It was only the second day of actual baseball, but Wednesday’s Reds-Indians tilt held some intrigue because Anthony DeSclafani and Raisel Iglesias made their Reds “debuts.†One guy had a good day. The other guy did not. On the hitting side of things, Billy Hamilton flashed the skill set that makes his potential so enticing.
Pitching: DeSclafani started and was solid, tossing two innings and allowing an unearned run. The right-hander’s stuff matched the scouting report, as he wielded an assortment of pitches in and around the zone. Iglesias, Disco’s competition for the one of the two open spots in the starting rotation, didn’t fare as well. Iglesias was nearly taken deep on the first pitch he threw (the ball died on the warning track), but wound up retiring two of the first three batters he faced. The Cuban then allowed the next three batters to reach base, though Ryan Rohlinger reached on an error by third baseman Neftali Soto. Iglesias struggled with his control, surrendering a pair of walks and two wild pitches. Both runs the righty allowed were unearned, and he struck out one.
I’d chalk up Iglesias’ performance to a case of the nerves. Iglesias said after the game that Wednesday was the first meaningful stint he’s had on the mound since the 2013 World Baseball Classic. In any case, Iglesias will be the rare pitcher that’s fun to watch. He changes arm angles, and his delivery isn’t exactly repeatable — which I’m sure will drive Bryan Price and pitching coach Jeff Pico nuts on occasion.
As for the other Reds’ arms to throw Wednesday, Kevin Gregg, Sam LeCure and Jumbo Diaz delivered scoreless innings. David Holmberg allowed three hits and an earned run in one inning of work.
Hitting: The Reds started fast but faded after the first inning. Hamilton smoked Josh Tomlin’s fourth pitch of the game over the right-field wall to put the Reds up 1-0. Skip Schumaker flipped the next pitch into the left-center gap for a double. Todd Frazier moved Schumaker over to third on a flyout, and then Chris Dominguez doubled down the left-field line to plate Schumaker. The eighth inning would be the next time the Reds registered a hit. Cincinnati finished with four hits, two walks and eight strikeouts.
Back to Hamilton for a second. In the third inning, he laid down a nearly-perfect bunt between the pitching mound and first base, only to be thrown out by a half-step at first. In the fifth, Hamilton scalded a C.C. Lee offering that was seemingly destined for the gap in right-center field, but Ryan Raburn made a nice play to run the ball down. Even though Hamilton was only 1-for-3 on the day, it was the kind of performance that makes an observer wonder, “Man, if Billy ever puts it all together.†Have to remember the kid is only 24, though.
Other reports on the game: MLB.com, Fay, Fox Sports Ohio, Cleveland Plain Dealer
Spring training game and broadcast schedule
- Today’s game: vs. Cleveland, 3:05 p.m. ET
- TV: FSO live, MLBN delayed
- Radio: WSAI-1360