Cincinnati Reds'
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Cincinnati Reds Press Clippings March 1, 2017 THIS DAY IN REDS HISTORY 2007 - Marty and Thom Brennaman call their first Reds game together on 700 WLW, becoming the fourth father-son broadcast team in major league history MLB.COM Votto working diligently on defense Reds first baseman's extra effort already paying off in games By Owen Perkins / Special to MLB.com | February 28th, 2017 + 39 COMMENTS GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- After a morning batting-practice session before Tuesday's game with the White Sox, Joey Votto took to a wet practice field to get some defensive work in at first base. As he prepares for his 11th season in a Reds uniform, the first baseman never gets tired of perfecting his craft. "He's a relentless worker, a tireless worker in everything he does," manager Bryan Price said of the veteran. "As long as I've been here, he's gotten a stronger and stronger commitment to his defense. He does a ton of extra work at the end of the day." Tuesday, Votto focused on digging throws out of the dirt, taking throws from every angle in the infield and honing his instincts for picking and scooping. "He does everything," Price said. "Balls to the line, balls to his backhand, feeds to the pitcher covering, taking balls from close in on the grass, taking balls deep. He's got a great routine, so I don't know if he can work harder at the position, but I do know he's getting more and more comfortable leaving his feet to his backhand and his glove side. You've seen it in the [spring] games already; he's made a couple of excellent plays to both sides that have suggested that the hard work he's putting in is paying off." One of Votto's defensive goals in 2016 was to upgrade his reaction on pulling the trigger to make diving plays. Price has watched him check off skills every spring, and as the only Reds player to ever win a Gold Glove at first (2011), Votto continues to set the standard for defensive excellence. "In recent years, he's been much more comfortable leaving his feet going toward the line than he was going toward his backhand," Price said. "It's just the constant work to know when to leave your feet and when not to leave your feet on a ball to his right. ... And he's worked really diligently on it." There's little about Votto's work ethic that can be questioned, and his performance at the plate is every bit as consistent as his finesse in the field. Votto has hit over .300 in eight of his 10 big league seasons. He's a four-time All-Star, a Hank Aaron Award winner (2010), the 2010 National League Most Valuable Player and the Reds' MVP in five of the last nine seasons. Price has even seen Votto focus on reclaiming his baserunning form, correcting an approach he'd taken to sliding after missing 48 games with a knee injury in 2012. "The other day he was working on his baserunning -- his secondary leads, his sliding," Price summed up. "He just looks at his entire game. I don't know if he could work any harder." Owen Perkins is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. Duvall, Raburn deliver in Reds' four-run first By Owen Perkins / Special to MLB.com | February 28th, 2017 + 16 COMMENTS GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Taking their cue from the weather, which turned from a morning marked by torrential downpours into a sunny Cactus League afternoon, the White Sox turned the tables on the Reds, overcoming a four-run deficit to mount a lead and ride it to a 10-9 victory, giving them three straight games without a loss. The Reds opened the first frame swinging, showing the offensive thump it would take to turn the tide on their winless start in the Cactus League -- an 0-5 record that is their worst start ever in Arizona and their worst since an 0-5 start in the Grapefruit League with replacement players playing in 1995. Their four-run first was fueled by a two-run double from left fielder Adam Duvall and a two-run homer onto the right-center concourse by designated hitter Ryan Raburn. "I'm just trying to hit the ball hard," Raburn said of his opposite-field shot. "I'm not really worrying too much about results. Results are nice, but right now I'm just working on timing and getting ready for the year." Much of the White Sox counterpunch came from a single swing off the bat of center fielder Leury Garcia. Garcia laced a two-run double in the top of the fifth to bring the Sox within one, then doubled to left-center in the seventh to solidify a two-run lead that grew by two more runs before the inning was over. Chicago starter Reynaldo Lopez struggled through 1 1/3 innings, allowing five runs on four hits and a walk. The bullpen shut down the Reds for the next five innings, with Zach Putnam, Giovanni Soto, Tyler Danish and Michael Ynoa all putting up goose eggs. Cincinnati was inconsistent on the mound, getting a solid pair of innings from starter Brandon Finnegan, who relied entirely on his fastball and changeup. The Reds' bullpen yielded six runs in 1 2/3 innings, including three runs on three hits allowed by Drew Storen and three runs on three hits given up by Nefi Ogando; both were making their Reds debut. White Sox Up Next: James Shields makes his first start of the spring as the White Sox play host to the D-backs with a 2:05 p.m. CT first pitch at Camelback Ranch. Jake Petricka also will be making his Cactus League debut, with David Robertson, Nate Jones and Zack Burdi scheduled to take the mound. Reds Up Next: Reds fans can look to Wednesday's 3:05 p.m. ET game against the Brewers in Maryvale for Zack Cozart's Cactus League debut. Cozart was scratched from Tuesday's lineup due to concerns about the wet field and his recovery from the patellar tendinitis in his right knee that sidelined him for the final 21 games of the 2016 season. "He's not an injured player," manager Bryan Price said. "He had an injury, he had some issues with that last year, and I'm not going to be reckless." Watch every out-of-market regular-season game live on MLB.TV. Owen Perkins is a contributor to MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs. Storen gets first Reds appearance under his belt By Owen Perkins / Special to MLB.com | February 28th, 2017 + 2 COMMENTS GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Drew Storen was looking to take "baby steps" his first time pitching in a Reds uniform. "It's exciting," Storen said before Tuesday's game, a 10-9 loss to the White Sox. "The first experience of spring is always fun. Just go out there and try to build on everything, whether it's live BP or a bullpen [session], just try to take a step forward and get ready for Opening Day." Veterans like Storen may get excited about February baseball, but they know better than to get excited about February results. Good thing, given Storen's three-run, three-hits-and-a-walk outing that ended after two-thirds of an inning. The former closer was pitching in the fifth inning, which has little to do with where he'll end up pitching when the season starts. Manager Bryan Price talks of using a handful of closing-capable pitchers to divvy up duties and handle the big moments when they come. So Storen's debut came at a time that wouldn't normally cue his adrenaline: the middle innings of a game the Reds were leading, 5-1. "I've always had my best successes in those high-leverage situations, whether it's the ninth or the sixth, seventh, eighth, whatever," Storen said. "You're starting to see people giving credit to the setup guys a little more now. The save doesn't always come in the ninth. On paper it does. But there are big spots where we can help early. You can have a great closer, but if you can't get him the ball, it doesn't do you any good." When it came to proving that point, Tuesday's game was Exhibit A. The Reds saw a four-run lead turn into a five-run deficit by the eighth inning, and if the Reds had any intention of seeing one of their pitchers close a game, Storen and the middle relievers couldn't get him the ball. "I'm just trying to feel good," Storen said of his focus before the game. "As long as I feel healthy and I'm executing, throwing strikes. You've got to understand the process. It might not always be pretty, but as long as you're feeling good and getting the ball over, especially in this air, you're doing all right." It wasn't pretty, but it wasn't anything Price was concerned about. "I liked his stuff," Price said. "He had good action on his fastball, really good slider and change. They put some balls in play. It's one of those days. Things could have worked out differently.