Pena not happy with playing time
By Hal McCoy
Dayton Daily News
CINCINNATI | — When Ken Griffey Jr. went down, Wily Mo Pena figured center field was his for the duration. While he has played more, Sunday was another disappointment when he walked into the clubhouse and saw his name was not on the lineup card.
And that's why he says he wouldn't mind being traded. He doesn't want to be part of another four-outfielder system like this year — Griffey, Adam Dunn, Austin Kearns and Pena.
"I don't want to be doing this next year," said Pena. "With Griffey out they could be playing me, but they don't play me. I don't want this situation next year.
"They can trade me if they want, because now I know I can play up here and I can play every day for lots of teams," he said. "It has been this way for three years and I barely have 600 at-bats (701). I play and feel good and get a couple of hits, then I don't play. That's hard. That's not good. I'd just like to go someplace where I can play every day."
In 300 at-bats this year, Pena is hitting .260 with 18 homers, 49 RBIs and 110 strikeouts. On defense, though, his glove seems so full of iron it is a wonder he gets it through a metal detector.
Coffey looks for splitter
Manager Jerry Narron said before he first saw relief pitcher Todd Coffey, "All I heard was what a great split-fingered pitch he had, but I haven't seen it all year."
That's why Coffey is going to the winter instructional league for two weeks, "So I can go down there and get it back," he said. "Where did it go? No clue. I just quit throwing it so I don't have a feel for it."
Said Narron, "If he gets that splitter back, he could be a very good closer," said Narron. "He has a good fastball and good command. He needs that big out pitch to be a closer and the splitter could do it."
Used mostly by Narron as a situational pitcher and a set-up guy, Coffey is 4-0 with one save and a 4.08 ERA over 55 appearances.