Finnegan pitches in simulated game
Injuries plagued the lefthander last season.
Reds left-hander GOODYEAR, ARIZ. —
Brandon Finnegan didn’t have to wait until 1 p.m. to get on the Goodyear Ball Park mound Thursday. He pitched at 11:15 a.m. instead.
The bad news? It was a simulated game on one of the back fields.
“We had a kind of scrimmage with big league hitters,” manager Bryan Price said. “We had our (minor league) strength camp kids out there playing defense.
“We wanted to control the environ- ment,” added Price, who insists Finnegan hasn’t had any setbacks.
Finnegan, 24, was limited to four starts in 2017 due to injury. He injured a muscle near his shoulder in April and was on the disabled list until late June. In his return off the DL against the Cardinals, he re-aggravated the injury. A month later he tore the labrum in his right shoulder in a boating accident.
There was an anxious moment with the first batter Finnegan faced. Jesse Winker broke his bat on a slow grounder to first, forcing Finnegan to cover. The flip was high, forcing Finnegan to jump and find the base, which he did.
Phil Gosselin hit a home run, and but Finnegan broke Scott Schebler’s bat with a change-up.
“Today was just a day to get out there and face live hitters,” Finnegan said. “I definitely got to do that.”
The next step isto get on the mound to face Major League opponents.
“I hope to get in a game the next time,” Finnegan said. “I was definitely upset about that (not pitching in a game) but I completely understand. They wanted it to be a controlled environment. They wanted to see me face live hitters before I get back on the field. That’s over with.”