Major League Baseball

Reds' LeCure sits, tweets, placed on DL

Published May. 30, 2011 12:04 a.m. ET

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One day after tweeting he was ''wasting space'' in the Reds' bullpen, right-hander Sam LeCure was placed on the disabled list on Sunday with a strained right forearm.

The Reds, still recovering from an 19-inning loss at Philadelphia on Wednesday, had their pitching depth stretched again in a 7-6 loss to the Braves in 12 innings on Saturday night.

Manager Dusty Baker used six relievers, but not LeCure.

LeCure posted on his (at)mrLeCure Twitter account: ''I don't know what to say folks. I desperately want to pitch and I feel like I'm wasting space as I'm sure you all do. Im ready if they call''.

Baker said Sunday that LeCure couldn't throw all his pitches and could not be called on.

''Number one, I don't read tweets,'' Baker said. ''And number two, he's available but without all of his weapons, you know what I mean? What I mean by that, with that strained right forearm, he could only throw fastball, changeup. So that's not available to me.''

Baker questioned why LeCure ''felt the need to tweet it in the first place.''

''I like his enthusiasm. I like him,'' Baker said. ''But now is not the time for heroism yet. We've tried to warm him up a number of times.''

The roster move with LeCure was made retroactive to May 23. LeCure's last appearance was on May 22 when he gave up one hit and one run in 3 1-3 innings at Cleveland.

Baker said LeCure's arm problem forced him out of the game at Cleveland.

''So we've been very patient trying to wait to see if this thing would subside,'' Baker said.

LeCure was 0-1 with a 3.18 ERA in 12 games, including four starts.

Right-hander Carlos Fisher, who threw 95 pitches in relief Wednesday night, took the loss on Saturday night when he couldn't record an out in the 12th, his second inning of work.

Baker said after the game Fisher was ''weary.'' That caused some to wonder why LeCure, who was rested, was not used in the game. LeCure's tweet only added to the second-guessing.

Baker referred to LeCure's public comment as ''one of the perils of tweeting.''

The Reds called up left-hander Tom Cochran from Triple-A Louisville. Left-hander Matt Maloney, who was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Thursday with a broken rib suffered while sneezing, was transferred to the 60-day disabled list.

Cochran is the fourth Reds pitcher to be called up in the last four days, following Daryl Thompson, Mike Leake and Jeremy Horst.

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