Andrew Abbott, Nick Martinez deliver rousing start to Cincinnati Reds' fifth-starter battle

MARYVALE, Arizona — Forget starting with a bang.

The battle for the fifth starter job in Cincinnati Reds camp opened Monday without much of a whimper from either lineup the Seattle Mariners and Milwaukee Brewers offered against Reds starters Andrew Abbott and Nick Martinez in their spring debuts during a pair of split-squad Cactus League games.

Abbott, the left-hander, retired all six Mariners he faced in the home half of the twinbill, including a second-inning strikeout of Luis Urias in the 2-0 Reds loss — so efficient in his prescribed two-inning start that he needed to go to bullpen to add a few more pitches to the 22 he threw in the game.

Fifteen miles away in the road half, veteran right-hander Nick Martinez was equally efficient, facing just six batters, striking out two in the 8-3 win over the Brewers — including a K of Andruw Monasterio in the second to start an inning-ending double play when catcher Austin Wynns threw out Joey Ortiz trying to steal second.

Ortiz had walked.

“Just pumped the zone and attacked them with all my pitches,” said Martinez, who joined the Reds on a two-year, $26 million free agent deal this winter. “Everything’s right on track. Body feels good.”

Barring any health setbacks with the top seven starters in camp, Martinez, Abbott and lefty Brandon Williamson are vying for what appears to be one opening in the rotation to start the season.

“I’m looking at it one pitch at a time,” said Martinez, who spent the past two seasons as a swingman for the San Diego Padres. “The team knows what I can do. And the team also knows that I’m versatile. I can fulfill the need of the team, whatever it may be.

“I haven’t been shy to say that I like being in the rotation,” he added. “I also like winning. So that’s where the priority is.”

Andrew Abbott's striking debut

GOODYEAR, Ariz. –– The biggest point of emphasis for Reds’ pitchers this spring has been the importance of throwing strikes.

Abbott said that the Reds are tracking every pitcher’s percentage of strikes thrown during the spring. The rankings are posted in the clubhouse.

He and 2023 first-round draft pick Rhett Lowder (13 of 16 pitches for strikes) should command prominent spots on the board after Monday's outings.

“My stuff still plays,” Abbott said. “It’s nothing that blows you away, but it gets outs. Being able to locate and get ahead is huge. Those are things I normally do very well. That’s what I try to pride myself on.”

Abbott said that he mostly threw fastballs against the Mariners and threw more of his off-speed pitches in the bullpen after he left the game. He hit 95 mph with his fastball and forced the types of swings and misses with his fastball that he wasn't able to generate when he wore down last September.During the offseason, Abbott’s program was geared to get him ready to pitch closer to 200 innings. Abbott exceeded his projected innings total last year, and fatigue impacted the shape of his pitches down the stretch. This spring, he has shown that his fastball is back to normal. He had success against the Mariners’ best hitters by throwing his fastball up-and-in.

“I did a lot of conditioning and a lot of weightlifting,” Abbott said. “The first thing that went on me last year were my legs. Taking what I learned from last year and being able to apply it in my training. Not to overwork but work so when we get to the later part of the season, we don’t break down as easily.”

So far, he has looked like the pitcher who led the Reds’ rotation during the summer last year.

“So far he has just shown that he has the life back on his pitches just like he did most of last year,” Reds manager David Bell said. “He got fatigued like we talked about at the end. He has all that back now, and he’s looking strong.”

Austin Wynns, Michael Trautwein: Catching fire

Reds catchers combined to throw out five Brewers baserunners in the win at Maryvale – including three by non-roster invite Trautwein for all three outs in the sixth inning.

Trautwein threw out $82 million prospect Jackson Chourio trying to steal third for the first out of the inning. After a double by Joey Ortiz, followed by a Yonny Hernandez walk, Trautwein picked off Ortiz at second. Then he threw out Hernandez trying to steal.

"I don't think I've ever seen that," said bench coach Freddie Benavides, handling managing duties in the road game.

The Reds are 3-1 through the first three days of spring games.

Stuart Fairchild is a strong candidate for bench spot

During the offseason, Cincinnati Reds outfielder Stuart Fairchild worked on ways to be even more prepared for the role he’s competing to fill on the Reds this year.

Fairchild is competing for the 26th spot on the roster, and he filled that role as the backup center fielder for most of last season. He made some starts against left-handed pitching as a platoon player, but he made his biggest impact as a defensive replacement and as a pinch-runner.

“I knew my role and knew I’d be ready against left-handed pitchers, or if they needed me to steal a base or play on defense,” said Fairchild, who had three hits in his spring training debut on Sunday -- and added a two-run homer in Monday's win against the Brewers. “I had a very established role and knew how to get ready for that opportunity so I could make an impact.”

Fairchild spent a lot of time during the offseason working on his sprint speed. He went through a progression of different sprint intervals as a part of a program that has made faster than he was last year.

During spring training, Fairchild is focused on improving the efficiency of his routes as he tracks balls in the outfield. He wants to build more confidence taking his eye off of the ball for a split-second so he can lock into taking the optimal path to cut off the ball as quickly as possible.

Fairchild is out of minor league options this year, and he’ll be placed on waivers if he doesn’t make the Opening Day roster.

“I’m coming into camp as a better player this year,” Fairchild said. “I’m out of options, and the goal is obviously to break camp with the team and be a helpful piece. With the year I had last year and the work I did in the offseason, I know that I’m more than capable of doing that.”

Last year, Fairchild made the Opening Day roster and hit .228 with a solid .710 OPS. He handled his bench role well, and manager David Bell pinpointed specific situations where he’d be able to make an impact in games.

This spring, Fairchild is competing for that same role on the 2024 Reds.

“Nothing is guaranteed, but he has a strong opportunity to make our team,” Bell said.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds 5th-starter battle heats up; so does Stuart Fairchild