Inside The Reds

Cincinnati Reds Announce Pitchers For Split-Squad Games on Saturday

The Reds first Spring Training games are on Saturday. They play split-squad contests against the Guardians and Brewers.

Alex Frank

Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hunter Greene (21) throws a bullpen session at the Cincinnati Reds Player Development Complex in Goodyear, Ariz., on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025.
Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hunter Greene (21) throws a bullpen session at the Cincinnati Reds Player Development Complex in Goodyear, Ariz., on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025. / Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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CINCINNATI -- The Cincinnati Reds are set to open their Spring Training game schedule on Saturday. The Reds will play split-squad games with a home game against the Cleveland Guardians at Goodyear Ballpark and a road game at the Milwuakee Brewers in Maryvale, a community in Phoenix.

Split squad games are exclusive to Spring Training. Clubs are divided into two groups within the overall team, with one group playing a game at their home ball park and the other group playing a game on the road.

Reds manager Terry Francona announced earlier today he will be going to Maryvale on Saturday for that group's game against Milwaukee.

Here's a rundown of which pitchers are going to play at Goodyear and Maryvale on Saturday:

Goodyear against Cleveland: Hunter Greene, Ian Gibaut, Connor Phillips, Taylor Rogers, Bryan Shaw and Lenny Torres Jr.

Maryvale vs Milwaukee: Graham Ashcraft, Luis Mey, Chase Petty, Lyon Richardson, Alex Young, and Yosver Zulueta

Greene will be getting the start for the Reds split squad at home against Cleveland. He's coming off a solid season in 2024 where he compiled a 9-5 record with a a 2.75 ERA and 169 strikeouts in 26 starts.

Ashcraft, meanwhile, will be getting the road start in Maryvale. Ashcraft is coming off an injury-plagued 2024 season, a season where he was also demoted to Triple A twice after going just 5-5 with a 5.24 ERA.

There has been speculation that Ashcraft could move to the bullpen this season, but he's also competing for a spot in the starting rotation. Ashcraft said two of his focuses this offseason were developing a curveball and improving his changeup, and another key for him is having more options the third time through an opposing team's lineup.

"It’s about having pitches that get the swing and miss and allowing my stuff to play better," Ashcraft told Charlie Goldsmith earlier this spring. "Allow the fastball to play to what it can be. It’s a ground ball pitch right now. I know that with the stuff that we have now, it can end up being a swing-and-miss pitch."

Saturday's game in Goodyear against Cleveland gets underway at 3:05 E.T., while the game in Maryvale gets underway at 3:10 E.T. The game in Goodyear can be heard on 700WLW in Cincinnati and the Guardians broadcast will be on MLB.TV.

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Alex Frank
ALEX FRANK

Alex Frank brings his passion for Reds Baseball and sports media to Reds On SI. With a commitment to original, detailed and accurate reporting and inside, Alex keeps Reds fans informed with the latest breaking news and other information fans need to know about their favorite team. Alex has years of experience, covering the NFL, NCAA and more for a plethora of outlets including SB Nation, CLNS Media, Associated Press, The Wright Way Sports Network, Chatterbox Sports and The Front Office News. While a student at the University of Cincinnati, Alex served as Bearcast Media's Sports Director for three years while hosting weekly talk shows and podcasts and broadcasting Bearcats Football and Men's Basketball games.

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