Reds need heroic effort from Hunter Greene to keep pace in NL Wild Card race

If the Cincinnati Reds' bats can't offer any more than they did on Tuesday night against the Minnesota Twins, Hunter Greene may have to pitch a shutout on Wednesday afternoon at Great American Ball Park.

The Reds were shutout on Tuesday night against the Twins and Minnesota's pitching staff recorded 14 punch outs. The Reds had some tough luck as well, with Tyler Stephenson being robbed of two hits by Twins' centerfield Willi Castro.

But altogether, the Reds reached base safely just six times and only two players even got into scoring position. If that's the type of effort David Bell's group is going to put forth today, Greene will have to be spotless.

Reds need heroic effort from Hunter Greene to keep pace in NL Wild Card race.

Hunter Greene returned from the COVID-19-related injured list the Sunday before last and went six innings against the St. Louis Cardinals. It was, quite frankly, perhaps Greene's best start of the season. The right-hander went six innings and allowed just one run on one hit while striking out nine.

Greene's last outing against the New York Mets wasn't as stellar, but the flamethrower still gave Cincinnati a chance to win the game. Greene went 5.2 innings with six strikeouts and allowed three runs and the Redlegs escaped with a 5-3 victory.

The Reds burned through a lot of arms last night, but Ian Gibaut, Lucas Sims, and Alexis Diaz haven't been used in a game so far this homestand. If Greene can give Bell a quality start during today's series finale against the Twins, Reds fans should feel pretty good about their chances.

Tuesday's loss couldn't have come at a worst time for the Cincinnati Reds. With wins from the Chicago Cubs, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Miami Marlins, the Reds fell a full-game back in the chase for the NL Wild Card. With only nine games left, Cincinnati needs to have a stellar outing from Hunter Greene today.