Larkin Sets Record for Reaching Base

CINCINNATI —  The streak didn’t mean much to Barry Larkin, who’s already in baseball’s record book. He’s more charged up about his stroke.

After spending the first month of the season making outs, wincing in pain and coming out of the lineup, the Cincinnati Reds shortstop is hitting more like normal and getting on base at a record-teasing pace.

Larkin reached base in all seven plate appearances during a doubleheader sweep of Philadelphia on Monday night, extending his streak to 12. He singled in his first at-bat Tuesday night and then flew out, leaving him one shy of Pedro Guerrero’s NL record of reaching in 14 consecutive plate appearances.

Last week, Chicago’s Frank Thomas fell one short of matching Ted Williams’ major league record of reaching base 16 straight times.

Larkin, the first major-league shortstop to hit 30 homers and steal 30 bases in a season, didn’t think too much of the base-reaching mark.

“It’s not like a 43-game hitting streak,” he said Tuesday, before the game against the Phillies. “It’s not even something I’m concerned about.”

He’s much more interested in how he’s swinging, and that’s something to feel awfully good about lately.

Since getting a cortisone shot in his inflamed left heel, Larkin has raised his average from .246 to .296. The on-base streak was an indication that he has finally adjusted to his season-long limitation.

“The thing it’s telling me is I’m being more aggressive,” Larkin said. “I can remember 10 times in a row when I didn’t get on base, plenty of times. I’m still having problems, but I think I’m getting to a comfort level. I’m hitting the ball -- I’m not driving it, but I’m hitting it crisply.”

The bursa sac and Achilles’ tendon in his left ankle became inflamed during spring training, prompting him to get a cortisone shot and miss two weeks. It became a problem again as the season went along, resulting in another injection.