Kearns remains positive despite numbers

[missionhockey21]

Kearns remains positive despite numbers
By Marc Lancaster
Post staff reporter

PHILADELPHIA - The general line of thinking around the Reds is that, barring any setbacks, Wily Mo Pena will be activated from the disabled list a week from today.

That could be viewed as a ticking clock in Austin Kearns' ear, but he's trying not to think about it that way. Frustrated over a lack of playing time much of the season, Kearns has had his chance lately but hasn't produced to the level he or the team expected.

"I think right now I'll just kind of have one or two good at-bats, and then I'll be off for a couple of days," he said. "It's kind of (trying to) stay consistent right now, and hopefully being in the lineup will take care of that and I'll start putting something together."

Kearns is hitting .213 overall and only slightly better in the time Pena has been hobbled by a tight left quadriceps.

The Reds have played 17 games since April 24, the day after Pena's original injury, with Kearns starting 13 of them and pinch-hitting in three others. He has had some quality hits - five doubles and four home runs helping to produce 10 RBIs - but not quite the quantity he'd like. Kearns is hitting .226 (12-for-53) in that span with 17 strikeouts.

"I've had some homers and some RBIs," he said. "Nobody's putting up monster numbers here, but if you look at everybody else's numbers, I'm pretty close as far as RBIs and home runs. But I definitely want to pick it up in some other areas."

With Rich Aurilia on the disabled list, there's no reason Kearns shouldn't expect to play every day, at least until Pena returns.

The right fielder will need to head back in the direction of his spring training performance if he wants to maintain a regular lineup spot. Kearns outperformed everyone in the Reds' clubhouse in Grapefruit League play, hitting .324 with nine doubles and a .380 on-base percentage in 24 games.

But he wasn't able to maintain that groove once the regular season began. Perhaps it was due to anxiousness to impress when his playing time became more sporadic. Whatever the reason, Kearns would like to figure it out soon.

"It's real easy to press and I know I'm guilty of that, as much as anything," he said. "It's just part of being competitive - when you want to be in there and then you get in there and you try to do too much because you're so anxious. I probably just need to take a step back and relax."

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[NFLman2033]

i was thinking last night that it is possible that Kearns wasn't playing while Pena is out, so he wouldn't put up good numbers and make it a tough choice to see who plays when Pena comes back.. now i could be over thinking, but it would explain a number of things

[redsrbetter]

Yeah NFL you just brought up an unanswered question. Why didn't Kearns play once Pena went down? We have no clue. But I really think that a trade was in the air and it did not go through.

[Wally Mo Pena]

i think it was just that someone on the team is obsessed with dick aurilia. When felo and freel made it very clear that they had to play, kearns became the odd man out next to aurilia. Kearns is hitting .215 or whatever, it's not like he was forcing them to play him like freel and felo.

[redsrbetter]

Kearns had a spat with Miley too. So did Jiminez. Everone in the clubhouse is complaining. Some with legit reasons and others being a baby about it. Freel and Lopez have done everything to show that they should start. Kearns has not, but he should get the nod when Pena is hurt. Because he may be off without the opportunities to get it back. But now is the time to shine and he better do it quick.