Cactus League Game 23: Diamondbacks at Reds

Amir Garrett has absolutely been one of the most impressive arms in camp with the Cincinnati Reds this spring. After initially being overlooked in the battle for the 5th starter spot, Garrett has both opened the eyes of the evaluators in Goodyear and watched as additional rotation spots opened up due to injuries around him, and Sunday will give him yet another chance to show that the struggles he had in 2017 were hip-induced, not because he can’t get the job done.

Through 9 IP so far in Cactus League play, Garrett has allowed just 5 hits and 2 earned runs, fanning 11 against only 2 walks, and another dominant outing against the Arizona Diamondbacks today might well solidify his chances of being on the Opening Day roster.

Raisel Iglesias, Tanner Rainey, Zack Weiss, and Vance Worley are among the pitchers listed as available to back Garrett today.

First pitch is set for 4:05 PM ET, and it will be televised on FS-Ohio and MLB.tv, so tune in.

Cincinnati Lineup

Arizona Lineup

Other Notes

• Yesterday the Reds flipped minor leaguer Eric Jagielo to the Miami Marlins for cash. Jagielo was not in big league camp with the Reds and hit just .nothing/.nada/.zilch in the minors for the Reds last year, so cash of any kind is actually a decently impressive haul for the former 1st round draftee. I’ll let you do the updated tabulations on the Aroldis Chapman trade if you’ve got enough Pepto around to dig back into that.
• Luis Castillo is back in camp and will throw a bullpen today, and he’s slated to throw in a minor league game on Tuesday.
• Homer Bailey was rather impressive in his minor league start on Saturday, as The Athletic’s C. Trent Rosecrans updated on Twitter.