SPORTS

Cactus League offers Jesse Winker a rude welcome

C. Trent Rosecrans
crosecrans@enquirer.com
Cincinnati Reds outfielder Jesse Winker (33) practices base running during Cincinnati Reds spring training, Friday, Feb. 17, 2017, at the Cincinnati Reds player development complex in Goodyear, Arizona.

GOODYEAR, Ariz. — In the first two games of spring, Reds outfield prospect Jesse Winker, a left-handed batter, faced Giants’ lefty Madison Bumgarner in the first game of the Cactus League schedule and then Cleveland left-hander Andrew Miller on Saturday.

“That's pretty funny, isn't it?” Winker said Sunday morning. “Both those guys are pretty good. As a left-handed hitter, you see why those guys are pretty effective on lefties. I think it's fun to see those guys and it's a good little test to see where you match up early in camp.”

Winker was hit by Bumgarner in the first inning of Friday’s loss to San Francisco and struck out looking against Miller in the third inning on Saturday.

“Miller has the wicked slider -- the one he got me with (Saturday) was a pretty darn good one,” Winker said.

Last year left-handed hitters hit just .181/.189/.333 against Miller (righties were even worse, hitting .153/.195/.279) and .178/.218/.294 against Bumgarner. At Triple-A Louisville last season, Winker was better against right-handed pitchers, hitting .319/.402/.399 against righties and .260/.386/.346 against lefties.

“It was a great draw for me," he said with some sarcasm. "But as a player, those are the guys you want to face anyway. I don't really think if the guy's left-handed or right-handed. Obviously those two guys, you could argue they're top-five dominant guys, I'd say, right now in the game. It's cool to match up with them. I learned from them and hopefully I face both of them, I can put together a good AB.”

If there’s one saving grace for Winker and other Reds lefties, it’s that Aroldis Chapman is in Florida and the Reds don’t face the Dodgers and the possibility of Clayton Kershaw for another two weeks.