In the world of spring training, Matt McLain is making quite the statement. On Wednesday, he continued his hot streak with three hits, including his fifth home run of the spring, leading the Cincinnati Reds to a 6-3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers in Arizona.
Game Highlights
The Brewers struck first against Reds' starter Andrew Abbott. After walking Andrew Vaughn, Abbott surrendered a two-run homer to Gary Sanchez, putting Milwaukee up 2-0 early.
However, the Reds quickly responded. Matt McLain launched a solo shot in the bottom of the first, his team-leading fifth homer, cutting the deficit in half.
The second inning saw Noelvi Marte and Jose Trevino each go deep, with back-to-back homers giving Cincinnati a 3-2 lead.
The Reds kept the momentum going in the third inning. McLain led off with an infield single, and after two strikeouts, Dane Myers walked to keep the inning alive. Noelvi Marte stepped up again, delivering a clutch double that brought in two more runs, extending the Reds' lead to 5-2.
Milwaukee managed to claw back a run in the sixth inning. Tony Santillan, after inducing a double play, left a fastball over the plate that Reese McGuire sent 470 feet for a solo homer, making it 5-3.
Cincinnati added insurance in the eighth. Carlos Sanchez and Austin Hendrick hit consecutive doubles, and Shane Sasaki's grounder-misplayed by the third baseman-was scored as a double, pushing the score to 6-3.
Zach Maxwell took the mound in the ninth, navigating around a one-out single to secure the win for the Reds.
News and Notes
Andrew Abbott's outing spanned 3.2 innings, where he allowed six hits, two walks, and struck out five, giving up two earned runs. He threw 69 pitches, 42 of which were strikes.
Matt McLain is on fire, going 3-3 with a homer and boasting a .607 average this spring, with five homers, five walks, and only two strikeouts in 33 plate appearances.
Noelvi Marte also impressed, going 2-3 with a double, a homer, and three RBIs.
The Reds' bullpen was solid, with Emilio Pagan, Graham Ashcraft, Sam Moll, and Zach Maxwell each pitching a scoreless inning.
Looking ahead, Cincinnati will travel to face the Los Angeles Dodgers on Thursday night. The game, scheduled for a 6:05 PM ET start, will be available on MLB.tv via the Dodgers' broadcast. Reds' pitchers Nick Lodolo, Brock Burke, Tejay Antone, Yunior Marte, and Anthony Misiewicz are expected to take the mound.