CINCINNATI -- Michael Lorenzen was hoping for a better first start in the major leagues. He's going to get opportunities to improve upon it.
The Reds' minor league system has been stocked with pitching talent for some time. That talent is just starting to make its way up to the top of the ladder. There will be more to come. More will be coming up at some point this season whether it happens in a starting role or the bullpen.
Lorenzen is just the start.
He took the loss in Wednesday's 8-3 defeat against Milwaukee, lasting just five innings, but the Reds were still in the game, down 3-2, when he departed after 107 pitches. The three runs all scored on solo home runs -- by Adam Lind and Khris Davis in the second and Ryan Braun in the fifth -- but Lorenzen managed to work his way out of a pair of scoring situations for the Brewers without further damage.
He'd rather not get into those situations in the first place but how he handled himself in those spots is one of the reasons why he got the call to take Homer Bailey's spot in the rotation this week. It's why he's going to get more chances.
"It's a first step in learning how to pitch here," said manager Bryan Price. "You can practice all you want in the minor leagues but it's a new education when you get here."
Lorenzen's first pitch of the game was a 95 mph fastball called for a strike. He retired the Brewers in order in the first inning, although he needed 20 pitches to get it done. He found out the hard way about falling behind in the count. He found out the hard way about the need to get his secondary pitches working as soon as possible. He also figured out that he belongs at this level.
"I do everything I can to prepare myself physically and mentally before I go out and start, and I think my preparation is good enough for me to go out there and throw 100-plus pitches each time," said Lorenzen. "I just tried to keep it as normal as possible. I think today I wasn't too amped up but my routine wasn't where I wanted it to be. It's going to be my routine that allows me to be as comfortable as possible."
Lorenzen was chosen 38th overall in the 2013 draft. Less than two years later he's in the big leagues at the age of 23. He's competitive -- he was an All-American at Cal State-Fullerton in 2013 when he both pitched and played the outfield for the Titans -- and inquisitive. He was a non-roster invitee to spring training this year and stuck around until the Reds made their final roster cuts. He was in the clubhouse every day, watching veterans go about their business and asking questions about pitch sequencing and rationale for attacking different hitters.
"He asks a lot," said Johnny Cueto via interpreter Tomas Vera. "I have more time in the big leagues, I've been here longer than him so he asks me and I told him how to pitch to this guy, how to see the hitters, how to face the hitters. Yes, we talk a lot."
Cueto was more than willing to give Lorenzen his time and advice.
"I always want to help the other players. They see me as a leader, a number one guy, so we sit down and yes we do talk about that stuff," said Cueto. "I'm going to help the players. If they ask me, if you want to hear from me, you're going to hear me."
Lorenzen watched Cueto need just 85 pitches to get through eight innings in a 4-2 Reds win on Tuesday night.
"I think that's just something that you're always going to learn," said Lorenzen on Tuesday when he spoke to the media. "I think Cueto is even a guy that is learning that. He's almost mastered it, as you guys can tell, and I would talk to him as much as possible. What are you doing in the first inning? Why do you throw this pitch? Why do you throw this pitch? And he's really open about it. It's something me being new to pitching, being a position player in college, I'm going to have to learn how to use my stuff, what pitches to throw in certain counts. It just takes experience."
Lorenzen got his first taste of that experience on Wednesday.
"Michael has great stuff and now he's learning to manage it in these situations," said Price. "That will evolve over the course of the year, I'm sure. This. I think, is the right place for him. I really do. I think he's ready to be here emotionally. Now he has to learn."
