If this is worst, it's fine by Bevo

Justin Germano takes winding road back to Portland’s mound

By jason vondersmith

The Portland Tribune, Apr 10, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009

GERMANO

It doesn’t sound like an endorsement of Portland, but it is.

“I was definitely glad to hear this would be my worst-case scenario,” says pitcher Justin Germano, back with the Portland Beavers after spring training. “It’s comfortable here. I have family on the West Coast. I love the town. For a Triple-A town, and a worst-case scenario, I liked it.”

The Bevos open their home schedule against Fresno at 7 p.m. Friday at PGE Park.

Top prospect Cesar Carrillo is scheduled to pitch in the home opener, and Germano is set to start Saturday’s 2 p.m. game. It’ll be déjà vu for Germano, who was part of the Bevos’ staff in 2005 before being sent away.

In the thick of a pennant race, the parent San Diego Padres traded Germano on July 23, 2005, to Cincinnati for major-league third baseman Joe Randa. Germano finished the year with Triple-A Louisville — managed by former Bevo skipper Rick Sweet — and started the next year with the Bats while enjoying some call-ups to the Reds, appearing in two games.

At the 2006 trade deadline, the Reds sent him to Philadelphia, where he played for the Phillies’ Triple-A team and got some call-ups to the bigs.

This year, during spring training, the Phillies waived Germano (a waiver occurs when a player has run out of options and a team must keep the player in the big leagues or waive him).

The Padres, who originally drafted Germano in 2000, reacquired him off waivers and later sent him to Triple-A.

“Just my luck, after I got sent away, two (Philly) starters went down (with injuries),” he says. “So, two other guys who weren’t going to make the team made the team. I was bummed to hear that. But I was glad to be back with San Diego.”

Germano pitched for the Beavers in 2004 and 2005. He went 16-11 with a 3.53 ERA in 39 starts, with three complete-game shutouts. In 2004, he pitched in seven games (five starts) with San Diego.

At 24, Germano still has some baseball ahead of him. He doesn’t have dominating stuff, but he gets the job done.

“I try to get hitters to put the ball in play,” he says. “I throw a lot of strikes, but I don’t waste my time trying to get strikeouts. If I happen to get two strikes (on a hitter), I’ll flip a curveball up there. If not, I’ll just try to get them to hit the ball on the ground.”

Germano says he won’t be working on any pitches in particular, just trying for the usual “consistency … stringing starts together.”

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