Reds Bullpen Competition Takes Center Stage in Loss to Mariners

CINCINNATI – The Reds bullpen struggled in their 14-8 loss to Seattle. Four relievers who struggled are fighting for the final two possible spots on the opening-day roster: Connor Phillips, Lyon Richardson, Zach Maxwell, and Luis Mey.

Connor Phillips allowed three runs on two hits with three walks in 2/3 of an inning on Sunday. After a Cal Raleigh pop-out, Julio Rodriguez singled. Phillips then got Josh Naylor out on a line out to right fielder Rece Hinds to get the second out. He then walked Randy Arozarena, Dominic Canzone singled to score a run. Phillips walked Michael Arroyo and Will Wilson, scoring another run.

Lyon Richardson pitched in the seventh inning. After a single by Arozarena, he walked Brennen Davis and allowed a single by Blake Rambush, scoring a run. He allowed another run on a single by Luis Suisbel to cut the Reds' lead to one. Richardson later forced a double play and a groundout to end the inning. His final line would be one inning, three hits, two runs, and a walk.

Zach Maxwell pitched the next inning. After a great start to the inning with a ground out and a strikeout, he walked the next four batters, one being on a challenge from catcher Connor Burns that was not overturned. Luis Mey relieved Maxwell and got a strikeout to end the inning. Maxwell went 2/3 of an inning with a strikeout and four walks.

Luis Mey struggled once he returned the following inning. He allowed back-to-back doubles, a single, and a walk before getting an out on a forceout. He allowed a single and was relieved by Irvin Machuca. He allowed a three-run home run and got the next two Mariners out on a strikeout and a ground out.

"Early on our guys were fine." Francona said. "It went (bad) from there. I know it's early. No matter what time of year it is, that's a hard way to win. If that's during the season, I'm really upset. Since it's February, I'm just really aggrivated."

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Takeaways:

Between the four pitchers, only one Maxwell and Mey recorded a strikeout. They had nine walks and were responsible for 11 runs.
Connor Phillips had an excellent finish to the end of last season, but has shown his command is inconsistent. When that is working for him, he has the pitches to get out of any situation.
Luis Mey and Zach Maxwell have closer stuff. Unlike Phillips, both have yet to showcase they can command the zone with any consistency and that was a major reason for why they played the majority of the year in Triple-A last year. They have electric fastballs, but they have to learn to show some amounts of command with their other pitches.

The Reds play their next Spring Training game on Tuesday against the Kansas City Royals.

Rough day in the #Reds bullpen competition:

Connor Phillips: 0.2 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 0 SO

Lyon Richardson: 1.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 SO

Zach Maxwell: 0.2 IP, 0 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 1 SO

Luis Mey: 0.2 IP, 4 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 1 SO
— Gingersaurus Rex (@HeyGingersaurus) February 22, 2026

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