By HAL McCOY
It was not a Day to Remember for Cincinnati Reds pitching prospect Amir Garrett Wednesday afternoon in Goodyear, Ariz.
His earned run average did not take a hit because he didn’t give up an earned run in his 2 2/3 innings against the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.
But it was his own error that led to five unearned runs in the second inning during a 9-0 loss to the Angels, ending Cincinnati’s five-game winning streak.
THE ANGELS SENT A full contingent of regulars, eight of them in the starting lineup, while the Reds didn’t have a single regular playing their normal positions.
Jose Peraza, slated to play second base, was at shortstop as Zack Cozart took the day off. And Scott Schebler, a right field candidate, played center field in place of resting Billy Hamilton.
Completely absent for the day were catcher Tucker Barnhart, first baseman Joey Votto, third baseman Eugenio Suarez, left fielder Adam Duval, Cozart and Hamilton.
THE ‘B’ BOYS WERE no match for the Angels, featuring Mike Trout, C.J. Cron, Kole Calhoun, Ben Revere, Cliff Pennington and Yunel Esobar.
All five Angels runs in the second inning scored with two outs, after Garrett made a throwing error.
After the error, the discombobulated Garrett permitted a double steal with Revere stealing second and Cron stealing home on the throw to second for a 1-0 Angels lead.
Then came a run-scoring single by Pennington, a walk, a two-run double by Calhoun and a run-scoring triple by Trout and it was quickly 5-0.
For his day, Garrett pitched 1 2/3 innings and gave up five runs (none earned), seven hits, one walk, a wild pitch and two strikeouts He gave up three extra base hits in the second.
Evan Mitchell and Drew Storen restored order for 2 1/3 innings, with Mitchell retiring all four Angels he faced.
But the Angels erupted in the sixth for three runs and three hits against Austin Brice and his earned run average ballooned to 15.00.
OFFENSIVELY, the Reds were dormant and moribund. Three hits. All singles by Ryan Raburn, Hernan Irribarren and Phillip Ervin.
The Angels had 14 hits, five for extra bases, including a ninth-inning home run by Nolan Fontana off Lucas Luetge.
And here is a regular cliché issued by managers after their team takes a severe bottom-kicking: “We got our work in today.”