Spiers' 2025 debut a bright spot in shutout loss to Rangers

CINCINNATI -- Second-year big leaguer Carson Spiers earned the fifth starter's spot for the Reds with a superb spring as Andrew Abbott went on the injured list. Spiers, who also beat out Graham Ashcraft for the gig, remained stellar in his regular-season debut.

This time, however, the effort went unrewarded. Cincinnati was handed a 1-0 shutout loss on a complete-game gem by Rangers ace Nathan Eovaldi. Little did Spiers -- or anybody -- know in the top of the first inning, a two-out solo home run by Wyatt Langford would be the difference.

"It ended up being the game. We’re all right. I’ll take that start any day of the week," said Spiers, who pitched six innings with three hits, two walks and five strikeouts while throwing 85 pitches (48 strikes).

Langford lifted an 0-1 sinker to left field for the homer.

"He was trying to go up and in and went down and in," Reds manager Terry Francona said. "Even though it was a little off the plate, it just wasn’t the location he was looking for. Shoot, give us six and one run, we’ll take it.”

After a two-out walk in the third inning, Langford hit a single to right field, but he was thrown out by Jake Fraley trying for a double. That was the last hit Spiers gave up, as he retired nine of his final 11 batters.

While not a power pitcher, Spiers effectively changed speeds all night and led with his sweeper to set up his other pitches -- namely his sinker.

"I thought I threw the ball well, I had some good shape tonight, so kind of letting the pitches kind of play how they should," Spiers said. "So it was a fun little battle between us. Me and [Reds catcher Austin] Wynns were on the same page from the start.”

As a rookie last season, Spiers had three big league stints, and he also moved between the bullpen and rotation as needed. Overall, his 90 2/3 innings were a career high, and it sometimes showed as he ran out of gas down the stretch. The right-hander was 5-7 with a 5.46 ERA in 22 big league games (10 starts).

At both Triple-A Louisville and the Major Leagues, Wynns has liked the development he saw from Spiers.

“On the field and off the field, he’s mature. He’s more professional," Wynns said. "He has a plan of what he wants to do before his start and building up to that start day. I’m proud of the kid and he’s showing it.”

Like a kid with money burning a hole in their pocket, the Reds acted as if they spent all their offense in one night with 14 runs on Monday. Eovaldi -- who was the first Major League pitcher to work eight innings this season, and the first to work nine as well -- needed only 99 pitches to complete what's known as a “Maddux" after Hall of Famer Greg Maddux.

"We had a game plan against him and then we couldn’t make an adjustment quick enough," Wynns said. "He did very well. He had all his stuff going today. That guy is a dude.”

It was the second time in the last three games that an opposing pitcher worked a perfect game into the fifth inning against Cincinnati. In Sunday's 6-3 loss, Giants lefty Robbie Ray was perfect through five until a Gavin Lux leadoff single opened the bottom of the sixth inning.

On Tuesday, Eovaldi retired his first 12 batters in a row before Lux played spoiler again with a leadoff single to right-center field in the fifth. He was erased two batters later when Santiago Espinal grounded to third base for an inning-ending double play.

In the ninth with Jacob Hurtubise on via a pinch-hit single, TJ Friedl unsuccessfully tried bunting for a hit. Hurtubise was thrown out at second base by catcher Kyle Higashioka. Matt McLain flied out and Elly De La Cruz grounded out to first to seal Cincinnati's first shutout defeat of 2025.

Last season, the Reds' offense was shut out 16 times, including four times by a 1-0 score.

While the offense has been erratic, it's been a solid first turn through the Reds' rotation, which has a 2.70 ERA and three quality starts. Abbott tossed 5 2/3 innings in his rehab start for Louisville on Tuesday, with one more scheduled for Sunday.

“I love the saying that rising tides raise all boats," Spiers said. "When one guy goes out, we all like to put a better outing on top of that. … The five of us are rolling right now. We all felt good in spring. That’s obviously a big thing.”