Garrett debuts in 9th, strikes out side

It might not have been a save situation, but Amir Garrett pitched like the closer that the Reds are looking for in the ninth inning of Cincinnati’s 4-1 loss to the Brewers on Saturday night at Goodyear Ballpark.

Making his first appearance of the 2021 Cactus League slate, Garrett struck out the side with 12 of his 15 pitches going for strikes. The left forearm tightness that impeded Garrett for much of the spring did not appear to be an issue, and manager David Bell declared the reliever to be “completely healthy” following the game.

“You want to make a statement from the jump,” said Garrett. “I woke up today and I said, ‘Today is either gonna go really well or really bad.’ That's what I thought in my head, the first outing. And I'm glad it went really well.”

In spring, when reliever roles are mostly nebulous and game situations tend to have little bearing on when they pitch, it’s hard to disregard the deliberate choice to have Garrett pitch the ninth. That decision belonged to Bell, who was impressed with what Garrett showed him.

“I think his first time out, it couldn’t have gone any better,” said Bell. “That was really, really good. You don’t know for sure, as good as he is, you don’t know what to expect when a guy’s been injured, and the first time out in Spring Training -- and it is Spring Training. He was as good as I’ve ever seen him, and that’s saying a whole lot. Velocity, the breaking ball -- he was just dominating.”

Garrett was particularly pleased with the efficacy of his slider, the pitch upon which he relies most heavily.

“I felt really good on that pitch,” said Garrett. “I was able to get through it and was able to break it off how I wanted, and the outcomes were swings and misses, which are great.”

Entering his fifth season with the Reds, Garrett, 28, has firmly entrenched himself as a major part of the club’s relief corps, and he’s made it clear how interested he is in being named closer. He’s currently in the mix for the spot along with Sean Doolittle, who’s had a spotty spring so far, and Lucas Sims, who threw in an intrasquad game Saturday after dealing with injuries of his own.

• Sims 'ready to roll' following first outing

In a career-best 2020 season, Garrett had a 2.45 ERA in 21 relief appearances, striking out 26 batters with a 0.93 WHIP in 18 1/3 innings pitched while also recording his first -- and so far only -- career save Sept. 15 against the Pirates.

With less than two weeks to go until Opening Day, Garrett is confident that he has more than enough time to get ready. He’ll get a few more spring outings under his belt, with his next appearance likely to come Tuesday against the Padres in Peoria, Ariz.

“Two weeks is plenty of time to get ready for a reliever,” said Garrett. “If I was a starter, then it would be no way for me. But two weeks, that's no problem. I'll be ready Opening Day, no doubt about it.”