Notes: Strop seeking flow; Miley quick work

CINCINNATI -- Reds reliever Pedro Strop threw on his own in the Dominican Republic during the quarantine, but he did not have hitters step in against him. Through two outings in scrimmages, Strop has been working on getting sharp again.

But facing teammates has been more difficult for the right-hander.

“I mean, body-wise, I feel really good, I just need to get a couple of things, like game-feel, like getting real hitters to the plate,” Strop said on Monday, before tossing a scoreless inning with a strikeout in his third scrimmage appearance. “Sometimes when you play against your teammates, there's stuff you're going to miss. Sometimes, me personally, I'm afraid to go inside to one of my teammates. I'm pretty sure when we have our first game against Detroit, I'll want to be able to execute my pitches inside so that way I can use the outside of the plate with my sliders and all that.”

Strop is trying to find his rhythm and command, specifically.

“I think the past two outings, I felt I was too quick to the plate, and I wasn’t able to command my fastball as well as I command it,” he said. “And my slider, I wasn’t able to command it for a strike, either. That’s my No. 1 and No. 2 pitches that I command.”

Strop, 35, will receive the pro-rated amount of the $1.825 million contract he signed with Cincinnati on Feb. 5, and he is expected to be big part of the back end of the bullpen.

While battling injuries to his hamstring and neck in 2019, Strop endured the worst season of his career. He was 2-5 with a 4.97 ERA over 50 appearances (41 2/3 innings) with the Cubs, but he was healthy in Spring Training with the Reds while posting a 2.25 ERA in four appearances until COVID-19 halted camp.

One of five free agents the Reds added, the stoppage of baseball could have been an issue for new teammates trying to bond, but not for the gregarious Strop.

“It hasn’t been that hard, because I was playing in the same division for a long time. Basically, I pretty much know everybody from faces and names,” Strop said. “It was just new in the beginning to get into the same clubhouse, but the boys have made it really easy to me to make that transition. We have a really good group, and I think I’m used to it already.”

Miley works quickly
During his first scrimmage start on Sunday, left-handed starter Wade Miley was scheduled for two innings but worked three scoreless frames. That was because he had some quick innings, including the second inning that he ended by inducing a Freddy Galvis ground-ball double-play.

“I felt fine, felt good,” Miley said on Monday. “I was a little quick early. But I’ve got a couple more [outings] to iron everything out. The ball’s coming out good. I’m a little off on some locations, but the action is there. I’m excited to get going.”

Cincinnati signed Miley to a two-year, $15 million contract in December, and he is the No. 4 starter in the rotation with Sonny Gray, Luis Castillo, Trevor Bauer and Anthony DeSclafani.

Miley doesn’t waste moments on the mound. Last season with the Astros, according to Fangraphs.com, he was first in the Majors for pace of play with an average of 19.6 seconds between pitches. Castillo was second at 21.3 seconds.

Roster to be set soon
Had this been a normal Spring Training, the Reds would have made cuts by now to get closer to their Opening Day roster. The club has 57 in its player pool, and it needs to get to 30 players for the July 24 opener vs. the Tigers.

“There's still a lot of outstanding questions that have to be answered,” Bell said. “I would anticipate that we roll into next week at this time, we're going to be really close to having our team set, just because Opening Day is just a few days later. At least everyone will know their situation. We may need more players to get through the exhibition games or more pitchers or whatever.”

Injury report
• Reliever Robert Stephenson has yet to appear in a scrimmage after he missed time with a sore right wrist. But Stephenson was able to throw to hitters in live batting practice at Prasco Park on Sunday.

• Non-roster reliever Tyler Thornburg complained of a sore right elbow, and he was examined by doctors. Thornburg was deemed OK and cleared to resume throwing.