Cincinnati Reds manager Terry Francona was in the dugout running a game for the first time in 510 days as he and the Reds opened Cactus League play.

Graham Ashcraft had a good start to his spring and Elly De La Cruz crushed two homers as the Reds split two games Saturday.

But since it's the Dodgers, you can bet they won't be lacking for star power. Prior to that, Reds manager Terry Francona staged his usual morning meeting with reporters back at the club's Player Development Complex and it's another busy day across the Reds' Goodyear campus.

In the first game since the passing of legendary broadcaster Bob Uecker, the Milwaukee Brewers opened up their spring training schedule with a 8-7 win

In the bottom of the first inning, De La Cruz, who was hitting third, hit one of his trademark, high-arching, moonshot home runs in the Cincinnati Reds ' Cactus League opener against Cleveland Guardians pitcher Triston McKenzie.

A few months before he died, hometown Cincinnati Reds legend Pete Rose wondered aloud, “Are they waiting for me to die?” Turns out they’re waiting a lot longer than that. Rose, who died Sept. 30, has been on MLB’s permanently ineligible list since 1989 for betting on baseball while he was the manager of the Reds in the ‘80s.

GOODYEAR, Arizona – Want to see the much anticipated debut of the Cincinnati Reds’ new ... where the Milwaukee Brewers host the Reds in a split-squad exhibition opener Saturday afternoon.

The MVP experience came to an end on Saturday as the Brewers played the Cincinnati Reds in the spring training opener. All three kids got to throw out a ceremonial first pitch. They were recognized in a pre-game ceremony and participated as in-game junior announcers, too.

Milwaukee Brewers outfielder Blake Perkins is expected to miss the first month of the season after fracturing his right shin during batting practice.