Cincinnati Reds swept by Atlanta Braves after bullpen unable to hold lead
ATLANTA – In a highly anticipated matchup between two of the top flamethrowers in Major League Baseball, starting pitchers Hunter Greene and Spencer Strider battled to a draw.
Once it moved into a battle of the bullpens, the Cincinnati Reds couldn’t hold down Atlanta in a 5-4 loss at Truist Park and were swept in this week's three-game series. Greene delivered his most productive start of the season, but the Reds' bullpen gave up two runs in two innings.
Buck Farmer surrendered a go-ahead, solo homer to Eddie Rosario in the eighth inning, the first time the Reds trailed all game. It was Rosario’s first home run of the season, a six-pitch at-bat where he connected on an elevated fastball.
'It's pretty unhittable': How Graham Ashcraft developed a dominant slider
Farmer hadn’t given up a home run since April 20, 2022. His 45 2/3-inning streak was the eighth-longest active streak in the league.
Greene and Strider both allowed three runs, then overpowered hitters at the end of their outings. The Reds took a 2-0 lead in the first inning after Tyler Stephenson hit a two-run single. Atlanta responded when Ronald Acuña Jr. poked a two-run single through the middle of the infield.
The Reds, who were successful at driving up Strider’s pitch count, loaded the bases with no outs in the third inning. A run scored on a groundout, but Strider retired the next nine batters. Strider finished with nine strikeouts in five innings, allowing four hits and two walks.
Atlanta tied the score in the bottom of the third inning after back-to-back hits from Austin Riley and Sean Murphy. Greene retired 12 of the next 13 batters and finished with 10 strikeouts across six innings. It was Greene’s third career start with a double-digit strikeout total, permitting zero walks and seven hits.
Greene struck out an equal number of hitters with his fastball (five) as his slider, letting out a yell and punching his hand into his glove after striking out Marcell Ozuna with his 101th pitch of the night.
Takeaways from the Reds’ series finale in Atlanta
1. Credit Reds third-base coach J.R. House for putting some pressure on Atlanta’s defense. With runners on second and third, Stephenson lined a single to right field that Acuña fielded on two hops. Acuña has one of the strongest arms in the league, but House didn’t hesitate to wave TJ Friedl, the runner who started on second.
The aggressiveness paid off as Friedl slid ahead of Acuña’s throw, netting the Reds an extra run against Strider.
2. Atlanta loaded the bases with no outs against Greene in the second inning and it was like he turned into a different pitcher. He struck out Ozuna on four pitches and struck out Sam Hilliard on three pitches. Acuña’s two-run single left his bat at 80 mph, rolling past a diving Jose Barrero at shortstop. Greene escaped more trouble by striking out Matt Olson.
3. The Reds had a one-run lead in the seventh inning after an RBI single from Friedl, but Ian Gibaut walked Hilliard, the No. 9 batter, to begin the bottom half of the inning. Hilliard stole second base and scored on a single from Acuña.
Reds vs. Braves injury report
Atlanta shortstop Orlando Arcia exited Wednesday’s game in the third inning, one inning after he was hit by a pitch on his left wrist by a 98-mph fastball from Greene. X-rays were negative for a fracture.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds bullpen gives up two runs, Cincinnati swept by Atlanta Braves
