Back in his hometown, where he will pitch in a major league game for just the second time in his young career, Cincinnati Reds right-hander Hunter Greene is set to face the host Los Angeles Dodgers on Sunday afternoon.
Wide-eyed and fresh-faced in 2022, Greene was making just his second career start when he pitched well at Dodger Stadium by recording six strikeouts and two earned runs allowed in 5 1/3 innings. But he took the loss after he began his career six days earlier with a win over the Atlanta Braves.
Greene (2-2, 3.27 ERA) appears on track for a different result this time, going 2-1 with a 2.56 ERA over his past five starts.
In a road game Tuesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks, the 24-year-old matched a season high with seven innings and allowed two runs on five hits with five strikeouts. He earned the win as the Reds won 6-2.
“I’m getting ahead, trying to go deeper in games,” Greene, who has a fastball that regularly reaches 100 mph, told Bally Sports Cincinnati this week when asked about the key to his recent run of success. “I understand the position I’m in and the impact it can have with the team, and with (saving) the bullpen as well.”
He will need some offensive support, though, after the Reds had just three hits Saturday in a 4-0 loss to the Dodgers. Cincinnati is 3-6 on a 10-game trip that ends Sunday.
The Dodgers are undecided about their starter on Sunday as they continue to space out their rotation to give pitchers such as right-hander Yoshinobu Yamamoto and veteran left-hander James Paxton one, and often two, extra days between starts.
One possibility is to bring back right-hander Landon Knack from Triple-A to start after he made three starts for Los Angeles earlier this season. Another bullpen day also is possible.
The Dodgers have dealt with several injuries to the pitching staff, with right-hander Bobby Miller (right shoulder inflammation) close to returning to the rotation and relievers Ryan Brasier (calf strain) and Evan Phillips (hamstring strain) also nearing returns.
Walker Buehler made his third start in nearly two years Saturday after elbow surgery and guided Los Angeles to the win over the Reds with six shutout innings. He gave up only three hits, with no walks and seven strikeouts.
Despite the injury woes, the Dodgers (31-17) still have the second-best record in the National League and the fourth-best in the majors.
“Offensively, I think we have been sporadic, certainly top heavy,” manager Dave Roberts said. “Some guys around the bottom (of the order) are on the come. But I think at the end of the day, we’re doing a good job of winning baseball games. How we do it each night has been different, but I think that’s a lot of credit to the coaches and the players.”
Dodgers shortstop Mookie Betts was given a rare day of rest Saturday, with Andy Pages and Gavin Lux driving in runs.
“I mean we’re all gonna have our games here and there where we don’t play well, but we know how good we are as a team,” said the Dodgers’ Freddie Freeman, who had two hits and an RBI. “And the pitching has been really, really good all season long.”
–Field Level Media
