Hunter Greene Defangs Diamondbacks

 

Diamondbacks are poisonous but Hunter Greene had the antidote as he charmed the Arizona Diamondbacks into a tame species in a 7-0 Reds' win.

Daulton Varsho broke up Greens's no-hitter early.  The son of former Reds' back up catcher Gary Varsho, bunted for a hit as the lead off hitter.  Varsho was erased on a strike out, throw out double play when Tyler Stephenson threw him out stealing.

He retired 20 batters in a row after Varsho's bunt hit.

"I thought it was foul off the bat from my angle.  It was a great bunt," Greene said.

After that no one hit the ball on a line.  Greene struck out eight and got six lazy fly balls to the outfield, four pop ups to the infield and one ground out to Joey Votto at first base.

Greene faced the minimum 21 batters through seven innings.

"He mixed his pitches well," David Bell said.  "He got a lot of fly balls and pop ups because he set up his pitches.  He didn't try to do too much.  He will get his share of strikeouts but he doesn't have to strke everybody out.  He's had some good starts and a couple of great starts but this was his best."

Greene is learning his craft and reallizes that he can't get away with just throwing the ball hard down the middle of the plate.

"I kept it simple.  I didn't try to do too much," Greene said.  "In some of my past starts I've tried to do too much with my pitches.  Tonight I just said here it is and they seemed to go where they needed to be."

In his last two starts, one of which he won, Greene gave up nine runs in 8 2/3 innings.  He allowed three home runs in his win over Chicago.

"If I could do that every start it would be awesome.  I think I'll get. there the more I learn the hitters and about myself," Greene said.  "I talked to DJ. I give up a lot of home runs.  I throw too hard for them to have comfortable at bats.  I was a hitter, not professionalluty, but I still remember how unmfortable it is when a pitcher busts you up and in and then paints the outside corner.  I know I'm going to have my struggles but I'm working to keep a positive mindset.  It is too easy to let self doubt creep in." 

Former Arizona infielder and current Reds' home run leader, Brandon Drury hit his 10th home run of the season into the Diamondbacks bullpen in the first inning against Madison Bumgarner.  

Alejo Lopez doubled in the second and came around to score on an RBI single by Nick Senzel.  Kyler Farmer hit a two-run double past center fielder, Alek Thomas to put the Reds up 4-0 in the fifth.

"Bumgarner is a great competitor.  It was it was nice to get a couple of runs early, then get those add ons," Bell said.

Stephenson drove home two more runs in the seventh with a double to right center against Taylor Widener. Faemer was denied another double by Josh Rojas with a diving catch of a line drive at third base.  Albert Almora Jr. singled to score Stephenson with the seventh run of the game.

A hard rain descended on GABP in the inning, halting the game with two outs and Reds' runners on first and third with Aristides Aquino batting.

The umpires waited 46 minutes to make the call.  It was raining so hard and the wind was blowing.  The grounds crew had a difficult time getting the field covered.  There was a gap in the shortstop hole.  The grounds crew had to get a smaller tarp to fill it in.