Cincinnati Reds contingent electric in Arizona Fall League debut

Day one in the books!

The Glendale Desert Dogs dropped 7 runs on the Peoria Javelinas in the Bottom of the 1st inning in yesterday’s Arizona Fall League opener, eventually plating 15 runs in a bonkers 15-13 victory.

The contingent sent to the AFL from the Cincinnati Reds was front and center in that offensive barrage, with Matt “The Rain in Spain Stays Mainly on” McLain (2 for 3, HR, 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB), Tyler “Coach” Callihan (1 for 3, 3 R, 2 BB), “Sister” Christian Encarnacion-Strand (2 for 4, 2B, 3 RBI), and Edwin “Lose, or Draw” Arroyo (1 for 3, 2B, R, RBI) each making their own significant marks on the day.

While it was encouraging to see the offensive explosion from each player involved, it’s particularly nice to see McLain back to mashing. Given that he’s effectively been out of playing baseball since late August of 2023, returning with some boom is a great sign for both he and the Reds.

Here’s video of his 2-run tater, by the way:

Given that each of McLain (shoulder, oblique), CES (wrist), and Arroyo (shoulder) are effectively on rehab stints as they recover from major surgeries, it will be interesting to see just how often that trio is in the lineup for the Desert Dogs as the AFL begins play. They’re once again set to be in action today at 3:30 PM ET - this time against the Salt River Rafters - so we’ll get our first chance to see who plays on back to back days.

Connor “66” Phillips will start for Glendale today, by the way. You’ll be able to watch the live stream of the game here via MLB.com.