Hunter Greene and Art Warren combined for eight no-hit innings, but three eighth-inning walks followed by a fielder’s choice groundout plated the game’s only run in a Pittsburgh Pirates 1-0 victory over the Cincinnati Reds.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Reds (9-26) | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Pittsburgh Pirates (15-19) |
1 | 0 | 0 |
| W: Stratton (2-1) L: Greene (1-6) SV: Bednar (7) |
|||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
It was a heartbreaking loss for the Reds, who wasted no-hit pitching and also wasted a chance to take their third consecutive series. Instead, losses yesterday and today resulted in a 2-2 series split at PNC Park. You certainly can’t blame the pitching staff, which allowed four runs combined over the past two games and got charged with two losses.
Today’s result was the first time since 1988 that a major-league team has won a game without achieving a base hit.
The game does not count as an official no-hitter because the bottom of the ninth inning was not played.
The Offense
Four hits by the visitors, with only an eighth-inning double by Alejo Lopez providing a scoring opportunity. But neither Colin Moran nor Matt Reynolds could bring Lopez home.
The Pitching
What more can you say about Greene’s best major-league outing? 7 1/3 innings, no hits, nine strikeouts, but the five walks were costly in the fact that they really ratcheted up his pitch count: 118 total, 69 of which were strikes.
After Greene walked two in the bottom of the eighth, Art Warren entered with one out to try to short-circuit Pittsburgh’s would-be rally.
.@HunterGreene17 exits the game after throwing a NO HITTER through 7.1 innings. Truly an incredible performance. ? pic.twitter.com/zNxI2lCWXk
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) May 15, 2022
Unfortunately, Warren walked Ben Gamel on four pitches to load the bases with one out. Then, Ke’Bryan Hayes hit a topper to Lopez at second base, who hesitated for a split second, apparently trying to decide whether to throw home for a hoped-for force-out or go to second base to begin a hoped-for double play. Lopez went to second for one out, but shortstop Reynolds’ throw to first base was not in time to get Hayes motoring down the line. Bryan Reynolds then popped up to end the inning.
After a fantastic outing, @HunterGreene17 tells the media that he will be able to focus on the positives from the game today, despite the loss. pic.twitter.com/p45Z4abtaT
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) May 15, 2022
Walks have been among the many downfalls of the pitching staff this year, and six free passes again proved to be what led to today’s loss.
News and notes
Tyler Stephenson does not have a concussion after being hit in the face mask by a foul ball Saturday evening:
"All positive news, we're good."@Tyler_Step22 updates the media with some good news about his injury, and what protocols he will be taking moving forward.
? Bally Sports Ohio
? Bally Sports app pic.twitter.com/sW9nPsN2en— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) May 15, 2022
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Cincinnati Reds vs Cleveland Guardians
Tuesday, May 17, 6:10 p.m. ET
Connor Overton (1-0, 1.59 ERA) vs. Zach Plesac (1-3, 4.68 ERA)
So now Art Warren gets to brag the rest of his life about being part of a combined no hitters.
I wish they would have had a better 2B in the game. One with the arm of a normal major league 2B. Probably would have been a double play. Lopez is just a terrible 2B men. Had the runner at home and a good chance at home to 1b inning ending DP.
Congrats to Hunter none the less.
A darn shame the loss is pinned on Greene, who was fabulous. This loss belongs to the non-existent offense.
Mark Sheldon: 118 pitches is the most in MLB this year so far.
Bell tried to act like the issue was whether or not to send Greene out for the 8th inning, which I had no problem with. The real issue was why Bell didn’t have somebody up at the beginning of the inning given the elevated pitch count and why he didn’t get Greene out after Greene issued the first walk of the inning. Greene should not have been in the game after issuing that first walk, but Bell didn’t have anybody up in the pen. Big mistake Bell!
Great game by Hunter. He and Lodolo development are the biggest storylines this season- similar to india and Stephenson 1 year ago
Lineup/roster just not there.
No India
No Stephenson
No votto
No winker
No Castellanos
No Shortstop
No CF
2022 is about developing for 2023 and filling in those holes.
Jobs are open.
I really like Almora. He’s fantastic defensively in center, but hasn’t been able to hit in the bigs consistently. If he continues to hit as he has so far, he’s my everyday centerfielder.
Looks like there is going to be a CF controversy when Senzel is healthy. I am in the same corner as you. If Almora hits, the job is his. His downside versus Senzel even if he hits is that he is only under team control through 2023 versus Senzel being under control through the 2025 season.
Tom isn’t it fair to say the Reds had a fantastic center fielder in Billy Hamilton. He couldn’t hit very well. Just personal opinion, but Reds should of never got rid of Hamilton.
@Kevin H — Prior to this year, Almora has been very similar to Hamilton. Terrific defensively, but no threat at the plate. My position is that if Almora keeps hitting as he is currently, he should stay in center. If he returns to his career norm in subpar hitting, I am not in favor of keeping him as the starter. He would fit as a late-inning defensive sub on a good team, which the Reds are not.
He was Gold Glove caliber for the Cubs. Only problem is he cant hit. Hes billy hamilton without the transcendental electricity on the base-paths.
Thats a 5 th outfielder but a spot on the 26 man. Not a guy who plays every day and gets 600 at bats.
Elly De La Cruz went 3-5 with 2 doubles and a HR today. He also made his 6th error at SS. I would defer to Doug who knows way more than I on minor leagues but why not move DeLACruz to CF? Eric davis and Mike Cameron were tall long fast athletic twitchy CF’s? Eric Davis was SS in A ball
If Almora continues to hit, move Senzel to 3rd. But ultimately, I’d be trying to shop Senzel because I doubt he can stay healthy long enough to make a significant impact in the future.
Almora has a 266 average in the big leagues with close to 1400 at bats.I would take that because of his + defense and can steal a base.Senzel though I have always liked and with less then 700 at bats due to missing so much time he has to play when healthy.
Almora looks to me like the centerfielder the Reds have needed for sometime. When Senzel returns I would put him back at his natural position, third base. I hope the young guy stays healthy because he plays with intensity.
I like Almora too. For now, I’d say the CF job is Senzel’s but let’s be honest: he can NOT stay in the lineup. Always something wrong.
Senzel being a first round pick. Right or wrong he will continue to get chance after chance. Over guys like Almora. Not saying it is the right thing to do.
This post was for Tom.
This defeat is really unfair to Greene but that’s baseball, if your team does not score does not win. The offense looked really harmless yesterday and today. If there is one way to lose a game this season The Reds will find it…
Greene’s level of maturity shows in the post game interview. Good times ahead for him. Gonna say Lodolo and Ashcraft will be a force along with Greene.
It almost never works out that all of the prospects in any grouping make it as major-league difference-makers, but the Reds sure seem to have a group of starters that could be the core of the rotation for the next half-decade at least. If we get a look at Ashcraft in the bigs and he shows he can pitch effectively, I would begin to lean toward trading Castillo and Mahle at the trade deadline. But NOT as salary dumps. Only IF you can get top-level position player prospects in return.
Agree. There are good times ahead, just not this season. I like Senzel, however I often wonder if being moved to 3 different positions in the system has taken his desire to play for the team? I have no proof of this or anything
Just a thought
The goal for moving Castillo and/or Mahle is a Glasnow, Meadows, Baz type of return.
You nailed it.
It doesn’t have to be a pitcher. If the team that wants him the most is willing to give up a Grade A hitting prospect, then that is equally good. They need some RH power.
I agree Ed, an outfielder with some RH pop. That should be the asking price for Castillo.
I agree Big Ed,
An outfield prospect with some RH pop should be the asking price for Luis Castillo.
Unless he has lost a step or two. With DH now in both leagues and rosters to 26. Billy Hamilton should be on someone’s active roster. He would be a pinch run and Def. replacement weapon.
The rotation barring injury seems pretty well set with Greene, Ashcraft, Lodolo, Greene, and Mahle. The Bull Pen is also becoming more defined. Castillo is likely the best trade bait and should be able to have one or two top hitting prospects in return
I really like Greene too but he doesn’t have a twin on the team
Should have also mentioned Williamson as a possible rotation piece in 2023 if they decide to trade Mahle. Of course the future is also bright with the pitcher they received from Seattle and the pitcher from Detroit
And how can we not include Owenton?
After watching the game today I think the question we all have to ask is this. Do we want David Bell in charge of a rotation that could include the likes of Greene, Lodolo, Ashcraft, Williamson, Abbott and a few others? I know I don’t. I also think the Reds have some good young everyday players, a few are here = Stephenson and India and a few on the horizon = Mclain, Barrero, Del A Cruz and a few others. I have not given up on Senzel and Drury might be a keeper. However they need to trade Castillo and or Mahle for some major league ready outfielders. Lastly they need to find a good young catcher so Stephenson can be moved to first, dh or even left field.
They had Barnhart. ?
I do think Stephenson will be moved.
No I don’t think Bell should be the manager in the near future. I hear Brantley talk alot about pitching. Wonder what he could do as a pitching coach.
Brantley would be great, much better than DJ I think.
Derek Johnson is doing fine as head of pitching development at all levels. I wouldn’t change him.
I am in the move Stephenson off catcher camp. But I can’t see him in LF. Got to be 1b/DH. I do think if they move him off Catcher it will be for good. I doubt he would ever catch another inning. Baring a major in game emergency.
+1000000.
I’m curious why AA can suddenly hit again. More curiously, how did Jankowski suddenly become a .300 hitter now that he’s out of Cincinnati? There’s an issue with the Reds coaching no matter how often and many folks here deny it.
Analytics have ruined the game. If I recall Senzel hit well until reds tinkered with his batting stance. Shifts have ruined the game. The game is boring
+1000
Exactly, he is killing it. Probably let him go back to his more comfortable open stance. This hitting coach needs to go.
I have calmed down a little but the way Bell sent Greene back out in the 8th for no reason that was important tells me no way I want him to handle a young staff.In fact I wouldn’t want him to manage a young team at all at any time for any reason.One or both of Castillo and Mahle may go at the deadline but we must get equal value in return.I am done believing Castillo will be all he could be in Cincy and Mahle is younger and cheaper.
Well, don’t discount the “Hunter Greene No-Hitter Bobblehead” night.
Any port in a storm.
In 1959 the Reds had a slew of good young pitching talent.
Jim O’Toole and Jay Hook were at the top of the list. Jim Maloney was coming up in the minors. Claude Osteen and Mike Cuellar never captured the Reds fancy but both were outstanding young pitchers.
O’Toole had a good but short career that ended in 1967. Hook never lived up to his promised and went to the NY Mets in the 1962 expansion draft. Maloney was the Reds ace for most of the 1960s but injuries derailed his career after that.
Osteen was traded to the Washington Senators and later did very well with the LA Dodgers. Cuellar was traded to Cleveland but did well with the Houston Astros and excelled with the Baltimore Orioles. Too bad neither did much with the Reds.
Maybe the Reds today have a similar level of pitching talent. Greene, Lodolo, and the others. If so, I hope they do their best work with the Reds, not with other MLB teams.
Thanks for sharing that. I have always been interested in the Red’s turbulent 1960s period with many successes (farm talent), heartbreaks (Fred), surprises in manager and front office moves (Bristol, Sparky), etc. that led to the BRM. Hard to analyze but I have to think that the GM and FO made the difference. We might have the farm talent but we have little else now. Meddling owners and fanboys like Bell and Krall won’t make the cut, perhaps those factors were negatives during the early 60s as well.
DeWitt was a very good GM who made one awful trade.
Howsam was an even better GM who made the best Reds trade ever.
Both ran an excellent front office.
DeWitt was a very good GM but he made one awful trade (Frank Robinson). He did a really good job developing Reds in their farm system.
Howsam was an even better GM who made the best Reds trade ever (Joe Morgan). He took the Reds from good (86 W average in 1960s) to great (95 W average in 1970s).
It’s hard to compare the two eras. Sixteen teams in all of MLB, for starters, and less competition for top athletes from other sports. I don’t remember hearing much, if anything, about managers and coaches calling out ownership or upper management and that may have been because it didn’t happen or because it wasn’t covered by the media, though I tend to doubt the latter, because that was still the golden age of great sportswriters. The fans now have more forums for commenting, but they second-guessed then and we second-guess now.
Jay Hook has a Masters Degree from Northwestern in thermodynamics. The player’s salaries are not like today and at age 28 he retired to go to work for Chrysler. He was considered a head case by Reds management which is why he was available in the expansion draft. He was the winning pitcher for the Mets first victory in its first season. His career went south because of his brains and pitching for the terrible Mets.
Not major league ready. That is the kiss of death. They are either not as good as advertised or damaged.. otherwise no team would trade them. Get multiple grade A 17 to 20 yo prospects. We got a ton of them. Need more of them. Don’t worry about 2022 or 2023. Try to start winning in 24 and beyond. This organization can become a force with young talent.
Will the Reds trade both or just one of Castillo and Mahle. Would they try to sign one to a long term deal? If so which one do you think?
My guess is both are gone but I suppose there is a small chance they try to sign one.
If they indeed sign one I would guess Mahle as he might be a tab bit cheaper than Castillo.
Trade both
I don’t think the Reds will sign either Castillo or Mahle to a long-term deal. Mahle is settling in to a pattern of high pitch counts for every start, which limits his number of innings. Castillo might be able to bring some top-level position player prospects, and the Reds need that badly.
If I’m the front office, I’m going to try to sign Stephenson to a long-term deal. Buy out his arbitration years and then go a year or two beyond that. That way you control him for the next five or six years. As soon as Joey Votto’s contract is up, you move Stephenson to first base. Hopefully you have an All-Star caliber bat at a relatively low-risk position in the field for at least the next five years.
+5,000
Agree with everything you said, Tom.
The need some RH pop for Castillo.
Long term I see
1B Stephenson
2B India
SS Barrero
3B MCalin
C whoever
Of ???
They need to get an outfielder with right handed power.
Peoples fascination with Barrero is almost comical
Barrero was their #1 prospect last year. What’s so funny about that??
I would offer that the Reds need two quality left-handed bats going forward. Perhaps the switch-hitting de la Cruz will fill one of those needs.
I feel that Hendricks might be a left-handed version of Chad Mottola.
Hendrick’s strike put numbers have not improved from last year, and they must or he will never make it.
Only our Redlegs. And 5 other teams in the history of MLB, I guess. Sheesh.
Houston Colt 45s were one in 1964. The Reds won that game without a hit.
I remember listening to that game on the radio. Joe Nuxhall pitched a 5-hit shutout. Pete Rose bunted and reached on an error by no-hit pitcher Ken Johnson in the top of the 9th and scored on an error by Hall Of Famer Nellie Fox. Rose’s bunt probably should have been scored a hit but the first hit should never be questionable so when Johnson threw the ball away it was scored an error all the way.
I listened to it on the radio at my grandmother’s house. A vivid memory from a long time ago.
I listened to that game on my front porch. i remember it like yesterday. what a game. no one thought Rose would bunt, Rose was a lot of things, some good some bad. He had a high baseball I Q though.
Geez, I am old, but you guys are older than dirt.
The ESPN recap said Greene threw 118 pitches. The most by any pitcher in the major leagues this year. Given Greene is a young pitcher that with a history of arm injuries that throws hard, I am not so sure that is a good thing.
I agree, was scary seeing him go back out there with over 100 pitches thrown in the 8th. Should have yanked him after the first walk. Just hope hes ok.
I think we can all agree that was a bone headed move by Bell. What’s worse was that on the post game he mentioned the thought of Greene pitching in the 9th crossed his mind. If Greene comes up with a sore arm it should be the end of David Bell period. How do you let a 22 year old who has TJ surgery throw the most pitches in MLB this year in a meaningless game.
+Infinity
Well, it’s not like he (Bell) has to win games to keep his job.
+1,000,000.00
Guy is clueless.I listened to that and it was obvious he became a fan and was just watching.He even said at the end that right now it starts with the fastball for Greene but 20 years from now when he is still pitching he may have to change.What blows me away is that nobody that I could find even asked him about why he sent Greene back out for the 8th.Maybe everybody just accepts these kind of things from Bell and never questions them.How on earth did we get this way in Cincy?Man we need new ownership in the worst way.
We need reporters that will ask tough questions. Reporters like the ones in the NY, BOS and Philly markets.
I don’t think it was a boneheaded move. The big mistake was not having a pitcher up in the pen to start the 8th. Greene faced 1 batter too many, if a guy was ready in the pen, he would have been out after the 1st man reached base via a BB.
Also if the team acts like a game is meaningless, then why are they out there, why would we watch?
Plus 1000
It was absolutely a boneheaded move. It’s a meaningless game in the sense that the season is basically lost at this point, and pushing a young pitcher to throw that many pitches is compromising future seasons where he could be a potential difference-maker. Putting in a reliever doesn’t mean they’re giving up, this is why they exist.
Bell was going to get criticize either way. I’m not convinced pitching to a couple extra batters was that much of a risk. Guys on here complain that pitchers don’t pitch deep into games anymore, well how do they learn to it if they never get an opportunity?
The Reds are 17 games under .500. Their season ended last month. There is no coming back from that. It doesn’t matter if the Reds won this game today or not.
Again, the season is over. If you are still in pennant contending mode, you have a miserable summer ahead of you. The rest of the season is about development.
I am not of fan of David Bell. In fact, I think he should be replaced, but not because he let Hunter Greene pitched to a couple extra batters today.
Exactly. Especially considering HG’s recent TJ recovery and even more recent arm fatigue. 118 pitches — the most by many any Major Leaguer this year? Come on …
(Responding to ScreaminRat)
I’m not obviously to the math. It would be a ridiculously crazy comeback to be in contention for anything. That’s fine for you and I to say. Do you really want that to be the mindset of Greene, Stephenson etc. we want them focused on every play like it’s game 7 of the World Series. That’s what it takes to win at this level.
Mark, I agree with your assessment of Bell’s poor judgment. He does have a feel for the game in front of him. After the first walk in the 8th inning, Green should have been removed. He had a stellar performance. Reckless, to have let him continue pitching.
Maybe we should wait and see. If Greene comes up lame and ineffective, then maybe. If he doesn’t, then maybe not. No need to rush to judgment.
Leave it to the Reds to no hit a team and lose.
Exciting and frustrating to watch. Greene was so good and our bats were so silent (for the most part). We made a middle of the rotation guy look like Cy Young again and squandered a chance to win a series.
Onward and upward, I suppose. I’ll sum it up with the infamous “Men’s Prayer” from the “Red Green Show” …
“I’m a man, but I can change, if I have to. I guess.”
I spent the day at Disney Springs with my grandkids and came home to find out the Reds managed another unique way to lose a game! I love my Reds but Good Grief Charlie Brown! Can’t score a run, a single run against the World Champion Pirates? Is this the low point of the 2022 season? Great job by Greene but again walks kill! Move on and put this disaster behind us!
Losing a no-hitter is an addendum to the Red’s crazy season of 2022.
I mean, at this point, you just have to laugh.
In the post game comments Bell absolutely would have let greene go for the no-hitter. You’re literally talking about 145 pitches or more. How incredibly misguided to risk the health of a player whose importance to the franchise cannot be understated. Astonishing, really.
Agreed
David Bell is not the needed manager for the Red’s expected competitive years beginning in a year or two.
A year or 2 ? More like a decade or 2
Brantley was nearly having a conniption fit not seeing anyone warming up in the pen during the 8th inning. Have to agree with him. Bell left Greene in one batter too long.