Cincinnati Reds Get 19 Hits En Route to 13-2 Victory Over Indians

W: Michael Lorenzen (2-0)

L: Danny Salazar (1-2)

The Cincinnati Reds got to Cleveland Indians’ pitcher Danny Salazar early and never looked back as all 12 batters to step to the plate got at least one hit en route to a 9-1 win.

Todd Frazier got the scoring started when he hit a two-out solo home run — his third of the spring — to get the scoring started in the first inning.

After the Indians scored a run on a Carlos Santana sacrifice fly in the bottom of the inning off of Michael Lorenzen, the Reds struck for four more runs in the second inning. Devin Mesoraco smashed a towering solo shot, his second home run of the spring, to begin the inning. After Brennan Boesch singled and Kristopher Negrón was hit by a pitch, Billy Hamilton brought home another run with an RBI double. Next batter Joey Votto hit a two-run single to give the Reds an early 5-1 lead.

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The Reds tacked on two more runs in the top of the fourth on a passed ball and an run-scoring groundout from Votto, which gave him his third RBI of the day.

Both offenses were held scoreless until the top of the eighth, when Marquez Smith — who hit .311/.424/.601 with 30 home runs and 131 RBIs in High-A Bakersfield and Double-A Pensacola last year — doubled in Hamilton. Next batter Irving Falu brought Smith home with a single to center field, making it a 9-1 Reds lead.

Four more runs were added in the ninth on a sacrifice fly from Hamilton and a three-run home run from Smith.

Aside from the first and ninth innings, Reds pitching shut down the bats of the Indians. Lorenzen worked around four hits in his three innings, allowing just one run with no walks or strikeouts.

Paul Maholm, J.J. Hoover, and Nathan Adcock followed Lorenzen with scoreless appearances. Maholm threw three innings, giving up two hits and a walk while striking out one. Hoover threw one inning, giving up a walk and striking out one. Adcock struck out two in a perfect inning of work.

Pedro Villarreal‘s spring struggles continued, as he gave up the second Indians’ run in the bottom of the ninth after giving up two singles and a sacrifice fly.

Other News/Notes:

• Chris Dominguez had another nice game, going 3-for-5 with two runs scored.
• Johnny Cueto made his return to Reds camp today after spending a week with his mother in the Dominican Republic after she underwent open-heart surgery. Cueto’s next game appearance will be a minor league start.
• The Reds acquired first baseman Dan Johnson from the Houston Astros today in exchange for a player to be named later or cash. Johnson is 35 years old and is a career .236/.337/.409 hitter. He is set to report to minor league camp.

Up Next: The Reds stay in Goodyear on Friday as the Milwaukee Brewers come to town. Raisel Iglesias will start for the Reds while Matt Garza will oppose him. First pitch is scheduled for 10:05 ET.

Opening Day Countdown: 11 days!

Next: Predicting the Reds bullpen