Wednesday’s big news came off the field, as Reds announced that their starting rotation to begin the season will be Johnny Cueto (two thumbs up), Mike Leake (thumbs up), Anthony DeSclafani (intrigued), Jason Marquis (sigh) and Raisel Iglesias (intrigued). On the field, the Reds’ arms did not exactly enjoy a banner performance.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
|  Chicago White Sox (8-7) | 9 | 13 | 3 |
|  Cincinnati Reds (7-8-2) | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| W: J. Quintana (2-0) L: J. Marquis (2-1) | |||
Pitching: Marquis was scored upon for the first time all spring, allowing four runs (all earned) in five innings. The 36-year-old right-hander also yielded five hits (three doubles), three walks and a balk for good measure. On the bright side, Marquis’s groundball-to-flyball ratio was 3 to 1. … Jose Mijares relieved Marquis and allowed two hits — including a solo home run — in one inning of work, inflating his ERA to 6.23. … Nate Adcock followed with a scoreless frame, the lone clean sheet for a Reds reliever Wednesday. … Pedro Villarreal was torched in the eighth inning, surrendering three runs on three hits, the big blows being a pair of home runs. … Keyvius Sampson allowed a run on three hits in the ninth inning. … Reds pitchers logged just two strikeouts.
Hitting: Brennan Boesch reached on a fielding error in the second that plated Todd Frazier and gave the Reds a 1-0 lead. … Frazier smacked a two-run home run in the sixth, his second round-tripper this spring. … Chad Wallach plated Kyle Skipworth with a sacrifice fly in the seventh. … Brandon Phillips registered a walk and a run scored. … Marlon Byrd was 2-for-3, raising his spring average to .381. … The Reds were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position.
The rest: With the rotation now set, it appears Paul Maholm will be battling for a relief role with the Reds. … Chicago’s Gordon Beckham was 1-for-22 this spring before morphing into Roberto Alomar Wednesday, recording two doubles and a home run. … Eleven different White Sox players notched hits, including pitcher Jose Quintana, who had his first base hit as a pro. Quintana also allowed a run in four and two-thirds innings of work. … New White Sox closer David Robertson gave up Frazier’s home run. Robertson’s ERA this spring is nearly 10. … Chicago committed three errors. … The game lasted over three hours. My condolences to the beat writers.
Other news and notes:
MLB.com: Commissioner Manfred once again stated that no decision is imminent following Pete Rose’s reinstatement request.
MLB.com: Homer Bailey is ill, but still could make his first Cactus League appearance Sunday.
Spring training game and broadcast schedule
Today’s schedule: The Reds host the Rangers. First pitch is 4:05 (EST). DeSclafani will start, with J.J. Hoover and Jumbo Diaz scheduled to pitch among others. The game will not be shown on TV, but MLB.com will have a radio broadcast.