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PEORIA, Arizona – Manny Machado's opposite-field leadoff home run off Cincinnati Reds' No. 5 starter Carson Spiers in the seventh inning Saturday lifted the San Diego Padres to a 1-0 victory over the Reds (11-17-1) in their penultimate Cactus League game of the spring at Peoria Sports Complex.
Battle Royale for final two roster spots
With news Saturday that Spencer Steer (shoulder) will open on the injured list, the battle for the final two roster spots on the hitting side come down to outfielders Stuart Fairchild (who’s out of options), Blake Dunn and Jacob Hurtubise – the Reds trio of starting outfielders Saturday.
Dunn singled twice, including a nice bunt single to load the bases in the seventh, but he also failed to locate a high fly ball to center off the bat of Martin Maldonado in the sixth, turning it into a leadoff double.
Hurtubise singled in three at-bats with competitive at-bats against near-perfect Dylan Cease in the two other at-bats. Fairchild struck out three times.
Andrew Abbott sharp
Reds left-hander Andrew Abbott, who will open on the injured list as he continues building up to regular-season starting length, pitched four scoreless innings against a star-studded Padres lineup of regulars, allowing just one single and striking out three.
Abbott’s progression in camp was “slow played” as a precaution, coming off a shoulder injury that sidelined him the final six weeks of last season.
Dylan Cease and desist
Padres starter Dylan Cease retired the first 13 Reds he faced, striking out seven of them, before Blake Dunn’s soft liner to left landed on the grass for the Reds’ first hit against the hard-throwing right-hander.
Cease then retired the next four Reds, including two more strikeouts, before Jake Fraley drove a worm-killer under the glove of shifted third baseman Manny Machado for a two-out single in the sixth that finished Cease’s outing.
Next up for Cincinnati Reds
The Reds play their final Cactus League game Sunday at 3:05 p.m. (ET) against the Cleveland Guardians at Goodyear Ballpark (WLW-700 radio), before breaking camp Sunday night and heading north.
No. 2 starter Nick Lodolo starts for the Reds, with Alexis Diaz and Ian Gibaut scheduled for important final spring appearances.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds' final roster battle plays out in spring training loss
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