Votto leads Reds offense vs. Angels
GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Joey Votto hit his first home run of the spring and added a bunt single and sacrifice fly Monday afternoon as the Reds rolled for an 8-5 victory over a split-squad Angels team.
Votto has been putting in extra work on his bunting and it showed in the first inning. With two outs and no one on, he tried bunting for a hit in his second straight game. This time it worked for a single toward the pitcher. It helped manufacture the game's first run as Brandon Phillips walked and Jay Bruce drove in Votto with an RBI single to right field. Bruce later dropped his own bunt single in the bottom of the third inning.
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Angels fifth starter candidate Matt Shoemaker was roughed up for six earned runs and 10 hits over his three innings, including three homers. Leading off the Reds' second inning, Adam Duvall hit an 0-2 pitch for a homer to right-center field to make it a 3-0 game.
In the four-run bottom of the third inning, Jordan Pacheco and Votto hit back-to-back homers off Shoemaker. Votto's was a towering drive that landed on the patio roof above the right-field wall.
Reds prospect and rotation candidate Cody Reed pitched three scoreless innings with two broken-bat singles and one strikeout in his second game, but first start of spring.
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"We probably hit 15, 16 balls right on the screws," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "We hit some balls out of the ballpark, a lot of extra-base hits, hard contact throughout the game. With Reed dealing like that, putting some runs on the board early like that was nice."
Los Angeles got on the scoreboard against reliever Tim Adelman in the top of the fourth when Jefry Marte slugged a three-run homer to left field on a 2-0 pitch. Votto's sacrifice fly to center field in the bottom of the fourth off Greg Mahle got one of the runs back.
Angels Up Next:Garrett Richards makes his second Cactus League start, opposite lefty Robbie Ray, when the Angels travel to Salt River Fields to face the D-backs on Tuesday. Game time is 3:10 p.m. PT. Richards, who will probably be the Opening Day starter, gave up a couple of runs in his second and final inning during his Cactus League debut five days earlier.
Reds Up Next: Third baseman Eugenio Suarez is 5-for-8 with a home run through his first four games as he works to replace departed All-Star Todd Frazier. Suarez will be back in the lineup Tuesday when the Reds face the Giants at 9:05 p.m. ET in Scottsdale. Brandon Phillips and top prospectJesse Winker will also be starting in the game. The starting pitcher will be Anthony DeSclafani.