Observations from Cincinnati Reds’ 8-5 Loss to Padres

A monster inning by the San Diego Padres doomed the Cincinnati Reds, as they fell by an 8-5 tally.

What was shaping up to be a promising night for the Reds came crashing down in ugly fashion in Monday’s contest, as the Padres sent 12 batters to the plate in an eight-run fourth inning.

Here are notes and observations from the game:

Reed has first spring hiccup

For the first three innings, left-hander Cody Reed looked to be on his way to stealing the show once more, as he had struck out three and allowed only a hit and a walk — his first of the spring. Everything came undone in the fourth inning, however. Reed allowed the first four hitters to reach base via a single, a homer, a walk and a double, and was removed after retiring the fifth batter of the inning. The rough inning raised his spring ERA to 3.97, but considering he allowed just one earned run before this game, he should get a pass.

Y-Rod breaking through?

It’s been a quiet spring at the plate for Yorman Rodriguez, who is hoping to make the roster as an outfield option off the bench. He’s been displaying improved plate discipline, but the hits haven’t been there, as he entered the night hitting just .200. In addition to drawing his sixth walk of the spring, the 23-year-old also had a breakthrough with the bat against the Padres, going 2-for-4 as the only Reds starter to play the entire game. Considering he’s out of options, the team has to be pleased with the eye Rodriguez has shown this spring (he has a career minor league walk rate of just 6.99 percent). If the hits keep coming, he should find a spot on the Opening Day roster since the Reds won’t want to risk losing him to another club.

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Offense carried by (who else?) Votto

The torrid spring continued for Joey Votto on Monday, as he crushed his second home run — a two-run shot — in the fourth inning and drove in another run on a sacrifice fly in the fifth. In case anyone forgot for some reason, Votto is reaffirming why he’s one of the best hitters in the game with his performance this month. Through 13 games, he’s hitting a blistering .379/.487/.586 and, much to the surprise of no one, has walked more than he’s struck out. It might end up being a long year for the Reds, but Votto will be a big reason for fans to keep watching.

Notes:

• Layne Somsen‘s unblemished ERA is no more. In relief of Reed, he struggled with his control and got hit hard, allowing four runs on three hits, a hit batter and a walk.
• On a more positive note for the Reds relievers, J.J. Hoover, Keyvius Sampson and Pedro Villarreal continued their solid springs by keeping the Padres off the scoreboard for the rest of the game. Hoover gave up only two hits in two innings, while Sampson and Villarreal fired a perfect inning apiece.
• In news that has nothing to do with this game, Homer Bailey threw live batting practice on Monday for the first time since his elbow surgery and looked good doing it, by all accounts.