Reds put Suarez, Schebler on disabled list

Both players out after being hit by pitches

A bleak beginning to the 2018 season for the Cincinnati Reds took a dark turn Sunday in Pittsburgh when Eugenio Suarez was hit by a pitch on the right hand and suffered a broken thumb.

It was the kind of news that made a 2-6 start look less important. Losing their starting third baseman, who signed a seven-year contract extension in March, for any length of time will hurt a team struggling to score. After recording one hit in a 5-0 loss to the Pirates, the Reds ranked 28th out of 30 teams in baseball in runs scored (25).

» SPORTS TODAY: Reds’ start goes from bad to worse

On Monday, before the start of a three-game series on the road against the Philadelphia Phillies, the Reds put Suarez on the 10-day disabled list and promoted third baseman Alex Blandino from Triple-A Louisville.

Blandino, 25, was the Reds’ first-round pick in the 2014 draft. He’s a career .261 hitter in the minor leagues and was hitless in eight at-bats in three games for Louisville. When he plays for the Reds, it will be his big-league debut.

Blandino was not in the lineup Monday. The start went to Cliff Pennington, who has played third base 47 times in 960 big-league appearances.

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The Reds made two other moves, placing outfielder Scott Schebler on the 10-day disabled list with a right ulnar nerve contusion and recalling right-handed pitcher Zack Weiss.

Schebler has not played since being hit by a pitch in the third game of the season April 1, and the roster move including him was retroactive to Friday. Weiss, who will also make his big-league debut when he pitches, was on the Opening Day roster but was sent to Louisville on March 31 when the Reds signed veteran pitcher Yovani Gallardo.


TUESDAY’S GAME

Reds at Phillies, 7:05 p.m., FS Ohio, 700, 1410

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