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Home , Amir Garrett, Breyvic Valera, Bronson Arroyo, Cody Reed, Dakota Bacus, Desmond Jennings

Press Clippings March 22, 2017

THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 1896 - The Reds give New Orleans four outs an inning, during an exhibition game. Despite the handicap, the Reds win, 9-7

MLB.COM Reed picking perfect time to get it going By Austin Laymance / MLB.com | March 21st, 2017 + 28 COMMENTS

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Another day, another Reds starter doing all he can to earn one of three open spots in the rotation.

It was Cody Reed's turn to make an impression Tuesday, and the left-hander delivered 5 2/3 scoreless in Tuesday's 9-1 loss to the Angels. Reed struck out five, walked two and held a lineup full of regulars to one .

"He was sensational," manager said. "He had it all going, all three pitches today."

Reed is competing with six other for a rotation job.

"I'm right there with them, I'm going to go for it, too," said Reed, who lowered his Cactus League ERA to 3.24. "If I keep doing that, I'll keep putting myself in the best position. I'll get the ball in five days and try again."

With just under two weeks before the regular season begins, Reed picked the right time for his best outing of the spring.

"It's starting to get down to that time and he's continuing to impress," Price said. "It was a good but important start for him."

Reed was scheduled to pitch five innings, but the Angels had two left-handers due up in the top of the sixth, so he returned to the mound. Reed got Nolan Fontana to ground out to first and then he fanned Kole Calhoun.

With Angels star Mike Trout due up, Price emerged from the and headed for the mound. Reed had reached his pitch count, and Price signaled for non-roster reliever Evan Mitchell.

"As soon as Price walked out there, I was frustrated with myself because I think I threw too many pitches to get to the third guy, which was Trout," Reed said. "You're not going to let me get this guy out? He said, 'I want Mitchell to get it.'"

Trout struck out looking to end the inning. While Reed was happy for his teammate, as a competitor he naturally wanted to face the two-time MVP.

"I wanted to get him out," Reed said. "Who doesn't want to pitch against him?"

Reed is competing with , Tim Adleman, Rookie Davis, Sal Romano, Amir Garrett and Robert Stephenson for the three available rotation spots. Price has said they are not all on equal footing, though he has not publicly revealed the pecking order.

With performances like Tuesday's, Reed is making management's roster decisions all the more difficult.

Austin Laymance is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of or its clubs.

Raburn drills third home , Reed strong By Austin Laymance and Maria Guardado / MLB.com | March 21st, 2017 + 198 COMMENTS

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Reds starter Cody Reed pitched 5 2/3 shutout innings and homered, but the Angels rallied with five unearned runs in the seventh inning to win Tuesday afternoon's Cactus League matchup, 9-1, at Goodyear Ballpark.

Kole Calhoun ripped an RBI single and Nolan Fontana added a two-run during the Angels' outburst, which was aided by some defensive miscues from the Reds' reserves.

Raburn, in a competition for a bench role, broke a scoreless tie in the fourth inning with a solo homer to right field. Raburn took Angels starter JC Ramirez deep for his third homer of the spring.

Reed, one of seven Reds pitchers vying for three starting rotation spots, struck out five against two walks in his best outing of the spring. The left-hander retired the final 10 batters he faced.

With four lefties in their lineup, the Angels struggled to get anything going offensively against Reed. had the Halo's only hit against him, a two-out single in the second.

"I was pretty good," said Reed, who lowered his spring ERA to 3.24. "I had those two walks, that might have been the worst part of it were the two walks. I felt good. There were a lot of lefties in that lineup, so I like that. I think I had the advantage."

Ramirez, a contender for a rotation or bullpen spot, struck out six over five innings. It was his third start and fifth appearance of the spring. Ramirez, who is making the transition from reliever to starter this spring, said he had not thrown five innings in a game since 2011, when he was still starting in the Minors.

The 28-year-old right-hander added that he has no preference in terms of what role the Angels decide to give him this season.

"I really like to be in the bullpen because you come out in the seventh inning or ninth inning with runners in scoring position and the adrenaline makes you be on top," Ramirez said. "[Starting] is different, but I really like it. The only thing that's hard right now is facing those guys three or four times, but they make me throw my best stuff. So that's what I like right now, competing against myself to throw the best pitches each time."

Reds went 2-for-3 with a double, while , Zack Cozart and Desmond Jennings each singled.

Mike Trout walked and struck out twice. , the Angels' new second baseman, went 1-for-3 with a run. Jefry Marte scored and drove in a run. Eric Young Jr. added a solo homer in the ninth off Louis Coleman.

Angels Up Next: The Angels will play a pair of split-squad games against the Rangers and the Mariners on Wednesday. is slated to start against Texas at Tempe Diablo Stadium, while will face Seattle at Peoria Sports Complex. First pitch for both games is scheduled for 1:10 p.m. PT. (MLB.TV)

Reds Up Next: starts for the Reds against the visiting Cubs under the lights at Goodyear Ballpark on Wednesday. It's Feldman's first outing since being named the Opening Day starter. First pitch is scheduled for 9:05 E.T. on MLB.TV.

Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV.

Austin Laymance is a reporter for MLB.com.

Maria Guardado covers the Angels for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Reds being cautious with Iglesias' injuries By Austin Laymance / MLB.com | March 21st, 2017 + 3 COMMENTS

GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- The Reds did not have an update Tuesday on reliever Raisel Iglesias, who was scratched from a Minor League game on Saturday because of a stiff right elbow. Iglesias is also dealing with an unspecified back issue, according to manager Bryan Price.

However, Price said Iglesias' health is improving.

"We just want to make sure everything is OK with his elbow and his back before he's released back into activity," Price said. "The initial thing was to give him some time off and he should be OK. We did a little bit more of a thorough once-over with the elbow and the back just to make sure there's no reason to really slow him down completely."

Adleman survives another comebacker

Tim Adleman was struck by a comebacker on Monday for the third time in his last four appearances this spring. Fortunately, the right-hander has avoided serious injury.

"It's sometimes hard to defend yourself there," Price said. "It has been interesting that in three of his last four outings he's been hit by a line drive. The good fortune is only once has he been knocked out of the game because of it."

Adleman, competing for a rotation job, has been struck in the right shoulder, foot and the inside of his left quad.

Said Price: "What body parts are left?"

Feldman once homered off Arroyo

Scott Feldman, named the Reds' Opening Day starter on Monday, homered off Bronson Arroyo on May 24, 2013, in the only game he has ever pitched at .

Feldman, then with the Cubs, took Arroyo deep for a two-run homer to right field in the second inning. It's Feldman's only homer in 66 plate appearances over his 12-year career.

While Feldman is starting Opening Day, April 3 against the Phillies at home, Arroyo is trying to lock down one of the remaining three spots in the rotation.

"Let's hope he doesn't have an opportunity to do the same this year," Price said. "I would like Bronson to be pitching for us this year. I'd like to have them both pitching for us this year. They can hit homers off other pitchers."

Arroyo hit six homers in 279 plate appearances with the Reds from 2006-13.

Reds reach .500

The Reds are 12-12-1 in the Cactus League following Monday's 10-6 win over the Royals, and Price is pleased his club is back to the .500 mark this spring.

"We don't go take the field to lose, we take the field to win the game," Price said. "But, as a manager, you have to prioritize getting the guys in shape, getting guys numbers of at-bats, numbers of innings pitched, moving players around to different positions defensively, taking some risks, green lighting guys to steal bases, asking guys to be more aggressive on dirtball reads, not pitching situationally, not pinch-hitting for the .

"You don't really necessarily strategically play the game to win, you play the game to get your players the best opportunities. But winning along the way is a lot better than losing the game and constantly saying, 'Hey, we're just getting the guys in shape.' It does make a difference to shake hands at the end of the day and feel good about it. A win sometimes does kind of rubber stamp that your guys are doing some good things."

Austin Laymance is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

CINCINNATI ENQUIRER Game Report: Angels 9, Reds 1 C. Trent Rosecrans , [email protected] Published 7:26 p.m. ET March 21, 2017 | Updated 15 hours ago

GOODYEAR, Ariz. – Cody Reed had already gone longer than he expected in Tuesday’s 9-1 loss to the Angels, but as he saw Reds manager Bryan Price come out to the mound, Reed wanted one more batter.

It wasn’t just that he wanted to finish the sixth inning, but he wanted one more chance to face the best player in the game, Angels center fielder Mike Trout.

“I wanted to get him out,” Reed said. “Who doesn't want to pitch against him?”

Reed walked Trout in the first and struck him out in the third before giving way to reliever Evan Mitchell.

Mitchell, who hasn’t allowed an earned run this season, struck Trout out looking to end the inning.

Reed turned in not only his longest outing of the season but also his best. He gave up just one hit in 5 ⅔ innings. He walked two and struck out five. The lone hit was a two-out single by LF Ben Revere in the second. He responded with a to end the inning.

“I had those two walks, that might have been the worst part of it were the two walks. I felt good,” Reed said. “There were a lot of lefties (four) in that lineup, so I like that. I think I had the advantage. I think the one I gave up was to a lefty. Just a little blooper over shortstop.”

Reed is one of seven starters vying for the final three spots in the rotation, along with fellow lefty Amir Garrett and right-handers Tim Adleman, Bronson Arroyo, Rookie Davis, Sal Romano and Robert Stephenson.

“I'm right there with them, I'm going to go for it too,” Reed said. “If I keep doing that, I’ll keep putting myself in the best position. I’ll get the ball in five days and try again.”

THE ARMS

Mitchell kept his spring ERA at 0.00 despite his worst outing of the spring. The 25-year-old out of Mississippi State allowed ??? unearned runs in one inning of work. He came in and got Trout to end the sixth before a walk and a double play to start the seventh. The Angels capitalized on two errors along with three hits and three walks for five runs. LHP Tony Cingrani allowed three runs on four hits and a walk in the eighth inning.

THE BATS

RF Ryan Raburn hit his third homer of the spring for the Reds’ lone run. The first five batters in the Reds’ starting lineup – 2B Jose Peraza, SS Zack Cozart, 1B Joey Votto, Raburn and CF Desmond Jennings were all 1 for 3. C Tucker Barnhart was 2 for 3 with a double.

THE REST

2B Jose Peraza made a highlight film play in the first, ranging to the shortstop side of second base and then making a backhand flip out of his glove to shortstop Zack Cozart to force Mike Trout at second base for the second out of the first.

UP NEXT

Opening Day starter Scott Feldman will make his fourth Cactus League start of the season in a night game against the Cubs at Goodyear Ballpark. Also scheduled to pitch fro the Reds are LHP Lucas Luetge and RHPs , Barrett Astin and Alejandro Chacin. RHP Ryan Williams will start for the Cubs. The game will be broadcast on WLW 700-AM at 9:05 p.m.

Reds' Scott Feldman has a fond memory in GABP C. Trent Rosecrans , [email protected] 5:31 p.m. ET March 21, 2017

GOODYEAR, Ariz. – Reds Opening Day starter Scott Feldman has a streak to uphold – he’s homered in every game he’s ever played at Great American Ball Park.

“I'm on a good pace,” Feldman said with a laugh on Tuesday. “I’ve got a lot to live up to.”

He has one career and one career appearance at Great American Ball Park.

The left-handed hitting Feldman gave the Cubs a 3-0 lead in the second inning of the game against the Reds on May 24, 2013, blasting a 3-2 for a two-run home run.

“I remember I just closed my eyes and swung,” Feldman said. “What I remember about it is that I was so excited about it, I had all these bets going with friends of mine if I could hit a home run, I was so excited about that that I went out and gave up a three or four spot the next inning and Bronson stayed in the game for like seven innings and beating us. He got the last laugh.”

Feldman actually retired the next seven he faced before giving up a one-out homer to Joey Votto in the fourth inning. He gave up five runs that inning, the last two on a home run by .

Feldman pitched into the sixth inning, earning the loss. Arroyo went six innings for the win.

Winning is better than losing

Last season the had an 11-19-2 record in and the Twins were 19-11-2. Everyone knows spring training win-loss records don’t matter.

With that being said, wins are better than losses. After dropping their first spring contests of the Cactus League season, the Reds made their way to .500 with a win over the Royals on Monday. Entering Tuesday’s game with the Angels, the Reds were 12-12-1, reaching .500 for the first time this spring.

“You don't necessarily strategically play to win, you play to get your players the most opportunities,” Reds manager Bryan Price said. “Winning along the way is better than constantly losing and saying, 'hey we're just getting guys in shape.' It does make a difference to shake hands at the end of the day. A win sometimes does represent that your guys are doing some good things.”

Adleman, Vincej fine

Tim Adleman has a nice bruise on his right thigh, but other than that, he’s fine. The Reds’ right-hander was hit by a batted ball for the third time in his three appearances on Monday, but stayed in the game and finished his work despite it.

“I don't know what it is, but hopefully it stops in this next game," Adleman said. "I'm fine."

Adleman’s also been hit in the right foot and left shoulder. Only the shot to the shoulder has knocked him out of a game.

“I feel like these last three games, I get hit or near me more than in the last 10 years combined,” Adleman said.

Shortstop Zach Vincej left Monday’s game after being hit in the back of the helmet by Royals right-hander Bobby Parnell. Tuesday morning he said he was fine.

“It sounded louder more than anything,” Vincej said. “I was fine at the moment, there are no setbacks, they're just being cautious. I have to do all these concussion tests, but I feel fine.”

Running out of time

The Reds currently have 48 players in camp and that will likely be cut down soon, Price said.

“We're going to be looking into the at-bats and innings of the guys that are still here that we know are most likely not going to make the club and try to adjust so these guys can go down and get some work,” Price said.

The Reds do have a two more split-squad games this weekend when part of the team will head to to play the Cubs in two exhibitions. There are just there games in Arizona after that. Minor-league seasons open on April 6.

Dozer and Amir: A love story between a Reds pitcher and his pit bull C. Trent Rosecrans , [email protected] 2:23 p.m. ET March 21, 2017

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Four of the starters competing for the Reds’ final three rotation starts live in a house together in Arizona, but the king of the house has no shot at the team.

Between Amir Garrett, Robert Stephenson, Cody Reed and Sal Romano, there’s no shortage of talent or potential. But the one member of the house who garners the most attention is certainly the laziest of the four — and has the worst breath. It’s Dozer, Garrett’s eight-year-old pit bull.

“His breath stinks so bad,” Reed says over Dozer. “I tell Amir all the time. (Amir) hates it. (Dozer) would drop some dude dead right away.”

That breath, though, may be the only thing that Dozer would do to hurt anyone.

Despite the ferocious reputation of the breed, Garrett wants people to know that Dozer wouldn’t hurt a fly. On Garrett’s Twitter (twitter.com/Amir_Garrett) and Instagram (instagram.com/amir_garrett/) accounts, he constantly posts photos of his beloved dog. He’s even gotten Dozer his own Instagram account (Instagram.com/DozerGarrett).

“It's very important to me. I like bringing my dog around to everywhere I go – the mall, the store, to the ,” Garrett said. “When I bring him around, a lot of people ask me if he's friendly. It gets me every time, why would I bring him around if he wasn't a friendly dog. You look at him and he has no bad bone in his body. It's crazy because I put on Instagram and show his personality.”

It was love at first sight — but not for Garrett. Instead, it was his girlfriend, Tausana Tausinga who fell in love first. The two were looking for dogs at an animal shelter in Las Vegas in September of 2015. Garrett found a white puppy he really liked, but Tausinga ventured back further and found a dog in a pen at the end of a row, almost away from the others, as Garrett remembers it. In it, was an older dog, skinny scarred, and with sores around his neck. Tausinga was in love. Garrett didn’t see it.

“I see him and I say no,” Garrett said. “His face is all yellow, he was pepper sprayed. He was 70 pounds, you could see his ribs and all that. My girlfriend said, 'I like him,' I said no.”

That’s when Dozer worked his magic. First, he wagged his tail. Then he put his paw on the glass, nearly begging Garrett to open the pen and get to know him.

“We took him out, he migrated to me,” Garrett recalled. “He had to persuade me to get him because he already had my girlfriend.”

Garrett relented.

In the first month, the couple had to go to the veterinarian repeatedly because of an ear infection and skin issues related to his allergies. At one point, Garrett put a collar on him and it rubbed up against his sores and he started bleeding. But with love, and some money, Dozer improved. Today, he looks like nearly any other happy, healthy dog.

Life in the minors is hardly conducive to pet ownership. Players don’t know how long they will be living in a city and even then, half the time they’re on the road. Even when at home, there’s not much time at home.

Dozer lives in Las Vegas with Tausinga, but he gets to visit his dad as much as possible. He was with Garrett the last week-and- a- half, visiting the Reds complex on Sunday, drawing admirers from the entire team. At one point, three people were all petting him, giving him the attention he’s earned.

Like any good West Coast native, Dozer’s favorite meal is In-N-Out Burger, especially the fries. In September in celebration of his birthday, Garrett and Tausinga got him his favorite, a Double-Double and fries. Few things make Dozer happier than his favorite meal, and nothing makes Garrett happier than his dog.

Sometimes, though, Garrett can’t help but think of what his dog’s life was before he adopted him from the kill shelter.

“As much as he's been through, he has the sores on his ears I think he was a bait dog, because he's not aggressive,” Garrett said. “Whatever people put him through, he still loves humans. It's like it's a past life, it's good now, he's a king. That's how I view him.

“There's nothing wrong with buying a dog or breeding them, but adopting dogs is my thing, to give them the life they've never had and to give them a chance.”

WCPO - Channel 9 Keystone, Graeter's and more coming to GABP WCPO Staff Posted: 5:40 PM, Mar 21, 2017 Updated: 5:40 PM, Mar 21, 2017

CINCINNATI -- Reds fans visiting Great American Ball Park in 2017 might end up forgetting the game entirely, thanks to a number of luxurious new additions to seating and concessions.

According to a news release from the Reds, GABP will bolster its concession offerings with a Graeter’s location, Teppanyaki Grill, Keystone macaroni and cheese and the intriguing-yet-terrifying promise of “Cheetos popcorn.” (It’s popcorn mixed with Cheetos and Cheetos flavoring, and it sounds like a delicious Jurassic Park-style offense against scientific ethics and decency.)

Fans with cash to burn can also watch the game from the renovated Scouts Club, with its grab-and-go market and a full-service bar, or the Jack Casino Super Suite, which comes with a buffet and seating for 40 of their closest friends.

But it’s not all Roman emperor-style indulgence -- the team has also partnered with Kroger to provide four complimentary tickets to local first responders each game and recognize them on videoboard during the first inning.

The Reds will also sponsor three postgame concerts throughout the season. Kaleo will play after the May 5 game, Flo Rida after the Aug. 4 game, and The Avett Brothers will take the stage Aug. 26.

Take it easy this season, fans. All of this definitely sounds good, but it’s going to take work to restrain oneself from trying to indulge in all the new creature comforts Great American Ball Park has on offer -- and that way lies madness. Or a really, really bad stomachache.

DAYTON DAILY NEWS Reed outstanding but Reds routed, 9-1 Hal McCoy March 21, 2017

Cody Reed obviously realizes what is at stake and he put his best foot forward Tuesday afternoon in Goodyear, Ariz.

And he may be landing both feet squarely into the Cincinnati Reds starting rotation.

It is hard to believe that anybody for the Reds pitched well in a game against the of Anaheim that the Reds lost, 9-1.

But Cody Reed was awesome.

HE PITCHED A GLORIOUS 5 2/3 innings against the Angels — no runs, one hit, two walks and five .

The 6-foot-5, 228-pound 23-year-old left hander stumbled through a rough big-league indoctrination last season, going 0-and-7 with a 7.36 in 47 2/3 innings over 10 starts.

In five appearances this spring Reed has pitched 16 2/3 innings and given up six earned runs and 11 hits while walking five and striking out 20.

REED WAS ONE OF THREE pitchers the Reds obtained two years ago from Kansas City (, John Lamb) for . Finnegan was the centerpiece, already having appeared in major league games, including the for the Royals and he was in the Reds rotation all of last season.

Scouts, though, said Reed would be the best of the lot. Lamb is already gone, but Reed is making a stern case for rotation inclusion.

REED WAS HOOKED UP in an excellent pitching exhibition against former Reds pitcher J.C. Ramirez. He pitched five innings and gave up only one run and four hits, walking none and striking out six. His one misstep cost him — a fourth-inning opposite field home run by Cincinnati’s Ryan Raburn, a guy most likely to be on the Reds’ bench this season as a veteran .

THE REDS HAD AN opportunity to scramble over .500 for the first time this spring at 13-12, but they let it get away when the Angels scored five unearned runs in the seventh inning.

Evan Mitchell came into the game with two outs in the sixth to replace Reed and promptly struck out Mike Trout.

AND HE HAD TWO OUTS and nobody on in the seventh when the calamity struck.

Danny Espinosa singled and Jefry Marte walked.

Second baseman fielded a routine ground ball by Ben Revere and was 20 feet from first base, an easy flip for the third out. But his throw was high, wide and ugly for an as Espinosa scored.

The Angels then tried a double steal and catcher Tucker Barnhart decided to throw through to get Revere. Revere stopped and retreated toward first and first baseman Chad Wallach dropped the throw for another error and Marte scored to push the Angels in front, 2-1.

Mitchell then walked Tony Sanchez, Nolan Fontana drilled a two-run double and Kole Calhoun singled for another run and a 5-1 Angels lead.

THE ANGELS PUT A LID on it in the eighth against lefthanded bullpenner Tony Cingrani by scoring three run on four hits and a walk.

The walk was to former Reds prospect Ryan LaMarre in the middle of the rally that featured a run-scoring double by Jefry Marte, a run-producing single by Tony Sanchez and a single by Matt Williams for another run and an 8-1 lead.

To put an exclamation point on the whole affair, Eric Young Jr. homered off Louis Coleman in the top of the ninth to make it 9-1.

The Reds had eight hits, two by Tucker Barnhart, including a double.

TRANSACTIONS 03/21/17 1B Chris Iriart assigned to . St. Louis Cardinals optioned 2B Breyvic Valera to . optioned RHP Tyler Wagner to Round Rock Express. Los Angeles Angels optioned 3B Kaleb Cowart to Salt Lake Bees. sent C Max Stassi outright to . Houston Astros optioned LF Teoscar Hernandez to Fresno Grizzlies. Houston Astros optioned 3B Colin Moran to Fresno Grizzlies. Houston Astros optioned 1B A.J. Reed to Fresno Grizzlies. Houston Astros optioned 1B Tyler White to Fresno Grizzlies. RHP Anyelo Gomez assigned to . 2B Chad De La Guerra assigned to . optioned Yoan Moncada to Charlotte Knights. Chicago White Sox optioned Reynaldo Lopez to Charlotte Knights. Chicago White Sox optioned to Charlotte Knights. Chicago White Sox optioned Carson Fulmer to Charlotte Knights. CF Jahmai Jones assigned to Los Angeles Angels. RHP Bud Jeter assigned to . RHP Mark Zimmerman assigned to . RHP T.J. Weir assigned to San Diego Padres. RHP Colby Blueberg assigned to San Diego Padres. C Jake Henson assigned to . RF Michael Beltre assigned to Cincinnati Reds. 2B Blake Butler assigned to Cincinnati Reds. RHP Robert Stock assigned to Cincinnati Reds. RHP Jorge Pantoja assigned to Nationals. RHP assigned to . RHP Ricardo Rodriguez assigned to Texas Rangers. Arizona Diamondbacks optioned Evan Marshall to Reno Aces. Braves optioned C to Gwinnett Braves. RF Stephen Gaylor assigned to . C Corey Bass assigned to . C Gabriel Bracamonte assigned to Houston Astros. RHP Dusty Isaacs assigned to . SS Erik Forgione assigned to Pirates. LF David Olmedo-Barrera assigned to . CF Angel Moreno assigned to Tampa Bay Rays. 1B Kewby Meyer assigned to Tampa Bay Rays. 3B assigned to Tampa Bay Rays. LHP Kyle Bird assigned to Tampa Bay Rays. SS Grenny Cumana assigned to . RHP Gustavo Armas assigned to Philadelphia Phillies.