Observations from Cincinnati Reds’ Pair of Split-Squad Wins

A week-long winless drought game to an end as the Cincinnati Reds swept a pair of Saturday games.

The losing streak is over. After six straight defeats, the Reds got back in the win column by picking up wins over the Chicago White Sox, 9-7, and Cleveland Indians, 7-4.

Here are notes and observations from the game:

Starting pitchers struggle

Against the White Sox, Brandon Finnegan followed up his worst outing of the spring with another clunker, again done in by one bad inning. The lefty held Chicago to one run through the first three innings while striking out six before everything came unglued in the fourth, as he allowed six runs on four hits and three walks. Finnegan’s spot in the rotation is safe to start the season, but he’s been unable to go further than 4.1 innings in any spring outing thus far (partially due to pitch limits). Could the Reds consider moving him back to the bullpen when other starters get healthy or the top pitching prospects are ready to be promoted from the minor leagues?

In the contest against the Indians, Tim Melville — who could make the starting rotation if Jon Moscot is not ready to go — allowed four runs in six innings, including three home runs. Those mistakes aside, he pitched respectably as he struck out five and walked none.

Bullpen picks up slack

Five Reds relievers combined to throw 8.2 scoreless innings between the two games. Tony Cingrani and J.C. Ramirez had perfect outings, with the former striking out two in 1.1 innings and the latter punching out one in 2.1 innings. Caleb Cotham was the other standout, allowing two hits in 2.1 frames and striking out three. Jumbo Diaz (1 IP, 2 H, 1 K) and Blake Wood (1.2 IP, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 K) got into some trouble, but managed to wiggle their way out of it. While Cingrani and Diaz are likely locks to make the bullpen, Ramirez, Cotham and Wood are all competing for one of the final spots, so Saturday marked important outings for them.

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Hit machines

Between the two games, eight different Reds had multi-hit games. In the White Sox game, 10 of the 12 Reds to step to the plate had a hit, with Adam Duvall and Ivan De Jesus Jr. both picking up three hits and a three-run home run. Devin Mesoraco also continued his hot hitting with two singles and a walk. Against the Indians, Eugenio Suarez hit his second homer of the spring, while Scott Schebler went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk. With spring camp winding down, nearly all of the Reds’ damage came against potential major-league players, which is an encouraging sign.

Notes:

• The Reds faced two players who played prominent roles on last year’s team, Todd Frazier and Marlon Byrd. Both players went 2-for-3, with Byrd hitting a pair of doubles.
• The battle for the backup outfield spot(s) continues to be tightly contested. Yorman Rodriguez went 2-for-4 with a walk, while Tyler Holt (0-for-6) and Jake Cave (0-for-4) both went hitless. None are hitting better than .244.
• Shaky defense continued to be on display for the Reds, as they committed two errors in the game against the White Sox. Only three teams have been charged with more errors this spring.