In his third start of the season, Hunter Greene picked up win number two on Sunday against the Colorado Rockies. Greene went six innings, allowing three runs on four hits and striking out seven. In his three appearances this year, it was the second time he’s struck out seven batters. Since returning from the injured list, Greene continues to dominate on the mound and will look to have a strong second half to the season.
His first start of the season did not go as planned, but since then, he has shown command on the mound. On July 4, Greene made his anticipated first start of the season since coming off of elbow surgery. The Baltimore Orioles had an offensive parade against Greene as he gave up eight runs in three and one third innings pitched. He also walked four batters which was a career-high and the eight runs tied a career-high. Despite allowing those runs against Baltimore, Greene still struck out seven batters in his brief outing.
There were some things that Reds manager Terry Francona liked from Greene’s first start.
“Thought the ball came out good,” Francona said. “Had some deep counts. They fouled off a number of two-strike fastballs. He just wasn’t commanding.”
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Greene was aware of his lack of adjustments being made during his start against the Orioles.
“Just didn’t do a good job channeling the adrenaline,” Greene said. “Not an excuse by any means. Just a reality. I was aware I was amped, especially on the late heaters that I pulled early. Obviously at this level, we’ve got to be able to make adjustments. I didn’t do a good job of that.”
In his last two starts Green has struck out a total of 19 batters and has allowed three runs. The All-Star did a good job of bouncing back after showing some rust in his first start.
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Hunter Greene On The Trade Block?
On the season, he has a 2-1 record with a 6.06 ERA and 26 strikeouts. Greene’s name has floated around about the possibility of being traded as the deadline is approaching. Francona knows that Greene and a few other players are possible trade candidates and he’s unsure on how to describe the situation.
“There’s a good word, and I want to use it because it’s how I feel,” Francona said. “It’s not uneasiness, but the unknown a little bit. It’s like you want it to be over, like now. And that’s not the way it is. Because you’re with these guys every day, and it means something.
Francona and the Reds will have to play the waiting game to see what will happen with Greene and the other players.
But for now, Greene has the opportunity to build off this momentum he has going from his last two starts. For him, hopefully there won’t be any setbacks throughout the remainder of the season, and he can go out and show why he’s a dominant pitcher.
