Padres Spoil Jon Moscot's Debut

The Moscot family from Palisades, California are having a busy week..

Youngest son, Jed, graduated from high school on Thursday. The same day that oldest son Jon was called up to the Major League to make his debut on Friday.  On the 11th middle son, Josh, graduates from UCLA. Jed will play baseball at the University of California-Davis.  The family jumped on an airplane in time to see the elder son pitch against the San Diego Padres.

Jon Moscot struggled out of the gate in his Major League debut. San Diego put a 6-2 hurt on the reeling Reds in the first game of the six-game homestand.

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous and I didn't sleep at all," Moscot said. "I wish we could have done a little better but it was a dream come true."

Moscot struck out Will Venable, the first batter he faced in his career. He walked Derek Norris with one out.  Justin Upton and Matt Kemp hit ground ball singles.  Moscot fell behind Yonder Alonso, 3-0.  He came back with two strikes at the knees before walking in the Padres' first run.  Will Middlebrooks hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield.  Cory Spagenberg walked to reload the bases.  Alexi Amarista popped up to Brandon Phillips on Moscot's 37th pitch.

"I was trying to be too fine," Moscot said. "(Pitching coach) Jeff Pico came out and told me to settle down, that I was rushing. He told me that I belonged up here."

Venable and Middlebrooks homered off Moscot to build the Padres' lead to 4-0. Venable is the son of former Reds' player Max Venable, who played in Cincinnati from 1985-1987.

Moscot finished on a high note, retiring the last seven batters as he finished five innings.

The 23-year old, who was 7-1 at Louisville, replaced Raisel Iglesias, who went on the 15-day disabled list with a strained left oblique.

"We determined that Iglesias couldn't pitch last night," Bryan Price said. "We told Moscot that he was coming up. He had more on his plate than he will his next start. I liked the way he managed the game after that first inning. He attacked more after the first inning. He was around the plate, a little down or just off the plate. I liked his stuff."

The Reds start a stretch of 20 games in 20 days and Price is concerned that he would burn his bullpen so Moscot needed to go deeper into the game.

"A lot of people don't understand when a starter struggles early that you can't just go to your bullpen that early. He's not going to learn anything going one or two innings," Price said.

Moscot knew what the Reds' manager needed.

"Obviously, as the starting pitcher, you want to pitch at least six innings. With 35 pitches in the first inning, I only got five. I'm not happy with that," Moscot said.

Tyson Ross has handled the Reds in his career.  He came into the game with a 3-0 record and a 0.72 ERA in four starts.  Ross continued his mastery, allowing two hits and two walks in four scoreless innings.

The Reds solved him in the fifth.  Tucker Barnhart opened the inning with a solid single. Ivan De Jesus Jr. struck out in his Reds' debut but Billy Hamilton singled off Ross' leg.  Phillips walked to load the bases.  Joey Votto fell behind 0-2, then drilled a 2-2 pitch to left to score Barnhart and Hamilton.

Rain delayed the game in the sixth inning after Burke Badenhop allowed a two-out run scoring double to Alexi Amarista for 69 minutes. The total for the year is 11 hours and 49 minutes..

The rain got both Badenhop and Ross out of the game.

Ross allowed two runs on five hits and two walks in five innings.  He struck out seven.

J.J. Hoover got pinch hitter Abraham Almonte on a pop up to short to send the game to the bottom of the sixth with San Diego holding a 5-2 lead.

Dale Thayer took over for Ross on the mound.

Derek Norris' seventh inning home run off Pedro Villarreal restored San Diego's four-run lead.

Padres' manager decided to save closer Craig Kimbrell, bringing in Frank Garces in the ninth.

A double by Skip Schumaker that twisted leftfielder Upton in knots, leading off the ninth got Kimbrell warming but Barnhart lined to left and Brayan Pena grounded to short. Hamilton flied out to center to end it.