Reds pregame notes: Bailey to start Game 3

SAN FRANCISCO -- Right-hander Homer Bailey will start Game 3 of Cincinnati's National League Division Series Tuesday at Great American Ballpark, Reds manager Dusty Baker announced Sunday afternoon.Bailey was initially penciled in to start a Game 4, if necessary, with Mat Latos going in Game 3. But Latos pitched four innings of one-run relief in the Reds' 5-2 series-opening victory over the Giants after ace Johnny Cueto left following eight pitches with back spasms.There had been speculation that Cueto could start Game 3, if his health was fine.
Instead"You can't take a chance with Johnny, and we have to see exactly, we can't have him go out there again and have something else happen to him and come up short (with the bullpen) again," Baker said, "When he goes back out there we will make sure to the best of your knowledge that he's okay."RELATED: Vogelsong to start Game 3
In five career starts against the Giants, Bailey is 1-0 with a 5.59 earned-run average with a pair of blown saves costing him wins this season -- on April 26 in Cincinnati -- and in 2010.Bailey authored a no-hitter on Sept. 28 at Pittsburgh.Cueto's one batter and eight-pitch outing in Game 1 was the fewest batters faced by a starting pitcher in a postseason game in Major League history, according to the Elias Sports Bureau. The previous record of two batters had been held by Washington's Curly Odgen, who faced two hitters in Game 7 of the 1924 World Series, against the New York Giants.Also, per Elias, Cincinnati second baseman Brandon Phillips, who had three hits with a home run and three runs batted in, was the third Reds player in franchise history with at least three hits and three RBI in a postseason game since the RBI became an official statistic in 1920. The other Reds -- Tony Perez ( three hits, three RBI) in Game 2 of the 1975 National League Championship Series against Pittsburgh and Mariano Duncan (three hits, four RBI) in Game 3 of the 1990 NLCS against the Pirates.Baker, on Latos' relief appearance on the spur of the moment: "What Latos did last night is what championships are made of. Here is a guy over there relaxing in the dugout figuring that Johnny is going deep in the game and the next thing you know he's called into service. We try to give them an ample amount of time to get warm, to go in and get stretched out like starters usually do."Latos, meanwhile, said he would be ready, willing and available to start a potential Game 4 in Cincinnati."If they need me to," Latos said. "I threw only four innings and 60, 70 pitches, so it sucks that Johnny went down, and I don't think it's -- I'm young still so it's not like I'm Bronson (Arroyo, who is 35) where I have some miles on me. I'm able to, I feel real good, so if need be and I need to go Game 4, I will go Game 4."Baker said both Bailey and Cueto were flying back to Cincinnati early tonight.