Reds Beat: Hunter Greene Flashes Dominant Form After Some Consultation With Frankie Montas

CINCINNATI — We’re just two starts into Hunter Greene’s third big league season but Friday night was definite sign that the right-hander may finally be ready to take that next big step.

In Cincinnati’s 3-2 loss to the New York Mets, Greene allowed just three hits and one run over six innings. He walked only one and struck out six.

Most impressive? He threw 99 pitches in six innings. While that may not redefine pitch efficiency, that is a good sign that Greene is learning to “fill the zone” with strikes, as he has said is his goal in the past.

“That’s the only way I’m going to be able to do that, by throwing strikes and trying to put guys away as early as possible,” Greene said.

Greene has given up three runs on eight hits over 10 2/3 innings, striking out 13, walking five and hitting two batters in two starts.

In the fifth inning, after allowing a game-tying sacrifice fly to Francisco Lindor, Greene got the always dangerous Pete Alonso to foul out to Christian Encarnacion-Strand to end the inning with two runners on.

What was most impressive to his catcher about the way he approached Alonso?

“Probably just that he treated (the at-bat) like all the other ones he had the night. There was no panicking,” Luke Maile said. “Obviously, when you get guys on, pitches are at a premium, but I think that we both knew that he was executing at a pretty high level the whole time. They just happen to get on base. So he just needed to keep doing what he was doing. And that’s exactly what he did.”

Greene threw 46 four-seam fastballs, 48 sliders and just five splitters to keep the hitters honest.

“It doesn’t get much better than that,” Reds manager David Bell said. “The fastball and slider, really good life on the fastball. Mainly did it with those two pitches.”

That inning summed up damage control for Greene. He issued a leadoff walk to Tyrone Taylor. He allowed a one-out hit to Harrison Bader. And he hit the hitless DJ Stewart with a pitch. Bases loaded, one out.

He got out of it with just one run scoring. The next inning, he allowed only a one-out Brett Baty single to left and threw just 13 pitches in his final inning of work.

“He’s done a great job so far,” Maile said. “He’s been able to land his slider and expand it when he needs to get out of the zone. I’ve got no complaints with way he’s thrown the ball and I think most importantly, he really believes in his stuff right now and you can tell.”

A new teammate in the rotation has offered Greene some fresh perspective on how to approach hitters.

“Obviously watching Frankie (Montas) in his last two starts and listening to him speak when we have been on the bench, the conversations that we’ve had, a lot of his success has been getting ahead and competing in the zone and putting guys away when he needs to,” Greene said of watching Montas win his first two starts.

Alonso would eventually drive in the go-ahead run with bases-loaded grounder and Jeff McNeil homered to lead the visiting New York Mets to a 3-2 win over the Reds Friday night before 16,620 frosty fans.

The game was played in brisk conditions, with a game-time temperature of 46 degrees and a wind blowing out to center of 11 mph.

Alonso, who tied Thursday’s second game of a doubleheader with a solo homer, came up against Fernando Cruz (0-1) with the bases loaded and hit a chopper that Elly De La Cruz couldn’t handle cleanly, allowing Harrison Bader to score in the seventh.

Drew Smith (1-0) worked his way out of a jam in the sixth inning to earn the win.

Jonathan India reached to open the ninth on a fielding error by Mets closer Edwin Diaz. Spencer Steer then worked a walk. Christian Encarnacion-Strand hit a chopper up the middle that Francisco Lindor tried to turn into a double play but was late stepping on the bag at second but got Encarnacion-Strand at first.

Following a sacrifice fly by Jeimer Candelario that scored India, Diaz finally ended the game by striking out Jake Fraley for his first save in his first chance this season.

It was a game of missed opportunities for the Reds, who stranded 12 runners on base and went 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position.

The Reds had at least two runners on in four innings and left the bases loaded twice, including in seventh when De La Cruz looked at three strikes against lefty reliever Brooks Raley.

Greene hit the game’s first batter Francisco Lindor with his second pitch before allowing a two-out spinning flare off the end of Brett Baty’s bat, just inside the third base bag.

Starling Marte struck out looking as Greene worked his way out of trouble.

Steer put the Reds on top in the bottom of the first when he lined a 3-2 sinker to the seats in left for his second homer.

The Reds had runners on first and second in the third and couldn’t score off Mets le starter Jose Quintana. De La Cruz doubled down the left field line to extend his hitting streak to 11 games with one out in the fourth but was stranded.

The Mets tied the game in the fifth against Greene when Tyrone Taylor walked to open the inning and Harrison Bader singled with one out.

Greene got ahead of DJ Stewart, who was hitless on the season. But on a 1-2 pitch, Greene drilled him on the right elbow to load the bases. Lindor lifted a sacrifice fly to center to tie the game.

“It was a great pitch, a fastball right on the corner inside,” Greene said of the hit batter. “It just happened to get him, but I thought it was a fantastic pitch and I was very happy with my execution. Once the ball leaves my hand, I can’t really control it.”

Greene finished with another no-decision, allowing three hits and one run over six innings.