Homer Bailey continues to get tuned up for the regular season today against the Giants. He has pitched 8.2 innings this spring, striking out six and walking two while giving up 3 runs on 8 hits. He's quietly been preparing himself to open the season on the big league roster for the first time in his career. For a player that was so hyped for so many years, there is a bit of irony in the fact that his role is being handed to him without much fanfare. He has Aroldis Chapman to thank for that, as well as his impressive performance at the end of last season.
He'll have to continue to be good if the Reds are going to be in the hunt this year, but i have to say it's kind of nice not having to worry too much about what Bailey might do this season. That's not to say that his good performance is a given, but he definitely feels less like he's teetering on the brink of being a bust. Maybe he won't be an ace, but it seems fairly unlikely at this point that he'll ever find himself in the minors again unless it's on rehab. That's pretty cool.
Bailey will be followed by Jared Burton, Daniel Ray Herrera, Francisco Cordero and Arthur Rhodes. Actually, having those four in the bullpen makes me feel pretty good too.
Lineups are after the jump. Today's game, and it looks like the rest of the games from here on out, will be carried on 700WLW. We've now reached a no blackout zone for audio! That means real baseball is coming soon!. If you don't have access to audio, you can follow along on Gameday.