Reds Conclude Camp With A Loss To Colorado But Ready For The Season

Sonny Gray, couldn't open the Cactus League but he finished it.

Gray, fully recovered from elbow tightness that got him scratched from the first game in the Cactus League, pitched five innings, allowing one run on four hits.  The run scored on a ball iTn the dirt that Tucker Barnhart dropped but it squirted far enough a way that Bret Boswell scored from third base.

The Rockies scored three runs off Raisell Iglesias but the Reds' minor leaguers battled to make it close in the 4-3 loss, leaving the Reds with a 8-17-5 record.

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"It was a good day for him," Bell said.  "You had your doubts that he would be where he is right now.  Now it is like it never even happened."

Gray was strong after rest early allowed him to pitch pain free.

"Pitching with traffic and making pitches was good," Gray said.  "Tucker is great. He's really great.  He was mad at himself about the one that got away.  That was almost an impossible ball to block."

Barnhart blocked four balls in the dirt to prevent the Rockies from scoring before one eluded him.  It is one of Gray's best out pitches to throw a breaking ball in the dirt.  He gets a lot of strike outs with it.

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"I feel good. I feel strong. I'm excited to get out of Arizona and get this thing going,"  Gray said.

David Bell's last roster decision will be a tough call. The Reds left Goodyear for Atlanta with one spot to decide in the bullpen.

There are 26 players going to Atlanta for two final tuneups against the Braves. Three pitchers are poised to win the two remaining spots in the bullpen.  Wandy Peralta has options but is left-handed.  He pitched 10 scoreless innings this spring, allowing six hits and a walk.  Matt Wisler and Robert Stephenson are out of options.  They would be exposed to waivers if they fail to make the Opening Day roster.

Wisler pitched a scoreless inning against the Rockies on Sunday.  He left the camp in Goodyear with 11 innings, allowing five runs.  Wisler made 10 appearances, eight of them scoreless.

“Everybody that is in camp now has a chance,” Bell said after the game.  “We have to make a decision in the next couple days.  At this point everybody has done everything they can.'

The Reds will have two left-handed pitchers in the bullpen, Zach Duke and  Amir Garrett.  Peralta would be the third.

“You want to have the best pitcher,” Bell said.  “But there is an advantage to having a lefty. I don't know that you can have too many.  Wandy's had a great spring. We know what he can do.  He's in a good spot.  The other guys are out of options that is why  It is going to be a tough call.  That's why we couldn't quite set the roster before we leave.”

Following the game with the Indians on Saturday the sent right pitchers Anthony Bass and Matt Bowman to the minor leagues.  Bass was a non-roster player.  Bowman was on the 40-man roster.

“It was a really tough call,” David Bell said.  “I was really impressed with Anthony.  He is a major league pitcher. I'm glad he's in our organization.”

Bass pitched in the Major Leagues with Houston, San Diego, Texas and last season with the Chicago Cubs, where he pitched 16 games.

“With Matt it was a matter of proving that he is healthy,” said Bell, who was the St. Louis Cardinals bench coach for three seasons while Bowman was there.  Bowman gave up a two-run home run to Kevin Plawicki in the game against the Indians Saturday.  “Actually, that was the best he's looked.  I had to assure him the home run wasn't the reason.”.

“We believe in both of those guys.  We knew they could help us,” Bell said.

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Bell has put Jesse Winker into the final Cactus League game in center field.  The Reds sent Nick Senzel to Louisville to get experience.  Michael Lorenzen can play there but is doing double duty out of the bullpen.  His availability is limited.  Kemp has played some center field but is 34 years old and not as quick as he once was.

“We really only have Scheb (Scott Schebler) to play center.  He is going to get the majority of the playing time,” Bell said.  “We really needed a back up plan. Talking to two guys, who have seen Jesse play, we know he can do it.  Delino (DeShields) put him in center at Louisville. We have to have a plan.”

Yasiel Puig played 162 games total over six seasons in Los Angeles, including 95 in 2016.

“Puig is potentially an option. He's comfortable in right field.  For now we want him to stay in one spot,” Bell said.

Winker had one putout in the game against Colorado.

“It is a position that I can play,' Winker said.  “It excites me that the coaches think that it is a position I can play.  I was just playing baseball.  I've done it before for Delino down in Triple A.  Honestly, it was a lot of fun.  The play today was one you have to make if you want to play center field.  It was a matter of tracking it, then going to get it.”

Jose Iglesias was brought to camp to fill a bench role but ended up in the starting lineup with Scooter Gennett out for 8 – 12  weeks.

“I had a pretty good spring overall,” Iglesias said.  “I'm excited.  Every player wants to be on the field and contribute.  It is bad news for the team that Scooter got injured.  He is a big part of us. Scooter is a great guy to have around. I am excited to pick him up and pick up the organization.”

Iglesias hit .341 and hit two home runs against the Indians on Saturday.

“You think of him as a defensive player but he puts the ball in play. He's a line drive hitter,” Bell said.  “We knew he had some pop in his bat but he hit one of those out to right field.  That was good to see.”

It was the end of camp in Arizona and the completion of Bell's first as a big league manager.

“I've been here since 2012.  This spring training has gotten me better prepared for a season that I've ever been,” Winker said.  “I think we are going to the top of the division.  We have a damn good team.  We're going to hit.  We're going to pitch and we're going to defend.  Those are the three things you need to do.”

“We're ready.  I really felt that today,” Bell said.  “I think the energy of knowing that we'll have a change of scenery.  You just sense that guys are ready to go.  They got their work in.  The got the right amount of playing time and at bats and innings pitched.  We set out to build relationships, get to know people and ultimately get guys ready for the season. So many people worked hard to make that happen. The players worked hard. I feel really good about it.”