeouts. By the time Owings retired a stretch of nine in a row and 10 of his last 11 batters, the damage was already done. The right-hander is winless over his past three starts, with an 8.56 ERA in those games. In his previous meeting vs. the Cubs on April 21, Owings gave up five runs, only two earned, over 4 2/3 innings during a 7-2 loss at Wrigley Field. He allowed five hits and walked four in that game. CHC: RHP Carlos Zambrano, (3-2, 4.22 ERA)
Moved back one night because of a rainout at Atlanta, this will be Zambrano's first start back after serving his six-game suspension. The right-hander was penalized for his antics on May 27, when he argued a close call at home plate, threw a baseball into left field, hurled his glove, then took his frustrations out on a Gatorade dispenser in the Cubs dugout. As far as pitching goes, he's one win away from No. 100 in his career and needs four K's to tie Bill Hutchinson for sixth on the team's all-time strikeout list. Before he was ejected, Zambrano gave up two runs on seven hits over 6 1/3 innings against the Pirates. Rehab assignment soon?
Reds third baseman Edwin Encarnacion has taken four straight days of batting practice and appears to be close to starting a Minor League rehab assignment. "When we get back home, they'll check and see to where they can send me," Encarnacion said. "When they say I'm ready, we'll see where I am going to go. I am very excited. Now I know I can play. I feel no pain. I'm ready to go." "He's pretty close, maybe as close as this weekend," Baker said. Rules give teams up to 20 days to keep a big league player in the Minors while rehabbing. Baker seemed prepared to give Encarnacion as much time as he can get. He was batting .127 before going on the disabled list April 28 with a chip fracture in his left wrist. "I'd like to see him come in hot and give us a jolt," Baker said. Tickets
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• Saturday: Reds (Matt Maloney, MLB debut) vs. Cubs (Ryan Dempster 4-3, 4.48 ERA), 7:10 p.m. ET
• Sunday: Reds (Bronson Arroyo, 7-4, 5.37) vs. Cubs (Randy Wells, 0-2, 1.69), 1:10 p.m. ET
• Monday: Off-day
Mark Sheldon is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.
