Will Ferrell Leads Reds to 12-4 Victory

W: Mike Leake (1-0)  L: Allen Webster (0-1)

Okay, so that headline isn’t exactly true. Will Ferrell’s impact in the game was minimal, though he did have several balls hit to him in left field while playing with the Arizona Diamondbacks. While some may find the #FerrellTakesTheField thing to be silly, it really is for a great cause, as all the memorabilia from the games he plays in will be auctioned off with the proceeds going to Stand Up to Cancer and Cancer for College. Hats off to Ferrell for making an ordinary spring baseball game much more interesting.

Now to the game.

The Reds got off to a quick start in the top of the first, as they hit four straight singles to start the game. Jason Bourgeois came around to score after Todd Frazier’s single and Brennan Boesch scored when Brayan Pena grounded into a fielder’s choice. Frazier crossed the plate on a two-out single from Eugenio Suarez to give the Reds a quick 3-0 lead off of Diamondbacks starter Allen Webster.

Suarez is going to make it really hard for Walt Jocketty to leave him off of the Opening Day roster. He’s batting .385 (5-for-13) with a home run and five runs batted in so far.

Mike Leake got the start on the mound for the Reds and threw three scoreless innings, striking out two.

The Reds forced Webster from the game in the top of the third after doubles from Pena (his first hit of the spring) and Donald Lutz pushed across another run to make it 4-0. Pena later singled in Brandon Phillips in the fifth for a 5-0 Reds lead.

After Nathan Adcock gave up a run in the bottom of the fifth, the offense came up with another big inning in the sixth. With two outs in the inning, the Reds got five consecutive hits, including back-to-back doubles from Frazier and Phillips, to increase the lead to 9-0.

When Ferrell came in for the D-backs in the seventh, Reds’ hitters picked on him a bit, as they scored three more runs. If Ferrell’s going to make it in this league, he’s going to have to get a stronger throwing arm. His poor arm strength and range allowed Ivan De Jesus Jr. to get a triple, Kyle Skipworth and Brian O’Grady to get a double, and the Reds to stretch their lead to 12-1.

The Diamondbacks scored three unearned runs in the bottom of the seventh after a Kyle Waldrop error. The Cincinnati defense has been sloppy, as two more errors today put their spring total at 13.

Raisel Iglesias closed things out for the Reds in his third appearance of the spring, pitching two scoreless innings and striking out one.

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Other Notes

• Dylan Axelrod also pitched today, throwing a perfect sixth inning.
• After coming into the game hitless on the spring, Brayan Pena went 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs.
• Per Mark Sheldon, Devin Mesoraco has resumed baseball activities after suffering a concussion last Saturday. Jay Bruce and Billy Hamilton are also getting closer to returning to the lineup.

Tomorrow’s game against the Los Angeles Dodgers will kick off at 10:05 p.m. EST. Jason Marquis will hope to keep his hot start going, as he will make his third start of the spring for the Reds.