For as much as this game was one the Cincinnati Reds wanted to win, it always seemed to be one much more dedicated to the side stories than the final score. Ichiro Suzuki got his first start of the spring for the Seattle Mariners after signing to return to the club he broke in with, and that obviously dominated the pregame storylines.
Then, we found out that Anthony DeSclafani has an injured oblique, which was horrendously deflating. There’s been no update yet on his timeline, but if it’s anything close to the oblique injury he fought in 2016, well, it’s worth noting that he didn’t make his season debut until June 10th.