WEEKEND RECAP | Reds win two of three
[caption id=”attachment_4998" align=”alignnone” width=”565"]
Roger Bernadina has hit three home runs and eight RBI in the Reds last six games. (Paul Nisely — Sporting News)[/caption]
Reds vs. Royals
The Cincinnati Reds slugged four home runs en route to a 9–3 win against the Kansas City Royals at Goodyear Ballpark on Friday afternoon.
The Reds got on the scoreboard with three runs off Royals Opening Day starter James Shields, who had only allowed one run all spring, in the bottom of the second inning. Chris Heisey’s one-out triple got things going for the club. He later scored on Skip Schumaker’s RBI single, which was followed by Kristopher Negron’s two-run home run, his first of the spring.
Roger Bernadina continued to swing a hot bat with a solo home run the following inning, extending Cincinnati’s lead to 4–0.
However, the Royals cut the lead in half with two runs in the top of the fourth. They loaded the bases after Reds’ starter Brett Marshall, who looks to find a spot in the Reds rotation with current injuries, issued three walks. Their first run scored on Lorenzo Cain’s sacrifice fly and another crossed the plate on Jimmy Paredes’ RBI single.
The Reds lead became even smaller in the top of the sixth inning after Neftali Soto’s error at third base not only allowed Pedro Ciriaco to reach base, but also allowed Cain to score.
Shortly after, Heisey’s solo home run in the sixth inning, his Cactus League leading sixth home run of the spring, pushed the Reds lead to 5–3 and Soto’s three-run blast in the eighth put the finishing touches on a 9–3 victory.
Marshall notched his third win of the spring and pitched four innings of solid baseball. He allowed two runs on two hits to go along with three walks and four strikeouts. The former Yankee and Cub is now 3–0 with a 2.08 ERA this spring.
“I was cruising for three innings and kind of just took it for granted, I guess, instead of pounding the zone and acting like I have the rest of the game to go,” Marshall told the media after Friday’s game. “I kind of got away from command and the ball was coming out all over the place. I buckled down and threw some strikes there at the end.”
Opposite Marshall, Kansas City’s Shields allowed five runs on six hits, including three home runs, to go along with no walks and six strikeouts on the way to his first loss of the spring.
Reds’ reliever Jonathan Broxton, who is coming off of offseason forearm surgery, also pitched one innings of scoreless baseball.
Reds @ Cubs
Reds outfielder Roger Bernadina continued to make his case that he deserves to be on a big league club’s 25-man roster on Saturday. His four-RBI day, including a three-run home run in the first inning off Cubs starter Edwin Jackson, propelled the Reds to a 8–3 win.
The game was played at the new Cubs Spring Training complex in Mesa, Ariz., in front of a crowd of 15,241, only two shy of the Cactus League record the organization previously set on Thursday against the Seattle Mariners.
Ten players recorded hits as the Reds totaled 17 base knocks in the game.
Kristopher Negron’s single in the first inning was followed by a Brandon Phillips walk. Both scored on Bernadina’s three-run shot.
The Cubs cut Cincinnati’s lead to 3–1 in the bottom half of the inning after Nate Schierholtz’s bases-loaded sacrifice fly off Reds’ starter Tony Cingrani.
Bernadina then notched his fourth RBI of the day in the third inning when he added a two-out RBI single. He has now recorded three home runs and eight RBI in his last six games.
Chicago scored two unanswered runs in the third and fifth innings, both coming on Anthony Rizzo’s RBI hits. Rizzo recorded three hits and two RBI on the afternoon.
The Reds added insurance with one run in the seventh, two runs in the eighth and one run in ninth coming on Phillip’s fourth home run of the spring — a solo shot to lead off the inning.
Cingrani pitched 4 2/3 innings and allowed three runs on five hits to go along with four walks and four strikeouts en route to his second win of the spring.
Jackson, on the other hand, threw five innings for the Cubs and allowed four runs on eight hits to go along with one walk and seven strikeouts. He received his third loss of Spring Training.
Reds vs. Brewers
The Reds returned to Goodyear Ballpark on Sunday, but their offensive production was nowhere to be found in a 9–1 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers.
The team recorded only five hits and scored its lone run on a Jay Bruce RBI single in the sixth inning. Bruce was the only offensive bright spot with a 2-for-4 performance including his RBI single.
Additionally, Reds’ starter Mike Leake struggled in his four innings of work. He allowed eight runs (seven earned) on nine hits with most of the damage coming in the six-run second inning. Kevin Mattison’s double drove in two runs and three more came around to score when Jonathan Lucroy’s RBI single to right field got past Jay Bruce for a three-base error. First baseman Lyle Overbay, who was informed he made the team despite a 0-for-26 slump, led the way for the Brewers with three hits and a RBI.
“His stuff was up and it was flat,” Reds manager Bryan Price said of Leake. “He had good velocity. He threw some good cutters. He left some curveballs up, some fastballs up. It was two stories. The first inning, he had three ground-ball outs. In the second inning, he had I think five extra-base hits — most of them to the gap. … His arm looked good. He was healthy. He’ll make his next start and should be ready to go for the season.”
Brewers’ starter Matt Garza was sharp in six innings of work. He allowed one run on four hits and struck out six while issuing two walks in his first win of the spring season.
Despite the loss, the Reds have won eight of their last 10 games with an overall Cactus League record of 12–14. Entering the last week of Spring Training, Cincinnati will host the Cleveland Indians at Goodyear Ballpark at 4:05 p.m. ET on Monday and the game can be found on MLB.TV. Reds starter Alfredo Simon (1–2, 4.42) will take the mound for his sixth spring start and face the Indians’ starter Carlos Carrasco (2–1, 5.59).
The rest of the Reds lineup will look like this:
1. Chris Heisey — CF
2. Brandon Phillips — 2B
3. Joey Votto — 1B
4. Jay Bruce — RF
5. Ryan Ludwick — LF
6.Todd Frazier — 3B
7. Zack Cozart — SS
8. Brayan Pena — C
9. Alfredo Simon — P
