KSReds: Cincinnati Splits Series Against Atlanta Braves

The 2022 Cincinnati Reds season is officially underway. Things got off to a fast start on Thursday night as the Reds punched the defending World Series champions in the mouth early and often. However, a pair of back-to-back one-run losses shifted the series back in favor of the Braves. Ultimately, Hunter Greene lived up to the lofty expectations and the Reds came away with a four-game series split in Atlanta.

Next up is a rest day on Monday followed by a short two-game series against the in-state rival Cleveland Guardians. First pitch is scheduled for 4:10 p.m. EST on Tuesday for the home opener at Great American Ball Park. Tyler Mahle will be making his second start of the season across from Shane Bieber. The Guardians managed just one run in their first two games in Kansas City, but then exploded for 17 on Sunday to get their first win of the year.

Cincinnati Reds Win Season Opener

It didn’t take long for the Cincinnati Reds to put a damper on the Atlanta Braves World Series ceremony. Just moments after raising their 2021 championship banner, Kyle Farmer singled home a run in the top of the second inning to put the Braves behind 1-0. From that point on the Reds never looked back. Cincinnati would go on to cruise against the defending champs to open the season with a victory.

Joey Votto, via a RBI single to right field, and Tyler Stephenson via a sacrifice fly, added to the Reds’ lead in the third inning to build a 3-0 advantage. Atlanta Braves starter Max Fried looked dominant in the first inning but started missing his location to allow the Reds to roll at the plate. His counterpart Tyler Mahle was much more effective on the mound tossing five innings of three-hit, one-run ball while striking out seven. The only run Mahle allowed was unearned. It was a great start to the season for the 27-year-old.

A three-run home run by Brandon Drury in the top of the sixth inning would open the lead up to 6-1 for the Reds and that would be enough to hold on for the Opening Day win. Reliever Dauri Moreta gave up a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning, but that was the only hit the Reds bullpen allowed in four innings of work. Luis Cessa, Justin Wilson, and Tony Santillan were excellent in their season debuts.

In the end, the Cincinnati Reds came out on top 6-3 to earn their season-opening victory. Tyler Mahle got the win on the mound while Tony Santillan got the save for his work in the ninth inning. Newcomer to the organization Brandon Drury was the MVP at the plate going 2-4 with three RBI, including the home run to secure the victory. It was an all-around impressive performance against the defending world champs.

A Pair of One Run Losses

162 games make for a long season, but every loss still counts the same. The Cincinnati Reds let a couple of bad innings doom them on Friday and Saturday night for back-to-back one-run losses. On Friday evening, the Braves exploded for five runs in the bottom of the third inning to run Reiver Sanmartin out of the game. The 7-0 lead that Atlanta built was enough to hold on. However, Cincinnati did make it interesting. Atlanta didn’t score a run after the third inning and the Reds chipped away at the lead. Cincy brought the winning run to the plate after a Jake Fraley single, but the comeback attempt fell short. The Reds fell 7-6 to even the series.

While the loss on Friday could be attributed to a poor starting pitching performance, Saturday’s defeat fell at the hands of the offense. Vladimir Gutierrez allowed two runs in the first and that was all Atlanta needed. The Reds managed just three hits in the game to eventually fall 2-1. A ninth-inning RBI single by Joey Votto once again brought the go-ahead run to the plate. However, it was too little too late. All in all, it is hard to win baseball games when you can only muster three hits.

Welcome to the Show, Hunter Greene

Cincinnati Reds fans have been clamoring for this moment since draft night in 2017. Flame-throwing 22-year-old Hunter Greene made his major league debut on Sunday afternoon and did not disappoint. Greene sat right around 100 miles per hour and showcased a tight slider. The rookie went five innings allowing three runs on four hits while striking out seven batters.

First inning ⛽️ from Hunter Greene:

🔥 101.0 mph
🔥 100.3 mph
🔥 100.3 mph
🔥 99.9 mph
🔥 99.6 mph

— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) April 10, 2022

Some of the pressure was taken off of Greene in the third inning when the Reds put up a crooked number on the scoreboard. Tyler Naquin got things started with a RBI double. Then, Nick Senzel drove in a run followed by another run-scoring single by Chris Moran. Kyle Farmer ultimately blew it open with a two-RBI single to right field. The score was 5-0 after the big inning and the Reds could go on cruise control from there.

Atlanta pushed one across in the fourth, but Tyler Stephenson quickly countered with a home run. The Braves then hit two long balls in the bottom of the fifth, but Greene navigated the trouble to finish the inning and put himself in line for the win.

Luis Cessa, Tony Santillan, and Art Warren combined for four innings of shutout relief. The save was Warren’s first of his career. The 6-3 victory split the series for the Cincinnati Reds, which are now 2-2 on the young season. After taking Monday off, Great American Ball Park will host its first game of the season against the Cleveland Guardians. Tyler Mahle will get the start Tuesday at 4:10 p.m. EST. Wednesday’s starter, likely Nick Lodolo, has not been officially announced.