MILB: Fire! Reds prospect strikes out 10 and hits 102 MPH again

If there is a snapshot of what a dominant start looks like, the young phenom Hunter Greene of the Cincinnati Reds, provided one today Thursday night.

The No. 53 MLB overall prospect was almost unbeatable, fanning 10 in 6 innings and a third of a hit when the affiliate of Triple-A Louisville edged out St. Paul, 1-0, at CHS Field. With his usual triple-digit heat, Greene posted his third double-digit strikeout game of the season and the first since his promotion to the Bats on June 15:

Louisville pitching coach Seth Etherton could see this kind of performance coming. The 22-year-old received the tip that it would indeed be “Happy Hunter Greene’s Day,” swinging two in the first inning and three of the first four batters he faced. Greene dodged his only walk and stolen base in the second and did not allow a hit until Nick Gordon led the fourth with a single.

The flamethrower immediately induced a double play groundout and ended the act with a strikeout. That kicked off a six-strikeout streak in nine batters, scored for his 10th on his 80th and final pitch in the seventh inning to secure his third scoreless effort in nine appearances for Louisville.

The performance continued a streak of successful starts for Greene, who has posted a 1.98 ERA in his last five starts after sporting a 6.23 mark in his first four Triple-A outings. The No. 2 Cincinnati prospect has fanned 37 in 27 1/3 innings during his hot streak, reducing his ERA with the Bats to 3.63.

While the second overall pick in the 2017 Draft went through a period of adjustment after his promotion in June, he continued to generate lost swings. After whipping an astronomical 37 percent from hitters with Double-A Chattanooga, Greene’s rate has dropped only slightly, to a still elite 32.2 percent with Louisville.

It may interest you: Reds’ 102 MPH MLB Super prospect is 90 feet from GL

Overall, the Southern California native is 8-5 with a 2.84 ERA and a 1.11 WHIP while limiting opposing hitters to .206 in 16 starts. Even with a few bumps along the way, Greene is turning into the pitcher Etherton and the Reds envisioned.

Rafael Martinez

I am fond of the King of Sports, especially the Boston Red Sox in MLB and in general all of Mexican baseball. This profession has given me the opportunity to cover major events such as the Caribbean Series, LMB All Star, LMP (uninterrupted since 2009), signings of important players. I had the chance to attend the 2013 World Classic in Arizona, USA, albeit as a fan. Apart from this beautiful sport, I love basketball, where I have also narrated games and even an NBA friendly 10 years ago, but I carry baseball in my veins. Bachelor of Communication Sciences from the Autonomous University of Sinaloa (UAS) , from which I graduated in 2011. I was born in Mazatlán, Sinaloa and started in the world of sports journalism in 2004 in the newspaper El Sol de Mazatlán, where I was a baseball columnist and reporter at the same time. In January 2009 I came to El Debate as a journalist reporter and it was almost six years (in the first stage), until in November 2014 I emigrated to the radio providing my services in Línea Directa-Grupo RSN. My cycle there ended in July 2019 and within days, El Debate gave me another opportunity to work and opened the doors for me again. That is how I came to Al Bat, where I have been since 2019 as a web journalist.

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