[新聞] SJMercury:Kuo puts Mets' bats to sleep in 1st start
Kuo puts Mets' bats to sleep in first start
By Bill Plunkett
The Orange County Register
(MCT)
NEW YORK - Ned Colletti and Grady Little have been part of many faith-based initiatives this year.
The Dodgers' general manager and manager have put their faith in young players more times than they care to recall - and been rewarded for it more than they could have hoped.
Left-hander Hong-Chih Kuo is the latest rookie to make them believers, pitching six shutout innings in his first major-league start to beat the New York Mets, 5-0, on Friday.
"Give me about 48 hours, and we'll do it again," Little said jokingly, referring to his decision to send rookie Eric Stults out for his first major-league start Sunday.
"We instill the confidence that we have in them (the rookies). The rest is up to them. They understand the belief we have in them. I think that's a big part of their success."
Until Friday, that belief was misplaced when it came to Kuo. The Dodgers were fearful of his ability to pitch the innings required of a starter after undergoing three elbow surgeries (including two Tommy John procedures) in his first three years as a professional, so they decided Kuo's future was as a reliever.
The role didn't fit. Kuo was erratic. He walked 31 in 352/3 innings as a reliever last season and early this year. But he rediscovered himself as a starter in Triple-A and brought that persona to the mound against the Mets.
"He looked different. Shoot, he looked 80 to 100 percent different," Dodgers shortstop Rafael Furcal said. "Before, when you're a rookie and you've got a great arm but you come out of the bullpen and walk one or two guys, they take you out. When you're a starter, you have confidence if you walk a guy, OK, get a ground ball and get the double play. That's what he did tonight.
"He threw nasty. Unbelievable."
Kuo, staked to a 2-0 lead even before he took the mound, did walk two of the first three batters he faced. But he worked out of that with help from Russell Martin, who threw Jose Reyes out trying to steal third.
Kuo didn't allow a runner past second, gave up three hits in his six innings and got two double plays to help erase them.
"He didn't fall behind in counts. He was pounding the zone," Martin said. "Then he could come in with his off- speed stuff or go upstairs with his fastball.
"I think the difference (from his relief performances) is he had time to establish his fastball. His fastball is real sneaky. Once he establishes that, everything else clicks. ... After a couple innings, you could see (his confidence)."
Kuo might get a chance to establish himself as a starter down the stretch. Little said he would start Thursday in Chicago, allowing the Dodgers to move Greg Maddux back a day so he can pitch in the crucial four-game series against the San Diego Padres, who are 1 1/2 games behind the first- place Dodgers).
"This guy was outstanding out there," Little said. "He's earned the right to get another chance - or two. Maybe for another 10 years."
The Dodgers made his job easier in this one by breaking out of a slump that had them hitting .197 as a team on this trip with two runs in 30 innings before Friday.
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