CINCINNATI, Oh. (WMDJ) — The Cincinnati Reds got back in the win column Friday night, riding a dominant performance from Hunter Greene to a 4-0 victory over the Chicago Cubs at Great American Ball Park.
Greene looked like the ace Reds fans have been waiting to see, tossing seven scoreless innings while allowing just three hits and one walk. He struck out 12 batters to earn his first win of the season.
After four scoreless innings, Elly De La Cruz broke the deadlock in the fifth with a solo home run to left-center field, his 15th of the season, giving Cincinnati a 1-0 lead.
The Reds added to the advantage in the seventh. De La Cruz scored on Sal Stewart's sacrifice fly before JJ Bleday followed with a two-run home run to center, extending the lead to 4-0.
Cincinnati finished with 13 hits, led by Spencer Steer's three-hit night. De La Cruz, Stewart, Tyler Stephenson and Edwin Arroyo each added two hits. Bleday drove in two runs, while De La Cruz and Stewart each collected one RBI.
Strikeouts have been a major storyline for the Reds' offense in recent games, but Cincinnati cut that total to eight Friday night. Meanwhile, Cubs hitters were the ones struggling to make contact, striking out 16 times while managing just four hits.
The Reds and Cubs continue their three-game series Saturday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m., with pregame coverage beginning at 6:40 p.m. on WMDJ FM 100.1.
