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Home , Aaron Altherr, Brock Stassi, Bryan Price (pitcher), Cameron Rupp, Chris Okey, Dan Straily

Reds Press Clippings April 6, 2017

THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 1912-The Reds play their first game at Redland Field, losing to the Red Sox, 13-1. During the game, workmen were sodding the area in deep right field in the yet unfinished ball park MLB.COM Votto homers to back dominant Finnegan By Mark Sheldon and Todd Zolecki / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | 1:06 AM ET + 55 COMMENTS

CINCINNATI -- After and exchanged zeros for 6 1/2 , 's leadoff in the bottom of the seventh snapped the scoreless deadlock and helped give the Reds a 2-0 victory over the Phillies on Wednesday night at .

Adam Duvall followed Votto with a to left field, and 's two-out RBI single scored a second insurance run against Eickhoff.

"Joey got everyone excited with the homer, and they had been pounding him and throwing the ball close to him. When they came in with the breaking ball on the second pitch, Joey got it," Reds said. "They're all important, but that second run certainly made a huge difference for us."

The two-run made a winner out of Finnegan, who endured a rocky top of the first following a 50-minute rain delay with a walk and two-out single. But he retired his final 19 batters in a row, allowing just one and one walk while striking out nine over seven frames on 88 pitches. More >

Eickhoff finished with two earned runs on five hits, one walk and six over 6 2/3 innings.

"He pitched his butt off and gave us every chance to win," Phillies said. "It [stinks] that it worked out the way it did." More >

MOMENTS THAT MATTERED

Hang time for Votto: When Votto lifted Eickhoff's 1-0 hanging into the right-center-field seats to snap the tie, it marked his first home run of the season. The ball left the bat at 104 mph, with a height of 146 feet, per Statcast™. It also had a hang time of 7.01 seconds. There has been only one homer in the Statcast™ Era with a longer hang time, a Freddie Freeman blast that was 7.02 seconds on July 26, 2016 (for Atlanta).

"I felt like I've swung the bat well the first two games. That one was the one I connected on," said Votto, who now has 222 career home runs to move into a tie with Jason Bay for fourth all time among Major Leaguers born in Canada.

Bullpen silences Phillies' bats, too: The Phillies showed some life, when and Cameron Rupp reached base on back-to- back infield singles to start the eighth. But struck out Freddy Galvis and pinch-hitter Michael Saunders swinging before getting Cesar Hernandez, who is hitless in eight at-bats since blasting a leadoff homer in the first inning on , to ground out to second base.

"I thought about it, but with the way we were swinging the bats, I wanted to give everyone an opportunity to do something," Phillies manager said, when asked if he thought about having Galvis bunt. "To play to tie here with the way we swung tonight, I just thought that maybe Freddy could hit a double or something like that."

QUOTABLE

"It's always nice to win that first one of the season. Now, you want to start collecting more." -- Price

"I think when I threw it, looking at the video, I got him, I almost fooled him, but he was able to keep his hands back. He's a big strong guy. It was a slow enough pitch for him to kind of double clutch and get the barrel to it." -- Eickhoff, on Votto's homer.

SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS

Since Eickhoff made his big league debut on Aug. 21, 2015, the Phillies have scored one or no runs for him in 18 starts. That is tied with Edinson Volquez and second only to Michael Pineda, who has 20 of those starts in that span.

UNDER REVIEW

In the ninth, Odubel Herrera attempted to steal second base with two outs and was called out by umpire Mark Ripperger in what appeared to be the end of the game. However, the Phillies immediately challenged -- even as celebratory fireworks went off -- and the call was overturned upon review. Reliever Raisel Iglesias struck out Tommy Joseph two pitches later for the save.

Of course, why was Herrera running in that situation in the first place?

"The was back," Herrera said. "I thought I had a chance to steal the base, and I got it."

Added Mackanin: "He made it. That's all I'm going to say. I'll talk to him."

WHAT'S NEXT

Phillies: Right-hander makes his Phillies debut at 12:35 p.m. ET Thursday in the series finale against the Reds at Great American Ball Park. acquired Buchholz in a December trade with the Red Sox. Phillies manager Mackanin said two Phillies are expected to make their first big league starts: catcher and first baseman Brock Stassi.

Reds: Right-hander Rookie Davis will make his Major League debut in the Thursday game. Davis, 24, posted a 4.02 ERA in five Cactus League games to earn a rotation spot. He was one of four players acquired from the Yankees in the December 2015 trade for .

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

Mark Sheldon has covered the Reds for MLB.com since 2006, and previously covered the Twins from 2001-05. Follow him on Twitter @m_sheldon and Facebook and listen to his podcast.

Todd Zolecki has covered the Phillies since 2003, and for MLB.com since 2009. Follow him on Twitter and listen to his podcast.

This story was not subject to the approval of or its clubs.

Mesoraco leaves for rehab assignment Catcher, on DL after offseason surgeries, will begin in Pensacola By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | April 5th, 2017 + 1 COMMENT

CINCINNATI -- Reds catcher departed Cincinnati on Wednesday for Pensacola, Fla., where he will begin a rehab assignment on Thursday with the organization's Double-A affiliate.

Mesoraco is scheduled to catch six innings for Pensacola against Tennessee in his first game. The timetable for his 2017 debut with Cincinnati remains fluid, but the rehab assignment limit is 20 days unless there is a setback.

"We have a loose schedule that will end up going day to day based on how he responds to it," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "We will get him to where he is back to back, but those will start with probably back-to-back seven-inning games. We'll get him to where he's catching back-to-back nine-inning games before we consider activating him. Until we get to that place, it's hard to say how long it will be.

"However, we anticipate him being ready before those 20 days are up."

Because of the warmer weather, all of Mesoraco's rehab games will likely be with Pensacola.

Mesoraco started the season on the 10-day disabled list, so he could continue to build his workload as he comes back from 2016 right hip and left shoulder surgeries. He also underwent left hip surgery in '15 and has been limited to 18 starts behind the plate the past two seasons.

In seven Cactus League games, Mesoraco batted .235 (4-for-17), but he also got a lot of at-bats in Minor League and extended spring games. There wasn't a total number of at-bats expected for Mesoraco before he is activated.

"I do know the length or the duration of his rehab combined with the at-bats he got in and the at-bats he got in extended spring after we left," Price said. "I'm hoping he will equal or exceed what the other guys got, which would be in the 40-40- plus [range]."

Worth noting

• Reliever , who is on the 10-day DL because of inflammation in the right ulnar nerve of his elbow, will go to Pensacola on Friday to begin his rehab assignment.

"He threw a bullpen yesterday," Price said. "He's got some outings mapped out before he gets bumped up to Louisville. But we definitely see him in Triple-A when he's cleared to take on a regular workload."

Mark Sheldon has covered the Reds for MLB.com since 2006, and previously covered the Twins from 2001-05. Follow him on Twitter @m_sheldon and Facebook and listen to his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

Efficient Finnegan masterful in victory By Mark Sheldon / MLB.com | @m_sheldon | 12:10 AM ET + 0 COMMENTS

CINCINNATI -- Reds catcher did not hesitate in ranking the performance of his starting -- Brandon Finnegan -- on Wednesday after a 2-0 win over the Phillies at Great American Ball Park.

"That was the best he's ever been, that I've caught him. It's not even close," Barnhart raved. "The complete game he threw in L.A. [on May 23, 2016] was good, but tonight was without question the best he's ever been that I've ever seen."

In his seven innings, Finnegan allowed one hit and one walk with nine strikeouts. As someone who was given the goal to be more efficient, the 23-year-old delivered by throwing 88 pitches.

But it almost wasn't a good night. Besides being his 2017 debut, the game started with a 50-minute rain delay and Finnegan was amped up -- too much. For someone who averaged 92.7 mph on his fastball last season, Statcast™ showed he was reaching 94-96 mph in the first inning. Three of his first five batters drew first-pitch balls, and he threw 25 pitches with a walk and a two-out single.

"It's the first time I've had a rain delay going into a start," Finnegan said. "I kind of didn't know what to do, and I was definitely getting a little anxious in here. Just getting a little jittery."

Finnegan escaped the first inning with a flyout, then went on to retire his final 19 batters in a row.

"The thing was he had to tone it back just a hair to be able to be on time with his mechanics and get out in front and start nailing those fastball- combinations with a few sliders," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "It was very effective. I was really pleased to see it. It was a game that was setting up after an inning that this could be a short start, and then ended up pitching seven scoreless."

Last season, according to Statcast™, Finnegan threw his changeup 12 percent of the time, but he used it well with a .093 batting average against. On Wednesday, he used it 18 percent (16 ) and recorded 12 strikes with five outs -- two on the ground, two in the air and one .

It was the same changeup grip that former Reds starter Dan Straily taught Finnegan last season.

"I'm just gripping and ripping it, really," Finnegan said. "Everything else is history."

Added Barnhart: "For the most part last year, he was a fastball- guy. Occasionally, he mixed in an inconsistent changeup. Tonight, we threw more changeups than sliders. I think when he can command a changeup like that with as good as his fastball is, that's the kind of pitcher he is -- seven strong innings and nine punchies. That's pretty damn good."

The offspeed pitch made Finnegan's fastball even stronger. After he settled in, he averaged 93.7 mph for the game and hit 96 again in the seventh when he retired leadoff batter Maikel Franco with a groundout to first base.

Finnegan hoped he could keep his fastball octane high.

"Last season, I was still tired from 2015. I was going from starting to relieving every other week. That definitely takes a toll on your arm," Finnegan said. "My arm's feeling better than it has the last year and a half. I hope that sticks around. I've just got to stay in the training room and keep doing my shoulder work and keep doing my forearm work, and hopefully we can keep this thing going."

Mark Sheldon has covered the Reds for MLB.com since 2006, and previously covered the Twins from 2001-05. Follow him on Twitter @m_sheldon and Facebook and listen to his podcast. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

CINCINNATI ENQUIRER Brandon Finnegan flips switch, dominates Zach Buchanan , [email protected] Published 12:17 a.m. ET April 6, 2017 | Updated 9 hours ago

Tucker Barnhart didn’t have to hear the rest of the question.

Earlier on Wednesday evening, the catcher had crouched behind the plate at Great American Ball Park and watched Brandon Finnegan make the Philadelphia Phillies look foolish for seven innings. The Reds had won 2-0, their first victory of 2017.

Finnegan had used just 88 pitches, nearly a third of them contributing the strikes for his nine punch-outs. He’d allowed just one hit and one walk. So many Phillies hitters beat a path from the visiting dugout to the plate and back – including the final 19 batters Finnegan faced – the grounds crew may need to re-sod that area of the field.

So, after the game, Barnhart knew exactly where a reporter was about to say, and cut him off.

“That was the best he’s ever been, that I’ve caught him,” Barnhart interjected. “And it ain’t even close. Not even close.”

That’s high praise for a pitcher who’s had some impressive bright spots in his young career. Last May, Finnegan pitched an eight- inning complete game in a 1-0 loss to the , nearly matching pitch for pitch. In August, he fanned 12 in six innings against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Those performances were flashes of brilliance in a solid but frustrating season for the soon-to-be 24-year-old. For all his competitive fire, he still walked 4.4 batters per nine innings in 2016. Of National League pitchers with at least 30 starts, only six averaged fewer than Finnegan’s 5.5 innings per start.

For one inning Wednesday, it seemed as if Finnegan had stagnated. He threw first-pitch balls to three of his first five hitters, and walked one of the two he started 0-1. To get three outs, he needed 25 pitches. With 11 more games before another off day, Reds manager Bryan Price winced and prepared for a short start.

Then Finnegan locked in. Eleven pitches propelled him through the second, and he needed just 12 for the third. The fourth was completed in eight, the fifth in seven. His final two frames took 13 pitches each. After the first, nine of his 18 hitters struck out. Another six went down on two pitches or fewer, many times on his newfangled change-up, a pitch he refined with the help of former Reds righty Dan Straily.

“It was just a completely different kid out there pitching,” Price said.

It had always been tempting to wonder what would happen if Finnegan tightened his command, but Wednesday he added another tantalizing wrinkle. His four-seam – a rising pitch Barnhart calls the Finny Heater – averaged nearly 94 mph and touched 96. His sinker sat between 94 and 95. Both were up a mile-per-hour or more compared to a year ago.

Barnhart and Price contributed it to first-game adrenaline, suggesting that it added to Finnegan’s command problems in the first. Yet, his 84th pitch registered at 95.8 mph. Finnegan admitted he had some jitters, but also thinks he can live in the 94-95 range all season.

“My arm’s feeling better than it has the last year and a half,” Finnegan said. “I hope that sticks around.”

And if it does? Again, Barnhart jumped in mid-sentence.

“Seven innings, one hit, nine punchies,” the catcher said. “If he’s able to do what he did tonight, that could be a common occurrence.”

Brandon Finnegan pitches Cincinnati Reds to the first win of season Zach Buchanan , [email protected] Published 10:32 p.m. ET April 5, 2017 | Updated 9 hours ago

We’ll have more in a bit on the Cincinnati Reds 2-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday at Great American Ball Park. In the meantime, here are the main storylines.

Box score: Reds 2, Phillies 0

Brandon Finnegan looked dominant. In the first inning, the Reds left-hander looked like the same frustrating young pitcher from a year ago. He threw first-pitch balls to three of five hitters, walked a batter and needed 25 pitches to get three outs.

Then something clicked. Finnegan threw just 11 pitches in a 1-2-3 second, and 12 in a perfect third. The fourth and fifth innings were even quicker. After giving up a two-out hit to Maikel Franco in the first, Finnegan retired the next 19 batters. He was pulled after seven shutout innings at only 88 pitches. He struck out nine.

On top of that, he was suddenly throwing two miles-per-hour harder. Last year, Finnegan’s fastball averaged 92 mph. Wednesday, he hit 94 and 95 with regularity, even into his later innings.

After starting slow, Joey Votto homered. In his first six at-bats of the 2017 season, the Reds first baseman saw nothing but pitches inside. He wasn’t able to do much with them, aside from a ball he shot to the right-center gap in the first inning Wednesday.

Two plate appearances later in the sevevnth, Votto finally got something to hit. Phillies right-hander Jerad Eickoff left a first-pitch curveball over the plate. Votto hammered it into the right field stands for his first homer – and first hit – of the season. The shot broke a scoreless tie.

The Reds added on later in the inning when Adam Duvall doubled and scored on an RBI single to right from Zack Cozart.

The Great Bullpen Experiment….waits. When right-hander Michael Lorenzen entered in place of Finnegan for the eighth, the stage seemed set for the first look at the Reds’ newfangled, alternating-closer bullpen. It was not to be.

Lorenzen gave up a couple infield singles to start the frame, and needed 24 pitches to complete the inning. His spot was due up to start the bottom of the eighth, and Reds manager Bryan Price sent up Scooter Gennett as a pinch-hitter.

Fellow closer-ish righty Raisel Iglesias tossed a scoreless ninth for the save.

Tucker Barnhart almost ended the game. The game was “over” for about two minutes after catcher Tucker Barnhart nailed a stealing Odubel Herrera for the final out of the game, with second baseman Jose Peraza blocking the bag with his leg and swiping behind his body for the tag. But the Phillies challenged, and the play was overturned upon review. Iglesias threw two more pitches and struck out Tommy Joseph to end the game for real.

Enquirer Throwback: Matty Schwab took care of Jeff Suess , [email protected] 9:15 p.m. ET April 5, 2017

For The Enquirer’s 175th anniversary year, we are digging into our archives to showcase historic photographs that capture the people, places, events and character of this community that we have chronicled and been a part of the past 175 years.

We may have called it Redland Field or Crosley Field, but it was really Matty Schwab’s field.

Schwab was the superintendent and groundskeeper of the Reds’ ballparks for 60 years, starting in 1903 when he took over for his father. Matty had been on the crew at since 1894, then after two years pitching in the Cotton States League, he became caretaker of the new .

In 1912, Schwab helped set up Redland Field, renamed Crosley Field in 1934. Schwab did more than take care of the grass. He built the scoreboard, designed the bases and innovated field irrigation.

He also built scoreboards at Yankee Stadium, , and the , and his bases design was used in all major league ballparks.

Schwab retired in 1963 and died in April 1970, a few months before Crosley’s last game.

Mesoraco to begin rehab assignment at Double-A Pensacola C. Trent Rosecrans , [email protected] Published 6:38 p.m. ET April 5, 2017 | Updated 15 hours ago

Devin Mesoraco’s 2017 season will begin Thursday night in Pensacola, where he will start a rehab assignment with the Reds’ Double-A team.

Mesoraco, who had hip and shoulder surgeries last season, played in seven games in spring and had 17 at-bats. He will have 20 days to complete his rehab assignment, barring a setback.

“We have a loose schedule that will end up going day-to-day based on how he responds to it,” Reds manager Bryan Price said on Wednesday. “He’s caught six innings. We will get him to where he is back-to-back but those will start with probably back-to-back seven-inning games. We’ll get him to where he’s catching back-to-back nine-inning games before we consider activating him.”

Price said he’d like for him to have at least 40 or more at-bats before being activated, as well.

Mesoraco was in Cincinnati on Monday and was traveling to Pensacola on Wednesday. Monday he told reporters he felt great.

Price said the team expects him to be ready to play before his 20 days are up.

Right-hander Austin Brice (inflammation, right ulnar nerve) will begin a rehab assignment for the Blue Wahoos on Friday. He is scheduled to throw one inning.

Green light for Peraza

Like leadoff man Billy Hamilton, Reds No. 2 hitter Jose Peraza will have a green light on the basepaths this year, Reds manager Bryan Price said on Wednesday.

“I have the ability to put a hold on where they’re not running,” Price said. “Along the lines of what we did with Billy in 2014, was very rarely did he have a hold on.”

Peraza stole 21 bases for the Reds in 72 games last season and was caught 10 times. In Hamilton’s first full season, he stole 56 bases and was caught 23 times. That was a learning experience for Hamilton, who has stolen 115 bases in the last two seasons and only been caught 16 times.

“Jose I think will go through the same thing that Billy did, really learn that it’s not sheer athleticism that steals bases,” Price said. “A lot of it has to do with knowledge and what you know and how to utilize the weaknesses of your opponent and exploit those.”

Reds pitcher Rookie Davis talks about his first-ever trip to Skyline Wednesday. Wochit

Skyline time for Davis

Rookie Davis will officially become a Cincinnati Red on Thursday when he’s scheduled to start the series finale against the Phillies. But on Wednesday, he became a Cincinnatian, taking his first trip to Skyline Chili.

“It was everything it's supposed to be,” said Davis, a rookie right-hander from North Carolina.

Like any transplant to the city, Davis had heard about the local delicacy and had been asked his opinion about it. He waited for his sister to get into town before trying it, and Wednesday afternoon we walked to a downtown Skyline and ordered a three-way.

The verdict?

“It's very filling,” he said. “Very good… If I pitch well tomorrow, I'm going back every day.”

He then took to Twitter to voice his approval:

Two-pitch walk

Drew Storen said he’s now the answer to a trivia question – “who was the first Reds pitcher to issue an intentional walk without throwing four pitches?”

Major League Baseball added a rule allowing managers and pitcher to eschew the four pitches outside of the strike zone for an intentional walk.

After falling behind 2-0 to Michael Saunders with one on and two out in the seventh inning of Monday’s game, Reds manager Bryan Price ordered the intentional walk.

“I didn't do anything. I was like, sweet,” Storen said on Wednesday. ”That was the extent of it. I fell behind 2-0, that's about the only thing I contributed.”

Like every other minute change to the game, the new rule has been debated endlessly. Storen, for one, is a fan.

“As with any change, it has to play out. It's going to get manipulated one way or another,” he said. “But I don't mind it, it moves the game along. For me, to waste two pitches and to have to come in and lock in for the next guy. I don't mind it from that standpoint.”

Reds' legendary Palace of the Fans symbol of baseball's growth Jeff Suess , [email protected] Published 3:09 p.m. ET April 5, 2017 | Updated 18 hours ago

Before , before Crosley Field, there was the Palace of the Fans.

A tad bit ostentatious for a ball field, perhaps, but the Cincinnati Reds’ grandstand was so memorable that it draws attention more than a century after it was reduced to rubble.

No one had ever seen anything quite like it at a ballpark. Reds historians Greg Rhodes and John Erardi called the Palace of the Fans “the most distinctive grandstand ever built at a major league .”

It was bold, impressive and ornate. In an era where simple wooden stands were just fine for the couple thousand fans who attended a ballgame, the Palace of the Fans was majestic.

It was also a marketing ploy and a grand second thought.

The first club played on the same site at Findlay Street and Western Avenue in the West End for 86 seasons, starting at League Park in 1884.

In May 1900, a fire consumed the main grandstand and pavilion, and the field was reconfigured so the Reds could keep playing there. Home plate was moved to right field, and a temporary grandstand was erected. The twisted iron pillars and burned out seats remained in left field like a scar.

For the start of the 1902 season, Reds owner John T. Brush wanted something special for the rebuilt ballpark that would get people through the turnstiles.

Inspired by the grandiose neoclassical White City structures at the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, architect John G. Thurtle designed a monumental grandstand that looked to be from another time: A Roman temple constructed of wrought iron and concrete.

The central edifice towering over home plate was topped with a triangular pediment etched with CINCINNATI. Square columns supporting the roof stretched down the baselines. Fashion boxes ribboned along the railing.

For the rowdier crowd, “rooter’s row” was beneath the stands and behind wire, conveniently located near the bar serving whiskey and beer, a place where the “cranks” could heckle the umpires and opposing team.

The name Palace of the Fans referred only to the grandstand added to the existing League Park, which included the temporary grandstand and the old wooden bleachers.

After 10 seasons, the cracks started to show in the structure. The stands had only about 6,000 seats, although thousands more attendees could stand in the outfield.

In that decade baseball had flourished. Ty Cobb and Honus Wagner became stars. The American and National leagues had united and the World Series was born. Fans were filling larger ballparks. So League Park was demolished in 1911 to make way for Redland Field, which was renamed Crosley Field in 1934.

Although only around for 10 years, the Palace of the Fans was a symbol that baseball was more than just a passing fancy, that it was on its way to becoming America’s pastime, a sport deserving of a palace.

Sources: “Cincinnati’s Crosley Field” by Greg Rhodes and John Erardi, “Baseball FAQ” by Tom DeMichael, Enquirer archives Reds claim OF C. Trent Rosecrans , [email protected] 1:57 p.m. ET April 5, 2017

The Reds claimed Tyler Goeddel off of waivers from the Phillies and transferred right-hander Anthony DeSclafani to the 60-day disabled list on Wednesday.

Goeddel, 24, has been optioned to Triple-A Louisville. The 6-foot-4, 180-pound Goeddel was a Rule 5 pick of the Phillies in 2015 and spent the entire season on the Phillies’ roster. He hit .192/.258/.291 in 92 games for Philadelphia last season, playing both left and right field.

The Phillies designated him for assignment to make room for outfielder Brock Stassi on the 40-man roster.

The Reds had been expected to move DeSclafani to the 60-day disabled list to make room for Bronson Arroyo to join the rotation this weekend, but now the team will have to make another 40-man move and risk losing a player.

In 2015, Goeddel hit .279/.350/.443 with 12 home runs for the Rays’ Double-A affiliate, the Montgomery Biscuits. He was a first- round pick of the Rays in 2011 (41st overall) out of Mountain View, Calif.

The Phillies took him with the first pick of the in December of 2015 before the Reds took outfielder Jake Cave. Cave didn’t make the Reds out of spring training and had to be offered back to the Yankees. Cave went back to the Yankees and played for their Double-A and Triple-A teams last year.

How to watch Reds while Cavs are on Dave Clark , [email protected] 1:29 p.m. ET April 5, 2017

FOX Sports has shared programming details for watching the Cincinnati Reds and while the network broadcasts both teams' games on Wednesday (April 5) as well as Friday (April 7).

From FOX Sports Ohio on how to watch the Reds' broadcasts:

Wednesday April 5, 2017

Reds v. Phillies 7:00pm | Pregame at 6:30pm

Friday April 7, 2017

Reds @ Cardinals 8:00pm | Pregame at 7:30pm

Reds

- Direct TV: FSCincinnati – 661 / 661-1

- Dish: FSCincinnati – 427 / 412-17

- AT&T: FSCincinnati – 732 / 1732

- Cable viewers:

- Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus/Lima, Toledo, Louisville/Lexington, Charleston/ Huntington, Bowling Green (KY), Evansville (IN), and Terre Haute/Fort Wayne/Indianapolis areas:

- Main FOX Sports Ohio cable channel

- Wheeling/Steubenville areas:

- The game is being made available to providers to air on the alternate FOX Sports Ohio cable channels.

- The coverage will also stream live on FOX Sports GO.

Cincinnati Bell Fioptics viewers can find FSO on SD Analog/Digital Channel 27, SD Alternate Channel 201 and HD Channel 527.

You can also listen to the Reds, as always, on 700 WLW-AM. Pete Rose among America's 50 favorite pro athletes Dave Clark , [email protected] 12:20 p.m. ET April 5, 2017

Former Cincinnati Reds great and Hit King Pete Rose is one of only three baseball players who showed up among America's 50 favorite pro athletes, according to a firm that surveyed more than 6,000 American sports fans (age 12 and older) between November and February, per a story from ESPN.com's Jayson Stark.

Stark wrote that it's tough to determine the current face of baseball when the only three players on the list - according to new polling data compiled by Luker on Trends, the company that runs the ESPN Sports Poll - have been retired for years.

More from Stark:

There was Derek Jeter, at No. 13. He hasn't played a game in 2½ years. Next came Babe Ruth, at No. 30. He's the only name on the list -- in any sport -- who hasn't appeared in a game for more than eight decades. And finally, you get to Pete Rose, at No. 50. The Hit King last played in the big leagues 31 years ago -- and he has been suspended from his sport for the last 28.

So there you have it. America's three favorite baseball figures: Guys who have been dodging the box scores for a combined 116 years.

BAR: Measuring Reds, Phillies rebuild progress C. Trent Rosecrans , [email protected] 10:33 a.m. ET April 5, 2017

The Blog Above Replacement a daily look at the Reds, their minor leagues and whatever else is on the mind of Enquirer Reds beat writers, C. Trent Rosecrans and Zach Buchanan. You can follow them on Twitter (@ctrent and @ZachENQ), Facebook (C. Trent Rosecrans and Zach Buchanan) and Instagram (ENQReds).

Welcome back to the Blog Above Replacement, our daily look at the Reds, baseball and beyond. Zach and I will do this every weekday during the season, taking a look not just at the Reds, but also their minor-league results, something that’s more important than ever as the team continues its rebuild.

The Enquirer’s exhaustive Reds coverage includes not just news, notes and results from the games at Great American Ball Park and other ballparks across the country, but also our weekly Reds Beat Podcast. If you’re a daily BAR reader and not a podcast listener, we invite you to continue the discussion there. Or, well, listen to our discussion. You can also email, tweet or whatever to let us know what you want to hear about. We’ll include guests (like GM Dick Williams last week) and also talk amongst ourselves.

This week, we had Philadelphia Inquirer Phillies beat writer Matt Gelb in to discuss the dueling rebuilds in Cincinnati and Philadelphia. Last year Gelb joined us for the C. Dot Show Opening Day Eve Extravaganza (R.I.P.) and he said he thought the Phillies were a year ahead of the Reds. Now he thinks it looks more like two years ahead. We discuss that and more.

So, if you’re new to podcasts, think about it as an old-fashioned radio show that you can listen to any time and any place. Zach and I aim to record the podcast every Tuesday and post it early Wednesday morning, so it’s up for your morning consumption — since there’s no local sports radio here in Cincinnati, think of this as your companion at least once a week on your drive, morning walk or whatever.

MINOR LEAGUE ROUNDUP

Games begin on Thursday, but the rosters have been announced. I’ll link the rosters and highlight a few players to watch at each level:

Triple-A:

RHPs Sal Romano and Jackson Stephens are starters that could find their way to Cincinnati this season.

2B Dilson Herrera was acquired in the deal. The outfield of , , Sebastian Elizalde and Beau Amaral should be worth watching.

Double-A:

Of the pitchers, RHP throws 100 and was the main piece acquired in the Dan Straily trade. RHP doesn’t quite throw that hard, but he has very good command and control.

Aristides Aquino may have the highest ceiling of any Reds prospect, with tools that could make him special, including power and a cannon of an arm. Gabby Guerrero resembles his uncle, Vladimir, in several ways, including his choice to eschew batting gloves.

High-A:

The infield has a chance to be pretty interesting, headlined by 3B Nick Senzell, the No. 2 overall pick in last year’s draft. Alfredo Rodriguez, a high-priced Cuban import, is the and sleeper prospect pick (you’ll hear much, much more about Shed this year) is at second base. Gavin LaValley is the first baseman. Not only that, but catcher was the team’s second- round pick last year.

The Reds’ other big-ticket Cuban from last year, RHP Vladimir Gutierrez, is also slated to begin the season in Daytona.

Low-A:

OF , the No. 35 overall pick last year, will start the season in Dayton, as will fellow Georgian and first-round pick, C .

DAYTON DAILY NEWS Dominant pitching performance carries Reds to first win David Jablonski - Staff Writer 10:27 p.m Wednesday, April 5, 2017

CINCINNATI - Cincinnati Reds pitcher Brandon Finnegan does not like rain delays. He dealt with the first one of his career Wednesday — the first one before one of his starts, at least.

“I kind of didn’t know what to do,” Finnegan said. “I was getting anxious in here, talking to everybody, getting jittery. I thought I handled it well. As soon as they told me we were playing, I ran to center field and started getting stretched.”

A rain delay pushed back the start time from 7:10 p.m. to 8 p.m. Finnegan dominated the rest of the night. His first start of 2017 may stand up as his best of the season. He will have a hard time topping it. That’s how good he was in a 2-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies at Great American Ball Park.

Finnegan allowed a walk and a single in the first inning and then retired the next 19 batters. He struck out nine. He left after the seventh inning. He wanted to stay in the game but knew that wouldn’t happen.

“That’s the first one of the season,” he said. “You know you’re not going to go all nine. I was glad I got to go seven and gave our team a chance to win, and they did play a really good game behind me.”

RELATED: Rookie reliever enjoys perfect debut

Joey Votto broke a scoreless tie with a lead-off home run in the seventh. Votto’s first hit of the season gave the Reds their first lead of the season. He was 0-for-4 Monday on Opening Day in a 4-3 loss to the Phillies.

Votto’s 222nd career home run moved him into a tie for fourth place with Jason Bay for home runs hit by a native of Canada. Larry Walker is the all-time leader with 383 home runs.

The Votto home run and then an RBI single by Zack Cozart in the same inning put Finnegan in position to get the victory. A year after he was 10-11 with a 3.98 ERA in 31 starts, he got off to a great start in his second season in Cincinnati.

“He’ll compete,” Price said. “I don’t even expect that. I know it. He’s a competitor. He’s completely rested and competing every time he takes the mound, so I never have to worry about that. I like to see him working ahead in the count. That really sets the table for him. He’s got a nice mix of pitches and when he’s ahead it really opens up the full bag of pitches he has and locations and allows him to control the game.”

WATCH: Reds manager Bryan Price talks after 2-0 victory. Michael Lorenzen relieved Finnegan in the eighth. After giving up back-to-back singles, Lorenzen struck out the next two batters and then got an inning-ending groundout. Lorenzen also threw a scoreless eighth inning on Opening Day.

Raisel Iglesias pitched a scoreless ninth to earn the save.

NOTES: The game started at 8 p.m. after a 50-minute rain delay. … Cozart was the only Red with two hits. Tucker Barnhart and Adam Duvall both had doubles. … Eugenio Suarez is the only starter who does not have a hit in the first two games. He was 0-for-3 Monday and 0-for-3 on Wednesday.

THURSDAY’S GAME

Phillies at Reds, 12:35 p.m., FS Ohio, 700, 1410

Dayton Dragons: Reds No. 1 pick Tyler Stephenson looking to put lost year behind him Marcus Hartman 5:17 p.m Wednesday, April 5, 2017

If the 2017 goals of Tyler Stephenson sound simple, well they pretty much are.

After injuries plagued him throughout last season, the Cincinnati Reds' 2015 No. 1 draft is back in Dayton looking for a reset.

He wants to be a reliable presence on the field this summer – learning his trade and the team’s pitching staff.

The 6-foot-4, 220-pound Georgia native was limited to 39 games for the Dragons last season and hit just .216 as he had to overcome a concussion and wrist surgery.

He is still the No. 10 prospect (and No. 1 catcher) in the organization according to , but a catcher taken in last year's draft (Chris Okey) is above him now in advanced Single-A Daytona after sharing the Dragons roster with him last season.

Joining the Dragons this year is Cassidy Brown, a Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, native who was taken in the 12th round of the draft last year.

Brown hit .322 in 43 games in rookie ball at Billings.

Reds claim outfielder; transfer DeSclafani to 60-day DL John Boyle - Staff Writer 2:41 p.m Wednesday, April 5, 2017

The Cincinnati Reds today claimed former first-round pick Tyler Goeddel off waivers from the Phillies.

Goeddel, a 24-year-old infielder/outfielder, was optioned to Triple-A Louisville.

To make room for Goeddel, the Reds transferred right-hander Anthony DeSclafani (sprained ulnar collateral ligament, right elbow) from the 10-day disabled list to the 60-day DL.

Goeddel played in 92 games last season — his first in the big leagues — for the Phillies, hitting .192 with four home runs and 16 RBI in 213 at-bats.

ESPN.COM Finnegan retires 19 in a row, Reds beat Phillies 2-0 1:19 AM ET Associated Press

CINCINNATI -- Waiting for the rain left Brandon Finnegan feeling out of sorts. After one inning to work out his nerves, he was nearly untouchable.

Finnegan allowed only one single in seven innings and Joey Votto homered for his first hit of the season Wednesday night, sending the Cincinnati Reds to a 2-0 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies .

The Reds evened a series that concludes Thursday afternoon.

The start of the game was delayed 50 minutes because of storms, a wait that wore on Finnegan.

"I didn't know what to do," he said. "I walked around and talked to guys. I got a little jittery. As soon as I heard we were playing, I ran to the bullpen."

Finnegan (1-0) gave up a walk and Maikel Franco's single to center in the first inning, but escaped the threat while throwing a lot of pitches. Nobody else reached base the rest of the way against him.

The left-hander retired the last 19 batters he faced, fanning nine, and threw 88 pitches overall.

"He had 25 pitches in the first inning and haphazard command," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "He survived it and had (68) pitches the rest of the way. He was a completely different kid."

The Phillies didn't do much at all, hitting only four balls out of the infield all night. They got a pair of infield singles off Michael Lorenzen in the eighth. Raisel Iglesias gave up another infield single before completing the four-hitter for his first save.

Votto led off the seventh with a home run against Jerad Eickhoff (0-1), who allowed only two hits through the first six innings. Votto was 0 for 6 when he connected on a curve that forced him to adjust.

"He's a big, strong guy," Eickhoff said. "When I threw it, I almost fooled him. But he was able to keep his hands back. He double- clutched and got the barrel of the bat on it."

Adam Duvall followed with a double and scored on Zack Cozart's single for a 2-0 lead, ending Eickhoff's outing.

EXTRA CHANCE

Odubel Herrera had an infield single in the ninth and was initially called out as he tried to steal second base for what would have been the final out of the game. The call was overturned on review, but Tommy Joseph struck out to end it.

OH, CANADA

Votto's 222nd career homer moved him into a tie with Jason Bay for fourth-most by a player born in Canada. Larry Walker leads with 383, followed by (265) and Justin Morneau (247).

STINGY STARTS

Eickhoff has allowed three runs or fewer in his last nine starts and 32 of his last 38. He walked one on Wednesday, his fifth straight start of walking one batter or none.

TRAINER'S ROOM

Phillies: Manager Pete Mackanin mixed up his lineup, though not because of injuries. He wants to keep players sharp. Aaron Altherr was in right field and had a single in three at-bats.

Reds: Cincinnati catcher Devin Mesoraco starts a rehab assignment with Double-A Pensacola on Thursday. He's on the DL while rebuilding his strength after hip surgery last season. The Reds plan to activate him when he's able to catch back-to-back games.

REDS MOVES

Cincinnati claimed utilityman Tyler Goeddel off waivers from the Phillies and optioned him to Triple-A Louisville. Goeddel batted .192 in 92 games for the Phillies last season with four homers and 16 RBI. The Reds also transferred right-hander Anthony DeSclafani to the 60-day disabled list with a sprained pitching elbow.

UP NEXT

Phillies: RHP Clay Buchholz makes his first career start against the Reds. The Phillies got him from the Red Sox in a trade for Josh Tobias last December.

Reds: RHP Rookie Davis makes his major league debut. Davis is one of two rookies in the rotation. Cincinnati got him from the Yankees as part of the trade for closer Aroldis Chapman after the 2015 season.

TRANSACTIONS 04/05/17 Cincinnati Reds optioned Tyler Goeddel to Louisville Bats. sent Austin Adams outright to Salt Lake Bees. Cincinnati Reds claimed LF Tyler Goeddel off waivers from Philadelphia Phillies. Cincinnati Reds transferred RHP Anthony DeSclafani from the 10-day disabled list to the 60-day disabled list. Sprained ulnar collateral ligament in right elbow. sent Keith Hessler outright to El Paso Chihuahuas. San Diego Padres sent Cesar Vargas outright to San Antonio Missions. recalled Jesse Hahn from . designated RHP Michael Blazek for assignment. Colorado Rockies released RHP Jason Motte. Milwaukee Brewers claimed Nick Franklin off waivers from . Los Angeles Angels sent Kirby Yates outright to Salt Lake Bees. recalled Blaine Hardy from . Detroit Tigers placed LHP Kyle Ryan on the paternity list. Oakland Athletics placed RHP John Axford on the 10-day disabled list retroactive to April 2, 2016. Strained right shoulder.