Joey Votto Gives Yu Darvish a Stiff Neck But Texas Wins

Yu Darvish tried to trick Joey Votto and paid a price. He made the Reds pay in the end.

Darvish gave up homers to Joey Votto and Todd Frazier but showed no problems with a stiff neck that forced him to be scratched from his previous start, and the Texas Rangers beat the Cincinnati Reds 6-2 on Saturday.

"Votto put a good swing. I threw him a slow curve. It was good hitting, said Darvish through an interpreter.

Votto,  looked at slow curve, two pitched before. He saw the pitch again and blasted it.

"The next at bat they started to crowd Votto. I don't know if he'll see any more of those or not," Reds manager Dusty Baker said.

Votto couldn't generate power with his surgically repaired knee when he returned after missing 48 games but hit his third long ball of the spring and gestured with his fingers to his lips as he crossed home plate. Todd Frazier hit his fourth but the Reds did little else.

"I didn't know what the gesture meant," Darvish said. "A teammate told me later in the clubhouse. I'm not too concerned. I don't have an opinion on that. The one Frazier hit, I thought it was a fly ball. I was surprised it went into the stands."

Darvish gave up three hits in five innings, including the two homers. He had to miss his scheduled start last Monday.

"Overall, I feel good. I could have pitched a little bit more," Darvish said.

Ron Washington, the Texas manager, thinks his starter from Japan is nearly ready for the season.

"His fastball had a lot of life on it," Washington said. "He just needs to continue to pitch and stay healthy."

Elvis Andrus hit a double and a two-run homer for Texas, and Mitch Moreland homered off Mat Latos. The right-hander left the game as a precaution in the sixth after Geovany Soto's liner deflected off his leg.

"Moreland is using the whole field," Washington said. "The last couple years leftfield was the only way he could drive the ball. He's good and healthy now and driving the ball to the opposite field. When he does that, he is at his best."

Latos allowed four runs in 5 2/3 innings on nine hits and two walks. He struck out six, while surrendering two home runs.

"The ball hit Latos flush on the foot," Baker said. "I don't anticipate anything He pitched pretty good. He had to keep them in the ballpark because they (Texas) can really hit."

Rangers thirdbaseman Jeff Baker left the game in the third inning with a sinus problem.

NOTES: Shin-Soo Choo is back in the Reds lineup after missing five games with back spasms....Alfredo Simon pitched in a minor league game. It was his first game since rejoining the Reds from the WBC champion Dominican team for which he made just one appearance....