RELATED: Gennett reflects on historic night
Manager Bryan Price had hoped to give Cingrani what he called a “soft landing,” using the reliever in a low-stress situation. Protecting a 12-run lead is about as stress-free as can be hoped for.
“His arm was live,” Price said. “I just like seeing if his arm was working well. The way his fastball was jumping last night gives me confidence.”
Encouraging efforts: Left-handed pitcher Brandon Finnegan threw 2 1/3 innings in what Price called a "camp game" in Goodyear, Arizona as he continues his comeback from strained left shoulder muscle.
“We had good reports on how he threw and how he felt,” Price said. “He had a good slider. He threw strikes, and he came out of it well.”
Finnegan has been on the 10-day disabled list since April 16. His next stop is a side session with a full-season club.
Meanwhile, catcher Stuart Turner went 2-for-4 as a designated hitter for Louisville on Tuesday, pushing his average to .318 with two runs batted in six games of his rehab assignment. Turner, placed on the 10-day disabled list on May 20 with a hamstring injury, was a Rule 5 draft pick out of the Minnesota farm system last December. When healthy, he must be on the active major-league roster or be offered back to the Twins. If the Twins decline, Turner still must clear waivers before being sent to the minor leagues.
Also, Double-A Pensacola will be the team for which Homer Bailey pitches Friday in the first outing of his rehab assignment, the next step in his comeback from February surgery to remove bone spurs from his right elbow. Bailey, who hasn’t pitched all season, is scheduled to go three innings.
College bound: Former Waynesville High School pitcher-outfielder Hunt Doepel was among 14 high school baseball players from the P&G Cincinnati MLB Youth Academy who have signed letters of intent to continue their careers in college and were introduced during a Great American Ball Park press conference before Wednesday's game.
Doepel, who will attend Edison State Community College, volunteered at the academy, part of the Reds and Major League Baseball’s Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities project.
“For me, it gave me a sense of purpose,” said Doepel, who plans to major in either nursing or communications.
When his turn came to be introduced by Reds television broadcaster George Grande, Doepel identified former Reds third baseman Todd Frazier as his favorite player.
Say goodbye: Reds right-hander Scott Feldman (4-4, 4.52 earned-run average) and former Reds right-hander Mike Leake (5-4, 2.64) will meet in Thursday's 12:35 p.m. series finale, also the finale of Cincinnati's seven-game home stand. Feldman allowed four hits over six shutout innings of an 8-0 Reds win at St. Louis on April 9. Leake is 0-3 with a 4.95 ERA in six career starts against the Reds, and he's yielded nine runs over his last two starts after giving up a total of 13 through his first nine.
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