Boxscore

Aaron Harang made his last start before Opening Day for the Cincinnati Reds (9-16-2). And he was bad. Again.

Harang has been good for the Reds, and he’s one of the few players I’ve considered purchasing a jersey of, but he is not ending Spring Training in good shape. Against the San Diego Padres (17-10), Harang lasted just 4 2/3 innings, allowing 5 runs, 4 earned. He did strike out 6, which is good, but those 5 hits and 2 walks kinda negate that, not to mention the throwing error.

The Reds actually scored some runs behind Harang, but the hole was too deep. Ryan Hanigan drove in a run, as did Paul Janish on an automatic double.

The game was an ugly one, with both teams committing 3 errors. In addition to Harang’s error, Drew Sutton misplayed two balls.

With this loss, the Reds have now dropped 6 in a row.

Boxscore

The Cincinnati Reds (9-14-2) continued to lose, but managed to not make it so close this time. Instead of a 1-run deficit at the end of the game, the Reds lost by 7. Way to go, guys!

The Reds had a bullpen day, using 7 pitchers over the course of 8 innings. Carlos Fisher, who’s still battling for a bullpen slot, started and most likely pitched his way off of the Opening Day roster. He was a slim chance anyway, but giving up 3 runs in 1 2/3 innings is not a good way to compete.

Arthur Rhodes, Justin Lehr, and Jared Burton all pitched scoreless innings. They were followed by two other pitchers on the roster bubble, who, like Fisher, likely punched their tickets for the minors. Kip Wells allowed 2 runs in his sole inning, while Matt Maloney took that and added 1 to it, allowing 3 in his inning of work.

Joey Votto continues to hit for the Reds, picking up 2 more hits and bringing his not out percentage up to 40.7%. The Reds lone run came in the 5th when Ramon Hernandez scored on a groundout by Orlando Cabrera. Small-ball for the loss!

Boxscore

The Cincinnati Reds traveled to Peoria, Arizona to take on the Seattle Mariners and, for the first time since he left Cincinnati, Ken Griffey Jr.

Despite getting plunked once by Mike Leake, Griffey won the encounter in the dramatic fashion that Reds fans didn’t get to see enough of when he was with the team. With the Reds leading 5-2 in the 9th, Griffey stepped up with the bases loaded and launched one to right-center for the walk-off win.

Of course, this was off Kip Wells, which hopefully demonstrates to the Reds that he’s no longer a viable pitching option. Considering that the manager is veteran-loving Dusty Baker, I’m not holding my breath.

Other than Wells, though, the pitching was outstanding. Mike Leake and Travis Wood continued their no-holds barred battle for the 5th starter spot. Both went 4 innings and allowed only 1 run. I can’t say enough how nice it is to have good pitching options for a change.

On the offensive side, Joey Votto spent the day as the Reds DH, and may, just may, have broken out of his slump. After two walks in the previous game, Votto went 3 for 4, with 2 singles and a home run, and drove in 3. It’s good to see his bat coming around as Opening Day approaches.