MILWAUKEE –– When the Cincinnati Reds made starter Hunter Greene the youngest active pitcher in MLB, Reds manager David Bell knew that Greene had nothing left to prove at the minor league level.
Greene was one of the top prospects in baseball, and his fastball and his slider were two of the most impressive pitches in the minor leagues. When the Reds put Greene on the Opening Day roster, Bell knew that Greene would have to navigate the adversity that comes with pitching in MLB at 22 years old.
Bell said it takes a rare level of toughness to stick in the big leagues, and he was impressed with how Greene handled the worst statistical start of his professional career. On Thursday at American Family Field, the Milwaukee Brewers beat the Reds, 10-5, and Greene allowed eight runs and five home runs in only 2 ⅔ innings.
“This is part of being a Major League player,” Bell said. “It’s what we do, we get over everything. We get over it one pitch at a time, the good and the bad. That’s part of learning. We would never have anyone in the big leagues, veteran or young player, that we didn’t think could handle failure.”
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Even though Greene’s fastball was back to 101 mph, Bell said Greene’s secondary pitches weren’t at their best. Greene relied on his fastball early in the game, but the Brewers were waiting for it. He allowed two home runs and a double with his fastball in a three-run first inning.
Greene made an adjustment between innings, shifting his focus to his slider. In the second inning, the Brewers scored three runs again, hitting a double and another homer off Greene’s slider. Then in the third inning, he went back to relying on his fastball and allowed two more home runs.
"Days like this are going to happen,” Greene said. “You just have to keep pushing."
Every one of Greene’s starts this season has been different. Last week against the Colorado Rockies, Greene’s slider was feeling better than his fastball, so he threw his slider much more than usual. With his slider struggling against the Brewers, Greene had to adjust on the fly during the game.
He showed positive flashes with seven strikeouts, but the Brewers timed up Greene’s fastball and even hit a home run on a 100 mph pitch way above the strike zone.
“This takes a lot of toughness, and it’s not easy, but most of the guys here have been doing it their whole lives,” Bell said. “It’s a very difficult game that takes a very special personality and athlete to be able to handle that. That’s really not normal. Especially when you’re doing it with the pressure of doing it in the public eye all the time. It’s an amazing gift that we get to do it, but it doesn’t make it easy. Hunter is handling that very well.”
On Thursday, Greene became the second starter in MLB history to allow eight runs and also strike out seven batters in fewer than three full innings. He was also just the 17th starting pitcher in MLB history to allow five home runs in fewer than three innings.
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Greene finished the game with an 8.71 ERA. He said his biggest takeaway from the start was the importance of responding well to a bad day on the mound.
“I'm sure I'll have different feelings tomorrow, but I’ve just got to keep going,” Greene said. “I can't really do much else but keep a positive mindset and continue to attack."
Bell pulled Greene from the game in the third inning after he allowed his fifth home run of the game. As Bell walked out to the mound, the Beatles’ song “Help!” played over the speakers at American Family Field.
The Reds’ record on the season fell to 3-22. Over the last three weeks, the Reds went on an 11-game losing streak, won one game against the Cardinals and now have lost nine straight games.
The Reds took a 3-0 lead in the top of the first inning with RBI singles by catcher Tyler Stephenson and first baseman Colin Moran. It was the second straight game where the Reds took a multi-run lead in the top of the first inning and then lost that lead in the bottom of the inning.
The Reds' miserable start to the season has been due to more than the starting rotation’s league-worst 8.41 ERA. The Reds dropped another infield popup. They stranded the bases loaded in the fifth inning. With three players on the COVID IL and 12 more dealing with injuries, the Reds started four players who were in Triple-A two weeks ago.
Thursday was another day in a Murphy’s Law season for the Reds, where everything that could go wrong has gone wrong.
“The answer is we’re all here to support each other,” Bell said. “That’s our job and that’s what we love to do. Individually or as a team, we’re going to get through this together.”
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