The one thing that stood between Hunter Greene and a perfect outing in a 7-0 victory Monday was a 45-foot bunt single that refused to roll foul near the third-base line in the first inning.
Daulton Varsho, the Arizona Diamondbacks’ leadoff hitter, dropped a bunt onto the infield grass on Greene’s fifth pitch of the evening. He was the last hitter to successfully reach first base against Greene on the rookie righthander’s most dominant start of the season.
"We've seen some good starts, some great starts from Hunter," Reds Manager David Bell said. "That might have been the best."
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Greene permitted one baserunner and faced the minimum number of required hitters through seven innings before rain ended the game with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. He struck out eight and walked none in front of 9,485 fans.
Everyone knows the high-velocity version of Greene, capable of regularly hitting triple-digits on the radar gun. Monday was a little different. He didn't throw any pitches above 100 mph. He wanted to simplify things, focusing on where catcher Tyler Stephenson set up his mitt.
Greene's fastball was as special as it's been all year. The Diamondbacks had trouble touching it, particularly when he elevated it at the top of the strike zone, whiffing on 12 of their 25 swings against it.
"I’d rather have that fastball, putting it where he wants it, than throwing 100 mph and missing over the middle of the plate or missing way above the zone where it’s not competitive," Aramis Garcia said. "I think that fastball was perfect."
Greene retired all 20 hitters he faced after Varsho’s bunt single. What stood out was his ability to induce weak contact.
The Diamondbacks didn't have any hard-hit balls against him. Typically, hitters can produce a high exit velocity against Greene because he throws so hard, but these at-bats were all pop-ups, routine flyouts and strikeouts.
A few days ago, Greene chatted with pitching coach Derek Johnson about how he's allowed 15 homers this season, the third-most in the Majors.
"Creating those uncomfortable at-bats and keeping guys off balance, I’m starting to figure that out a little bit more," Greene said. "I still have a lot of work to do. For me, it’s like you throw too hard to not have uncomfortable at-bats. Guys won't have comfortable at-bats at 88-90 mph. To understand that and just continue to perfect that is my focus."
Greene was the first Reds pitcher to throw a complete-game shutout in a game shorter than nine innings since Trevor Bauer on Aug. 19, 2020, which came in a seven-inning doubleheader.
It was the first time a rookie pitcher faced the minimum through at least seven innings since Baltimore’s Rob Milacki in 1989, according to ESPN. Milacki allowed two hits and three walks, but faced the minimum because of four double plays and a caught stealing.
Varsho’s bunt single in the first inning, which Greene called one of the best he'd seen, was erased on a strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out double play. Greene never had to pitch out of the stretch again. He threw no more than 16 pitches in any inning and he looked to complete all nine innings following a five-pitch seventh inning before the rain.
There were only two batters in Arizona’s lineup, Christian Walker and Geraldo Perdomo, who he didn’t strike out.
"He was dialed in," catcher Tyler Stephenson said. "I don’t know what inning it was exactly, but I could see him talking to himself like, ‘get after it!’ and saying some stuff, talking to himself just to stay aggressive."
One small touch that may have created a big impact was Greene mixed in a few more changeups than usual, something that was a part of their pregame scouting report. He still overpowered hitters with his fastball and slider, but just the idea of a third pitch sits in a hitter's head.
"Especially when you’re throwing 100 mph," Garcia said. "They loaded the lineup with lefties too. Getting something with a little bit of fade the other way played really big for him."
Greene has shown many glimpses of his potential through the first 11 starts of his rookie season. He didn’t back down against Atlanta in his MLB debut. He dazzled when he returned to his hometown to face the Los Angeles Dodgers, breaking records with his fastball velocity. He struck out seven of the first 10 batters he faced in Boston. He didn’t allow a hit over 7 1/3 innings against Pittsburgh.
This was the best of the bunch, a night where he imposed his will. The scary part? His fastball velocity wasn’t at its peak. He's probably had better starts with his slider. And it didn’t matter.
"There are times where I try to simply do too much," Greene said. "It’s being able to trust what I’m doing in between my outings. Trusting the work that I put in and my ability. I think that’s important for every professional and every person, to trust themselves."
Developing young pitchers is vital for the Reds in a rebuilding season and the 22-year-old Greene is learning at a rapid pace. After a rough inning spoiled Greene's start in Boston last week, the Reds couldn't have dreamed up a better response.
"It's fun just sitting back," Stephenson said, "seeing him develop, learn, understand himself and understanding the next step of how to attack guys and when to throw stuff at certain times."
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