On Thursday, the Reds needed all nine innings from relief pitchers who weren’t close to the top of the bullpen depth chart. They got it from four pitchers who have faced as much adversity in their careers as anyone on the Reds.
“It's a game of adversity,” said Dugger, who found out around midnight on Thursday morning that he was heading to MLB. “You're going to have changes throughout the whole game. You never know when your name is gonna be called. And that's why those guys are so good down there (in the bullpen). At the click of a button or a phone call, they've got to be ready to go.”
Jeff Hoffman opened the game for the Reds, he delivered 1 ⅔ scoreless innings against the Pirates. Ross Detwiler followed Hoffman and allowed the only run of the game in the inning he pitched.
Dugger entered the game in the fourth inning needing to cover the bulk of the game. He knew what his role was.
“My job today was to eat some innings and keep us in the ballgame,” Dugger said. “And I think I did a very good job with that.”
He pitched 3 ⅔ scoreless innings and got a long-awaited payoff to a difficult season.
On May 2, Dugger was designated for assignment by the Tampa Bay Rays. He was claimed by the Reds but kept in transaction limbo until the team needed him to pitch a doubleheader on May 6. Two days later, Dugger was designated for assignment.
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