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Lincoln, Leake lead way in Reds' win

Cincinnati pulls away with five run eighth inning

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By Rhett Bollinger / MLB.com

03/10/10 5:39 PM EST

REDS 6, ANGELS 0
at Tempe, Ariz.
Wednesday, March 10

Angels at the plate: The Angels didn't get their first hit until the third inning, when Brandon Wood laced a single off Arthur Rhodes. Mike Napoli, who entered the game with a club-leading two homers, continued his hot hitting when he singled in the fifth inning for his third hit of the spring. Andrew Romine, who replaced Erick Aybar at shortstop, collected his third single in five Spring Training at-bats with a hard single into left field in the seventh inning.

Reds at the plate: Yonder Alonso recorded the first hit of the game with a double in the second inning and later scored after Drew Stubbs hit into a run-scoring double play with the bases loaded. The Reds did their real damage with a five-run eighth inning that began when Wladimir Balentien hit a leadoff triple and scored on a single by Wilkin Castillo. Corky Miller and Laynce Nix then hit back-to-back RBI singles before Todd Frazier drove home two runs with a hard line drive into left field.

Angels on the mound: Starter Trevor Reckling was wild, as the top pitching prospect walked three batters, threw two wild pitches and hit a batter in just two innings of work. The good news for the left-hander, though, was that even with all of his control problems he allowed just one hit -- a double by Alonso -- and just one run. Sean O'Sullivan fared much better by allowing just one hit over three scoreless innings. It was a positive outing for the right-hander, who allowed five runs in just 1 1/3 innings in his previous appearance. Right-hander Ryan Brasier struggled in the eighth inning, allowing six hits and five runs without recording an out.

Reds on the mound: Right-hander Mike Lincoln threw two perfect innings and struck out both Aybar and Bobby Abreu in the first inning. 2009 first-found Draft pick Mike Leake, who played collegiately at nearby Arizona State, added two scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out one. Left-hander Travis Wood matched Leake's pitching line by allowing just one hit and a walk along with a strikeout over two scoreless innings.

Worth noting: The Angels turned an unusual double play with the bases loaded in the second inning when Stubbs hit a hard line drive to shortstop Aybar, who fielded it on a hop and threw to second base for the forceout before Frazier got caught in a rundown between second base and third base because he thought Aybar had caught the line drive. So in the scorebook it was recorded as your typical run-scoring 6-4-5-4-1 double play. Reds center fielder Josh Anderson made me a nice diving catch in the seventh inning to rob Freddy Sandoval of a hit.

Cactus League records: Angels 2-3-1; Reds 2-4

What's next: Right-hander Jered Weaver will take the mound as the Angels make the trek to Tucson to play the D-backs at Tucson Electric Park for a 12:05 p.m. PT Cactus League game on Thursday. Angels manager Mike Scioscia said he only expects about four to five regulars to make the trip to Tucson and that none of the Angels veteran outfielders -- Torii Hunter, Juan Rivera, Abreu and Hideki Matsui -- are expected to travel.

For the Reds, right-handers Johnny Cueto and Bronson Arroyo will both be center stage Thursday. While Cueto will be plying his day job, starting against the Brewers in Goodyear, Ariz. at 3:05 p.m. ET, in the evening Arroyo will be exercising his chops at The Venue Scottsdale in the Woodjock 2010 benefit for the Jake Peavy Foundation.  Nick Masset, Daniel Ray Herrera, Pedro Viola, Jared Burton and Jordan Smith will follow Cueto, and Barry Zito, Bernie Williams and Tim Flannery are among the ball folk who'll sing with Arroyo.

Rhett Bollinger is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.