Reds drop spring opener as pitchers struggle to throw strikes – Redleg Nation

Cincinnati and Cleveland took the field at Goodyear Ballpark on Saturday afternoon to open their series of spring training games. There wasn’t much hitting from either side, as the Reds and Guardians combined for just 10 hits. Cleveland was able to take advantage of their hits just a little bit more, scoring in three different innings in a come-from-behind victory.

The highlights

It wasn’t long before I saw the first challenging call of spring. Sal Stewart took a called strike but tapped his helmet in the first inning and Hawkeye’s replay showed it was out of the strike zone and the strike turned into ball four and he trotted to first base with a walk.

Chase Burns got the start and he struggled throwing strikes in the first inning, walking two, but kept the Guardians from scoring. He was more effective in the second inning, but also walked in that frame.

The game was scoreless in the third inning, but it didn’t stay that way for long. Reds #6 rated prospect Edwin Arroyo led off the inning with a double and he came around to score when Will Benson came through with a 2-out, 2-run home run.

Rhett Lowder took over for Cincinnati in the bottom of the third inning and picked up two strikeouts in a perfect inning. Things didn’t go so well the next inning, as he gave up back-to-back doubles to get Cleveland on the scoreboard. He would work around a walk later in the inning, getting back-to-back strikeouts to end the inning and maintain a 2-1 lead.

Julian Aguiar, like Lowder, pitched well in his first inning of the game. But he ran into trouble in the second inning of the day. He issued a one-out walk and then saw that come back to haunt him when David Fry followed up with an RBI double that tied the game. The inning ended on a failed challenge on a called third strike.

Cleveland would take the lead in the bottom of the seventh inning after a leadoff triple that was just out of glove reach by left fielder Hector Rodriguez was followed by a walk later in the inning and then a 2-run double. The Guardians maintained that lead over the next two innings, as the Reds failed to get a runner in the 8th or 9th.

You can view the box score for this game here.

News and notes

Julian Aguiar took the mound in a game for the first time since September 19 or 2024. That was his last start before undergoing Tommy John surgery. He topped out at 95.1 MPH with both his 2-seam and 4-seam fastball during this outing.

The five pitchers the Reds used on the day combined for 11 strikeouts. They also walked seven batters in their 8.0 innings, with every pitcher walking on the day.

Blake Dunn had the only goal of the day from a non-starter for the Reds. He went 1-2 with a single to center.

And perhaps the most important note: it seems like everyone stayed healthy in the game and that’s really all that matters today.

Sunday’s match

The Reds will be back on the field on Sunday afternoon. They’re back at Goodyear Ballpark, but this time they’ll be the home team as they host the Seattle Mariners at 3:05 PM ET. Jose Franco is expected to get the start of the match. Also expected to be on the mound during the game are Graham Ashcraft, Brock Burke, Connor Phillips, Tejay Antone, Lyon Richardson, Zach Maxwell and Luis Mey.