Day Two in the Desert

Well, I guess that's sort of deceiving. Yes, Phoenix is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Travel anywhere outside of the suburbs here, and you are in the middle of the desert. Nonetheless, it couldn't be more beautiful out here. Kind of cold yesterday, with 35 mph winds, but hardly a cloud in the sky.

Goodyear Ballpark

Homer readies for a pitch in the first inning

Not much to write home about from Monday, as the Brewers thumped the Reds, 15-2. Pitching wise, we'll start with Homer Bailey. I've always been enamored with Homer's potential; I guess I got sucked into all that hype when he was brought up a few years ago. I can remember the billboard the city put up the day he made his first ever start. It's safe to say he has been a disappointment thus far in his career. I can't help but dream when I see him still throwing 96 in the 6th and 7th inning. He puts together those starts every once in a while that make you think he can be an ace. Like when he dominated the Cardinals for 7 innings two years ago, or the end of the 2009 season when he was essentially unhittable. He was very good last year after the All Star Break, too. This season is a make or break one for Bailey. The Reds have the kind of pitching depth where Bailey has become a luxury if he pans out, not a necessity. If he does develop, then they have a potential ace. If he doesn't, then he's trade bait. Homer looked like he could be someone else's problem, the way he pitched yesterday. He gave up four runs on six hits in 2 2/3, and two of the runs scored after he left. He walked none and struck out three. Yes, the wind was blowing out, which makes it difficult to pitch, but it really sounded like the Brewers were making solid contact off of him. And solid base hits have nothing to do with the wind.

Aroldis Chapman and his triple digit heater

As for the rest of the staff, well, they weren't much better either. Jeremy Horst allowed Homer's other runs to score when he entered to get an out in the third inning. Mike Leake was absolutely terrible following those two. He gave up hits to the first four hitters, and nine hits overall. The Brewers would go on to score four runs in three innings against Leake. Following him, Bill Bray looked like a train wreck. He gave up seven runs on six hits in 2/3 of an inning, which included a pair of homers, one that almost took out a guy's laptop in the right field pavilion. Logan Ondrusek relieved him to get out of the inning, while Nick Masset and Aroldis Chapman both looked solid in their respective inning of work to round it out.

Votto swings through a pitch in the first

The offense wasn't much better for the Reds. None of the regulars, other than Paul Janish, looked good. Joey Votto and Drew Stubbs both struck out twice, and didn't look good doing it. Of course, much of that credit must be given to Yovani Gallardo of the Brewers, who is an excellent starter, and would be an unquestioned ace for many teams that didn't have Zack Greinke. Back to Janish though, who had another solid two hit day. Of course, one of those hits was an infield pop up that fell in due to the wind. The other was a solid single that sounded good coming off the bat. Janish is hitting .357 right now, and I have been extremely impressed with him. Look for him, and not Edgar Renteria, to be the starting shortstop come Opening Day. Dave Sappelt continued his torrent hitting, blasting his second homer of the spring, and singling in his other at bat. If this kid doesn't make the roster, I'll be disappointed. How can you turn down a kid that is hitting .533?? First round draft pick Yasmani Grandal doubled in a run in the 9th to round out the offense for the day.

Today I head to Surprise, Arizona to check out the Reds at the Royals. Left hander Travis Wood gets the start, with Matt Maloney, Dontrelle Willis, and Sam LeCure to follow. I'm interested to see all of these guys, each for individual reasons. I hope Wood looks better than Bailey and Leake, because he is almost a lock to make the rotation if they both continue to pitch badly. Plus, with Leake looking terrible, that opens the door for Maloney or LeCure to be the long man in the back of the bullpen. Personally, I like Maloney because he is a lefty, and could be used situationally. And, the battle for the other lefty in the pen, other than Chapman, is still up in the air, so if Dontrelle continues to pitch light out, he will be up in Cincinnati come March 31st. Let's hope for a better result against Kansas City!