Lucas Sims hasn’t yet pitched in an “A” game this spring. On Saturday afternoon he took the final step in the process, though, pitching in a scrimmage “B” game against some teammates.
“It felt really good,” Sims said following the intrasquad scrimmage. “I felt really sharp. Farmer put a really good swing on the second pitch. I didn’t execute it very well, it was a poor sequence on my part, but a really good swing on his part. Other than that I felt really sharp, I was making the right adjustments that I wanted to, I was getting the right action – I’m ready to roll.”
Outside of a home run hit by Kyle Farmer, Lucas Sims had things working for him on the day. Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Sims picked up two strikeouts in the appearance.
“It’s a friendly reminder that this is still the big leagues and these guys are pretty damn good,” said Sims. “But, it was good to get out there and I was kind of just able to really put myself out there, put myself in the right head space of being out there in a close situation. I just felt as game-like as I could. Like I said, I felt sharp and it was just so fun to compete again. I miss it so much.”
“The sequence after the home run, I want to be able to throw both breaking pitches to right handers – Farmer actually hit a curveball – so the next at-bat I was working on sliders and fastballs, and then was able to bury the curveball for a strikeout. I was very pleased with that at-bat.”
The next time out for Lucas Sims is going to be on Tuesday. The Reds are off on Monday and then travel to face the San Diego Padres in an afternoon game at 4:10pm ET. Tuesday’s appearance is just the next step towards being ready for Opening Day, which Sims said he expected to be ready for earlier this week.
Hunter Greene throws 104 MPH on Saturday
On Saturday on the backfields, Hunter Greene hit 104 MPH twice with his fastball. Both pitches went for strikes. The right-handed pitcher continues to show elite velocity this spring. For more on Greene’s outing and where he’s at, we’ve got you covered over at RedsMinorLeagues.com.