GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- This year’s ascension of FC Cincinnati to Major League Soccer wasn’t the catalyst, but there are elements of the “beautiful game” that Reds pitchers find useful on “the pitch” during drills this spring.
A few times during camp, including on Saturday, the pitchers have staged soccer games on one of the fields, and it proved to be spirited action.
“It was obviously a form of cardio for us pitchers,” Reds reliever David Hernandez said on Sunday. “It gets kind of boring running your standard foul poles, and all that stuff. I like what we’ve got going. If anything, it will help us be more ready for the season.”
Throughout Spring Training, the Reds coaching staff has organized some creative work for sharpening skills. There have been pitchers taking ground balls around the infield -- a drill that’s akin to suicides normally seen in basketball practice, and much more.
“Everybody gets worried about people getting hurt when you play football, basketball, soccer or any of the other sports,” reliever Jared Hughes said. “But in the same sense, if you stop playing anything else, and all you do is throw a ball as a pitcher, you become less athletic and, therefore, increase the chance for injury on the mound. What we’re trying to do is keep our athleticism as pitchers so when we do have to field a ball, or make a more awkward throw, we still have that athleticism to pull from so we can stay healthy.”
Hughes mostly played goalie for his side and admitted he wasn’t the best soccer player. He thought he gained from trying it, however.
“I do feel quicker and more athletic,” Hughes said. “We’re doing more agility work as well. I think it can only help. I’ve been a pitcher since I was 14 years old. There is a lot of athleticism I missed out on.”
Reds manager David Bell has encouraged more enjoyable activities that achieve the same goals as the old-school drills.
“I was out there with them for a while. They were having great fun, and they were working,” Bell said. “They didn’t realize it because they were having so much fun, but they got a lot of work in. It’s good for the athleticism. We don’t want to be afraid to do things we think will benefit them.”
Who were some of the better soccer players among the Reds?
“I think [Vladimir] Gutierrez was the best and [Matt] Bowman was pretty quick,” Hughes said. “But [Jimmy] Herget had five goals, and he was the last guy picked. He was ‘Mr. Irrelevant’ and he had five goals.”
Hughes wouldn’t mind seeing the Reds invite players from FC Cincinnati to visit Great American Ball Park during the regular season.
“I would love that,” he said. “I think a lot of us would love that. If we ever do this soccer conditioning drill, we could have them out there and show us how the game is actually played. No. 1, we could learn a lot, and then also be humbled quickly.”
Roark racks up some K's
Reds starting pitcher Tanner Roark pitched a spring-high four innings in Sunday’s 3-2 loss to the D-backs. Roark allowed three earned runs and four hits with one walk and six strikeouts. But he retired nine of his first 10 batters, and struck out the side in the first inning.
“I just ran out of a little gas, which is good every now and then to notice that,” Roark said. “I noticed that I was doing it by the way I was following through on my pitches. Good to notice it earlier, just harder to correct. You just have to step back and refocus on what you’re trying to do. I didn’t do that.”
Following a leadoff walk to Abraham Almonte, Yasmany Tomas hit a single off the left-field wall. Caleb Joseph then lifted a 2-0 pitch for a three-run home run to left field. Until the fourth inning, when his pitches started to elevate, Roark felt the best he’s felt in camp and garnered a lot of whiffs.
“I’m not a huge swing-and-miss guy,” said Roark, normally a ground-ball pitcher. “I’m going to build off that and build off the positives. Just keep getting strike one, attacking the zone and making them feel uncomfortable at the plate. That’s the name of the game.”
Worth noting
The Reds revealed they signed all their players with 0-3 years of service time to one-year contracts. Only one player -- infielder Blake Trahan -- was given a renewal on his contract, which means he was signed at the club’s desired price after negotiations failed to produce a deal.
Up next
When the Reds face the Indians at 4:05 p.m. ET Monday at Goodyear Ballpark, Anthony DeSclafani will make the start. Reliever Michael Lorenzen is also scheduled to pitch an inning in relief before moving to center field for a couple of innings.