SARASOTA, Fla. - Maybe Jack McKeon is right. Maybe once this starts to mean something, the Reds' bats will come alive.
That theory looked like nothing but good old spin from the Reds manager until Sunday's exhibition finale. The Reds, who had struggled to score this spring as much as anyone in baseball, exploded for 11 hits in blanking Detroit 9-0.
It was their first big outburst in nearly two weeks - since they beat the Tigers 6-5 on March 17 - and suggested that even if the bats have been silent this spring, they are capable of damage at times.
Right fielder Jon Nunnally did the big damage Sunday, clubbing a three-run homer off Detroit starter Scott Sanders in a five-run third inning. Reggie Sanders later had a pinch-hit, two-run triple and Dmitri Young and Eduardo Perez were both 2-for-4.
The Reds' pitching, solid all spring, was even better Sunday, with starter Steve Cooke allowing only two hits in five innings. Relievers Scott Sullivan, Gabe White, Stan Belinda and Jeff Shaw allowed only one hit the rest of the way, off Belinda.
McKeon has been saying for weeks that the slow offense wasn't a concern because it was only spring training. But here's a stat to chew on: the nine runs against the Tigers were as many as the Reds had scored in their previous five games. They scored more than six runs only four times this spring, ending with a record of 13-18.
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