LOVELAND MAGAZINE

News and Events from the Loveland, Ohio Area

Without fear or favor
Since 2004

Tag: spring training

  • Bring Out the Brooms: Reds Take Three From the Diamondbacks

    Bring Out the Brooms: Reds Take Three From the Diamondbacks

    by Chris Ball

    Loveland, Ohio – The Reds completed their sweep of the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday afternoon with a 4-2 win at Great American Ballpark. The victory got Cincinnati back to .500 at 33-33, and came complete with a long ball show from a couple key players.

    Christian Encarnacion Strand hit his fourth home run of the year, and his third in as many games after returning to the lineup. His rocket to center field in the 11th inning in the second game of the series proved to be the game winner, the Reds’ first win in extra innings all season and their first walk-off win. CES’ return to the lineup has appeared to galvanize the Reds’ bats, and he is absolutely leading by example.

    A Red following that example is Matt McLain. Cincinnati’s second baseman also had a very respectable series. He had four hits against Arizona with three runs batted in. On Sunday McLain smashed the game winner: a two run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning. That shot broke a 67 at bat homerless streak

    The Reds are a team in desperate need of a spark. CES’ return to the lineup has all of the hallmarks of being just what this club needs to make a push to climb (and stay) even further above .500. And with Austin Hayes on the cusp of retuning, and Noelvi Marte starting to swing the bat again, the prospect of a fully healthy Cincinnati lineup is closer to becoming a reality.

    Even though ace Hunter Greene may be sidelined for a not insignificant period of time, the other starters in the rotation have been solid. The bullpen has been on lockdown recently. If the bats can score runs consistently and continue to flash some power, then perhaps there is room to hope for the rest of this year.

    But .5oo has been the boogeyman for this team all year. Cincinnati has shown that they can get to that mark, but they’ve struggled mightily to remain there for any length of time. But with key players returning to the lineup, and with some others beginning to play better, perhaps this time will be different.

    Up next for the Reds is another Battle of Ohio series with the Guardians, and this series will tell a lot about just how ready this club is to maintain their winning ways. Cleveland sits at 34-30 and but have lost four of their last six games. Recently re-signed pitcher Wade Miley is set to take the bump for the Reds, and he will face the Guardian’s Luis Ortiz (3-6, 4.02 ERA). The first pitch is at 6:40 on Monday from Cleveland.

    ———

    Hey readers… have an opinion about sports? How about a topic you’d like to see written about in Loveland Magazine or a thought about one of our articles?

    Just need to vent and get out your frustration about the Reds, Bengals, or any other sports issues?

    Feel free to share with an email to lovelandmagazinesports@gmail.com!

    We would love to hear from our readers, and we thank you for your support and engagement.

    Also, don’t forget to follow us at The Loveland Sports Desk at the below links:

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    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.

  • Hunter Greene Hurls Fire But the Reds Fall Short

    Hunter Greene Hurls Fire But the Reds Fall Short

    by Chris Ball

    Loveland, Ohio –

    Though the Reds’ day started with a parade, it ended in frustration. Hunter Greene started things off with some heat, striking out a bevy of Giants. He allowed a 2 run shot to Heliot Ramos in the fourth but overall had a solid day – 5 innings, allowing just 3 hits, and striking out 8.

    After Greene’s exit, 3 members of the Reds bullpen, Barlow, Pagan, and Santillan combined for 3 scoreless relief innings. With Alexis Diaz out due to injury, Reds manager Terry Francona called on Ian Gibaut to try for the save in the top of the ninth.

    After striking out former Red killer Willy Adames, he allowed a walk, two singles and a back breaking 3 run home run to Giants first baseman Wilmer Flores. That put the Giants up 6-3.

    Though TJ Friedl knocked in Jacob Hurtubise for a run in the 9th, the Reds couldn’t manage any more, and fell by a score of 6-4.

    At the dish, Elly De La Cruz had a single and walked, and scored both times he reached base. Jeimer Candelario was the surprise of the day with two singles and three RBIs. Christian Encarnacion Strand had two hits, including a double. Seeing those two Reds swinging the bat so well in game one is extremely satisfying given their injury issues last season.


    (photo courtesy of the Reds on X)

    The big decision of the game that fans are already talking about is Terry Francona’s decision to insert Ian Gibaut into a save situation in the ninth. He was candid about the decision when asked:

    “I don’t know if I’m ever going to check to go see who’s surprised,” Francona said. “What I do is do what I think is right, answer questions and then be confident enough to move on and not run to see how I’m being perceived. I’ll never do that. I’ll always do what I think is right.”

    It’s game one of a very long season and Francona put his faith in a pitcher he thought could throw strikes and get the job done. Gibaut simply didn’t answer the call in this single outing. It’s an unfortunate situation but there’s absolutely no call to make anything bigger about it apart from what it is. Even the best closers blow games, and with Alexis Diaz still recovering, things in the bullpen will be touch and go for a brief period.

    While it’s fair to point out that Gibaut was a non-roster invitee and was one of the last guys to make the team, the true test is whether the next time this situation comes up, Francona and the Reds shown they’re learned something from the situation and avoid making the same mistakes.

    But make no mistake, Hunter Greene started the year throwing absolute gas. He hit 100 several times and had only one walk. He had a 70 percent strike rate, demonstrating that his command was locked in. His pitches were electric and it was a very promising beginning for the Reds ace.

    (Photo courtesy of @pitchprofiler on X)

    It’s a new season, with new lessons, and there’s plenty of time to adjust strategies. The next opportunity comes on Saturday against San Francisco, when Reds left hander Nick Lodolo takes the mound to show his stuff and hopefully following in the footsteps of his fellow Reds who are looking to have a much better 2025 after having significant injury issues last year.

    Featured image courtesy of the Reds on X

    Hey readers… have an opinion about sports? How about a topic you’d like to see written about in Loveland Magazine or a thought about one of our articles?

    Just need to vent and get out your frustration about the Reds, Bengals, or any other sports issues?

    Feel free to share with an email to lovelandmagazinesports@gmail.com!

    We would love to hear from our readers, and we thank you for your support and engagement.

    Also, don’t forget to follow us at The Loveland Sports Desk at the below links:

    For Facebook, click here.

    For X, click here.

    For Instagram, click here. 

    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.

  • The Reds Storm Into Spring Training

    The Reds Storm Into Spring Training

    by Chris Ball

    Loveland, Ohio –

    Reds baseball is back! Yesterday the Reds had split squad action against the Guardians and Brewers. It was great to hear the crack of the bat and have the Cowboy back on the radio call.

    The team didn’t disappoint. One half pulled out a nice 6-3 win over Cleveland. Hunter Greene saw his first action of the year. And while it didn’t go entirely smoothly, that’s to be expected this early. The Reds flamethrower pitched 2 innings and gave up 2 runs. His velocity was in the high 90s and overall it was good to see him take the mound once again.

    The pitchers behind Greene were all solid. Connor Phillips and Ian Gibaut looked particularly good as both are looking to return from injuries. After Hunter’s exit the Reds pitchers combined to allow just 5 hits and 1 run over the final 7 innings.

    Cincinnati has allocated quite a bit of its resources into their pitching staff. And seeing some of that investment show good returns is very promising. After suffering so many injuries to their starters and those in the bullpen last season, the more quality arms they can trot out will make all the difference in 2025.

    But the story of the day was, as always, Elly De La Cruz. 44 went deep twice, once from each side of the plate. He looks to be in mid season form already as they were both no-doubt shots (each was over 100 MPH exit velocity with the longest measured at 450 feet). If Elly starts this year swinging the bat well, it could very well lead to a hot start for this club.

    Though they were a combined 1-4, Christian Encarnacion Strand and Matt McLain had good days. This spring marks their first real MLB action since the fall leagues last year. They, too are looking to bounce back after significant injuries. CES had a single and McLain’s two outs were extremely well hit balls.

    The game against the Brewers was an interesting one. It ended on an 8-7 Milwaukee victory via a Vinny Capra walk-off 3-run homer. But there was plenty of positives to take away from this one.

    In his first game as a Red, Gavin Lux had 2 hits and 3 RBIs. Santiago Espinal continued his scorching pace from last season with a home run of his own. While he may not be projected to be an everyday player, Espinal may not give the Reds much choice if he continues to swing such a hot bat.

    On the hill, Graham Ashcraft threw two scoreless innings. He’s still trying to find his place on Cincinnati’s pitching staff so every outing for him this spring will be extremely important.

    And the Reds continue their spring charge today. They take on the San Francisco Giants at 3:05. Nick Martinez will take the mound. The do-it-all starter/reliever signed a one-year, $21.05 million deal for 2025 and looks to continue to answer the call for the Reds this year. He was one of the team’s most reliable arms last year, going 10-7 with a 3.10 ERA in 142.1 innings. Martinez will face the Giants’ Logan Webb (13-10, 3.47 ERA in 2024).

    Hey readers… have an opinion about sports? How about a topic you’d like to see written about in Loveland Magazine or a thought about one of our articles?

    Just need to vent and get out your frustration about the Reds, Bengals, or any other sports issues?

    Feel free to share with an email to lovelandmagazinesports@gmail.com!

    We would love to hear from our readers, and we thank you for your support and engagement.

    Also, don’t forget to follow us at The Loveland Sports Desk at the below links:

    For Facebook, click here.

    For X, click here.

    For Instagram, click here. 

    Christopher Ball is a longtime Loveland resident and an attorney. He graduated from Loveland High School in 2003 and was a member of the football team before going on to become a coach’s assistant at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. He has been following and rooting for the Reds and Bengals since the early 1990s and has been through the many ups and downs that fandom has wrought over the years.