First start back from surgery a win for Bailey

SAN DIEGO – Homer Bailey isn’t the sentimental type, which didn’t change during Sunday’s long-awaited 2016 debut. But the Reds veteran starting pitcher certainly appreciated what it meant to return from Tommy John surgery on his elbow and 15 months of rehabilitation.

Bailey earned the win with his solid performance in Cincinnati’s 3-2 victory over the Padres. He threw 5 2/3 innings, allowing two earned runs, four hits, three walks and had six strikeouts while throwing 89 pitches.

“It was great to be back out with your teammates when you’ve been watching them for about a year-and-a-half and wanting to be out there. To see those guys, I know how they’ve always had my back,” Bailey said after his first big league start since April 23, 2015.

Bailey’s first inning wasn’t a clean one with three hits, but none were very hard contact – two groundballs and a soft liner. Following Jabari Blash’s two-out single in the first, Bailey essentially had his way with San Diego while retiring the next 14 batters in a row.

“For the next four innings, he was really locked in,” Reds manager Bryan Price said.

That included a nine-pitch third …

continue reading in source mlb.mlb.com