GOODYEAR, Ariz. — The great thing about abbreviated spring training starts is that they offer the opportunity for a wide range of interpretation and perspective. Take Mat Latos' outing on Sunday, for example. The biggest acquisition of Cincinnati's offseason surrendered two earned runs over three innings in a 5-4 split-squad win against the Angels and most everyone was willing to label his outing as "just one bad pitch." For the most part, it was a description that fit. Latos did give up a two-run homer to second baseman Alexi Amarista in the second inning and it did overshadow the good things he did. He retired Peter Bourjos, Alberto Callaspo and Bobby Abreu in order to start the game — Albert Pujols spent the day back in Tempe — and he also struck out a total of three batters. If this were later in the spring and his innings limit were higher, he could have turned it into a nice outing. So it wouldn't have a been a bad thing to presume good things for the future. "He threw some outstanding curveballs, which is tough to do here in Arizona," Reds manager Dusty Baker said after the game. "That's almost impossible and he did a great job of that." But if Latos was also seeing the glass as half-full, his immediate attitude didn't show it. He argued with Rob Butcher, the Reds' PR pro, about having to talk with us writers after his appearance. Then, when Latos shuffled to where we standing about three feet away, his body language and responses suggested he'd rather being doing the cha-cha with a cactus.
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