Takeaways from Reds Spring Training Loss to Arizona

Today, the Cincinnati Reds faced the Arizona Diamondbacks at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick in Cactus League play. Andrew Abbott received the start for the Reds, while Ryne Nelson got the call for the Diamondbacks. Before everyone panics, keep in mind today’s lineup was missing key pieces that will be regular-season mainstays. Elly De La Cruz, Matt McLain, and Ke’Bryan Hayes were not present for today’s contest. Noelvi Marte, Spencer Steer, and Sal Stewart were also absent. The World Baseball Classic and scheduled days off contributed to today’s lineup woes. TJ Friedl, Will Benson, JJ Bleday, Jose Trevino, and Nathaniel Lowe were in the lineup. The Reds lost today 11-6, to the Diamondbacks. Here are three takeaways from today’s game.

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Production from Regulars

TJ Friedl

Let’s get started with the good from today’s game. Friedl improved his spring average to .306 with two hits on three plate appearances today and was solid in Centerfield. The Reds need a healthy Friedl in their lineup. He is a good leadoff bat when healthy and plays solid defense in Center.

Nathaniel Lowe

Nathaniel Lowe started strongly against Ryne Nelson today in the fourth inning. He hit a solo home run. This marks his third home run this spring for the Reds today. He improved his spring average to .250. The Veteran was added to the roster late this spring. He now has eight RBI in the spring.

JJ Bleday

JJ had his third double of the spring off Diamondbacks starter Ryne Nelson. In the fifth inning, Bleday hit a two-run home run. It was his third of the spring, and making it ten RBI on the spring. Bleday will likely play a significant amount of time in Left Field this season. He has impressed this spring with his bat.

Andrew Abbott struggles yet again

Andrew Abbott threw 76 pitches today as he continues to get stretched out for the regular season. The Diamondbacks wore him out as he only recorded six outs today. Today was his shortest outing of the spring. Abbott gave up eight runs on eight hits, three walks, and a home run. Abbott recorded three strikeouts on the day and threw 43 of his 76 pitches for strikes. His velocity seemed a slight bit slower than his usual. At times, he just seemed frustrated or uncomfortable on the mound. He was unhappy with his landing area for his front foot. He often scuffed up the mound after pitches.

The Cincinnati Reds need the Abbot from 2025. He made 29 starts with a 10-7 record with a 2.87 ERA vs this spring’s 13.85 ERA. Especially with Hunter Greene out for the majority of the first half of the season. It is a huge concern for me that Abbott was not able to get deeper into this game. The regular season is close. To top it all off, he made things worse by committing his own throwing error today. Giving teams extra outs is never good, whether it’s in March or late August.

Rece Hinds

I cannot help but root for this guy. He pinch-hit in the eighth inning today and hit a solo home run to center field. It was his fourth home run of the spring. He now has ten RBI this spring and a .382 batting average for the Reds in Cactus League play.

Summary

As well as the regular bats produced today, they continue to look good. Andrew Abbott has to get things figured out. I was fine with his first two starts and how they went. I figured he would bounce back. But now is a time to be concerned. I fear for his performance. Today was a lineup he should’ve breezed through, perhaps going five innings, instead of the worst start of the spring. It will be interesting to see what moves the Cincinnati Reds make over the next week. They will further trim down their roster. We’ll see who gets a chance at a bench role. We’ll also see who will be moving on to the Minors for more regular playing time.

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