PEORIA, Ariz. -- Matt Latos, the newest occupant of the Cincinnati Reds' pitching rotation, has a Body by Ink, covered in tattoos, and when asked how many tattoos he has he said, "One big one that's not finished yet."
Fortunately for him and the Reds, he did not get tattooed by the Seattle Mariners Tuesday afternoon during his two-inning exhibition debut.
That wasn't the case for Brett Tomko, who followed Latos to the mound.
When Tomko arrived at the visitor's clubhouse for Tuesday's game against the Seattle Mariners, he said, "I have to figure out where I've had the best luck, which locker to use. It's all about luck."
If so, he chose the worst locker in the room because he gave up five runs in his one inning -- mostly because there were three balls not caught that were catchable, a walk, a bunt that went for a hit when nobody covered first base and three deep sacrifice flies."
It eventually added up to an 8-6 defeat to the Mariners, but it wasn't the fault of Latos.
The 6-foot-6, 235-pound right-handed gave up two hits and a walk in the first inning, but no runs, and went 1-2-3 in the second inning.
His major problem on this day was finding a parking spot and finding the visitor's clubhouse. Before he was traded to the Reds last winter, he pitched for the San Diego Padres, who share the Peoria Sports Complex with the Mariners.
"I tried to park in the Padres parking area, but they were not having it," he said. "Gone and forgotten."
Latos, after locating a parking spot and wandering into the correct clubhouse, was relieved to get his first appearance in a red uniform out of the way.
"It was exciting to get in there and face live hitters up there swinging," he said.
And, he says, the work continues.
"I need to work on everything in general," he said. "Everything always needs work, no matter who you are. I'm pretty sure Roy Halladay doesn't take a day off. I'm pretty sure after he pitched that perfect game, the next day he went right back to work."
As the new guy in the clubhouse, a new guy for whom the Reds traded starting pitcher Edinson Volquez, once an All-Star, plus two No. 1 draft picks and a No. 2 draft pick, Latos said the magnitude of the deal bothered him at first.
"For about a month, I sat there and thought about it and said, 'Holy crap, I got traded for four guys so I have to come out and prove this and prove that,' But then I looked back at it and thought about it. I thought, 'If I do something great, like throw a no-hitter, if I ever do, I have to forget about it and work for my next start.'
"I've now decided not to think about it, as much as possible, and just take care of what I can control, take care of my own business day-in and day-out.
His business was successful on Day One and he pretty much emptied his arsenal.
"I threw everything at them but the kitchen sink," he said. "I didn't throw my change-up, though, and only one curveball. The slider looked real good and the curveball had some good break to it. The fastball had good life. The change-up is still in my back pocket. Everything felt real good coming out of my hand and the arm felt good, including my mechanics and motion."
When Latos thinks deeply, he appreciate the fact he is pitching for what most people consider a contender, not only for the National League Central title, but good things beyond that.
"It's a great opportunity and I'm thankful for the opportunity I've been given and it us up to me to make the best of it," he said.
Most of the Reds on this day were young rookies and their reward for playing was that they got to face King Felix Hernandez for three innings.
"Hey, you say you want to play," said manager Dusty Baker. "You can't choose who you get to face."
King Felix, the American League Cy Young award winner in 2010, hit Kristopher Negron with his first pitch, then retired the next nine, striking out four.
Cincinnati center fielder Dennis Phipps hit a three-run homer and made a nifty running catch in left center, then fired a throw to first base to double off a runner.
