Jonathan India and Hunter Greene both had their best games of the year, leading the Cincinnati Reds to an 8-4 victory before 36,553 at Globe Life Park in Arlington, Texas.
Final | R | H | E |
---|---|---|---|
Cincinnati Reds (15-12) | 8 | 10 | 0 |
Texas Rangers (14-14) |
4 | 7 | 1 |
W: Greene (1-2) L: Lorenzen (2-1) Sv: Diaz (6) |
|||
Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread |
India batted 4-for-4 with four RBI to lead the eight-run attack, while Greene pitched seven one-hit shutout innings for his first win of the year — breaking a two-game losing streak.
As this post was set live, the Reds sit three games behind Milwaukee — which plays at the New York Yankees this evening — and two games behind the Cubs, who lost 17-0 to Boston today — in the National League Central Division.
The Offense
The composite line for Reds hitters today: 10-for-33, two walks drawn and only six strikeouts — an unusually low total for this team.
Cincinnati scored first in the top of the second. The first three batters of the inning reached against old friend Michael Lorenzen, followed by an RBI single by India and a sacrifice fly by Nick Martini. But a double-play grounder by Santiago Espinal short-circuited any further production in that inning.
The lead grew to 3-0 in the fourth inning on India’s two-out single that scored Christian Encarnacion-Strand from second base.
After Lorenzen hit Tyler Stephenson with a pitch to lead off the top of the seventh, India hit Mikey Biceps’ 100th pitch for his first home run of the year, an opposite-field shot to right, to give the Reds a 5-0 lead — with four of the runs driven in by India. Rangers Manager Bruce Bochy then called upon Jose Urena, who allowed a single by Martini and then a 382-foot blast to right by Will Benson to make it 7-0.
Martini’s second sac fly of the day scored Luke Maile from third to make the score 8-0 Reds in the eighth.
Other than India, Benson’s two hits were the only multi-hit performance for the Reds. Benson and Martini drove in two runs apiece.
The Pitching
The composite pitching line for Reds hurlers today: 9 innings, 7 hits, 4 runs, 1 walk and 8 strikeouts. But the real story was Greene. Over the first three innings, he was able to overcome one of the primary obstacles to him becoming a pitcher who can be counted on for at least six to seven innings per game — high pitch count. Greene threw only 42 pitches over the first three, an average of 14 per inning. He also retired the first nine Rangers batters he faced, with none of them hitting the ball hard.
After a leadoff walk in the fourth, Greene rebounded to retire the next three Texas hitters, bringing his pitch count to only 56 — another 14-pitch inning.
The no-hit spell was broken on a fifth-inning leadoff double by Josh Smith. The inning ended scoreless when shortstop Elly De La Cruz made a fabulous play to throw out the speedy former Red, Travis Jankowski, on a slow roller for the third out of the inning. Pitch count after five full: 76.
Sixth inning: 1-2-3 on nine pitches. 85 total.
Seventh inning: 1-2-3 on 13 pitches. 98 total. Greene’s final line: 7 innings, 1 hit, 1 walk, 6 strikeouts.
Brent Suter finished up the game, getting beaten around a bit in the ninth — allowing six hits, two homers and four runs. With one out in the bottom of the ninth, Manager David Bell had to come out and get Suter and call upon Alexis Diaz. Two Rangers were on base, meaning that the tying run was on deck when Diaz emerged — qualifying him for a save when he closed out the win.
Today’s game was an example of what Reds fans have been expecting / hoping for from Greene. Interestingly, Statcast data indicates he threw only fastballs and sliders. No third pitch that many observers have been voicing the belief that is the key for Greene to take the next step in his career. Importantly, 64 percent of his pitches were strikes. We’ve seen in recent games pitched against the Reds the benefits of pounding the strike zone, and we saw it again today benefiting a Reds pitcher.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds at Texas Rangers
Sunday, April 28, 2:35 p.m. ET
Andrew Abbott (1-2, 2.60 ERA) vs. Dane Dunning (2-2, 4.61 ERA)
The post Reds’ dynamic duo: India & Greene secure 8-4 win over Texas appeared first on Redleg Nation.