In case you didn’t notice, Eric Milton made his first start for the Reds yesterday. He gave up 6 hits and 3 runs in just two innings against the Redsox.
On a positive note, he only gave up one homerun!
Luke Hudson and Joe Valentine didn’t fare much better on the hill, which is discouraging. At least Ben Weber and Ryan Wagner pitched shutout innings. On the offensive side of the ledger, Adam Dunn crushed the first of what we hope will be many homers this season. Jacob Cruz and Dane Sardinha also hit taters. Kearns and Wily Mo had doubles.
Ryan Wagner is going to be an interesting player to watch this year. I’m very hopeful that he can return to the majors and show us some of the mojo he flashed two years ago, shortly after being drafted, when he was nothing short of dominant. I have high hopes for Wagner this season.
The mention of Sardinha above brings to mind the competition for the backup catcher slot. I wouldn’t mind seeing Sardinha get the job, but I’d really rather the Reds give it to Bobby Estallela, who at least has a chance to hit the ball a little.
That said, the Reds will do neither of the above. They’ll give it to Javier Valentin.