Reds’ Greene in total command of Diamondbacks
Hunter Greene allowed a bunt single to begin the game and then faced the minimum through seven innings, retiring his final 20 batters as the Cincinnati Reds defeated the visiting Arizona Diamondbacks 7-0 in a rain-shortened game Monday night.
“That may be the best I’ve seen him pitch,” Reds manager David Bell said. “It was just a great mix of pitches. It makes for an uncomfortable at-bat when he locates his pitches. He got a lot of fly balls. He just set up his pitches really well.”
Brandon Drury hit his 10th homer of the season. Kyle Farmer and Tyler Stephenson each had a tworun double.
The start was delayed 13 minutes due to showers, then a larger line of storms moved in and halted play with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. After another 46-minute delay, the game was called.
The second overall pick in the 2017 draft out of Sherman Oaks Notre Dame High, Greene (3-7) yielded a bunt single down the third base line by Daulton Varsho to begin the game. Varsho was caught stealing to complete a double play after
Josh Varsho struck out.
The 22-year-old Greene never permitted another baserunner.
He pitched 7 1/3 hitless innings on May 15 but was removed after 103 pitches and
the Reds lost 1-0. This time, he needed only 87 pitches to get through seven.
“I kept it real simple,” Greene said. “Some of my past starts, I tried to do a little too much on a pitch.
Tonight I just said, ‘Here it is.’ The pitches seemed to be where they needed to be. I throw too hard for them to have a comfortable at-bat.”
The touted rookie finished with eight strikeouts
and no walks in the first one-hit complete game for the Reds since Luis Castillo pitched one at St. Louis on Sept. 11, 2020.
“He was at the top of the zone and we got into a little bit of a wrestling match up there,” Diamondbacks manager Torey Lovullo said. “You have to cheat to catch that velocity. He made good adjustments and was burying some breaking balls down in the zone. You have to tip your cap.”
Madison Bumgarner (25) threw 30 pitches in the first inning, but the Reds managed just one run on Drury’s homer and left the bases loaded.
Bumgarner gave up four runs and eight hits in all. MARINERS 7, ASTROS 4 >> Cal Raleigh had a career-high four RBIs and Julio Rodriguez hit a late two-run shot as Seattle won at Houston.
Raleigh’s three-run homer gave Seattle a 4-1 lead in the second inning, but the Astros scored three runs in the bottom of the inning to tie it.
The game was still tied in the fourth when Adam Frazier doubled with no outs. The Mariners went on top 5-4 when Frazier scored on a two-out single by Raleigh.
Mariners starter Robbie Ray (5-6) allowed eight hits and four runs — three earned — while walking three in five innings.
Houston starter Cristian Javier (3-3) struggled, allowing six hits and five runs in 3 2/3 innings.