Although translator Eugene Koo dutifully trotted out beside manager Mike Matheny in the eighth inning Saturday to meet with reliever Seung Hwan Oh, the message was as clear as the batter stepping to the plate: former MVP Joey Votto.
This was a test for Oh. Be judicious.
Oh got ahead in the count, earned the chance to be aggressive, and retired Votto on a fly ball to complete a second scoreless inning. The Korean righthander’s longest outing so far this season asserted his ascending importance in the bullpen, even as it came immediately after the last righthander to have his role continued to struggle.