Reds Face Seattle Mariners in Peoria

The Reds travel to Peoria, AZ to take on the Seattle Mariners and lefthander Joe Saunders.

The Reds send Homer Bailey to the mound and are looking for him to pitch four innings. On Thursday morning he was in an empty clubhouse practicing with a lariat, trying to rope a stool.

The Reds send the following lineup to face Saunders:

Chris Heisey CF
Zack Cozart SS
Joey Votto 1B
Denis Phipps RF
Derrick Robinson LF
Emmanuel Burris 3B
Jason Donald 2B
Devin Mesoraco C
Xavier Paul DH
Homer Bailey P

Following Bailey are three non-roster pitchers that have a decent shot at a spot in the Cincinnati bullpen this season.

Wilken De La Rosa, a left-handed converted outfielder, has a very hard sinker.  Like most hard throwers his control can be erratic but he has the advantage of being a lefty.  He can also be effective with right-handed hitters.  De La Rosa is slated to pitch one inning.

Clay Hensley is right-handed and has experience.  Hensley is 33 years old. He has pitched mainly out of the bullpen, including 60 games with the World Champion Giants last season.  Hensley had three saves for San Francisco.  He broke in with the San Diego Padres in 2005 and started 29 games for them in 2006.  He missed 2009 but resurfaced with the Florida Marlins in 2010 and 2011.  Hensley is expected to pitch two innings.

Drew Hayes, a 25-year old right-handed pitcher from McKenzie, Tennesee, has opened some eyes with his poise and ability to throw strikes.  "I apologized to him for bringing him in the first two games with the bases loaded," Dusty Baker said.  "I wanted to bring him in a clean inning but he didn't seemed fazed by it.  He throws strikes and has an idea about getting batters out."  Hayes was the Reds' 11th pick in the 2010 draft, the same draft that they chose Mike Leake.  Hayes pitched at Vanderbilt University.  Hayes will likely get two innings of work.

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