The Reds return to the field after having Tuesday off. Cincinnati will welcome the Chicago Cubs to Goodyear Ballpark and the Reds will see a few regulars on 3:05pm ET.
Cincinnati Reds (4-5) Starting Lineup
- Mike Moustakas – 2B
- Joey Votto – 1B
- Derek Dietrich – DH
- Shogo Akiyama – CF
- Tucker Barnhart – C
- Phillip Ervin – RF
- Josh VanMeter – 3B
- Jose Garcia – SS
- Mark Payton – LF
- Tejay Antone – RHP
These guys are expected to pitch in relief today: Amir Garrett, Raisel Iglesias, Nate Jones, Michael Lorenzen, Cody Reed, Sal Romano, Robert Stephenson, and Pedro Strop.
Reserve players on today’s roster:
Pitchers
Catchers
Infielders
- Brantley Bell
- Alex Blandino
- Christian Colon
- Matt Davidson
- Michael De Leon
- Jonathan India
- Alfredo Rodriguez
- Blake Trahan
Outfielders
Chicago Cubs (5-7) Starting Lineup
- Kris Bryant – 3B
- Anthony Rizzo – 1B
- Javier Baez – SS
- Victor Caratini – C
- Albert Almora Jr. – CF
- David Bote – 2B
- Daniel Descalso – LF
- Noel Cuevas – RF
- Trent Giambrone – DH
- Tyler Chatwood – RHP
Where to watch/listen/follow the game
The game will be live on the Reds on Radio Network. In the greater Cincinnati area the game will be available on 700 WLW. The game is apparently also going to be broadcast on NHK – but if you live in the United States I’m not sure if that channel is even available anywhere. The game will also be available on MLB.tv via the Cubs Marquee Network.
Reds links and news
Freddy Galvis was originally in the lineup as the designated hitter. But as first reported by my old podcast partner who now works for MLB.com Jesse Borek, Galvis was scratched due to a tight quad. Derek Dietrich was inserted as the designated hitter.
With the start that Jose Garcia is off to, people are asking questions about just how good he is and how he compares to other shortstop prospects. Over at RedsMinorLeagues.com this morning I wrote over 2000 words comparing him to Top 100 prospects that were both shortstops and Cincinnati Reds dating back to 1990, and then a little bit to Barry Larkin. Go give it a read.
Yesterday saw C. Trent Rosecrans put together his “Roster Prediction version 4.0” over at The Athletic. The only surprises, really, aren’t actual surprises from a talent standpoint – he believes that both Eugenio Suarez and Nick Senzel are healthy and begin the year on the roster rather than the injured list. The bullpen probably had the most interesting breakdown for the final few spots and why he picked who he picked.
Final: Cubs 6 – Reds 6 (IT’S A TIE!)
Ties can be very fun. Funny ties can make wearing a dress code not feel unbearable. Ties in sports, suck. But it’s spring training, so it’s not really a big deal.
The Highlights
Derek Dietrich and Josh VanMeter both hit long home runs in the game for the Cincinnati Reds. VanMeter’s probably went a little bit further, bouncing on the concourse once and then exiting the stadium completely.
Josh VanMeter's first dinger of spring was ???????. #RedsST ??? pic.twitter.com/2OwS7NCafQ
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) March 4, 2020
VanMeter went 2-2 on the day and is now hitting .455 on the spring. Alex Blandino went 1-3 with a 2-run double. Jose Garcia went 1-3 with a run scored and picked up his first strikeout of the spring in 18 plate appearances. Prospect Alejo Lopez went 1-1, singling in the bottom of the 9th inning. Michael Beltre and TJ Friedl, both outfield prospects, walked in their lone plate appearances on the day.
On the mound it was a mixed bag. Pedro Strop, Michael Lorenzen, Amir Garrett, Sal Romano, and Nate Jones all tossed shutout innings of relief. Tejay Antone started and allowed a run in his lone inning of work. Raisel Iglesias, Robert Stephenson, and Cody Reed had some struggles in their outings – though Reed also had to work around an error and an unearned run. You can see the entire box score for the game here.
Notes worth noting
Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes that Nate Jones hit 97 MPH during his outing today. That’s probably a very good sign for the reliever who is coming back from flexor mass surgery in May.
Freddy Galvis got an MRI on his quad strain according to John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.
Let the Jose Garcia show commence.
why havent we seen or heard from Nick Lodolo yet?
He won’t pitch in big league camp, by design. He’s not playing for a spot at all, so they don’t want to start him early. He’ll begin throwing when the minor leaguers begin throwing – yesterday was the first workouts for minor league pitchers and catchers.
I would assume Garcia is slated for minor league camp as soon as it opens? If Galvis is struggling with health a little, and Farmer is the supposed backup, I am a little surprised Farmer is not seeing more time there, enabling him to regain a certain comfort level.
Raisel Iglesias was much better today. He only allowed 2 runs, with a walk, 2 singles and 2 HBP.
That’s special talent.
JVM!! Telling ya…..the kid is a ballplayer! Don’t sell him short. I wouldn’t think Bell would want him to rot on the bench behind a bunch of vets so he’ll probably be in Louisville for a while, but he can play!
Does Bell know he’s on the roster?
😉
And then there was Reed.
My first guess is that it’s to make sure it isn’t serious enough to shut him down. It likely gives information on how aggressively they can rehab it.
The fact they seem that concerned about it shouldn’t be taken lightly.
I had a quad strain in the fall that turned out to be quad tendonosis – a small tear in the attachment to the patella. An MRI will pick that up or rule it out.
Oh, and the PRP shot to the tendon suuuuuuucks!
Sorry, get used to it.
Been out in AZ for the games for the past week
Iglesias has looked terrible
Do you mean that Iglesias is in mid-season form?
My theory is that Bell keeps putting him in the game in lower pressure situations. It seems to me that Iggy’s struggles began when Bell began using him in non-save situations.
Excited to see Nate Dog get his first outing.
I think the Reds just took a flyer on Nate Jones, but if he has any magic left in that arm then watch out! 2016…..70 ip 48 hits, allowed .190 batting average and .552 ops. He was just firing 98 with movement…basically Lorenzen with top notch command (only 15 walks). Question is does he have anything left at 34?
Also remember when there was zero rush to get Votto assessed for his leg issue and it turned out to be significant? Hopefully they learned.