Reds' Graham Ashcraft: Increased velocity

Before he left Sunday's spring training start with calf cramps, Ashcraft was reaching 100 mph on his fastball and getting more swings-and-misses, Charlie Goldsmith of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports.

Despite a fastball that averaged 97.2 mph last year, Ashcraft managed only a 15.3 percent strikeout rate and 8.8 percent swinging strike percentage. Ashcraft already threw hard, so added velocity alone won't be sufficient to guarantee better results this season. However, the reports of added swings-and-misses before his calf cramp were promising.