Cincinnati Reds vs Boston Red Sox

After a nail-biting win last night, the Cincinnati Reds will look for the 2-game sweep in Boston against the Red Sox this evening. Cincinnati will send Hunter Greene to the mound and Boston will counter with Garrett Whitlock. First pitch is set for 7:10pm ET.

Here are the lineups for tonight's interleague contest:

Hunter Greene

Through his first five starts this season Hunter Greene had an ERA of 8.71 and hitters had a .311/.388/.700 line against him with 10 home runs, 11 walks, and 29 strikeouts. Since then he's made four starts and posted an ERA of 3.42 while holding hitters to a .172/.280/.368 line to go with 5 home runs, 13 walks, and 27 strikeouts.

Even though he's pitched much better of late, he's still struggled with right-handed hitters. Over his last four starts tehy are still hitting .270/.340/.563 against him. That's an improvement – mostly in just giving up fewer extra-base hits – but it's still a line that guys have won MVP awards with. Lefties, though, haven't had too much success against him – though when they have gotten hits they have gone for extra-bases often. That isn't so much the case in his last four starts where lefties are hitting just .051/.213/.128 against him.

Splits

Pitch Usage

Garrett Whitlock

The big right-hander has been very good this season in his time with the Reds Sox. He's made seven starts and four relief appearances for Boston. All of his starts have come since April 23rd and all of his relief appearances came prior to that. Since moving to the rotation his ERA is 4.34 in 29.0 innings. However, since May began his ERA is 5.73 in five starts, and he's given up a home run in four of those five games.

When it comes to his splits, things are a bit strange. Righties have no doubles or triples against him, but have hit four home runs. Lefties have just one home run against him, but they’ve piled up six doubles. Is that the Green Monster at play (four of his last five starts have been in Boston)?

Splits

Pitch Usage

Prior to the game today the Reds placed Tyler Naquin on the injured list and called TJ Friedl up from the taxi squad/Louisville. Naquin injured himself in last night's game and exited in the middle of the 4th inning.

For the second day in a row Tommy Pham was originally in the starting lineup and then removed.

Earlier today the Reds and Mariners completed their trade from mid-April when Cincinnati sent Riley O’Brien to Seattle for cash or a player to be named later. That player wound up being infielder Luis Chevalier, a switch-hitting 20-year-old that is still in rookie ball.

Doug Gray is the owner of RedsMinorLeagues.com, Redleg Nation, and as you guessed it, passionate about the great sport of baseball. He's been writing about baseball since 2006 (contributions formerly at The Athletic and currently at Baseball America). You can keep tabs with him on twitter @dougdirt24.

We can do fine without Pham.

Beginning to theorize that there is a mental health issue with Pham. Regardless, another show it day for Aquino. Let's get the sweep. Now that we are out of the cellar another good strings of games will have us jumping teams

You survive over there today? I just checked my personal weather station. Raw temp of almost 92. Heat index of almost 102. Barely a breeze out there.

I lost 8 pounds over the last two days on my runs. I know its water weight but still, its a great diet plan until I collapse of heatstroke

I love the RedsI cant root for Tommy Pham. Hopefully they are realizing its not a good fit.Go Hunter and Go reds. Sweep the Sox.

I want Pham to do phenomenal then is traded as soon as we get a good offer.

His attitude may be well known around the league. Maybe we were the only team that would take him. Personally I wouldn't want to be around a guy like that.

I really hate to play with a man down (kind of assuming Pham won't see dirt or grass at all tonight barring something very strange). But I’ll concede if this is the message they are sending, it's appropriate in my eyes.

Pham likely has pretty severe anger issues that need to be dealt with. Perhaps you take the first offer you can get and let him go somewhere else.

What team would take him after all the recent antics? I think the only way to get rid of him is to cut him and eat his contract. someone desperate for a low-cost bat might take him. The Padres?

A new month. Winning record this month will get us closer to where they want to be. A Win tonight will start it.

Once again, this is the best defensive outfield we can run out there. Senzel and Aquino could be busy over in that gap. Have to hope we don't see a bunch of wall-bangers from the Sox (but plenty from us).

61 degrees is a little cool. It's been in the 90's at my place with a heat index over 100. My after dinner walk (highly suggested by my doctor) probably needs to wait until after 8 PM tonight. Maybe even a little later. It still won't have cooled off much.

Let's Kick this Pig!!

Can we just get a Pham trade? He's not that expensive and someone somewhere would likely make a deal.

+1,000

I’m not so sure that's true but if it is then make the deal today for sure. I say go for it.

A good reason to sit him would be if he's being traded. Don't want him getting hurt before the move.

His max value to the Reds is to be held accountable for idiotic behavior.

Pham has no trade value but he needs help.He is not well mentally. Hopefully his agent and MLB intervenes and gets him help and the Reds can be a vessel for that. Put him on the IL through the AS break. Hes not ready to play baseball and there's no way Reds fans can root for him unless he goes that direction. If he does that, I will be he biggest fan.

+2,500

That's an even better idea. It at least gives him a shot at redemption. Not sure how much MLB can intervene, though.

What team would take him after all the recent antics? I think the only way to get rid of him is to cut him and eat his contract. someone desperate for a low-cost bat might take him. The Padres?

sorry, double post

Now we know what Pham meant by "Revenge Tour"

Another benefit of the absence of Pham is that David Bell puts Stephenson in the 3 slot where he should be. 🙂

Hoping for a wall-banger … got a GIDP instead

Devers looked a little peeved there

Filthy

Truly it was.

BTW, temp dropped at tick but the heat index went UP due to the humidity.

Evening walk may wait a little longer tonight.

No, I was in Iraq 3 separate years… as hot as this is its not HOT hot. lol

Hunter looking pretty good there. Zone appears to be pretty tight so far. We’ll see how stable it remains.

Time for Joey to hit one OVER the wall, not just on top of one.

Hunter Greene is now tied for 5th in the NL in K's

LF looks like a high school or even little league field from that camera angle.

Base hit followed by a GIDP … please tell me that pattern won't continue all night long

Taking out Joey Votto.

Quick – name a good Reds player who pitches left handed in the bullpen the next 2 years and 2 good regular lefty hitters in 2023/24?

No longer than 5 seconds allowed.

Brandon Williamson from pen.

LH hitter is far more debatable.

Bogarts working his jaw a bit. Definitely caught the zone.

Facing Castillo and Greene back to back is not really fair.

Not when that filthy junk is working it isn't.

Nasty stuff. Just nasty!!

Is Hunter Greene becoming the best storyline of 2022?

I’d pick that back in March.

Mike Moustakis is awful

1 pitch pop out to the catcher.

At least give a competitive at bat.

Wow. Ive seen enough. He cant be on this team in 2023

Can't wait to get back to the dugout.Same old story night after night

He pops up more than anyone that I can recall

The Moose had his 2 HR day on May 13. Since then, he is 4-37. Aquino had his 2 HR day on May 23. Since then, he is 1-16.

Stop with the Data…Dumpster.

Facts hurt.

Reds 9 up 9 down on 25 pitches.

Pitiful

Worse then pitiful.Doesn"t anybody tell our guys anything but swing early and often.

That is always the approach. I complain about it multiple times a week. This guy is pounding the zone,but often times they do it verse guys who struggle with command even.

3 up, 3 down, times 3 …

Got to find a way to string together some hits without the GIDP crap

Needless to say, Always take the Over on Ks with Greene pitching

Umpire have a late flight tonight out of Logan?

Nolan Ryan looking good

Isn't he though? Or maybe JR Richard?

Under 45 pitches through 3 with 7 K's … I’ll take that every day, all day.

They need to offer an Ozzie Albies/Acuna contract to Greene now…..The only that is going to stop him from being a perennial top 5 pitcher in this league is the organization…..By far the best stuff I have ever seen in my 40 years of watching baseball.

I gotta agree with that. I am more for the wait and see, but getting this guy cost-controlled early is going to be key

+500

Pop ups everywhere.

Cool and clammy there after rain all afternoon.

Then that piece of bad luck by Votto …

Reds need to make some trades and major roster reconstruction.

Winker and Votto were 2 of the top5 lefties against righties in mlb last year. They have no one this year and naquin is hurt and they simply cant hit righties and are righty dominant with only 1 hitter in the lineup named Stephenson who is a legit MLB hitter. This isnt going to get better. It's going to get worse.

They need 2 young elite lefty hitters.

Seems to me this might have been a good night to play Lopez and his switch-hitting, contact, slap it approach. Ball isn't carrying anyway.

I’m starting to get tired of watching Mike Moustakas play baseball for the Reds.

+500

Mr. Moose is playing (and really looking) like a beer-league DH. Mash it over the fence, or go quickly with a whimper.

Nice cover by Almora. Nick had thoughts of catching that. Not going to happen in Boston.

Not going to blame Reds outfielders for Monster miscues.

You can't. Almora did the right thing.

The near-miss by Farmer hurts a bit, especially if we can't hit and score.

Farmer is a solid SS. An elite SS gets that ball up the middle.

Ouch

Starting to look like a standard Greene start. Destroy hopes and dreams first time through the line up, restore hopes and dreams second time through

His splits the first time through the order versus the second are pretty jarring. He needs a third pitch.

Yes, he does. I hope the change becomes lethal, because that would do it. The fastball has tremendous velocity and doesn't appear flat, but it gets hit hard, particularly the second time hitters see it. Wild in the strike zone?

Hunter is doing wellReds offense is the issue.No lefty bats.

Hunter is not doing well. needs to be seen once to be unlocked. Needs third pitch. Cant get through 5.

May need to Clete here. We’re not hitting and digging this kind of a hole in Boston will be very difficult to fill in, especially if Greene is off like this.

Hunter's giving them too many pitches to hit when he's ahead in the count and he can't find the strikeout pitch. Maybe he needs to pitch inside a little more. Need to find the thinner part of the bat and break some bats.

Wayne Simpson 13-2 after 15 decisions in ‘70; where will Hunter Greene be?

I don't know what his W-L record will be, but I’d like to think Hunter Greene is more like a young Bob Gibson or Nolan Ryan.

McLain now up for the Lookouts with 2 on and 2 out.

Call Lance Mc Allister for "down on the farm" slobber

OK, I’m out. No video feed while they are in DC. I guess I’m on a break for a bit.

DC series is in Cincinnati.

OK. Was thinking it was in DC. Good, then it shouldn't be blacked out.

no it doesnt matter where it is played. It will be blacked out for you and me Mark

Where are you and Mark located?

In the Triangle area in North Carolina, I am in Durham, and I believe Mark is located in the Wake forest area, (but I would not bet on that lol)

Yep. Just past Wake Forest into the next (more rural county).

Well, it is good that we have the split. Hunter starting to waft back into "should he be here" teritory, Either lacks faith or ability in his third pitch. Needs to figure out a 4th pitch as well.

He is far from that territory. He is learning to pitch in the bigs. Let's not forget that Max Scherzer was sent down to the minors in his second MLB season. And he had a full run through the minors, not a little over a year. Each start Greene has developed and improved. He does need to develop a third pitch and pitch to contact a bit more. He will be fine.

Agree he will be fine

Not really,

Greene will be fine. Some of you do this all the time when he pitches. It's like no matter people complain.

Greene is 22 years old pitching in the major leagues. He belongs, to question that is plain silly

Yeah, it's funny, I just logged on in the 6th to read the comments. As you read throughout the game, it went from "this is the 2nd coming of Nolan Ryan" and his stuff is filthy and unhittable, to people saying he isn't cut out for the bigs. It's insane. The kid just needs a little development and refinement. He’ll be just fine.

We are afflicted with extreme recency bias, Luke. I was thinking of posting, in the middle of the Sox hitting barrage, that The Reds were idiots for drafting him, Bell was an idiot for starting him, and could we get anything if we traded him? The problem is that people would have thought I was being serious instead of joking in an unfunny way. He's learning at the MLB level, and, barring injury, will be a formidable pitcher for years to come.

Greene has all the attributes but he needs to pitch with a little more animosity. Chris Welsh said it well. He needs to keep batters uncomfortable. Those guys for the Red Sox were too comfortable at the plate.

I think Greene need 2 other pitches to rely on to make him very dangerous to go up against with his speed changes will help his career. This one is over unfairly we keep hitting to double play or pop-up we can't get Whitlock out to get into the pen unfortunately. I’m curious to see minor tomorrow for his debute

Was that Our Nick Kirby getting the shout out ( you all lost out on that if you skip on Sadak)

Ive muted the Tv for well over a year now.

Yes. Yes it was.

the constant suffering of my ears to Sadak has finally paid dividends lol

Tommy Pham and Mike Moustakis need to go away.

There's no way you field this team and say these guys are part of the culture and franchise and movement forward.

It is what it is.Not my money but why are we even talking about them.Their best is behind them

Aquino about to be the offensive hero of the day

The Punisher brings a lot. Just needs to make contact more often and he’ll be a very good player. Good steal and heads up after a good hard hit.

Good situational hitting by Senzel to get the run in.

White flag waved in a 3 run game. Off day tomorrow, why not your best long guy in Hoffman?

Vlad not helping himself or the team.Game was already over and guys were packing up so throw strikes

That was the dirtiest clean inning I have ever seen

Only Moose would swing at a pitch that hit him. Unbelievable.

Aquino with a 2 hit day

Sandy Koufax at age 22 had an ERA of 4.48 and had 131 strikeouts in 158 innings (after 3 prior years in the NL) He didn't hit his stride and become dominate until he was 26. Greene looks like he has "Koufax stuff" and could be dominate much sooner

I can lose with our younger players but losing with older players that bring nothing other then an occasional hit is very frustrating.India,Barrero and Schrock can't get up soon enough.Three runs with two being gifts is just awful at any park but at Fenway we ought to have hit 8 or 10 off the wall by accident.Moose and Pham will play a bunch and we know it but it's sad.

I’ll still gladly take a split on the road, especially at Fenway

Don't trade Castillo just yet.