John Fay

jfay@enquirer.com

Left-hander Sean Marshall (shoulder) will pitch Tuesday and Wednesday for Triple-A Louisville.

"We'll reassess where he is in his rehab after that," Reds manager Bryan Price said.

There's a chance Marshall could be activated late in the week.

"We want him to get through these outings," Price said. "Going back-to-back for the first time is a huge step in the right direction. We'll see how he comes out of it. Right now, he's extremely optimistic."

Utility man Skip Schumaker (dislocated left shoulder) is beginning to throw. That may not sound like a big step for a right-handed thrower who injured his left shoulder.

"That left arm has to come up," Price said. "It has to establish closure to allow you to extend and throw through the ball. It's a very important piece of the throwing mechanics. He made a hurdle. That used to hinder him. There was soreness. It looks like he's gotten over that hurdle. He's able to swing the bat off the tee without any discomfort."

The next step will be facing live pitching. Schumaker will go on a rehab assignment. That could be soon.

"Absolutely, he won't be a guy that gets activated out of the batting cage," Price said. "We're optimistic in relatively short order he'll be getting in game action."

HBPs GALORE: Last season, 28 batters were hit by pitches in the Reds series with the Pirates – 16 for the Pirates, 12 for the Reds.

"You never know the intent of the opposing team," Price said. "We're very much like Pittsburgh in that we like to establish the inside of part of the plate, use both sides of the plate. We hit a number of guys with very little intent. But it happens. It's the start of new season. I certainly hope they don't go into think they have to establish anything, other than pitching their game, and we intend to pitch our game. I don't think there's any reason to go in with any animosity."

Shin-Soo Choo was hit the most, seven times. But the one that hurt the Reds the most was Brandon Phillips by Tony Watson. Phillips suffered a severely bruised left forearm. His numbers dropped off considerably after that.

Phillips hit .291 with a .340 on-base percentage and a .479 slugging percentage before the HBP. He hit .241/.290/.349 after.

COZART COMING ON: Zack Cozart went into Monday night 3-for-his-last-6 after only having one hit in the first eight games.

"His at-bats have been better these last few games," Price said. "That's great to see. There's no way to work out of a slump unless you got out there and play, make the adjustments in competition. He's our shortstop. He's been able to kind of right his own ship. Hopefully, this is a sign some really good, consistent at-bats going forward."

Price has remained confident in Cozart. That means a lot.

"Bryan called me in the office in New York," Cozart said. "He told me: 'I'm not worried about you. It's early in the season. You've our shortstop. You've got nothing to worry about. Keep playing hard. We know you'll turn it around.'

"Even though I know as a player, it's no problem, it's still nice to hear from the manager."