CINCINNATI (AP) - Outfielder Ken Griffey Jr. was out of the Cincinnati Reds' starting lineup on Thursday, getting a day to rest and work on his slow-to-come-around swing.
The 38-year-old outfielder is two homers away from No. 600, a mark reached by only five others. Getting those last few hasn't come easily.Griffey went 90 at-bats without a homer - the second-longest streak of his career - before connecting for No. 598 last Thursday in San Diego. He has gone 24 at-bats without another one.
The Reds are in a stretch of 20 games in 20 days, and manager Dusty Baker was looking for a spot to rest Griffey. He was out of the lineup against Pittsburgh left-hander Phil Dumatrait.
Griffey has five homers and a .245 average. He has started 50 of Cincinnati's 54 games.
"I've got to keep him healthy and not let him get fatigued," Baker said. "That's when you get hurt, when you get fatigued."
Third baseman Edwin Encarnacion also was out of the lineup to work on his swing. Encarnacion, who missed two games over the weekend because of illness, is in a 5-for-37 slump.
