SAN DIEGO – Despite Zach Duke’s early-season struggles, Reds manager David Bell never lost faith in the left-handed reliever. Duke entered Thursday with two runners on base and one out against San Diego Padres slugger Eric Hosmer for a lefty-lefty matchup.
Protecting a three-run lead, Duke fell behind in the count, 2-1, before throwing two sinkers past Hosmer for a strikeout.
“I was really happy for him,” Bell said. “You look at it, it’s like one out. But it’s really a big out in that game. That’s what he does. I’ve seen him do it. He knows he can do it.