Cleveland, OH (92.3 The Fan) – The Indians tied the Reds 3-3 in the first game of Cactus League play on Saturday afternoon.
Adam Plutko got the start for the Tribe and didn't allow a hit in two innings. Tyler Naquin hit a solo home run in the second inning. Ryan Flaherty followed it up with an RBI double and the Indians took a 2-0 lead.
First @Indians HR of the spring goes to...@TyNaquin! --Tribe on the board vs. the Reds on STO & FOX Sports GO: https://t.co/xUAUBPjZbZ pic.twitter.com/2NB2izJP7q
— SportsTime Ohio (@SportsTimeOhio) February 23, 2019The Indians kept the lead until Matt Kemp hit a two-run home run off of Asher Wojciechowski in the fourth inning. The Reds hit a sacrifice fly in the fifth, only to see Eric Haase answer with a sacrifice fly of his own in the sixth.
Neither team threatened the rest of the way and game one of the spring ended in a tie.
Ties are acceptable in the spring #Indians pic.twitter.com/EMmIWGzocq
— James Rapien (@JamesRapien) February 23, 2019Adam Cimber was perfect in one inning of work out of the bullpen and Flaherty was a bright spot at shortstop, finishing 2-2 with one RBI. Jefry Rodriguez and Josh Smith both threw two scoreless innings.
The Indians play the Diamondbacks tomorrow at 3:05 p.m.
Other Tribe Notes:
If you didn't get to watch the broadcast on Sports Time Ohio, there were plenty of funny moments, including Trevor Bauer's response to pressure:
A classic @BauerOutage response to @DreKnott asking if there's added pressure on the @Indians starting rotation early in the season -- pic.twitter.com/fICHAFRg4m
— SportsTime Ohio (@SportsTimeOhio) February 23, 2019Jake Bauers confirmed that 'ice falling from the sky' was called hail. It was a funny moment for the Cali-native:
New member of the @Indians @JakeBauers11 is getting an early taste of Cleveland's unpredictable weather out at spring training. pic.twitter.com/7pMTOQecT1
— SportsTime Ohio (@SportsTimeOhio) February 23, 2019Clippard's Official
The Indians officially announced the signing of Tyler Clippard before the game. The two-time All-Star has never been on an MLB injured list during his 12-year career and is one of six relievers in MLB history to appear in 67 or more games in nine-straight seasons.
Clippard appeared in 73 games last season for the Blue Jays, finishing with a 3.67 ERA. He posted a 4-3 record, allowing 57 hits and 28 runs in 68.2 innings.
Injury Update
Outfielder Bradley Zimmer is taking batting practice and throwing up to 135-feet with no issues. There isn't a time frame for his return yet, but it's a good sign. Zimmer had shoulder surgery last July.
Danny Salazar is throwing up to 90-feet, but his bullpen and game activity haven't been determined. He had shoulder surgery in July to help repair inflammation.
James Hoyt is back on the mound and throwing live batting practice. There isn't any time table for his return following the procedure on his right knee.
