PHILADELPHIA (AP)—Wilson Valdez(notes) has a new career as a late-inning
reliever.

Late. Really, really late.

Valdez shifted over from second base and wound up as the winning pitcher
early Thursday when the Philadelphia Phillies needed 19 innings to outlast the
Cincinnati Reds 5-4.

In front of a dwindling crowd at Citizens Bank Park, Raul Ibanez(notes) hit a
bases-loaded sacrifice fly to decide the longest major league game of the
season. It ended at 1:19 a.m. local time after 6 hours, 11 minutes.

Shaving cream nestled in his beard and dripping off his ear in the locker
room, Valdez wanted to keep pitching.

“I can go for three more, four more (innings). Whatever,” he said.

Who knows? The Phillies might need him on short notice

Not much time for rest, either. The teams were set to play again Thursday at
1:05 p.m.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel strolled through the clubhouse after 1:30
a.m. wishing everyone a good morning.

He had every reason to smile because of Valdez.

Valdez threw a hitless 19th inning in his first professional pitching
appearance. Phillies fans stood and chanted “Let’s go, Wilson!” when the
33-year-old Valdez shifted from second to the mound.

The first batter he faced was Joey Votto(notes), and the reigning NL MVP flied out
to deep center field.

Valdez acted like a seasoned closer. He hit 90 mph on a fastball to Votto.
He shook off catcher Dane Sardinha(notes). And he showed no fear.

“If he hits a home run, they’re not going to say anything to me,” said
Valdez, laughing.

Not bad for a journeyman infielder who became the first position player to
earn a win since Colorado catcher Brent Mayne on Aug. 22, 2000, according to
STATS LLC. Mayne went one inning in a 7-6 victory over Atlanta in 12 innings.

Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard(notes) put his mitt over his face to hide his
smile when Valdez shook off his catcher.

“I was like, ‘What is he going to throw? What does he have?”’ Howard said.
“It was funny, but he got it done.”

Some fans, young and old, already were asleep in the stands as the game
played on. But plenty of the die-hards who stuck around made it a lively
atmosphere, especially when Valdez took over as Philadelphia’s ninth pitcher.

Valdez threw one pitch to the backstop and hit Scott Rolen(notes). But the
Phillies’ newest right-hander then retired Jay Bruce(notes) on a fly ball and got Reds
reliever Carlos Fisher(notes) (0-1) on a popup.

“If it’s anything like how he throws balls to me, it’s going to be nasty up
there,” Howard said. “He throws a lot of sinkers.”

Fisher, the Reds’ seventh pitcher, worked 5 2-3 innings and gave up one run
and four hits. The Phillies used 21 players overall, the Reds 20.

Fisher finally wore down when Jimmy Rollins(notes) singled to open the 19th,
Domonic Brown(notes) walked and Placido Polanco(notes) sacrificed. Thousands of fans
derisively chanted “Fisher! Fisher!” before he intentionally walked Howard to
load the bases. Ibanez had been 1 for 8 on the night when he hit a fly to deep
center to win it.

“The fans were great to get on him like that,” Howard said. “We couldn’t
have done it without them.”

The Reds used seven pitchers and the Phillies nine. The Reds had 15 hits to
Philadelphia’s 13.

Some of the box score numbers were rough. Reds third baseman Scott Rolen was
0 for 7 and Phillies infielder Placido Polanco was 1 for 8.

Bruce homered in the 10th for the Reds, then Howard went deep and tied it in
the bottom half. They ended up playing the longest game in the eight-season
history of the ballpark.

By the time it was over, the Reds and Phillies still had a long way to go to
match the latest-ending game in the big leagues this year. It was 2:45 a.m. at
Fenway Park when the Los Angeles Angels beat Boston in the 13th inning of a
rain-delayed game earlier this month.

The Phillies still had a couple innings left to match the longest game in
team history: a 2-1 loss to Chicago in 21 innings on July 17, 1918. The Reds
lost to San Francisco 1-0 in 21 innings on Sept. 1, 1967, in the longest game in
their history.

Phillies reliever Danys Baez(notes) threw 73 pitches and tossed one-hit ball over
five scoreless innings. He led off the 16th using a bat that hardly looked game
used, drawing chuckles from Phillies star Shane Victorino(notes) and Manuel in the
dugout.

Baez was confused. He grabbed the wrong helmet and forgot to stick pine tar
on the bat.

“My arm feels good now,” Baez said. “I don’t know about tomorrow.”

Today is tomorrow.

“Well, in six hours.”

The Phillies squandered a chance to win it in the 18th when Valdez was
stranded on second after a two-out double. Fisher retired Michael Martinez(notes) on a
liner to left.

Bruce hit a shot off Antonio Bastardo(notes) over the scoreboard into the front row
of the right-field seats for his 13th homer of the year to put the Reds ahead in
the 10th.

Bruce hit a tiebreaking, three-run double in the ninth to lead the Reds to a
6-3 win on Tuesday. He hit a three-run homer against the Phillies on Monday to
give him nine RBIs in the series.

It was no consolation.

“It’s definitely the strangest game I’ve ever been a part of,” Bruce said.
“All that effort and time and you lose. It’s tough.”

Howard tagged Francisco Cordero(notes) for his 11th homer to make it 4-all.

“One of the biggest downers in baseball is the late-inning blown save,”
Reds manager Dusty Baker said before the game.

And this one?

“A real tough one to lose,” Baker said.

Notes: The Phillies should decide Thursday if RHP Jose Contreras(notes) is ready to
come off the disabled list. Contreras has five saves and hasn’t allowed a run
this season. … Phillies RHP Joe Blanton(notes) visited renowned orthopedist Dr. James
Andrews for a second opinion on his injured elbow. Blanton will start a throwing
program in three to four weeks.

Jay Bruce’s three-run double off the right-center field wall with two out in the ninth inning broke open a tie game and sent Ryan Madson and the Philadelphia Phillies to a 6-3 loss in front of 45,740 fans at Citizens Bank Park.

The Reds got a bunt single from Drew Stubbs, an intentional walk to Joey Votto and an infield single by Scott Rolen, all off Madson, before Bruce’s blast made a loser of Madson (2-1).

The Phils had scored twice in the second on consecutive doubles by Ryan Howard and  Raul Ibanez and a sacrifice fly by Domonic Brown. They added a fourth-inning run on an Ibanez single and a Carlos Ruiz double off the wall in left.

The Phillies were patient with Reds’ ace Johnny Cueto (2.18 ERA) and forced
him to leave the game after six having thrown 108 pitches.

Cincinnati, who snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Phils, scored in the first on a double by Votto and a single by Rolen, still lustily booed by the crowd.
Brandon Phillips’ soft two-run double lobbed down the right field line tied the game in the fifth.

In his second game back in the lineup, Phils’ second baseman Chase Utley went 1-for-4. 

Cincinnati Reds third baseman Scott Rolen(notes) has had a hurting left shoulder, which helps explain his .217 batting average so far this year, well below his career average of .283.

He’s had two cortisone shots but the Cincinnati Enquirer reports that those “didn’t improve (the pain) a great deal,” so the team put him on the disabled list Sunday.

“I got to the point where I was fighting it a little bit,” Rolen said, according to the Enquirer. “I think experience has shown that this is the best move right now. I think that’s the answer: calm it down, rest it.”

The paper notes that Rolen won’t even swing a bat for a few days. “I think that’s the best course,” he said. “Let everything calm itself down. Let the medicine get in there and work. I’ve got the neck, the upper back and trap, the things that go along with it. The shoulder causes all the things. But they are real. They’re not going to go away with a couple of shots in the shoulder. But addressing the shoulder was the main thing. That’s where it’s coming from.”

The plan is for him to return on May 6.

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Source: Cincinnati Enquirer

Related: Cincinnati Reds

ST. LOUIS — Cincinnati Reds third baseman Scott Rolen tried to make a quick comeback from his shoulder injury.

But after the two cortisone injections he got Friday didn’t have any kind of miraculous effect in the next 48 hours, it was decided Sunday the disabled list was the best route.

“I got to the point where I was fighting it a little bit,” Rolen said. “I think experience has shown that this is the best move right now. I think that’s the answer, calm it down, rest it.”

Rolen will not swing a bat for at least a few more days.

“I think that’s the best course,” he said.

The Reds and Rolen hope he’ll be ready May 6, the first day he’s eligible.

“He had the shot; he’s been working hard,” Cincinnati manager Dusty Baker said. “Sometimes, it takes a few days for these things to take affect. Some of it is we’re hoping.”

Miguel Cairo will get the bulk of the time at third with Rolen out. Chris Valaika, recalled from Triple-A Louisville to take Rolen’s roster spot, will get some time there also, and Chris Heisey even had some work there.

Baker also will consider playing Paul Janish at third and Edgar Renteria at shortstop.

“It depends on what I need,” Baker said.

The long-term plan at third remains Juan Francisco.

“He’s 23 (and has) lots of pop,” Baker said. (He was the) MVP in the Dominican the last two winters. He was the guy we had slated to pick up the 35, 40 games Scottie wasn’t going to play and phase him in slowly like that.”

Francisco is on the disabled list with a strained calf until at least May 2.

Updated Apr 24, 2011 4:08 PM ET

The Cincinnati Reds have placed third baseman Scott Rolen on the 15-day disabled list due to soreness in his left shoulder, MLB.com reported Sunday.

Cincinnati opted to sit the six-time All-Star after he hit just .176 over the last seven days.

Rolen, 36, missed most of the 2005 season after undergoing two surgeries to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder.

According to MLB.com, team doctors have given Rolen injections in the hopes that he can return to action in the next couple of days.

Rolen is hitting .217 for the season with two home runs and 12 RBIs.

The 1997 NL Rookie of the Year has won eight Gold Gloves and hit .285 with 305 HR’s during his career with the Reds, Phillies, Cardinals and Blue Jays.

Infielder Chris Valaika has been called up from Triple-A to replace Rolen on the Reds’ roster.