Cincinnati is four games under .500 and in eighth place in the National League wild-card standings. But put Cincy on the same field as the woeful Rockies, and the Big Red Machine revs back to life.
Behind a dominating six-inning performance by All-Star Hunter Greene and a two-homer, five-RBI day from Tyler Stephenson, the Reds routed the Rockies, 8-1, Thursday afternoon at Great American Ball Park.
“(Greene had) a good fastball — upper 90s — a hard slider,” manager Bud Black told reporters. “The slider was the pitch. We haven’t seen a lot of him. We’ve faced him a couple of times at Coors Field and we’ve gotten him.
“But today it was a different story. The slider got underneath our lefties and was down and away from our righties. We were behind in the count … He had a good, hard slider and a fastball, with command, and it made it difficult for the hitters.”
The Rockies beat the Reds 6-5 on Wednesday night to avoid being swept in the four-game series, but Colorado has lost eight of its last nine vs. Cincinnati and is 2-13 at GABP since July 27, 2019. The Reds (45-49) took six of seven games this season, outscoring Colorado 50-24.
The hard-throwing Greene struck out 10, including the first six hitters he faced, and gave up one run on two hits. Michael Toglia’s leadoff homer in the fifth was the only blemish on Greene’s line.
Toglia’s homer was his 12th, though he’s hitting just .186 and has a 31.6% strikeout rate.
“It’s double-digit homers now, and he’s making some strides,” Black said. “He’s gaining on some things, which is good to see. He’s making some adjustments, which is what you like to see. And hopefully, there is a continuation of that from Michael in the second half.”
Rockies lefty Austin Gomber didn’t come close to matching his Cincinnati counterpart. The Reds bashed Gomber for four runs on seven hits, including a three-run homer by Stephenson in the third and a solo blast by Santiago Espinal in the fourth.
“Austin was fine; just the pitch to Stephenson came back to haunt him,” Black said. “The three-run homer will really hurt a starting pitcher, or hurt any pitcher for that matter, against a guy like Greene.
“We need (three-run homers) on the other end. That’s what we need for our offense.”
Gomber’s roller-coaster ride of a season continued and his ERA rose to 4.61. The 18 homers he’s served up are the most in the National League.
Cincy outhit the Rockies 14-3, and Stephenson added a two-run homer off reliever Anthony Molina in the seventh. Stephenson, who launched a home run in three consecutive games for the first time in his career, had seven extra-base hits in the last three games of the series.
Colorado, on pace to lose 105 games, opens a three-game series against the Mets on Friday in New York before the All-Star break.
Marquez’s return. Veteran right-hander German Marquez, returning from Tommy John surgery he underwent last May, is scheduled to rejoin the Rockies in New York on Friday. There is a chance he could start Sunday’s game against the Mets, or his 2024 debut with the Rockies could come after the All-Star break.
Marquez struck out eight in five innings pitching for Double-A Hartford on Tuesday night.
Friday’s pitching matchup
Rockies RHP Tanner Gordon (0-1, 7.11 ERA) at Mets LHP Sean Manaea (5-3, 3.43)
5:10 p.m. Friday, Citi Field
TV: Rockies.TV (streaming); Comcast/Xfinity (channel 1262); DirecTV (683); Spectrum (130, 445, 305, 435 or 445, depending on region).
Radio: 850 AM/94.1 FM
Gordon is making his second major league start. The Royals reached him for five runs on eight hits over 6 1/3 innings on Sunday. Gordon served up two home runs. The line wasn’t that pretty, but he struck out four and didn’t walk any, and manager Bud Black said he was pleased with Gordon’s command of the strike zone and his poise on the mound. Gordon’s start was the longest by a Rockies pitcher in their big-league debut since Peter Lambert pitched seven innings at Wrigley Field against the Cubs on June 16, 2019.
Manaea was excellent in his last start against the Pirates, pitching six scoreless innings, allowing only two hits and three walks while fanning six. Over his last five starts, Manaea has a 1.57 ERA with 27 strikeouts and 14 walks. Over his last three starts, Manaea has posted a 0.50 ERA with 10 walks and 14 strikeouts. The Mets are 3-0 in his last three starts. In six games (five starts) vs. Colorado, Manaea is 2-2 with a 5.28 ERA.
Pitching probables
Saturday: Rockies RHP Ryan Feltner (1-8, 5.29) at Mets RHP Christian Scott (0-2, 4.15), 2:10 p.m.
Sunday: Rockies RHP Cal Quantrill (6-7, 4.13) at Mets LHP Jose Quintana (4-5, 3.91), 11:40 a.m.
Monday-Thursday: All-Star break
— Patrick Saunders, The Denver Post
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