Reds’ Hunter Greene goals for various consequence vs. Cardinals

Cincinnati right-hander Hunter Greene, garnering consideration for the National League Cy Young Award thanks to a recent 24-inning scoreless streak, faces the team that handed him his last loss when the Reds try to clinch a series victory against the visiting St. Louis Cardinals on Tuesday night.

Greene (8-4, 2.90 ERA) is 3-0 with a 0.92 ERA in six starts since getting outdueled by Lance Lynn in a 2-0 loss at St. Louis on June 30, when he allowed just one run on four hits while striking out six over 4 2/3 innings.

Greene has logged four scoreless outings in six starts since that loss, including six innings of one-hit, 11-strikeout baseball in a 6-4 win over the San Francisco Giants on Aug. 3.

His 24-inning scoreless streak, the longest by a Reds starter since Tom Browning’s 25-inning streak in 1989, came to an end in his latest start, a no-decision during Cincinnati’s 10-4 win at Miami on Thursday. Vidal Brujan and Jhonny Pereda hit RBI singles to highlight a three-run Marlins fourth inning.

Greene gave up three runs, six hits, two walks and also hit two batters while striking out five in six innings against Miami.

“Honestly, I take a lot of more pride in days like today when you don’t have your best stuff and you’re still able to go out and still get a (team) win,” Greene said postgame. “It’s a testament of your focus and trying to make, you know, the best pitches you can without your best stuff. …

“It’s days like today when I think it honestly shows if you’re a professional pitcher or not, if that makes sense.”

Greene is 1-4 with a 3.57 ERA in eight career starts against the Cardinals.

St. Louis, which managed just five hits in a 6-1 loss on Monday in the series opener, will turn to right-hander Erick Fedde (8-5, 3.28 ERA) to try and even the three-game series.

Fedde will be making his third start for the Cardinals since coming over at the trade deadline from the Chicago White Sox. He is 1-1 with a 5.40 ERA since the move, and he is 1-0 with a 6.05 ERA in four career starts against the Reds.

Fedde picked up his first win with St. Louis in his latest outing, allowing one run on four hits over five innings in a 5-2 victory over the visiting Tampa Bay Rays on Wednesday.

Spencer Steer hit two homers and knocked in a career-high five runs and Elly De La Cruz homered and doubled as Cincinnati downed St. Louis 6-1 in the series opener.

Andrew Abbott picked up his 10th win for the Reds, allowing one run on five hits over 6 2/3 innings, walking two and striking out six.

St. Louis had a chance to take control early, loading the bases with one out in the second inning, only to have catcher Pedro Pages ground into an inning-ending double play. The following inning, the Reds took a 1-0 lead on a Nolan Arenado single and loaded the bases again with two outs, but Brendan Donovan struck out to end the frame.

The Reds then answered with three runs in the bottom of the third when Steer and De La Cruz homered on back-to-back pitches off Sonny Gray. Steer added a three-run blast off Gray in the fifth to make it 6-1.

“Yeah, that’s the difference,” St. Louis manager Oliver Marmol said of scoring just once after loading the bases twice in consecutive innings. “It changes the overall vibe and momentum when you put yourself in a situation to score there, you load the bases with one out (and don’t score).

“During the stretch (run), we’re going to play some good teams and we’re going to have to do a better job of executing with runners in scoring position. It’s going to be a key to success moving forward.”

–Field Level Media