Cactus League Game 6: Reds at Brewers

The last time we saw Anthony DeSclafani on the mound in a Cincinnati Reds uniform, it was September 28th of 2016. That day, he was busy shutting down the St. Louis Cardinals, allowing just a lone earned run in 6 polished innings in what became a 2-1 victory - a game that ultimately helped keep those 2016 Cards (86-76) out of the playoffs just behind the 2016 San Francisco Giants (87-75). It was the final outing of what ended up being a 130 ERA+ campaign for Disco, one that had our hopes for him anchoring the Reds rotation for years on high.

Some seventeen months later, he’ll toe the rubber again, finally. After an elbow issue kept him from pitching at all in Cactus League play last year and foiled his entire would-be 2017 campaign, DeSclafani gets today’s start for the Reds in Maryvale against the Milwaukee Brewers, his first chance to show he’s still got what it takes to lead this staff. Frankly, I’m damn excited, since you can make a case that there isn’t a single player this Cincinnati rebuild is banking on more than Disco at the moment, and it’s our first chance to see if the confidence in him has a shot of paying off.

First pitch is set for 3:05 PM ET, and it’ll be televised by FS-Ohio.

Cincinnati Lineup

Milwaukee Lineup

Other Notes

• Tyler Mahle, Jimmy Herget, Jackson Stephens, and Zack Weiss are among the other pitchers traveling with the Reds today. Nick Senzel is listed on the travel roster, too.
• It appears that while FS-Ohio will have the game on TV, it’ll actually be a simulcast of the FS-Wisconsin broadcast, so set your expectations for the broadcast members accordingly (and kindly wish Chris Welsh well on his golf game today). Thanks to The Athletic’s C. Trent Rosecrans for pointing that out.
• Ben Revere officially passed his physical and signed his minor-league contract last night, as the Reds announced.