Cincinnati Reds Give Up Just One Hit, But Lose to Cubs, 2-1

W: Travis Wood (1-0)

L: Johnny Cueto (0-2)

SV: Zac Rosscup (2)

Cincinnati Reds pitchers gave up just one hit on the day, but it was all the Chicago Cubs needed to come away with a 2-1 victory.

Johnny Cueto was a bit shaky in his third spring training start, walking three in four innings and giving up two runs, both on a two-run home run by ex-Red Chris Denorfia for the Cubs’ only hit of the ball game. The pitching combination of Cueto, Kevin Gregg, Ryan Dennick, Carlos Contreras, and Jon Moscot retired the final 16 hitters of the game, not allowing a baserunner over the final five innings.

For the second game in a row, there wasn’t much happening in the way of offense for the Reds, as another former Red, Travis Wood, shut the bats down, allowing only three hits and a walk in his five innings of work while striking out four.

The top of the ninth inning saw the Reds break their 20-inning scoreless streak when a double from Ivan De Jesus Jr. knocked in Felix Perez, who had singled earlier in the inning. The Reds had a chance to tie the game when next batter Brennan Boesch stepped to the plate and singled for his second hit of the day, but De Jesus Jr. was thrown out at the plate by right fielder Rubi Silva.

While there wasn’t much action to speak of on offense, today did see the returns of two key offensive players from injury. Billy Hamilton returned from his shoulder injury and went 0-for-3, while Devin Mesoraco went 1-for-1 with a walk in his comeback from a concussion. Both missed over a week with their injuries.

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Other Notes:

• With two more hits today, Brennan Boesch is now hitting .478 (11-for-23) on the spring. With the news that Jason Bourgeois fractured his left shoulder, Boesch is now a virtual lock to make the Opening Day roster.
• Ivan De Jesus Jr. has quietly been having a nice spring as well. After his RBI double today, he’s hitting .462 (6-for-13) with a couple of RBIs. The middle infielder was signed in December and will likely serve as organizational depth in Triple-A Louisville.
• Carlos Contreras threw a perfect seventh inning, striking out two. He has yet to allow a baserunner this spring in three innings and is definitely making a case to be included in the Reds’ bullpen.

Up Next: The Reds are back in Goodyear to take on the San Francisco Giants for the first time this spring. Tony Cingrani gets the starting nod for the good guys, while Chris Stratton will take the hill for the Giants. First pitch is scheduled for 4:05 p.m. EST.

Next: Anthony DeSclafani Bounces Back in 1-0 Reds Loss