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By HAL McCOY

CINCINNATI — Ryan Gennett owns the perfect baseball nickname but its derivation has nothing to do with baseball.

He goes by the name ‘Scooter,’ refuses to answer to Ryan and it has been that way since he was about three.

Why? Because he was afraid of the Lebanon, Oh., police and the fright is the fault of his mother.

WHEN GENNETT WAS VERY young he loved The Muppets and ‘Scooter’ was his favorite character.
He graduated from a car seat to seat belts when he was three but he constantly unclicked the belt, forcing his mother to stop the car and re-click it.

“As soon as the car started, it was ‘click,’ as I unclicked it,” said Gennett, the Cincinnati Reds recently acquired infielder, plucked off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers. “So she drove to the Lebanon police station, an aggressive move. I actually remember a badge and being scared. The officer asked me, ‘Whats your name, ol’ buddy?’ And I said, ‘Scooter’ Gennett. And my mom was like, ‘What?’ She said to tell him your real name and I said, ‘Scooter Gennett.’ From that day on for a long time they had to call me Scooter because I wouldn’t answer to Ryan. I thought if I answered to Ryan I would get arrested. I made up Scooter and it stuck.”

SCOOTER WAS BORN IN CINCINNATI and lived in Lebanon for about 10 years before moving to Sarasota, Fla., and was a devout Reds fan, which makes his move from Milwaukee to Cincinnati a positive career move for him.

“Riverfront Stadium and Cinergy Field was a second home to me,” he said. “I had a Barry Larkin glove and I’d yell at him to give me a ball. I guess he always saw I had a Barry Larkin glove and he’d always throw me a ball.”

For the first few years of his career, Gennett was a regular second baseman for the Brewers and was a particular pain in the posterior to the Reds. But the Brewers decided to move Jonathan Villar from third base to second base this year. During spring training they played Gennett at second, third and left field.

Finally, they decided to put the 26-yeare-old on waivers and the Reds grabbed him. Manager Bryan Price says although he is young Gennett is a perfect guy to anchor the bench and spot start and is as good as Progressive Insurance if somebody gets hurt.

“I DON’T EXPECT TO BE THROWN into the starting lineup right away,” he said. “I’m here to do a job and whatever that is I’ll do it. Baseball is one of those things where if you get an opportunity and take advantage of it you’ll be in there. This doesn’t seem like the type of team that wouldn’t put the best nine out there and that’s refreshing.

“If you are hitting the ball and playing good defense, there is opportunity. I feel that is how it will be here and it us up to me,” he said, with a confident smile.

It was Gennett’s second Opening Day in Cincinnati, his first while wearing a Reds uniform. He attended one Opening Day when he was six or seven in 1996 or 1997. “I would like to have attended more, but it’s a pretty pricey day.”

And what does he remember about it? He laughed and said, “This is going to sound strange, but the thing that pops in my head the most is the cowboy playing the guitar with only his whitey-tighties on.” He was referring to the The Naked Cowboy, a Cincinnati native now plying his trade on Times Square in New York. “That’s kid of weird, I know, that I remember that. And I remember Marge Schott’s big dog (Schottzie 02, the St. Bernard).”

He will remember Monday’s Opening Day. He banged a two-run home run in the ninth inning to draw the Reds within a run of the Phillies that became a 4-3 loss.

Manager Bryan Price said Gennett told him he likes to hit in Great American Ball Park and he proved it Monday.

“What do I like about hitting here? That’s a good question,” he said. “I don’t know if its a comfort zone, I don’t really know what it is, other than I see the ball good. Obviously, if you see the ball good you have a much better chance of success. Lately I’ve been trying to tone things down a little bit – not try to do too much, stay as relaxed as possible.”

GENNETT LEFT ONE REBUILDING team to join another and said he quickly noted some differences between the Brewers and the Reds.

“It was very refreshing last week when I arrived in Goodyear to join the Reds,” he said. “It was refresing to see how all the guys care about winning and how everybody is connected. I don’t want to say that isn’t how it was in the past with the Brewers, but. . .”

And then he talked about the different environment.

“Being a new guy coming in it was very refreshing to see how the guys are connected,” he said. “There are no outcastes, no cliques, everybody is connected and cares and everybody has the same attitude about how to play the game to win.

“For me, just seeing this team for a week, the arms, a lot guys throwing 95-plus, obviously a lot of guys who can hit the ball with the best of them. There is a lot to look forward to here. You don’t want to have expectations too high, but you don’t want them too low. But with the team’s consistency and attitude, it is very refreshing.”

AS GENNETT TALKED, HE was wearing a flat, beat-up glove that looked as if it was worn by Pie Traynor in 1922, a gift from a fan. “I don’t think I’m ready to whip this out for a game. It is just a fun practice glove.”

It signified one thing for certain. Scooter Gennett is old-school baseball and to use his word, he is refreshing.

By HAL McCOY

DAYTON — For those among the 8,837 who risked frost-bite and numb cheeks Saturday afternoon in Fifth Third Field it was worth it if they were there to witness what some of the newest Cincinnati Reds can do.

They saw some uplifting pitching by rookie Amir Garrett. They saw some timely and productive hitting by newcomer Patrick Kivlehan. They some some power from Rule V catcher Stuart Turner. And they saw a snapshot glimpse of the future from Futures player Nick Sensel.

The Reds won the game, 5-1, their last exhibition game before Monday’s opener in Great American Ball Park against the Philadelphia Phillies.

GARRETT, THE 6-FOOT-5 LEFTHANDER and former St. John’s University basketball player, makes his major league debut next week in St. Louis, a daunting debut. His final tuneup was Saturday — three innings, no runs, three hits, no walks, three strikeouts.

Garrett and those who followed him to the mound were supported by the long ball — solo home runs by Scott Schebler and Kivlehan and a three-run home run in the sixth by Turner that broke a 1-1 tie.

“I was real happyy with Amir,” said Reds manager Bryan Price. “We’ve talked a lot about the development of some of these young players as they come up. Amir came in today and threw a really nice fastball/changeup combination and a slider to the leftties. The evolution of his changeup is a big part of his development into a strong, major league pitcher.”

GARRETT HAS WORKED DILIGENTLY on the changeup in the bullpen and he and catcher Tucker Barnhart used it often durng his three innings.

“I’ve prepared myself for this season and I’ve prepared myself for this moment,” Garrett said of his insertion into the rotation. “I worked my butt off this off-season and we’ll we how it plays out this season.”

Of his debut in St. Louis, Garrett said, “I’ve gone over it and over it in my head, but I don’t know what it is going to be like. Of course, I’m, going to be nervous and I’m going to be excited but I’ll go out there and try to have fun.”

Try, though, is the key word. It will be in St. Louis and that’ no free bus tour for even a veteran pitcher. “I played basketball in front of a lot of people and I’m used to it so maybe I won’t be as jacked up as I would be. I’ll try to settle down, talk to myself with a little meditation and go out there. I know it will be crazy at the Cardinals stadium, but, we’ll see.”

TURNER, SELECTED BY THE REDS from the Minnesota Twins for $50,000 in the Rule V draft at the winter meetings, must remain on the 25-man roster or be offered back to the Twins for $25,000. With catcher Devin Mesoraco still scraping and knocking rust off his body from two years of mostly inactivity, Turner is on the roster for now. But what happens when Mesoraco returns?

That’s something for the Reds to concern themselves down the road. Price appreciates Turner’s attributes for now and for what he can do during Mesoraco’s absence.

“We love his defensive components,” said Price. “He has to be able to run a game from behind home plate, call a game, be able to receive and block and throw, which he has done.

“The offense has been a bonus,” Price added. “We knew he was a guy who hit left handed pitching well in his short minor league career. But, here, he has hit everybody well this spring. We’re thrilled he is with the team and he’ll have an opportunity to play when Tucker doesn’t start.”

KIVLEHAN WAS ONE OF THE most productive offensive players this spring and continued it Saturday with a single in front of Turner’s three-run homer and his own homer in the eighth inning to put an exclamation point on the day’s activities.

“Kivlehan has been a boost in a number of ways for us,” said Price. “The home run power and the extra base hits stand out. But he has given us a lot of good at bats with two strikes. Beyond the home run today, he grinds out an at bat with a single to start that rally that resulted in Turner’s home run in a 1-1 game.

“He brings a lot to the table other than a kid who brings some power,” Price added. “He swings the bat well, he can play four different positions, he throws well and is very athletic. He provide us with a lot of different options off the bench.”

ON THE OTHER SIDE, Futures third baseman Nick Sensel delivered a couple of hits, not unexpected from the team’s No. 1 draft pick last June and the No 2 overall pick in baseball.

“He swung the bat good,” said Price. “He had two strikes on him and smoked a ball down the right field line for a double and a base hit to center field. He made some nice plays at third, too. He went into foul ground and made a nice play near the bullpen. Stole a base. He is an impressive kid and this shouldn’t surprise us. He was the second pick in the draft. It was nice to come here to see him play and to see him perform.”

And beginning Monday, Price gets to see his team perform for real, on center stage. No more rehearsals, no more Off Broadway in Peoria and Dayton. It is time to Get Real.

By HAL McCOY

Cincinnati Reds manager Bryan Price used his Opening Day lineup and batting order Wednesday in his team’s final spring exhibition game in Arizona, a 9-6 loss to the Cleveland Indians.

The lineup: CF Billy Hamilton, 2B Jose Peraza, 1B Joey Votto, LF Adam Duvall, 3B Eugenio Suarez, RF Scott Schebler, SS Zack Cozart, C Tucker Barnhart.

OPENING DAY STARTER Scott Feldman was not on the mound. Brandon Finnegan, who will pitch Game 2 of the season, faced the Indians and was not sharp after a 1-2-3 first inning.

His teammates gave him a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a walk to Billy Hamilton, a home run by Jose Peraza and a mammoth home run off the top of the scoreboard in left field by Adam Duvall.

Finnegan then gave up four runs in the top of the second, including a three-run home run by Yandy Diaz.

Finnegan pitched four innings and gave up four runs (three earned), seven hits, three walks and struck out three.

Louis Coleman, a non-roster righthanded pitcher signed to a minor league contract in January after pitching for the Royals and Dodgers, pitched one inning Wednesday and gave up three runs and three hits, two of them home runs.

SCOOTER GENNETT, ACQUIRED Tuesday off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers, made his Reds debut a noteworthy one by hitting a home run to left field, the opposite field, against Tribe bullpen ace Andrew Miller in Gennett’s first at bat. Then he hit into a double play in his second at bat.

Gennett, who grew up in Cincinnati and was a Reds fan, was a Reds tormentor as a Brewer. Even though he is only 26, he gives the Reds a veteran presence on the bench and is a guy who can step in and play every day if an injury necessitates it.

Billy Hamilton, a struggler all spring, was on base three straight times with a walk and two hits and lifted his spring average to .231.

Duvall’s gargantuan home run was his third in two days. He added a single and his spring average is .302.

Joey Votto went 0 for 3 and is 10 for 50 this spring (.200) with no home runs and two doubles, but knowledgeable fans realize that Votto seldom excels in spring training.

AFTER A 9-3 VICTORY over the Los Angeles Dodgers Tuesday, the Reds firmed up their 25-man roster for Opening Day.

And it is:

THE ROTATION:

RHP Scott Feldman, LHP Brandon Finnegan, RHP Rookie Davis, LHP Amir Garrett, RHP Bronson Arroyo.

THE BULLPEN

RHP Drew Storen, RHP Raisel Iglesias, RHP Michael Lorenzen, LHP Tony Cingrani, RHP Robert Stephenson, LHP Cody Reed, RHP Blake Wood, RHP Barrett, Astin, LHP Wandy Peralta

CATCHERS

Tucker Barnhart, Stuart Turner.

INFIELDERS

Joey Votto, Jose Peraza, Zack Cozart, Eugenio Suarez, Scooter Gennett.

OUTFIELDERS

Adam Duvall, Billy Hamilton, Scott Schebler, Patrick Kivlehan, Arismendy Alcantara.

General Manager Dick Williams, appearing on FoxOhio TV during Wednesday’s telecast, told Thom Brennaman and Chris Welsh that the rotation is flexible and just because Reed and Stephenson are in the bullpen doesn’t mean they won’t make some starts during the course of the season.

Neither Reed nor Stephenson has pitched out of the bullpen and Williams emphasized that they will get some starts. And he added some of the pitchers, and roster players, could be up-and-down between the Reds and Triple-A Louisville. Everything is fluid.

He also said that he has told manager Bryan Price that winning games this year isn’t as important as it is to develop the young talent, get them experience for the future.

 

By HAL McCOY

While the 1962 New York Mets were in the dubious process of losing 120 games in the team’s first year of existence, manager/comedian Casey Stengel aske facetiously, “Can anybody here play this game?”

So far during spring exhibition games this year the mantra for the Cincinnati Reds is, “Can anybody here pitch?”

THE COMPETITION FOR available spots in the five-man Reds rotation was reduced by two Tuesday morning and it seems it is a matter of attrition.

Nobody is pitching their way into the rotation. They are pitching their way out of it.

Tim Adleman and Sal Romano were optioned to Class AAA Louisville, leaving four competitors for two spots.

It appears that 40-year-old Bronson Arroyo has pulled off the improbable. It never was impossible for Arroyo because, well, he’s Bronson Arroyo.

After missing nearly two years with injuries, Arroyo convinced the Reds to take a chance on him this spring. The Reds agreed, a fortuitous decision after starters Homer Bailey and Anthony DeSclafani fell by the wayside, unavailable at the start of the season.

ARROYO PITCHED IN A a minor league game Tuesday and threw 73 pitches. Reports out of Goodyear say Arroyo will remain in Arizona when the team departs Wednesday and pitch in a minor league game Sunday.

If all goes well, he probably will face the St. Louis Cardinals in St. Louis a week from Friday.

LEFT IN THE BATTLE for the other two spots is Rookie Davis, Amir Garrett, Cody Reed and Robert Stephenson.

Adleman punched his ticket to Triple-A by giving up six runs, seven hits and two walks over 3 1/3 innings in his last start. Romano was the most impressive of the bunch, despite giving up seven runs (five earned), nine hits and no walks over 4 2/3 innings in his last appearance, but he is eliminated. For now. He’ll be back.

THE SURVIVORS DID NOT dazzle in their last opportunities. Cody Reed gave up 10 runs, 10 hits and four walks over 3 2/3 innings and could start the season in the bullpen. Amir Garrett gave up six runs, seven hits and three walks in his last showing. Rookie Davis gave up five runs (three earned) and six hits over 4 2/3 innings. Robert Stephenson gave up four runs, six hits and two walks over four innings.

MEANWHILE OPENING DAY starter Scott Feldman acquitted himself well Tuesday against a Los Angeles Dodgers split squad team that contained only one regular, Chase Utley.

Feldman gave up two runs and four hits over 5 2/3 innings, walking two and striking out four. His only problem surfaced in the second inning when he gave up a double to Rob Segedin and a two-out home run to Cody Bellinger.

The Reds, using their Opening Day line except for second baseman Jose Peraza and catcher Tucker Barnhart, shed a three-game losing streak with a 9-3 win.

In addition to optioning Adleman and Romano, the Reds sent Hernan Iribarren and Tony Renda to minor league camp for re-assignment.

The shedding of Iribarren and Renda probably means Arismendy Alcantara will be included on the 25-man roster.

NOT ONLY IS ALCANTARA out of options, he has played his way onto the roster. He hit a home run in the second inning Tuesday and is leading the team in spring home runs with four, in runs scored with 16 and in RBI with 16. He had two hits to lift his average to .297.

If the Reds don’t keep him, they would have to put him on waivers and any team could pick him up.

Adam Duvall had three hits, two of them home runs, and drove in four runs.

The Reds raked the Dodgers for 13 hits, including two each by Billy Hamilton and Zack Cozart.

And the Reds added a player Tuesday when they acquired 26-year-old second baseman Scooter Gennett and his $2.225 million contract off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers.

By HAL McCOY

It was a mismatch when the managers turned over their lineup cards to the home plate umpire Monday afternoon when the Cincinnati Reds traveled to Scottsdale to play the San Francisco Giants.

On Reds manager Bryan Price’s card there was one regular and it was Jose Peraza, playing shortstop instead of second base, where he will be on Opening Day.

Meanwhile, Giants manager Bruce Bochy had his Opening Day lineup on the field — Denard Span, Brandon Belt, Hunter Pence, Buster Posey, Brandon Crawford, Aaron Hill, Joe Panik, Madison Bumgarner and Hernandez.

IN YEARS PAST, WHAT Price did was a violation of an unwritten agreement. During spring training exhibition games a visiting team was expected to have at least four regulars in the lineup.

When the Reds trained in Sarasota, Fla., in 2000, the Minnesota Twins visited Ed Smith Stadium and manager Tom Kelly’s lineup card contained nine mystery men.

When it was mentioned to him that he was violating the commissioner’s edict about four regulars in the lineup, Kelly said, “If the commissioner can tell me who my starters are he can fill out my lineup card.”

Kelly was right. The Twins lost 93 games that year and finished last.

REDS STARTER CODY REED needed all the help he could get Monday because he didn’t help himself. He gave up 10 runs and 10 hits in 3 2/3 innings during a 14-2 loss.

He walked the first two batters he faced in he first inning, Denard Span and Brandon Belt, and both came around to score on singles by Brandon Crawford and Aaron Hill.

He hit Joe Panik with a pitch to start the second and walked pitcher Madison Bumgarner and Panik scored on a double by Gorkys Hernandez to put the Reds down, 3-0, after two innings.

IT DIDN’T GET ANY better for Reed in the fourth inning. He retired pitcher Bumgarner, but Hernandez doubled Span singled for a run, Belt singled and Pence doubled for two more runs and a 6-0 Giants lead.

And it didn’t end there. Reed walked Crawford and with two outs Hill doubled to push the count to 8-0.

And it didn’t end there, either. Jae-gyun Hwang, who had just entered the game at second base in the top of the fourth, drilled a two-run home run to make it 10-0.

And that’s where it ended for Reed and his miserable afternoon: 3 2/3 innings, 10 runs, 10 hits, four walks, no strikeouts and a home run, pushing his spring earned run average to 7.08.

WHAT IT ALL MEANS, mostly, is that there are only six days remaining before Opening Day and the Reds starting rotation is still a mystery beyond Scott Feldman and Brandon Finnegan.

AS ONE MIGHT EXPECT, Bumgarner toyed with the Reds’ lineup of minor leaguers — one base runner through four innings, a single by Sebastian Elizalde.

Elizalde became the Reds’ second base runner in the fifth when he led with a double, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Rob Brantly’s sacrifice fly. Stuart Turner then homered, cutting the deficit to 10-2.

Bumgarner pitched seven innings and gave up two runs, four hits, no walks, struck out nine, including Nick Senzel, Elizalde and Alex Blandino in his last inning.

RELIEF PITCHER MICHAEL Lorenzen put some semblance of order into the game by pitching a 1-2-3 fifth and facing only three batters (a walk and a double play) in the sixth.

Blake Wood took over in the seventh and struck out the first two, then gave up a double to Hernandez and a single to Span for another run and an 11-2 Giants lead. Wandy Peralta replaced Wood and got the final out on a line drive to first base.

The carnage, though, continued in the eighth inning against lefthanded bullpenner Tony Cingrani. He gave up three runs on two hits and two walks.

While the Reds gave up 14 runs and 15 hits, the accomplished only two runs and six hits offensively.

They lost three games over the last two days and gave up 43 runs in those three games.

Before the game, the Reds released Ryan Raburn, an infielder/outfielder they signed to a minor league contract on February 19.

By HAL McCOY

If the Cincinnati Reds were smart, they stayed out of the casinos this weekend during their visit to Las Vegas.

They would have returned to Goodyear Sunday night wearing their underwear.

And Reds pitcher Tim Adleman may not have even had his underwear.

THE REDS PLAYED TWO games in Las Vegas against the Chicago Cubs and not only lost them both, they gave up 33 runs in two days.

They lost Saturday, 11-7, as starter Robert Stephenson gave up a pair of runs in the first inning — four runs, six hits and two walks in four innings.

Adleman, though, was terrorized by the Cubs Sunday in a game the Reds lost 22-4. Yes, that’s not a Cincinnati Bengals score, that’s the score of the Reds-Cubs game.

ADLEMAN GAVE UP SIX runs, seven hits (two home runs) and a walk in the first inning.

In Vegas, that’s called snake eyes or craps.

MEANWHILE, in Goodyear a split squad Reds team also lost, 7-6, to the Seattle Mariners.

Starter Rookie Davis gave up a two-run home run in the second inning, but was stable most of the way — 4 2/3 innings, five runs (three earned), one walk, seven strikeouts.

Jose Peraza homered in the first inning for the Reds, then Desmond Jenning and pitcher Wood hit back-to-back home runs in the second to give the Reds a 3-2 lead.

But Reds third baseman Hernan Iribarren made two separate throwing errors and each throw enabled the Mariners to score an unearned run for a 5-4 lead in the top of the fifth.

The Reds tied it in the bottom of the fifth on Iribarren’s sacrifice fly and that’s the way it stood until the eighth.

The Mariners scored twice against Lucas Benenati on a run-scoring double by Taylor Motter and a sacrifice fly by Carlos Ruiz.

THE REDS DREW WITHIN one in the bottom of the ninth on a leadoff home run by Chad Wallach, but the next three went out 1-2-3.

Jose Peraza continued his spring hitting exhibition with two hits and is hitting .350.

BACK IN VEGAS, THE Cubs line score read: 600-308-32x — 22-21-0.

The Cubs hit five home runs, including Anthony Rizzo leading off the bottom of the first against Adleman.

Adleman’s nightmarish first inning went like this:

Rizzo homers. Kris Bryant doubles. Kyle Schwarber walks. Albert Almora Jr. hit a three-run homer. With one out, Chesny Young doubles. Victor Caratini doubles for a run. John Andreoli singles for a run. Pitcher Eddie Butler singles for a run. Six runs, seven hits, one walk.

Nick Rout replaced Adleman with one out in the fourth and gave up three runs and four hits in two-thirds of an inning.

THE REDS INSERTED 23-year-old Dominican Sandy Lugo to pitch the sixth, his major league exhibition debut after he pitched last season at Class A Dayton.

It was an inning he will never forget — eight runs, five hit and two walks and one of the hits was a grand slam home run by Bijan Rademacher.

For the Reds, Asmendy Alcantara had three hits and drove in a run. Joey Votto was 2-for-2 with a walk and Jesse Winker, sent back to minor league camp last week, had two hits, including a home run.

Amazingly, Cubs starter Eddie Butler is 5-and-0 this spring. He gave up two runs and seven hits in his 4 2/3 innings. In his last two years with the Colorado Rockies he went 2-and-5 with a 7.17 ERA and 3-and-10 with a 5.90 ERA.

BILLY HAMILTON, THOUGH, continues to search for success. He went 0 for 4, made an error, and his average dipped to .178.

Adleman probably pitched his way out of the rotation with his 2-3 record and two straight bad outings.

Davis, though, continues in the mix.

 

By Hal McCoy

As Cat Stevens once sang, ‘Oh, baby, it’s a wild world.’

And it certainly was a wild world Friday afternoon when the Cincinnati Reds and Milwaukee Brewers gathered in Goodyear, Ariz., for an exhibition baseball game.

Twenty-three runs. Thirty-five hits. It wasn’t a day to be auditioning for pitching jobs as the Reds outlasted the Brewers, 12-11.

Sal Romano, trying to put an exclamation point on his casting call for a spot in the Reds starting rotation, struck out the side in the top of the first inning: Keon Broxton swinging, Eric Thames called out. Ryan Braun called out.

And then. . .

The Reds batted in the bottom of the first and scored four runs. Zack Cozart homered, Devin Mesoraco singled, Eugenio Suarez singled. Adam Duvall walked to fill the bases. Scott Schebler singled for two runs. Patrick Kivelehan hit a sacrifice fly. Reds 4, Brewers 0.

And then. . .

Romano’s world collapsed around his ears in the top of the second. The Brewers scored five runs.

Jesse Aguilar singled, Manny Pina reached on shortstop Zack Cozart’s throwing error. Eric Sogard triples for two runs. Orlando Arcia doubles for a run. Former Reds utility player Ivan DeJesus Jr. singles for a run. Keon Broxton doubles for a run. Brewers 5, Reds 4.

And then. . .

Zack Cozart drills a one-out double in the bottom of the second and was picked off second base.

And then. . .

The Reds scored three runs in the bottom of the third and all three came after two outs and nobody on.

Schebler walked and Kivlehan singled. Sebastian Elizalde doubled for two runs. Brandon Dixon doubles for a run. Reds 7, Brewers 5.

And then. . .

Milwaukee’s Arcia triples to open the fourth but is thrown out at home trying to score on a ground ball to pitcher Romano.

And then. . .

In the bottom of the fifth, Romano retired the first two batters, including a strikeout of Ryan Braun for the third straight time. But with two outs and nobody on, Jesus Aguilar singled. Pitching coach Mack Jenkins visited the mound and Romano stayed in. Before Jenkins could sit down in the dugout, Romano gave up a two-run home run to Manny Pina to tie it. 7-7.

Romano’s day was done — 4 2/3 innings, seven runs (five earned), nine hits no walks, six strikeouts.

And then. . .

In the bottom of the fifth the first three Reds hit safely for two runs. Patrick Kivlehan singled, Sebastian Elizaldo singled and Brandon Dixon doubled for two runs. Reds 9, Brewers 7.

And then. . .

The Brewers scored a run in the top of the seventh with two outs and nobody on when Drew Storen gave up a single and a triple. Reds 9, Brewers 8.

And then. . .

In the bottom of the eighth the Reds scored two runs. Arismendy Alcantara singled and scored on a double by Nick Senzel, the Reds No. 1 draft pick last June, making his major league spring exhibition debut, doubled for a run. Reds 10, Brewers 8.

And then. . .

In the top of the ninth the Brewers scored three runs off somebody named Jacob Ehret, the first on a bases loaded walk and two more on a double by quaintly named Nate Orf. Brewers 11, Reds 10.

And then. . .

By now, both lineups were populated by names on both side populated mostly by household names (familiar in only their own households). The Reds filled the bases with two outs and a familiar name, Arismendy Alcantara doubled to send him the tying and winning runs, a walk-off hit and the end of a bizarre afternoon. Reds 12, Brewers 11.

Among the 19 hits by the Reds were three by Zack Cozart, two (2-for-2) by Alcantara, two by Eugenio Suarez, two by Patrick Kivlehan (now hitting .409), two by Sebastian Elizalde and two by Brandon Dixon (three RBI).

Pitchng? Not so good, starting with Sal Romano and extending through five other pitchers (11 runs, 16 hits).

 

By HAL McCOY

If the Cincinnati Reds happened to see what Chicago White Sox pitcher Jose Quintana did to Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, then they should have been prepared for what he did to them Thursday in Glendale, Ariz.

Quintana, pitching for Colombia, held Team USA, the eventual WBC champion, to no hits for 5 2/3 innings, although the U.S. won the game, 3-2, in 10 innings.

The schedule Opening Day starter for the White Sox was even better against the Reds Thursday at Camelback Ranch. The Reds didn’t have a baserunner for 5 2/3 innings, 17 up and 17 down.

The spell was broken by minor-leaguer Beau Amaral. He was a late replacement for Desmond Jennings, scratched at game time, and he doubled with two outs in the sixth inning.

The Reds squeezed their second hit of the game off Quintana when Jose Pereza led the seventh with a single. But he was caught breaking for second base on a steal attept and was caught in a rundown after Quintana threw to first.

Quintana certainly is game-ready. He pitched seven innings and gave up no runs, two hits, walked nobody and struck out three, lowering his spring earned run average to 1.00.

Once again with a chance to scramble over .500, the Reds fell to 13-14 this spring via a 4-2 loss to the White Sox.

REDS STARTER BRONSON ARROYO, a 40-year-old righ hander trying to win any spot available on he pitching staff, gave up two runs and four hits during his four innings.

The White Sox scored their two runs off Arroyo in the fourth inning on a leadoff double by Melky Cabrera and a two-out home run by Nicky Delmonico.

Delmonico delivered again in the sixth inning against Blake Wood. Former Reds third baseman Todd Frazier blooped a single and scored from first on Delmonico’s one-out double to right field for a 3-0 lead.

As has happened so often this spring, much of a game’s offense by the Reds comes late from the extra players and minor leaguers not on the roster.

It happened again Thursday when the Reds scored two runs in the top of the eighth, to pull within 3-2.

But Wandy Peralta, trying to grab a bullpen spot, had his second straight bad outing. He gave up three straight singles to start the inning for a run.

BILLY HAMILTON, ABSENT the last four games with a sore Achilles tendon, returned to the lineup Thursday and was 0 for 3 and is hitting .211 this spring.

THE REDS WON A rain-shortened five inning game Wednesday night in Mesa, Ariz., 5-2.

Adam Duvall produced a two-run home run and the only runs scored off scheduled Opening Day starter Scott Feldman in five innings was a two-run homer by Middletown native Kyle Schwarber.

Feldman gave up two runs and three hits, but walked three and struck out three.