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FILE - In this Sunday, April 12, 2015, file photo, Cincinnati Reds manager Bryan Price is ejected by umpire Joe West while arguing a call against the St. Louis Cardinals in the seventh inning of a baseball game, in Cincinnati.Tom Uhlman/The Associated Press

Cincinnati Reds manager Bryan Price apologized on Tuesday for using profanity during a pregame meeting with reporters, but says he stands by his message that media shouldn't report developments he feels would put his team at a competitive disadvantage.

Price had a profanity-filled monologue before a 6-1 win over the Brewers on Monday night. The struggling Reds had just been swept in St. Louis, dropping them below .500.

Through the team's Twitter account on Tuesday, Price apologized for his choice of words.

"In my pre-game conversation with reporters yesterday, I used wholly inappropriate language to describe the media coverage of our team," Price said, according to the team's tweet. "While I stand by the content of my message, I am sorry for the choice of words."

Price was particularly upset over a Cincinnati Enquirer report that catcher Devin Mesoraco wasn't available to play during a game in St. Louis because of injury. The Reds confirmed on Monday that Mesoraco is in Cincinnati getting tested for a sore hip.

Price also was upset that the Enquirer reporter had tweeted that catcher Tucker Barnhart was on his flight to St. Louis for the series on Friday, an indication he was being called up from the minors.

"It's nobody's (expletive) business," Price said.

The Enquirer counted 77 uses of a common vulgarity during Price's five-minute, 34-second diatribe.

Price's blowup was out of character. The second-year manager is known for being gracious and respectful with reporters, and rarely swears in their presence.

Unlike the NFL, where coaches try to keep injuries more secret, Major League Baseball managers routinely tell reporters which players are available for a game. They'll explain that a starter is out of the lineup because of a minor injury, but is available to pinch-hit. Or that a reliever is unavailable because he has pitched several days in a row.

Price was elevated from pitching coach to manager when the Reds fired Dusty Baker after the 2013 season for failing to get the team deeper into the playoffs. The Reds won only 86 games last season and finished ahead of only the Cubs in the NL Central.

They won their first four games this season — their best start in four years — then dropped seven of eight. During the slump, Price — who was ejected twice last season — got thrown out of a game for causing a delay by refusing to leave the field.

There's added pressure on the Reds to do well this season. They host the All-Star Game in July and want the team to be doing well when Cincinnati gets the national attention.

Price is in the second year of a three-year deal.

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