Reds Beat: Rhett Lowder Caught In Traffic, Drives Up Pitch Count, Playing It Smart With Chase Burns, The (Freaking) Phenomenal Feet of Ke’Bryan Hayes

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — Saturday was a day for Rhett Lowder to work himself out trouble, even if it was almost entirely his own doing.

After working around a one-out single and walk to post a scoreless first, the second inning was not a thing of beauty for Lowder or the Reds defense. Michael Helman opened with an infield single to second. Lowder committed the first of his two errors in the frame, making a bad pickoff throw that Nathaniel Lowe couldn’t handle. He made another bad pickoff throw to try and pick off Helman at second, allowing Helman to score all the way from second base as the ball rolled slowly into the outfield.

Compounding the problem, JJ Bleday threw wildly to second and the ball got away, allowing a runner to reach third. Bleday would later make a nice running grab on the warning track in right to end the third.

In the end, Lowder worked all four pitches – led by his sinker – to toss 76 pitches and 44 strikes on a day when he walked four and struck out four, allowing four hits, two runs (one earned) in 3 1/3 innings as the Reds rallied to beat the Rangers, 4-3, before 4,034 at Goodyear Ballpark.

“He got up to 76, which that part’s really good, but he had to pitch,” Francona said of Lowder’s laboring in the 91 degree heat. “We had guys up early (in bullpen). That’s why, when people ask me about six-man rotations, that’s the best example, right there. If that happens first week of the season and you’re looking at finishing six innings, it just doesn’t work. But I think he’s fine. He just didn’t locate quite like he needed to.”

“Definitely just a grind from the jump,” Lowder said. “Never really got in a flow. But that was good. I managed traffic for the most part. There’s a couple things that should have done better, but one of those days, for sure. I mean, they’re not all going to be easy. You’re going to have to manage traffic. You’re going to have to just pitch with guys on and and stuff’s going to happen. Hits are going to like fall. You’re gonna have to deal with it. So, I mean, it’s gonna happen, so it’s good to get some practice with it.”

After five starts, Lowder feels strong and ready and hopeful for a spot on the 26-man roster to break camp next week.

“I feel good, feel good,” Lowder said. “Pitch count got up there. Wish I could have got another out, but still, pitch counts probably more important anyway, and it’s climbing, and I feel good, feel strong.

“I’ve said it plenty of times like, no matter what happens, I want to be the best pitcher I can be, no matter what. So I want to be the best version of myself, and got to keep working. I feel good physically, mentally. I think this game is a mental game no matter what. So if it’s not one thing, it’s another. You gotta be strong no matter what.”

Before Saturday’s game, manager Terry Francona raved about the sweet swing of JJ Bleday. That swing was on display with one out in the home second as his liner found grass down the right field line for a double. Bleday had his sights set on third and made the turn at second without hesitating but a perfect relay throw from second baseman Cameron Cauley to third baseman Jonah Bride caught Bleday on the foot as he slid head-first into third. Third base umpire Louie Krupa called Bleday out.

The leadoff out would prove costly as Rece Hinds followed with a single and P.J. Higgins walked. Michael Chavis grounded back to the pitcher to end the frame.

The offensive hero for the regulars Saturday was Jose Trevino, with a solo homer in the fourth and a leadoff double in the sixth. Trevino, who finished 2-for-3, has had a nice a spring with a .320 average in 10 games.

Emilio Pagan had a scoreless fifth while Tony Santillan gave up one run on three hits. Sam Moll pitched a scoreless seventh.

The minor leaguers led an eighth inning, three-run rally as Michael Toglia put the Reds ahead with an opposite-field two-run homer to right with one out in the eighth. Alfredo Alcantara started the rally with a one-out double and Carlos Jorge tripled him home.

Terry Francona expanded a bit more on the two-inning stint Friday by Chase Burns, who is still competing for a spot in the big league rotation. On Friday after Burns threw just 24 pitches (17 strikes) in two scoreless innings, Francona said they were following the suggestion of pitching Derek Johnson to “de-load” or lessen the work load of the right hander. Francona explained in further detail what that meant.

“We just wanted to (be sure) he’s okay. So he’s really young, and doesn’t have a ton of experience, even like with routines,” Francona said. “So DJ and the medical people want to try to get him on this routine, to keep his range of motion, because that’s really important with pitchers. Obviously, (with) pitch counts. We all talk about them. I think they can be a little cosmetic. And one day his range of motion was little less. So we’re like, ‘Okay, we’re nipping this in the bud right now,’ and we didn’t want to go out and throw five innings on top of it. So what will happen is he’ll go out next to outing and get re-stretched. My guess is – and we’re not making our club (roster yet) – but his first start in a regular season, it might be an inning shorter than maybe it would normally be. That’s the extent of it.”

2025 Golden Glover Ke’Bryan Hayes may only be hitting .208 this spring in 10 games but he’s batting a perfect 1.000 in the field, handling all 15 chances perfectly, including several of the difficult variety. He’s made three putouts and throw accurately on 12 grounders. With so much focus on the health of Elly De La Cruz’s legs this spring, Francona reminded everyone of the best fielding feet on the team.

“You look at you look at Hayes, at third. Everybody talks about his hands. His hands are fantastic. His feet are (f–king) phenomenal. Like, there’s a reason they work like that together. It’s like poetry. Like, it’s fun watching it, even when he takes ground balls, like, Damn, like, you don’t ever seem to see him get a bad bounce.”

Right-hander Lyon Richardson was re-assigned to minor league camp Saturday.

OF Dane Myers was sick again Saturday, missing his second straight day.