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I am a freelance writer. I've covered the Cincinnati Reds, Bengals and others since 1992. I have a background in sales as well. I've sold consumer electronics, advertising and consumer package goods for companies ranging from the now defunct Circuit City to Procter&Gamble. I have worked as a stats operator for Xavier University, the University of Cincinnati, the College of Mount St. Joe and Colerain High School.

Thursday, February 27, 2020

Trevor Bauer Seven Others Shut Out DBacks Tyler Stephenson Stars



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Trevor Bauer, a perfectionist, pitched two perfect innings. 

Tyler Thornburg, Sal Romano, Matt Bowman, Joel Kuhnel, David Carpenter, Brooks Raley and A.J. Alaniz each pitched a scoreless inning.

Derek Dietrich homered off Madison Bumgarner in the second inning.  Scott Schebler had an RBI double. Alex Blandino followed Schebler's double with a home run.

Tyler Stephenson had a two-run home run and a two-run double.

Dietrich came back this spring on a minor league contract. He had a hot start but was injured the second half ot the season.

"Dietrich looks healthy," Bell said.  "It is not an easy at bat. Bumgarner had really good stuff today. He looks healthy.  That's the main thing. He's hitting for power.  He's going to get opportunities to play."

There were a lot of good things for David Bell to talk about after the game.

"Bauer looked really good," Bell said.  "I think he felt really good.  He's a perfectionist. He was very positive with his outing but he knows he can get even better too.  That's just what makes him so good."

Bauer wasn't awful last season but he had an ankle problem which was fine by the time he came to the Reds but it caused lower back problems, along with pain in his ribs.

"I didn't start getting healthy from that until mid-December," Bauer said. "It's super encouraging that my back isn't giving me any problems."

"I was a little bit in between on my tempo," Bauer said.  "I had problems with my delivery. I thought fastball command was pretty good. The curveball shape and the change up was really good."

Bauer wasn't sure how he would feel when he came to Arizona. Bauer, who lives in Houston, had bronchitis for a month.

"I missed a lot of training time with it," Bauer said.  "I think I'm actually starting this spring ahead of where I started command wise the last couple springs.  I feel completely healthy back to norma.."

Bauer is known for his routines.  The illness and back caused a change in his off season workout.

"I couldn't start throwing nearly as early as I normally like to," Bauer said.  "But I didn't have as much to work on.  I wasn't trying to add a brand new pitch.  The more you improvement you make the closer you get to the final version of yourself.  There is less that you actually have to work on."

Bauer was disappointed he didn't match Sonny Gray's three strikeouts from Wednesday.

"Sonny had three punch outs. I only had two," Bauer said.  "That makes me mad. I have to lead all of spring training in strikeouts.  That's a goal of mine. I had two good efficient innings but I need a few more punchies."

Catcher Tyler Stephenson, the Reds first choice in the 2015 draft, is in his second big league camp but this time is on the 40-man roster, meaning the Reds three options start this year.

"We want to get him a lot of time playing time," Bell said. "He's showing that he can hit.  We want him to get more work with the pitchers. He's getting closer and closer.  We heard a lot about him and he took a big step forward last year."

The pitchers that followed Bauer were all good.  The Diamondbacks managed two hits.

"Everybody stood out," Bell.  "It was nice to see Raley, another left hander.  We know he can pitch but seeing it today live was really good.

Brooks Raley is 31 years old.  He made 14 appearances, five starts, with the Chicago Cubs in 2012 and 2013.  His only win came against the Reds at Great American Ball Park during the second game of a double header on August 16.  He pitched five innings in a Cubs, 9-7 win, allowing three runs in 5 1/3 innings.  Bell was the Cubs third base coach in 2013. 

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