Why Chase Petty's start in Reds loss big for Reds, bigger for him
"In the grand scheme of things it was really good," Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona said.
CHICAGO – The last thing Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona told pitching prospect Chase Petty last summer before sending him back to the minors was that the right-hander’s rough two-start debut did not define his career. It’s part of the mindset he took into his return engagement to the big leagues, when he exceeded expectations of everyone outside the Reds clubhouse to pitch nearly six innings against the first-place Cubs at Wrigley Field. “It was exactly that,” he said.
“I was 22 years old coming in. A lot can happen in a year. I’ve learned a lot.
I’ve learned how to handle myself, how to control the controllables on the mound. “And I think there’s a lot of work left to do still. ” More: NL Rookie Power Rankings right out of Central casting for Reds, rivals Petty had allowed 13 earned runs and eight walks in six career innings (two starts and a relief appearance) before getting pressed into action by mounting injuries to the Reds rotation in Monday’s series opener in Chicago.
And whatever comes next for him, he already has begun to redefine the early part of his big-league career with those 5 2/3 innings – in which he allowed three runs in one hiccup of a three-batter sequence in the fourth inning. “I thought he was terrific,” Francona said. “In the grand scheme of things, it was really good.