With father in stands, Lorenzen delivers win

CINCINNATI -- With his father in the building on Father's Day, Reds rookie pitcher Michael Lorenzen put on a seven-inning performance strong enough to earn the 5-2 victory and create a memory he'll never forget.

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"Today was a special day pitching on Father's Day," Lorenzen said. "I got to throw on Mother's Day last time and I actually got to fly in my dad last night. This is the second time he's seen me play in person since I was about 16, maybe since I was 9. This is the second time he's seen me play in person, so it's a pretty special day. He was up in the stands today, so it was awesome."

Lorenzen (3-2, 3.56) struggled early on, but was able to throw seven solid innings to pick up his second straight win on Sunday against the Marlins. Lorenzen gave up two earned runs on eight hits and one walk with five strikeouts as he matched his career-high for innings pitched. The two runs came in the first two innings on a groundout by Giancarlo Stanton and solo homer by Justin Bour.

"He really did a great job," Reds manager Bryan Price said of Lorenzen. "We were a little concerned because he's been sick with strep throat. Really our concern was if he'd be able to maintain his energy, and he did a great job. He just never for a minute would suggest that he wasn't going to be able to go out there and do the job that we asked him to do."

"Honestly, I didn't feel right on the mound," Lorenzen said. "My warmups, I was all over the place, didn't feel right, but the defense behind me picked me up huge."

Video: MIA@CIN: Lorenzen helps his own cause with RBI single

Lorenzen also hit a RBI-single in the sixth inning to add to the memorable day. He said his father had to move away when he was a kid because of family issues and since then, hasn't been able to see him play in person often.

Knowing he'd be pitching on Father's Day, Lorenzen took the initiative to bring his dad out to Cincinnati to watch him take the mound.

"He follows me on TV and we talk every once in awhile," he said. "But being able to pitch on Father's Day in the Major Leagues, I thought today would be an awesome day to be able to fly him out and let him watch in person."

Lorenzen added that he'll probably go out to dinner tonight with his father to continue the celebration.

The 23-year-old pitcher is scheduled to take the mound against the Mets at Citi Field on Friday. With five quality starts in his last six starts, he said he's continuing to gain more confidence and trust his ability as a Major League starter.

"It's a huge confidence builder, and it's something that I'm going to build off of and not worry so much about," Lorenzen said. "Just trust that I belong here."