Reds lose Brandon Finnegan to injury, get comeback win over Mariners

For as much as this game was one the Cincinnati Reds wanted to win, it always seemed to be one much more dedicated to the side stories than the final score. Ichiro Suzuki got his first start of the spring for the Seattle Mariners after signing to return to the club he broke in with, and that obviously dominated the pregame storylines.

Then, we found out that Anthony DeSclafani has an injured oblique, which was horrendously deflating. There’s been no update yet on his timeline, but if it’s anything close to the oblique injury he fought in 2016, well, it’s worth noting that he didn’t make his season debut until June 10th. Damn.

Just about the time the Disco news was processing, we then looked up to see Brandon Finnegan talking to team trainers after facing just two batters, and he promptly exited the game. Afterwards, it was revealed he’s dealing with a “lateral forearm spasm,” which is literally a phrase that has never been said before by anyone ever. Whatever it is, it’s obviously not good, though I’m sure we’ll hear more about it down the road.

That the Reds rallied back for a 6-5 win was nice, but again, it was far from the biggest news of the day.

The Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game

Tony Cruz is primarily a catcher, though he’s far enough down the catching pecking order in Cincinnati camp at the moment as a non-roster invitee that he’s been playing primarily 1B as Joey Votto’s backup. That didn’t stop him from clubbing the go-ahead 3-run homer for the Reds today, though, the blast that put them on top for good.

That’s worthy of some dap, so have some, Tony.

Honorable Mentions are due to: Scooter Gennett, who singled twice and had a ribbie; Jose Peraza, who singled twice; and Michael Lorenzen, who fired 3 innings of 1 ER ball, fanning 3 against nary a walk.

Key Plays

• Scooter Gennett smacked a single up the middle in the Top of the 1st that scored Hamilton, who had led off with a single himself. Reds led, 1-0.
• After Finnegan exited, Kyle Crockett took over, and while he pitched decently he yielded an RBI single to Andrew Romine in the Bottom of the 2nd that scored Mike Zunino. Game tied, 1-1.
• Joey Votto reached via error in the Top of the 3rd, and he later scored on an RBI single by Adam Duvall. Reds led, 2-1.
• An error by Eugenio Suarez got a mini-rally started for Seattle in the Bottom of the 3rd with Jared Hughes on the mound, and a later walk and Zunino single plated a pair. Reds trailed, 3-2.
• Lorenzen’s earned run came in the Bottom of the 7th, as Daniel Vogelbach smacked a single to score Danny Muno after Muno’s double. Reds trailed, 4-2.
• Cruz’s blast came off Mike Morin after Morin was tasked with the Top of the 9th and failed rather miserably. Rosell Herrera took a leadoff walk, and he moved to 3B on Phil Ervin’s triple. Alex Blandino then smacked an RBI single in front of Cruz, whose blast put the Reds ahead, 6-4.
• The Reds allowed a run in the Bottom of the 9th after another Muno double, but with runners on 2B and 3B and nobody out, Chuck Taylor managed to score on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Evan White, but Muno was nailed at the plate trying to tie the game, and that’s how the tussle finished. Reds won, 6-5.

Joey Votto is a World Treasure Section

Other Notes

• Never pitch, folks.
• Homer Bailey gets the start on Monday against the Los Angeles Angels as the Reds travel to Tempe. First pitch is set for 4:10 PM ET - not the 3ish PM ET start time you’ve been used to all spring - so plan accordingly. It’ll be televised by FS-West, so you can catch it on MLB.tv.
• Tunes.