Cy-Redding makes the most of his start

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/...id=981366&vkey=spt2005news&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

SURPRISE, Ariz. -- Tim Redding probably didn't have to pitch like a new man, but he made it sound as though he felt like one on Wednesday when he took the mound for the first time in a Padres uniform.
All but officially anointed as the team's No. 5 starter, the right-hander acquired on Monday from the Astros pitched six solid innings to get the win over the Rangers, allowing two earned runs on six hits while getting in 81 pitches worth of work.

"I just wanted to go out there and get my feet wet with the organization," said Redding. "They told me not to go out there and do anything I'm not capable of doing, don't blow anything out, you're on the club."

That hasn't been officially announced yet, but it's crystal clear that it's the case, especially after Wednesday's outing.

"He didn't do anything to hurt himself, that's for sure," said Padres bench coach Tony Muser, who managed the game against the Rangers with Bruce Bochy in San Diego for the San Diego State exhibition.

So at the end of a spring in which he'd hoped to be traded from the team that drafted him -- and finally was -- Redding was at his best making a first impression for his new club.

And after wondering for the last year or so where he stood with the Astros, he took it upon himself to show the Padres what he can do without the weight of so much uncertainty on his shoulders.

"I had absolutely no sense of stress whatsoever out there today," he said. "Warming up, I was kind of hitting my spots on certain pitches but didn't really throw any curveballs or sliders in the 'pen. Then I got out there and everything clicked. Sometimes that's the way it is.

"But if I did that in Houston, I'd be pounding on myself and absolutely nothing would be working. I'd be out of there after two innings."

Instead, Redding worked through a bases-loaded jam in the second and made it through six innings after getting only as far as four with the Astros this spring. He had an extra day of rest, but that was spent traveling across the country from Florida. All things considered, he was pleased with his stamina.

Bullpen coach Darrel Akerfelds, keeping an eye on Redding's outing along with Muser for the rest of the staff, was pleased with more than just Redding's ability to get through his innings.

"I thought he pitched really well," said Akerfelds. "He did a lot of different things with his pitches, used a two-seamer [fastball] and a four-seamer, and threw some changeups behind in the count.

"He threw all his pitches when he got behind in the count, and that's pitching."


Of course, it wasn't perfect. Redding gave up a homer to David Dellucci and a triple to Gary Matthews Jr. that turned into a run thanks to an error, and a few balls were hit hard. But he battled through any adversity.

"The great thing about today is when I got into trouble, I got out of it in just a few pitches," he said.

Redding faced what Muser called the Rangers' "A club" -- with such stars as Alfonso Soriano, Michael Young, Hank Blalock and Richard Hidalgo taking their hacks against him.

And he did everything to make the Padres believe he's ready to take on the role of fifth starter, a role that lefty Darrell May had in hand but lost with a rough spring. May will pitch on Thursday in Peoria but is likely to start the season in the bullpen after the acquisition of Redding -- and the fine first impression he made on Wednesday.

"It was a good test for him," said Muser of Redding. "As far as I'm concerned, he passed it."

Redding is careful to point out that he can't guarantee such good stuff all the time, but he's in more of a comfort zone away from the pressures he felt as a home-grown product who wasn't quite meeting the Astros' expectations.

It was only a Cactus League exhibition, but everything was going right for Redding on Wednesday.

Actually, it has been since the trade was announced on Monday.

"I'm ecstatic to be here," he said. "Watching these guys play last year and playing against them, they had a great club. They went out and made the necessary acquisitions that they needed to this year, and I'm flattered that they wanted to get me out of all the pitchers fighting for spots on other teams.

"They came to Houston and plucked me out of there, and I'm grateful for that. I'm going to try my best, like I always do, but there's just a little extra motivation because it's a brand-new start here."