Cincinnati Reds pitcher Hunter Greene talks about win over Phillies
Cincinnati Reds RHP Hunter Greene struck out six and walked none in six scoreless innings in his long-anticipated return from a groin injury.
One down, eight to go.
The Hunter Greene train is finally out of the rehab tunnel, underway, up to (100 mph) speed and, just maybe, ready to pull the freight for the Cincinnati Reds down the stretch of a playoff chase.
The Reds’ Opening Day starter made his long-anticipated return from a double dip on the injured list for a Grade 1 groin strain and dominated the powerful Philadelphia Phillies lineup on Aug. 13 for six scoreless innings.
“He really pitched. That was fun to watch. That’s what you hope for,” manager Terry Francona said. “He gave us a big lift.
“There’ll be opportunities for him to go deeper. But not tonight.”
Greene paced the Reds to an 8-0 victory in the series clincher of a three-game set at Great American Ball Park, just ahead of their first day off since July 24 – before opening a big series against the blue-hot division-leading Brewers this weekend.
“It’s crazy. He picked up right where he left off,” said closer Emilio Pagán. “What he’s capable of doing on the mound is a huge pickup for us.”
If this is what the Reds have to look forward to from their long-absent ace the rest of the season, buckle up for a pennant race – toughest remaining schedule in baseball, and all.
“We’re all going to have do our jobs and play clean baseball down the stretch, but having him back’s a good feeling,” Pagán said.
Greene has as many as eight more starts to go down the stretch, with the Los Angeles Angels up next in Anaheim next week. If needed, he lines up for a final start in Milwaukee on the last day of the season.
“I have a lot of confidence in myself and what I’m able to do at this level,” Greene said. “Well see. But I’m going to take it one day at a time and I’m being as present as possible.”
Greene had the tying run on third base with two out when he threw a slider past a swinging Bryce Harper for the final out of the sixth inning, preserving a 1-0 lead at the time – thumping himself on the chest as he came off the mound.
“You could see what it meant to him by his reaction,” Francona said.
Greene: “Big time. Obviously that’s a great lineup, a great hitter. I doubled down on my strength and came out on top.”
The victory Wednesday inched the Reds to 1 1/2 games back of the New York Mets for the final wild-card playoff position in the National League. The Mets and Braves were pushed into a late start by a rain delay in New York.
Greene, who said he felt “great” during the start, allowed just three hits, including a two-out double to Kyle Schwarber, who eventually took third on a wild pitch to set the stage for that strikeout of Harper on his 85th and final pitch.
That was the sixth strikeout of the game for Greene, who lowered his season ERA to 2.47 in 65 2/3 innings this season, across 12 starts.
“A lot of guys have a ton of innings under their belt right now. He doesn’t,” Francona said. “Hopefully, that helps us a little bit.”
The Reds gave him a lead in the fourth against the Phillies’ top pitcher this season, left-hander Cristopher Sanchez, on Austin Hays’ two-out walk and Noelvi Marte’s run-scoring double. Marte was thrown out at third trying to advance on the throw home.
The Reds scored three more in the sixth on three hits, with one helped along by a pair of Phillies errors.
And they added four more with two out in the seventh when Miguel Andujar delivered his first grand slam since he was a 23-year-old rookie for the Yankees in 2018.