Cincinnati Reds: Chase Petty discusses his strong outing vs. Los Angeles Dodgers
Chase Petty pitched three innings of one-run ball against a first-choice Los Angeles Dodgers lineup.
The Cincinnati Reds promoted star prospect pitcher Chase Petty and utility man Tyler Callihan, and both are being tossed straight into battle.
There’s real excitement around Petty’s debut start with the Reds in Game Two of a doubleheader against the St. Louis Cardinals after he impressed this spring with Triple-A Louisville following an equally impressive spring training in Arizona.
Petty tossed six shutout innings April 23 against the Iowa Cubs, allowing just one hit with two walks and seven strikeouts.
Petty ranks No. 6 among MLB’s Top 100 prospects, according to MLB Pipeline.
Chase Petty spring training highlights
Petty’s spring training was highlighted by a three-inning start in which he out-shined Los Angeles Dodgers star pitcher, Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Petty’s start at Camelback Ranch in that March 4 game against a mostly “A-list” Dodgers lineup also stole some of the shine from Roki Sasaki’s debut appearance on U.S. soil after the Dodgers acquired the Japanese player in the offseason.
Petty was added to the Reds’ Taxi Squad for the doubleheader against the Cardinals. He helped announce his promotion late Wednesday by reposting about it on Instagram.
“We think a lot of this kid. Also, it’s his day to pitch, which always helps,” Reds manager Terry Francona said prior to the doubleheader. “We loved him (in spring). He’s a young kid with a really bright future. Whatever happens today − we obviously hope he helps us win a game today − but regardless of how today goes, it’s not gonna define his future. But we do think the present is kind of exciting. I know in our meeting this morning, we’ve kind of revved up to watch him pitch.”
What to know about Tyler Callihan
Callihan, 24, is a versatile player defensively, and was immediately thrust into the Reds’ lineup for the first game of a double-header against the St. Louis Cardinals. In 24 games with Triple-A Louisville, Callihan hit .303 with 27 hits, four of which were home runs.
“He’s been doing really well in Triple-A. We can move him around in the field, which helps,” Francona said. “Another great kid. We’ll play him in the first game. They’ve got a lefty going the next couple days so he’ll probably be on the bench but kind of excited to see if he can help us win a few days.”
Callihan was called up in relation to Jeimer Candelario’s lumbar spine strain injury, which he reported to team officials in recent days and received an MRI for. He was subsequently placed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to April 28).
Callihan said Louisville Bats manager Pat Kelly informed he and Petty about their promotions in the same meeting in Kelly’s office.
“Walked in his office and (Kelly) said, ‘you’re not gonna be in the lineup tonight. You’re going to Cincinnati,'” Callihan said. “It’s fun.”
Austin Hays trying to avoid IL stint
Austin Hays was scheduled to sit for Game Two of the Reds-Cardinals series before it was rained out, but the MRI Hays received on what Francona originally described as a “tender” left hamstring did reveal some inflammation.
Hays reported to team officials that his symptoms aren’t terrible, Francona said, and the team is trying to see if it can keep Hays’ hot bat off the injured list.
Since debuting April 15, Hays is hitting .365 with five home runs and 13 RBI. He’s contributed much to the Reds’ April, which will end with a winning record regardless of how the doubleheader against the Cardinals goals.
“We’re trying to buy some time there because, obviously, (Hays’) bat is huge in our lineup,” Francona said. “We don’t want to hurt him but he feels good enough that we want to let him at least explore maybe not going on the IL, so we’re trying to manage that.”
Hays wasn’t available in the Reds clubhouse prior to the doubleheader.
(This story was updated to add a photo gallery.)