MLB.COM. Brewers starter Wily Peralta pitched 2 1/3 innings and gave up three runs and five hits with one walk, two strikeouts and two wild pitches.

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1 MLB.COM Izturis drives in two, Bailey goes two frames in win March 9, 2013, 6:35 P.M. ET By Mark Sheldon GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Logan Schafer had two hits and two RBIs, but the Reds emerged with a 6-5 win Saturday afternoon at Goodyear Ballpark as Cesar Izturis drove in two runs late. Cincinnati scored two runs in the bottom of the eighth as Izturis hit an RBI single that scored Donald Lutz. Later with one out, Mike Hessman scored from third base on a Corky Miller groundout to the pitcher. Reds starter Homer Bailey pitched two innings and allowed three runs (one earned). Bailey also gave up four hits and hit a batter while striking out one. "He had a 30-pitch inning that first inning," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "We didn't want to give him another inning and took him out. He threw the ball real good. He just couldn't put them away. I think three of their hits were two-strike hits." Milwaukee's first run scored Jean Segura from third base on a wild pitch to Khris Davis. In the second inning with two outs, Kentrail Davis reached on second baseman Henry Rodriguez's two-base fielding error, which allowed Blake Lalli to score. Davis scored on Schafer's RBI single to right field for a 3-1 Brewers lead. Brewers starter Wily Peralta pitched 2 1/3 innings and gave up three runs and five hits with one walk, two strikeouts and two wild pitches. In the bottom of the first inning, Yorman Rodriguez reached on an infield single to third base and scored on Neftali Soto's two-out RBI single through the shortstop. In the bottom of the second against Peralta, Derrick Robinson's RBI single scored Jason Donald. Devin Mesoraco later scored after the second of two wild pitches. Peralta is one of three candidates for two open spots in the Brewers' starting rotation, assuming Yovani Gallardo, Marco Estrada and Chris Narveson get through camp in good health. The three candidates are Peralta, Mike Fiers and Mark Rogers -- each of whom pitched well in the Majors at some point last season. "I think it's going to come down to the end," Brewers manager Ron Roenicke said before the game. "I really can't tell you right now. It's too early for some of them to really see what's happening. [The club's goal is] to get them back to where they were last year, and some of them may be a little late in getting there. Then we'll have to figure out what we're going to do." Plus, two perfect innings were thrown by reliever Burke Badenhop in his first multiple-inning stint of the year. He was acquired from the Rays in early December as part of the Brewers' bullpen overhaul, and has allowed one hit, no walks and no runs in four Cactus League innings so far. Milwaukee added two runs in the fourth inning against former teammate Manny Parra. After a perfect third, Parra returned for another inning of work and gave up three hits. There were also two potential double plays not turned, which led to Donnie Murphy scoring a go-ahead run. Schafer hit a two-out double down the left field line to score Kentrail Davis. Sean Marshall replaced Parra and threw a scoreless inning with two strikeouts.

2 In the bottom of the sixth inning against Brewers lefty Travis Webb, Izturis hit a 0-1 pitch for a solo homer to left field. "We won, but it's hard to win like that," Baker said. "We missed some signs. We just have to tighten up our game." Reds up next: The Reds' new leadoff hitter, Shin-Soo Choo, has hit safely in four of his seven games played this spring. After a day out of the lineup Saturday, Choo will be back Sunday when the Reds play the White Sox at 4:05 p.m. ET in Glendale's Camelback Ranch. Jay Bruce, Todd Frazier and Ryan Ludwick will also be back in action. Ace Johnny Cueto will be on the mound for his third start of spring. Listen to the game on Gameday Audio. So far, Paul making strong case for Reds' roster spot March 9, 2013, 7:16 PM ET By Mark Sheldon GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- Even after a solid second half for the Reds last season, Xavier Paul takes zero for granted. Paul has lived on the fringes of too many rosters to ever feel too comfortable in camp. "Really, every Spring Training for me I pretty much came in with the mindset of trying to make a team," Paul said Saturday. "This is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately business, unless you're under a five- or 10-year contract. For a guy going year-to-year, you just have to keep trying to have another good year." One of the smaller 2012 Reds transactions that paid off big, Paul batted.314 with a.379 on-base percentage in 55 games while in the fifth outfielder's role. As a pinch-hitter, he was 12-for-36 (.333) with one of his season's two home runs. Paul, 28, spent the first half of last season at Triple-A in the Nationals organization, but he was never called up. He was released July 3 and signed by the Reds on July 12 and assigned to Triple-A Louisville. After hitting in all six games he played for Louisville, he was back in the Majors. Whether he remains in the Majors this spring is not decided, but his skills are needed for the bench. "He's a very good fit," Reds manager Dusty Baker said. "I think he's more of a corner man, and he gives me a left-handed bat off the bench. You try to have balance off the bench. I'm not saying he's on the team, but he's a front-runner. You want some speed. You want some pinch-hitters or some hitters that can hit for a pinch-hitter and not lose much." Paul broke into the Majors with the Dodgers in 2009 but spent much of the year on the disabled list with fractures in his right ankle. He has split time between the big leagues and Minors almost every season since. In 2011, he was up the whole season for the Dodgers and then played 121 games for the Pirates. This spring, Paul is batting.261 (6-for-23) after a 0-for-2 day against the Brewers on Saturday. His six runs scored lead the club, and his 12 games played are tied for the team lead. "I feel good. So far, things have gone well," Paul said. "I'm actually feeling a lot better at the plate sooner than I have in the past." Part of that feeling is attributed to taking more offseason swings than usual near his Slidell, La., home. "I made sure that I did that," said Paul, who is out of Minor League options. "I need to try to find a way to get myself loose, stay loose and stay mentally ready for when Dusty calls my name." Reds to play 'B' game before Cactus League outing March 9, 2013, 7:16 PM ET By Mark Sheldon GOODYEAR, Ariz. -- One day after rain washed out two Reds split-squad games Friday night, manager Dusty Baker used none of his regular players against the Brewers on Saturday afternoon at Goodyear Ballpark. More rain in the morning had kept the field damp. "I don't have too many of my big boys playing today, not that the other guys are sacrificial lambs; it's precautionary," Baker said. "The fact that we have a B game and an A game [Sunday], so the innings will be bumped up on some of the guys since their endurance is up; we're going to start playing them longer."

3 To make up for one of the washed-out games against the Dodgers on Friday, the two teams are playing a 12:30 p.m. ET "B" game Sunday at Camelback Ranch. Following will be a regular Cactus League game at the ballpark between the Reds and White Sox. Friday's game against the Cubs in Goodyear was called off after 1 1/2 innings as a downpour made conditions poor on the field. "They said it was real sloppy and wouldn't take much more rain to make it unplayable," Baker said. "[The umpire] came over and said it was getting around the bag, bad around home plate, bad around the mound. You use the best judgment you can. It was getting dangerous out there." Worth noting The Reds made their first two cuts of the spring Saturday. Right-handed pitcher Justin Freeman and catcher Tucker Barnhart were re-assigned to the Minor League camp. Freeman did not pitch in a game this spring, while Barnhart went 1-for-9 (.111) in seven games. There are 56 players remaining in Reds big league camp. While the Reds' big leaguers have a scheduled off day Monday, fifth-starter candidates Aroldis Chapman and Mike Leake will pitch in the Minor League camp. Second baseman Henry Rodriguez committed his team-leading fifth error of the spring Saturday. Rodriguez did not come up with a line drive hit by Milwaukee's Kentrail Davis in the second inning, scoring a run. Reds snap losing streak March 9, 2013, 6:35 PM ET By Mark Sheldon The Reds pulled out a 6-5 victory over the Brewers with two runs in the bottom of the eighth. Since the Canada game didn t count on the Cactus League ledger, Saturday s win snapped a seven-game losing streak. Here s some of the dirt: *Homer Bailey was slated to go three innings but lasted two innings with three runs (one earned) on four hits with one strikeout, one wild pitch and one hit batsman. Bailey nearly got out of the second inning clean after a double play but an error prolonged the inning. He had a 30-pitch inning that first inning, Reds manager Dusty Baker said. We didn t want to give him another inning and took him out. He threw the ball real good. He just couldn t put them away. I think three of their hits were two-strike hits. *It was committed by Henry Rodriguez, who played second base today and committed his team-leading fifth error of spring. Rodriguez couldn t come up with a line drive from Kentrail Davis in the second inning, for a two-base error which scored a run and led to another. *In the fourth inning, two runs crossed against former Brewer Manny Parra. There were two double plays that weren t turned that led to the scoring. Parra also allowed Logan Schafer s RBI double. We won but it s hard to win like that, Baker said. We missed some signs. We just have to tighten up our game. *Cesar Izturis, who was a Brewer for 57 games last season, hit a solo homer in the bottom of the sixth inning. Izturis made it a 5-5 game in the bottom of the seventh with a RBI single that scored Donald Lutz. *J.J. Hoover, who is vying for a bullpen spot, looked good in getting the save in the ninth inning with two strikeouts. *The Reds made their first two cuts of spring on Saturday. Right-handed pitcher Justin Freeman and catcher Tucker Barnhart were re-assigned to the Minor League camp. There are 56 players remaining in Reds big league camp.

4 Chapman says he preferred the bullpen March 9, 2013, 11:30 A.M. E.T. By John Fay CINCINNATI ENQUIRER Jorge Ortiz of USA Today interviews Aroldis Chapman in Spanish, he tends to get better answers than you get through an interpreter. Like here when he asked him about the switch to starting: I developed a taste for the bullpen and wanted to stay there, but the team signed me as a starter, and I believe I can do the job, Chapman says in Spanish. I work for them, and I just have to get ready to be a starter and throw as many innings as I can. They know better. Baker on spring record: I ain t worried March 9, 2013, 12:29 P.M. E.T. By John Fay GOODYEAR, Ariz. I m working on a piece for the paper looking at spring training at the midpoint. The Reds go into today What s Dusty Baker s take on that? I ain t worried, Baker said. I ain t worried about nothing. We know we got a good team. We ve got to keep working and working. Spring training offensively is for the very young and guys who play played Winter Ball. We don t panic. That is not to say he wouldn t like to win some more games over the last three weeks of spring. You re never pleased losing, Baker said. We lost some of the games late with guys who aren t going to be on the team at the start. We play everybody here not only to get them ready for our season but to get them ready for their season, wherever they re going to play. Baker has let young pitchers stay in the game in situations where he d pull them in the regular season. They need their work or they ll never get there, he said. That s why you see managers taking out players in the middle of the inning. They re on a pitch count more than performance count. Spring records overall are often deceiving. Last year, didn t the Texas Rangers have one the worse records in baseball (during the spring)? Baker said. I don t think anyone remembers who won the Cactus League. I m not real worried about it. The Reds are also playing without the two best positions players, Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips. Both are playing in the WBC. Ryan Ludwick and Jay Bruce haven t hit much. Another factor in spring is starting pitchers only go two or three innings early. That plays away from a strength of the Reds. Our starting rotation is among the best, Baker said. What have these guys pitched one time, two times? Three innings max. That s meant a lot of innings early for pitchers in camp for the first time. The Reds have been outscored by 19 runs through 13 games. That goes back to the young pitchers We ve got four or five kids out of A ball, Baker said.

5 Reds 6, Brewers 5 March 9, 2013, 6:26 P.M. E.T. By John Fay GOOYEAR, Ariz. The Reds ended a seven-game Cactus League losing streak (they did beat Team Canada the last time out) to improve to The arms: Homer Bailey started and went two innings. He allowed three runs, two earned, on four hits. He walked none and struck out one. He was scheduled to go three but had a 30-pitch inning. Manny Parra followed and allowed two runs to his former team over two innings. Sean Marshall and Jonathan Broxton each made their fourth scoreless appearance of the spring. J.J. Hoover pitched ninth, striking out two, for the save. The bats: Cesar Izturis hit a solo home run in the sixth and drove in a run with single. Izturis has 17 career home in 4,221 major league at-bats. Neftali Soto was 2-for-2 with an RBI. The rest: Henry Rodriguez mishandled a line drive at second for his fifth error of the spring. The Reds also messed up two potential double plays. We won, Reds manager Dusty Baker said. But it s hard to win that way. We missed some signs. Up next: The Reds go to Glendale to play the Chicago White Sox. Johnny Cueto (0-0, 5.40 ERA) will make his third start of the spring. He faces right-hander Gavin Floyd. The game is WLW (700-am). It starts at 4:05 p.m. Doc: Hanigan's tools aren't of ignorance March 9, 2013 By Paul Daugherty GOODYEAR, Ariz. - Ryan Hanigan is reading a book called The Field, which he describes as being about the Zero Point Field, with regard to quantum mechanics. It combines physics and new-age quantum mechanics. It does what? Hard to explain, exactly. Google it, Hanigan says. The seminal work of the New Age, comes the description. One which provides a scientific explanation for psychic phenomena such as ESP, spiritual healing and remote viewing. Remote viewing? It explains that everything is connected by the Zero Point Field (ZPF), a sea of energy that reconciles mind with matter, classic science with quantum physics, and science with religion. Hanigan majored in philosophy at Rollins College. That s not a bad way to go, if you re pondering a career dealing with neurotic major-league pitchers. I asked him who his favorite philosophers were. Just to make conversation. Yogi Berra, maybe. Casey Stengel. Marty Brennaman. I like all the existentialists, Hanigan said. Nietzsche, Schopenhauer, Sartre. That was my genre. I believe in it. The only way to understand knowledge in life is through experience. Experience gives you a different level of understanding. Sometimes, we don t know nothin. That s especially true when our subject is a catcher, the only player on the field whose head is helmeted in plastic and steel. Rumors of Ryan Hanigan s intellect abounded. His dad is a retired FBI agent, who once tracked down a fugitive who d been on the lam for more than a decade. Hanigan grew up in Andover, Mass., home of Phillips Academy, prep school of the stars, most notably one George W. Bush. But he was a townie. And he s quiet. And he wears the tools of ignorance. The backbone of the team, Hanigan corrects.

6 Forgive us. But we didn t assume we d be discussing quantum mechanics and Jean-Paul Sartre with the catcher of the Cincinnati Reds. Just so you don t believe Hanigan spends his off time reading Freud and saying Hmmm a lot, he s also partial to reggae and gangster movies. What was it the bad-guy Tommy DeVito said in Goodfellas? What do you mean, I m funny? Funny like a clown? So as to better engage our subject, we decided not to ask him standard baseball questions. We didn t want to bore him to death. Have you ever gone to the mound to talk about wedding gifts? I don t think it s ever come up. One time a guy talked about a car he wanted to buy. Usually, it s just time to let a guy catch his breath and refocus. If Crash Davis were real, he d be... Corky Miller. Hanigan says that three times, foul balls have cracked his catcher s cup: When it misses the cup is when you re in trouble. He says he liked playing in the dirt as a kid. He says his knees don t bother him, from all that squatting. Big-muscle groups hurt. The joints have been good. He prefers Advil to Aleve. Word association. I say Bronson Arroyo, you say... Unique. Chapman. Flamethrower. Homer Bailey. Raw talent. Latos. Horse. Broxton. Power. Would you rather block the plate against Ryan Howard or catch a short pass over the middle against Ray Lewis? Howard. Saving a run is a bigger play than catching a pass over the middle. Which is better: Your Spanish or Chapman s English? My Spanish. I took a couple years in high school and five or six lessons two years ago. I can understand a lot more than I can speak. Which is more twisted: The Hangover movies, or the fingers of your right hand? Fortunately, it s my left hand that s screwed up. So I ll go with The Hangovers. When life throws you a curve, how do you handle it? If it s hanging, I try and crush it. If it s below the zone, I try and take it. Sounds existentialist. Haha. What is the strike zone, really? It depends on the umpire, the day. It s usually a little wider than it is high. A little below the knees. Are you nice to umpires believing it will help you get a call? I don t try to manipulate umpires. They see through that. They re like cops. They have all the leverage. Some you can talk to, some you can t. Some guys give you more respect for being around a while, some don t care. That s a big part of the game that guys don t talk about. Knowing where we stand.

7 Ever wish you could catch standing up? No. I d feel very vulnerable standing up. What part of a catcher s makeup is unique? The expectation every day of taking balls off your body. The rest of the guys are trying to use their glove. The next time you hear a pro jock mention the field, don t assume he means grass and dirt. You might miss out on an entirely different conversation. You might underestimate a guy like Ryan Hanigan. Reds' Mesoraco in search of old self Catcher says struggles don't mean he can't play March 9, 2013 By John Fay GOODYEAR, ARIZ. Devin Mesoraco clearly had a bad year last year. But he says he didn t suddenly become a bad player. I didn t change as a player, Mesoraco said. None of the skills, none of the ability changed. It s all in there. It s a matter of getting back to what I was doing. It s matter of going back to what made me successful in the past. Mesoraco, the 24-year-old catcher, came into last season as the Reds No. 1 prospect. A lot people had him as a frontrunner for Rookie of the Year. It didn t work out that way. Mesoraco made the club out of camp. But he started the season catching two out of five days to Ryan Hanigan s three. Hanigan would eventually begin catching four of five. Mesoraco was optioned to Triple-A Louisville on Aug. 23 after he returned from a two-game suspension for bumping umpire Chad Fairchild. He was recalled Sept. 2. But he only played in two more games and was left off the playoff roster. He didn t completely revamp things this offseason. There was some things I did differently, Mesoraco said. But, for the most part, it was the same. I watched more video than I have in the past. I didn t swing any more. I didn t hit any more. I just wanted to come into spring with a plan of where I wanted to get to. Have that all good by the time games started. I executed that plan. Now, I ve just got to go out and hit. Mesoraco was searching for his old self. It was mostly looking at other guys and looking at myself in the past, Mesoraco said. I feel like I didn t have the swing I had in the past. For me, you just chalk last year up as a lesson learned and try to get back to where I was in early 2011 and In 2010, he combined to hit.302 with 26 home runs and 75 RBI at three levels of the minors. He hit.289 with 15 home runs and 71 RBI in A lot of people thought Devin was ready last year, Reds manager Dusty Baker said. Sometimes you get overwhelmed with all the things you re supposed to do, especially as a young catcher. Baker doesn t second guess the decision to start Mesoraco in the majors. It s easy to say after the fact, he said. That s the easiest thing in the world to say. We won 97 games even though Devin struggled. Mesoraco has had a good spring so far. He s hitting.400 (6-for-15) with two home runs and six RBI. I feel comfortable, he said. I m at a point where I m happy with my spring. It s a matter of maintaining. The biggest thing to come is timing and pitch selection. Now I feel that I m in a good, strong position to hit. Everything is going to take care of itself.

8 Prediction: Chapman will be closer March 9, 2013 By Hal McCoy DAYTON DAILY NEWS A: On Sept. 1 the Reds are in a three-way tie for first place and Aroldis Chapman owns 19 wins. How will the fans react when it is announced Chapman is being shut down for the season? Dave, Miamisburg/CentervilleBeavercreek A: A lot of assumptions are in that question. First of all, it is tough to win 19 games out of the bullpen, which is where I believe Chapman will be. And by Sept. 1, the Reds will have a six-game lead in the National League Central. There isn t one team in the division that can keep up with them, let alone two. And when Johnny Cueto has 19 wins, they won t shut him down. Q: If Aroldis Chapman makes the rotation, barring injury, where do you see the next opening in the rotation for Mike Leake. Will, Independence, Ky. A: If you ve been listening and reading between the lines, manager Dusty Baker wants Chapman right where he was last year, right where he blew everybody away as the closer. My prediction. No ifs about it. When the season opens Chapman will be back as closer and Leake will be in the rotation. If that isn t the case, then I wonder if the Reds really are trying to win. Q: Can you explain the minor-league rule regarding the DH that brought about the Dusty Baker/Kirk Gibson feud? Rusty, Fairfield. A: It is not a minor-league rule. And in spring training, there are few rules. Usually a team can use a DH or not use a DH any time it wants. In this case, Baker wanted to use Shin-Soo Choo as a DH and Gibson wanted his pitcher to bat. For some reason the umpires said the home team had the choice and since Gibson s Diamondbacks were the home team the DH got pitched. And Dusty pitched a fit. It would have been so easy for Gibson to say, Go ahead, Dusty, you use the DH and we won t. But he didn t extremely petty for an exhibition game. Q: Name the four best Reds first basemen you have covered and rank them? Mike, Arlington, Va. A: You re trying to get Joey Votto mad at me, aren t you? I m going with Tony Perez as No. 1 because Votto is just beginning his career, but it is good enough for No. 2. Pete Rose doesn t qualify. Didn t play there enough. No. 3, for me, is Sean Casey. No. 4 is Dan Driessen, and I have to throw in a couple of honorable mentions in Hal Morris and Nick Esasky. And if there is one thing I know, it is first base because that s the position I tried to play with little success. Q: Assuming Mike Leake is the No. 5 starter, that gives the Reds five right-handers in the rotation, so won t the opposition load up their lineup with left-handed hitters? Bill, Mesa, Ariz. A: Do you remember any left-handers in last year s rotation? Nope. None. Not a one. And the same five right-handers took their turns without a miss and the Reds won 97 games. As manager Dusty Baker said, I d rather have a good right-hander than a bad left-hander just to have a left-hander in the rotation. Q: Why is the 2013 season starting with interleague play. Shouldn t it stay as part of the mid-season? Brian, Germantown A: Not only is the season starting with interleague play, there will be interleague play every day of the season. They moved Houston to the American League so there are 15 teams in each league. That means an AL team and an NL team will have to play each other every day. But my question is why do the Reds have to be the team to open interleague play the first day of the season? Q: Do you agree that the rotation should be be Johnny Cueto, Mat Latos, Homer Bailey, Aroldis Chapman and Bronson Arroyo since you never know which Bronson will show up? Kelly, Cincinnati A: Not even close. You know Arroyo shows up with the same stuff every time and the same competitive urgency. Why would you put hard-throwing Cueto and hard-throwing Latos back-to-back? And Chapman? Closer. My rotation: Cueto, Arroyo, Latos, Bailey, Leake. Q: Do you think the Reds are too young on the left side of the infield without Scott Rolen? Mark, Loveland.

9 A: No, I would think the left side of the infield would be too old with Rolen, especially with his back and shoulder problems the last two years. Shortstop Zack Cozart is 27 and third baseman Todd Frazier is 27. That s not young in baseball age and both have nearly a full year of major-league experience. They ll roll on without Rolen. Q: How close are we to an all-ohio World Series? Mark, Portsmouth A: The Cincinnati Reds vs. the Cleveland Indians? How cool would that be? It has never happened and they are still 250 miles apart until they play each other interleague. Right now you ll have to settle for the Ohio Cup because the World Series appears a long way away, especially for the Indians. The Reds? It s close. Q: How do the Reds plan to ration Aroldis Chapman s innings so he is around to pitch in October? Jack, Bright, Ind. A: That s why I say he ll be the closer again this year. If he does start that s a scenario that could happen. How d that work out for the Washington Nationals with Stephen Strasburg? Ask manager Davey Johnson what he thought about it. OK, everybody chant: Keep Aroldis in the pen, keep Aroldis in the pen. Question of the week Q: Why do Bud Selig and MLB support the World Baseball Classic so strongly when there is the risk of injury to MLB players that could adversely affect the season? Mark, Bloomington, Ind. A: Because the WBC is Bud s Baby, his effort to spread the game worldwide. Injuries? Joey Votto and Brandon Phillips can just as easily get hurt playing spring exhibition games as they can playing WBC. And if you ask most players they ll tell you it is a once in a lifetime chance to play for their country and show patriotism and national pride. Burriss proving he can play somewhere March 9, 2013, 6:21 P.M. E.T. By Tim Schmitt GOODYEAR, ARIZ. Emmanuel Burriss thinks he s a shortstop. Dusty Baker said he d heard Burriss might be better suited for second base. But after a pair of seasons on the mend, the former San Francisco Giant isn t squabbling. He said Saturday, just before the Reds beat the Brewers 6-5 at Goodyear Ballpark, he s just happy to be getting a fair shake this spring. Burriss was in the Opening Day lineup for the Giants back in 2009, but later broke the outer bone in the small toe on his left foot, missing the rest of the season. The surgery to repair that break didn t take, and he broke the same bone in After toiling in obscurity the next two seasons, Burriss is now vying for a roster spot with the Reds, who signed him to a minor league contract last November. He s expected to get the start at short during a seven-inning B game against the Dodgers in Glendale this morning. The starters will follow with a full nine-inning contest against the White Sox (4:05 p.m. EST) at Camelback Ranch. Baker said he wasn t surprised to see Burriss hitting.304 in his first 23 at-bats, and he s still deciding where the infielder might be the best fit. He s a good athlete. Through injuries you lose your job sometimes, Baker said. He has speed, he has good hands. We had heard he s a better second baseman than a shortstop. Sometimes, you fall out of favor in that position. To me, he looks like he can play both. Burriss skipped a number of steps on the development ladder when he went from Single-A in 2007 to playing 95 games with the Giants in But while the early portion of his career moved along like lightning, Burriss said the past few seasons have seemed painstakingly slow. That s why he s happy to hear Baker s talking about him at all. It s good to hear Dusty speaking well of me. It s not about surprising anybody, it s more about proving to myself and to the rest of the league that I can play. I ve had a tough few years, things that stunted my development, he said. Even with the solid numbers, Burriss faces a tough road; to earn a spot he ll need to knock somebody off the 40-man roster..

10 Offensive worries: The Reds entered Saturday s contest with the third-lowest run total in the Cactus League with 61 through 13 games, but that doesn t have Baker worried. He said he s never happy with losing, but pointed out that Texas had one of the worst records in the loop last year, then went on to a postseason appearance. We know we ve got a good team, Baker said. We ve got to keep working and working. Oh, Henry: Henry Rodriguez got a start at second on Saturday and although the former Dayton Dragon has looked good at the plate, he s struggled in the field. Rodriguez was charged with his fifth error of the spring in the second inning when he muffed a liner off the bat of Brewers designated hitter Kentrail Davis, allowing a run to score. Extra bases: Justin Freeman and Tucker Barnhart were reassigned to minor-league camp. Freeman, a right-handed pitcher, had yet to make an appearance with the club while Barnhart, a catcher, had one hit in nine at-bats. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Izturis boosts chances of making Reds in 6-5 win March 9, 2013 By Gary Schatz GOODYEAR, Ariz. Dusty Baker managed Cesar Izturis in Chicago but the veteran shortstop was injured at the time. Now Baker gets to see what Izturis can really do. Izturis boosted his chance to win a utility job with the Reds, hitting a sixth inning home run off Travis Webb and an eighth-inning RBI single against Johnny Hellweg in Cincinnati's 6-5 win over the Milwaukee Brewers on Saturday. "I had Izturis when I was in Chicago," Baker said. "I know him but I want to see what he can do now." The 33-year old is a non-roster invitee who will have to play his way onto the team. Logan Schafer drove in two runs with a single and a double and Donnie Murphy hit three hits, including a double. Schafer, a third-round pick by the Brewers in the 2008 amateur draft, is a candidate to make an opening-day roster that will be missing Corey Hart and Mat Gamel. Murphy is also in the mix for a utility spot and the first-base job. "Schafer always swings it," Ron Roenicke said. "He squares up balls. He gets it. He knows when to bunt and does all the little things that can help you. Murph is starting to swing the bat well. He scuffled early. Like I tell the guys, we're not too concerned about what happens early." Scheduled to pitch three innings, Homer Bailey allowed three runs one earned and four hits in two innings. The Reds auditioned second baseman Henry Rodriguez and shortstop Jason Donald, and they failed to turn two ground balls into double plays, leading to the unearned runs. "Homer (Bailey) had a 30-pitch inning that first inning," Baker said. "We didn't want to give him another inning and took him out. He threw the ball real good. He just couldn't put them away. I think three of their hits were two-strike hits." The defense let Bailey down. "We won but it's hard to win like that," Baker said. "We just have to tighten up our game." On a day with wet conditions, Reds manager Dusty Baker gave most of his regulars the day off. Milwaukee starter Wily Peralta allowed three runs and five hits in innings. "Wily was up and down in the zone again," Roenicke said. NOTES: Aramis Ramirez missed his sixth game with a strained left knee. He strained it sliding into second base last Saturday against the Angels.... Burke Badenhop has retired 12 of the 13 batters he's faced this spring, striking out five.... The Reds reassigned RHP Justin Freeman and C Tucker Barnhart to minor league camp.... The Reds scheduled a 'B' game on Sunday against

11 the Dodgers. Both teams had a game rained out on Friday.... Mike Leake and Aroldis Chapman are competing for the fifth spot in the Reds' rotation. Their turn to pitch is Monday, an off day. They will pitch simulated games to stay on schedule.... Neftali Soto had two hits to raise his average to.350, replacing Joey Votto, who is playing in the World Baseball Classic. TRANSACTIONS MLB.com has reported the following player transactions for Saturday, March 9, 2013: C Zane Chavez assigned to Baltimore Orioles. C Damaso Espino assigned to Chicago White Sox. RHP Kevin Vance assigned to Chicago White Sox. LF Quincy Latimore assigned to Cleveland Indians. LF Isaac Galloway assigned to Miami Marlins. IF Terrence Dayleg assigned to Miami Marlins. Philadelphia Phillies released RF Joe Mather. C Jacob Stallings assigned to Pittsburgh Pirates. SS Drew Maggi assigned to Pittsburgh Pirates. RHP Matt Brazis assigned to Seattle Mariners. 3B Carson Kelly assigned to St. Louis Cardinals. OF Charlie Tilson assigned to St. Louis Cardinals. 2B Edwin Garcia assigned to Texas Rangers. C Jorge Alfaro assigned to Texas Rangers. C Patrick Cantwell assigned to Texas Rangers. LF Nick Williams assigned to Texas Rangers. OF Jake Skole assigned to Texas Rangers. RF Nomar Mazara assigned to Texas Rangers. RF Preston Beck assigned to Texas Rangers. LF Royce Bolinger assigned to Texas Rangers. 3B Joey Gallo assigned to Texas Rangers. 1B Trever Adams assigned to Texas Rangers. 3B Drew Robinson assigned to Texas Rangers. SS Odubel Herrera assigned to Texas Rangers. C David Lyon assigned to Texas Rangers. C Joe Maloney assigned to Texas Rangers. IF Alex Buchholz assigned to Texas Rangers. RF Jared Prince assigned to Texas Rangers. C Vincent DiFazio assigned to Texas Rangers. RHP Shawn Griffith assigned to Toronto Blue Jays. IF John Tolisano assigned to Toronto Blue Jays.