HRs lead Reds over Chisox

Published 1:52 am Wednesday, March 20, 2013

GOODYEAR, Ariz. (AP) — The Cincinnati Reds hurt John Danks’ feelings and his ERA.

Chris Heisey and Jay Bruce hit consecutive home runs and the Cincinnati Reds tagged Danks and the Chicago White Sox 10-6 Tuesday.

Brandon Phillips singled twice in his first game since returning to the Reds from the World Baseball Classic. Cincinnati roughed up Danks for 10 runs on 11 hits and two walks in 3 1-3 innings.

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“I don’t know the last time, if ever, I gave up 10 runs,” Danks said. “It hurts your feelings a little bit.”

Heisey’s third spring home run came with two runners on. He also had an RBI single in the first. Bruce hit his fourth spring homer — half of his eight spring hits have been homers and two have come in consecutive games.

Adam Dunn hit a long three-run homer off Homer Bailey in the first. Bailey pitched 4 1-3 innings, just short of his scheduled five after allowing five runs and nine hits. It was Dunn’s fourth of the spring.

The Reds’ No. 4 worked from the stretch a lot in the first as Cincinnati made two errors behind him.

“Homer looked pretty good,” manager Dusty Baker said. “Our defense didn’t help him. We gave them a lot of outs in the first inning. That’s how his pitch count got up. He threw the ball well though. They used the DH and we didn’t that gave them another offensive player. Plus they have a good hitting lineup.”

Bailey said he has work to do.

“I feel good that’s the most important thing,” Bailey said. “I need to work more from the stretch a little bit and my curveball. It might be me. It might be the thin air, but I need the curve to get better,”

The Reds’ hitters took advantage of Danks, who had surgery on his rotator cuff last year. Danks may need more time to get ready for the season.

“It’s not what he would want or where he is going to be eventually,” manager Robin Ventura said. “It is still a work in progress. He feels fine. We’ll look at him tomorrow to see where he’s at. We have options but we want to talk to him first. He has enough time. The window is closing though.”

NOTES: The Reds reassigned 22-year-old OF Billy Hamilton to the minor league camp. The switch-hitter set a minor league record with 155 stolen bases last season while playing in Double-A and Single-A. He played in 12 games with the Reds this spring, batting .174 with three steals. “He needs to go play,” Baker said. “He hasn’t been switch-hitting that long. He has some ways to go. Let’s not rush him. Let him develop.” … Ryan Freel’s father, who lives in Tucson, had a conversation with Baker after the game. Freel, a former Reds player, committed suicide in December. … Reds OF Shin-Soo Choo missed his fourth game with back spasms. Derrick Robinson played in place of Choo and got three hits, raising his spring average to .350.