On Friday night the Cincinnati Reds hosted the defending National League champion Arizona Diamondbacks. About four hours before the start of the game the Reds posted their roster for the day and listed among the outfielders was Blake Dunn. Cincinnati’s 2023 minor league player of the year hadn’t played in a game yet after experiencing some elbow issues early in spring training.
While Blake Dunn wasn’t in the starting lineup he did get into the game. And he made his presence felt on the night. His first at-bat came in the 6th inning and he singled off of big leaguer Luis Frias on a line drive into left field. Dunn came back to the plate in the 8th inning and he picked up another single. This time around it was on a grounder to shortstop that he beat out for a hit. As the Reds put together a rally in the 9th, the outfielder would get another shot at the plate and he once again came through. With two men on, Dunn singled on a line drive into center and drove in Jacob Hurtubise.
When the game was over he had gone 3-for-3 with a run and an RBI. Not a bad spring debut.
It wasn’t just a good day at the plate for Dunn, though. Several other Reds prospects had moments, too. Rece Hinds picked up a hit and an RBI. Michael Trautwein had a double, run, and he drove in two runs. Mat Nelson picked up a walk, hit, and scored a run. Edwin Arroyo had another hit, a walk, and an RBI – he’s now hitting .625 this spring. Tyler Callihan and Jacob Hurtubise also picked up singles. Sal Stewart not only had a hit, walk, and a run, but he also flashed some leather at third base.
Pick it, Sal ???@stewart_sal ? #RedsST pic.twitter.com/YHFe8Vrhsa
— Reds On The Rise (@RedsOnTheRise) March 2, 2024
The pitching wasn’t all the great for either team in the game, though the middle relief on the night for Arizona got the job done. For Cincinnati, they ran out six pitchers and only one of them didn’t get charted with at least one run. Donovan Beniot was the lone pitcher not to allow a run and he only faced one batter. He did, however, strike that hitter out.
You can check out the box score for that game here.