Hunter Greene limits Rangers to 1 hit over 7 scoreless innings, Reds hold on to win 8-4
ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Hard-throwing Reds right-hander Hunter Greene held the Texas Rangers to one hit over seven scoreless innings and Jonathan India homered while driving in four runs on a four-hit day as Cincinnati beat the reigning World Series champions 8-4 on Saturday.
Greene (1-2) struck out six and walked one while throwing 63 of his 98 pitches for strikes.
Brent Suter relieved him with a perfect eighth before allowing six hits in the ninth, including back-to-back homers by rookie Davis Wendzel and Corey Seager. Alexis Díaz came on to get the last two outs for his sixth save in seven chances.
India already had a pair of RBI singles before his two-run homer, his first long ball of the season going the opposite way to right in the seventh. That doubled his season RBI total from four to eight, put the Reds up 5-0 and chased Texas starter Michael Lorenzen (2-1).
ARLINGTON, TX - APRIL 27: Hunter Greene #21 of the Cincinnati Reds pitches against the Texas Rangers during the first inning at Globe Life Field on April 27, 2024 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images)
Will Benson also had a two-run homer for the Reds, who have won six of their last nine games.
Josh Smith had the only Rangers hit off Greene when he pulled a double into the right-field corner to open the fifth and extend his on-base streak to 15 games. He got stranded at third base when shortstop Elly De La Cruz made a slick backhanded stop of a short-hopper and threw out speedy Travis Jankowski by a step to end the inning.
Lorenzen struck out three, walked one and allowed five runs on six hits against his original team. The right-hander was the 38th overall pick by the Reds in the 2013 draft and pitched in 295 games for them from 2015-21.
SHORT HOPS
Benson’s fourth home run came later in the seventh off José Ureña, ending the streak of 16 consecutive scoreless innings by Rangers relievers since last Sunday. ... Seager’s second homer of the season came on his 30th birthday. It was also only his second hit in his last 24 at-bats. ... The homer by Wendzel was his second big league hit and first homer.
TRAINER’S ROOM
Reds: C Tyler Stephenson was hit on the right hand by a pitch to open the seventh inning. He initially stayed in the game and scored on India’s homer, but was replaced behind the plate in the bottom of the inning. ... RF Jake Fraley was back in the lineup after missing six games because of illness.
Rangers: RF Adolis García, with one hit in his last 14 at-bats, was out of the starting lineup for the second time this season. It was just a break for the slugger, who has started 23 games in right, three as the DH and pinch-hit in the only other game he didn’t start.
UP NEXT
Andrew Abbott (1-2, 2.60 ERA) is scheduled to pitch for the Reds in the series finale Sunday. Abbott has allowed only four runs over 17 1/3 innings his last three starts. Rangers right-hander Dane Dunning (2-2, 4.61) has given up homers in all five of his starts.