CINCINNATI (AP) — Hunter Greene allowed a bunt single to begin the game and then faced the minimum through seven innings, retiring his final 20 batters as the Cincinnati Reds defeated the Arizona Diamondbacks 7-0 in a rain-shortened game Monday night.
“That may be the best I’ve seen him pitch,” Reds manager David Bell said. “It was just a great mix of pitches. It makes for an uncomfortable at-bat when he locates his pitches. He got a lot of fly balls. He just set up his pitches really well.”
Brandon Drury hit his 10th homer of the season. Kyle Farmer and Tyler Stephenson each had a two-run double.
The start was delayed 13 minutes due to showers, then a larger line of storms moved in and halted play with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. After another 46-minute delay, the game was called.
The second overall pick in the 2017 draft, Greene (3-7) yielded a bunt single down the third base line by Daulton Varsho to begin the game. Varsho was caught stealing to complete a double play after Josh Varsho struck out.
The 22-year-old Greene never permitted another baserunner.
Greene pitched 7 1/3 hitless innings on May 15 but was removed after 103 pitches and the Reds lost 1-0. This time, he needed only 87 pitches to get through seven innings.
“I kept it real simple,” Greene said. “Some of my past starts, I tried to do a little too much on a pitch. Tonight I just said, ‘Here it is.’ The pitches seemed to be where they needed to be. I throw too hard for them to have a comfortable at-bat.”
The touted rookie finished with eight strikeouts and no walks in the first one-hit complete game for the Reds since Luis Castillo pitched one at St. Louis on Sept. 11, 2020.
“He was at the top of the zone and we got into a little bit of a wrestling match up there,” Diamondbacks manager…