Randa gives Reds grand start

[CincyRedsFan30]

Randa gives Reds grand start
Offseason pickup homers again, drives in six, makes two great plays in 9-5 win over Mets

By Hal McCoy

Dayton Daily News

CINCINNATI | Even after his awe-inspiring game-ending ninth-inning home run on Opening Day, Reds third baseman Joe Randa needed to walk the street with a sandwich board that read, "Hi, I'm Joe Randa, Your New Third Baseman."

Before Wednesday night's 9-5 victory over the New York Mets, Randa said, "Nobody knows me. I'm just a guy who happened to get off to a good start in his first game with a new team."

How about after two games? Good start? Great start? Un-bee-leev-a-bull start?

In his encore performance, Randa drove in six runs with three hits, including a grand slam that traveled 438 feet and crashed off the black batter's eye in straightaway center.

Know him? After the grand slam turned a two-run lead into a six-run lead in the eighth, the 22,301 fans in Great American Ball Park demanded, and received, a curtain call. And as he trotted to his position for the ninth, they were chanting, "Ran-da, Ran-da, Ran-da."

He smiled broadly — he always smiles broadly — and said, "That's pretty cool. That's special. I'm a new guy trying to make a name for myself and have the fans get to know me."

Now it won't be long before he'll be as recognizable in Cincinnati as chili and cheese on a Cincinnati coney.

Mets center fielder Carlos Beltran played with Randa in Kansas City and said, "I didn't know he was this good. But he is a great guy and a good player."

Randa drove in the game's first two runs and made two solid-platinum defensive plays.

"Defense means more to me than the homers," he said. "Defense is where you win championships. The home runs come and go, but any time you can help the pitcher with defense, that means the most to me."

While General Manager Dan O'Brien knew Randa's bat was a handy accoutrement when he signed him to a one-year, $2.15 million contract, it was Randa's sticky glove that drew rapt attention.

Third base last year was an open wound, and bleeder ground balls often leaked through.

Randa showed why his defense was the hot commodity on back-to-back hitters in the third. He snagged hard line drives hit by Kazuo Matsui and Beltran.

"He (O'Brien) just wanted me to come in and contribute however I could," Randa said. "He didn't mention defense or offense. He just wanted me to be a consistent player, help keep this club together and help the young players."

And, OK, slug a few homers along the way.

And then there is Ken Griffey Jr.

Put him fourth or put him fifth or put him third or put him second, but just make certain to put him in.

Nobody knows that better than Reds manager Dave Miley.

When Griffey is hale and hearty, Miley begins his day by writing Griffey's name somewhere on the lineup card.

For the first two games of the 2005 season, Miley has scribbled Griffey's name in unfamiliar territory. Second.

Does it matter? A hitter is a hitter is a hitter.

On Wednesday, Griffey walked to the plate in the fourth inning with the bases loaded, two outs, game tied, Tom Glavine pitching.

After falling behind 0-and-2, Griffey pulled a 1-and-2 pitch into right field for a tiebreaking two-run single, and the Reds used that as the diving platform toward the victory.

It was one of three hits Griffey contributed to a 14-hit attack as the Reds won for the second straight time in the incubatory portion of the season.

Reds starter Eric Milton encountered the same problem that plagued him all last year with the Phillies ... the ballparks aren't big enough.

Milton led the National League last year by giving up 43 homers, and after his first start he is only 41 behind that total. He gave up a second-inning homer to Doug Mientkiewicz and a fourth-inning opposite-field homer to David Wright that tied it, 2-2, before Randa and Griffey took command.

Milton went 5 2/3 innings, giving up three runs and nine hits and was the winning pitcher.

"Milton is solid, knows how to pitch," said manager Dave Miley. "Yeah, he gives up homers, but in the big leagues that is going to happen. He is a lot like Tom Browning used to be — give up a lot of homers, but most of them with nobody on base and you don't get hurt."

[redsrbetter]

Glad to see Randa is making it easy on himself to get comfortable.

[CincyRedsFan30]

Yup. I really like his attitude too. He seems like a really good guy.