High praise for Bruce, Cueto

Rick Sweet, the manager of Triple-A Louisville, joined the Reds as a coach for the four-game series in the San Francisco.

Sweet had some very high praise the young players who came through Louisville.

"Jay Bruce is special," he said. "I had (Ken Griffey Jr.) his first year. I'd put Bruce in that category. Johnny Cueto is special. Josh Hamilton is special. We've got some people."

Sweet knew exactly what he was saying when he made the Griffey-Bruce comparison..

"He's 20," Sweet said. "He makes mistakes -- base-running, throwing to the wrong base. He's learning. He likes playing. He's going to be around a long time."

Sweet knew what Bruce could do because he worked with him through spring training.

"I had to beg Wayne (Krivsky) to let (Bruce) come up," Sweet said. "We were short outfielders. I was playing two infielders in the outfield. I got an e-mail that said he's coming "FOR ONE WEEK ONLY" in big letters."

Bruce, of course, never went back to Double-A because he played so well in the Triple-A.

"He's going to adjust to whatever level he's at," Sweet said.