The Cincinnati Reds got back to the .500 mark on the spring by crushing three home runs and pitching well in a 6-1 victory of the Colorado Rockies on Monday night in Goodyear.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Rockies (4-6) | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| Cincinnati Reds (5-5-1) | 6 | 10 | 0 |
| W: Anderson L: Feltner |
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| Box Score | Game Thread | |||
The Highlights
Chase Anderson struck out the side while working around a 2-out single in the 1st inning. Cincinnati threatened in the bottom of the inning, with Jose Barrero picking up a single and saw Curt Casali and Nick Solak draw walks to load the bases, but the Reds couldn’t cash in on that opportunity. The next inning saw Anderson pick up two more strikeouts while working around a single and a walk to keep the game scoreless.
In the bottom of the 2nd the Reds offense went to work as Christian Encarnacion-Strand remained how, picking up an infield single to lead off the inning. Richie Martin followed up with an infield single of his own, but Encarnacion-Strand was thrown out trying to reach third on the play. That proved to be costly as Allan Cerda crushed a 2-run home run three pitches later.
Cerdafied slugger @allancerda24 pic.twitter.com/vLcdoner81
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) March 7, 2023
Will Benson followed up Cerda’s home run with a single and then he would come around to score on a triple by Jose Barrero and extend the lead to 3-0.
When the 3rd inning began there was a new pitcher on the mound for Cincinnati and Kevin Herget picked up where Chase Anderson left off and tossed a shutout inning. But in the top of the 4th he gave up a 2-out double that was followed up by a single that put the Rockies on the board and cut the Reds lead to 3-1.
That run was replaced quickly in the bottom of the 4th inning when Christian Encarnacion-Strand crushed a ball to right field that he initially believed was a triple before getting up out of his slide at the bag to be notified that the ball cleared the fence before coming back onto the field. The home run was his third of the spring.
CES is the hottest hitter in all of baseball. pic.twitter.com/w7fYnQQrEg
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) March 7, 2023
Leading off the next inning it was time for Jason Vosler to get his contributions in as he took the 4th pitch of the inning and homered to make it a 5-1 ballgame. Matt McLain walked to lead off the 6th inning, stole second base, moved to third on a wild pitch, and then scored on a Will Benson single to make it 6-1. McLain’s walk gave him seven on the spring and he’s got just two strikeouts as his torrid start continues.
That would be the last time the Reds offense put runs up on the board. The bullpen got their job done, too. Derek Law threw 1.1 shutout innings with three strikeouts. Alex Young kept his ERA pristine on the spring with 1.2 perfect innings that also included three strikeouts. Daniel Duarte tossed a shutout 8th inning with a strikeout. Jared Solomon came into the game in the 9th trying to hold onto a 6-1 lead. After giving up a leadoff double he locked things down and got the Rockies out in order from there.
Will Benson finished the day 3-4 with a steal and is now hitting .538. Jose Barrero’s two hits on the day raised his average to .333 this spring. Allan Cerda went 1-2 with a homer and a walk, and he’s now hitting .429 on the spring. The pitching staff combined for 15 strikeouts and just one walk on the night.
Tuesday’s Game
The Reds will be back at Goodyear Ballpark tomorrow for an afternoon contest against the San Francisco Giants. Graham Ashcraft will get the start with first pitch set for 3:05pm ET.