SAN FRANCISCO — Hunter Greene keeps getting better and better and better and better.
And he couldn’t have been much better Monday in San Francisco’s Oracle Park.
He came within one pitch of a complete-game shutout as the Cincinnati Reds ended the San Francisco Giants’ seven-game winning streak, 2-0.
He was 3-and-2 against Jung Hoo Lee with two outs in the ninth when Lee slapped a single to right. Then he went 3-and-2 on Matt Chapman and walked him.
That forced manager Terry Francona to reluctantly take him out and bring in Tony Santillan to face Heliot Ramos.
Ramos lined one sharply to left and Jacob Hurtubise, who was not in the starting lineup (Matt McLain was scratched again) made a diving game-ending catch.
“If I would have managed with my emotions I would have left Hunter in,” said Francona. “He deserved to finish that game. But there were two outs and we needed that game. It was hard to take him out, but I think it was the right thing to do.”
Greene finished the night after giving up four hits, the one walk and struck out seven on 104 pitches.
“When he came out, he told me he didn’t want to come out there and I didn’t want to come out,” said Greene. “I’m uber competitive, I dream of games like today, but I know it won’t be the last time. But I’m so glad the boys came through and we fought right to the end.”
Greene threw 100 miles an hour fastballs and unhittable sliders...and needed every out.
His opponent was Giants’ ace Logan Webb and he was even more devastating than Greene. He pitched seven innings and held the Reds to no runs, four hits, no walks and struck out 10.
San Francisco manager Bob Melvin did the Reds two humongous favors.
First, he took out Webb after seven innings, even though he had retired 16 of the last 17 batters. Melvin was victim to the modern-day thinking...the pitch count. Webb was at 91 pitches.
Second, he brought in relief pitcher Camilio Doval, a pitcher who blew a save in his previous start. And he blew it again.
Typically, the Reds scored two runs in the eighth on one hit. They put five runners on base and only one reached on a hit.
That was a two-run double by Blake Dunn, who had struck out three times against Webb.
Doval started the eighth by walking Spencer Steer on a full count and then he hit Hurtubise with a pitch. Jose Trevino bunted the runners to third and second.
Melvin brought in lefthander Eric Miller and he walked TJ Friedl to fill the bases. Dunn then drove his two-run double the opposite way, off the right field wall.
Of course, it didn’t come easy for the Reds.
The Giants had won their previous two games in walk-off fashions against Seattle and threatened to do it again in the ninth.
The night, though, belonged to Greene.
“It’s been a tough stretch for us,” said Greene. “But we’re resilient and we have the right guys to pull off what we did today.”
Greene was watching from the dugout when Ramos drove the ball to Hurtubise to end the game.
“Man, it’s scary,” he said. “But I saw Hurtubise was right there to catch that ball and he came through and we got the win. It was exciting.”
And how did he do what he did?
“I was getting ahead, pounding the zone,” he said. “I was trusting (catcher) Trevino back there. He’s fantastic, does his homework, somebody you can really trust and go compete. With him, you don’t have to worry about much.”
Melvin tried some gamesmanship on Greene. Before Greene threw his first pitch, Melvin had home plate umpire John Tampane check Greene’s glove.
And Tampane made him change gloves.
“Uh...I’m trying to be politically correct here,” said Greene. “I don’t agree with it and I’m definitely going to talk to MLB about it. They said they didn’t like some of the logos on my glove. I’ve pitched with those same gloves for the last two years. So for it to be something new, I don’t agree with that.”
And what’s a Reds game without a baserunning blunder? The Reds had runners on third and first with one out in the second. Spencer Steer, on first, broke for second too early.
While he was ensnared in a rundown, Jeimer Candelario broke for home from third and was thrown out.
The Reds only other threat to Webb was in the sixth when Trevino led with a single and Friedl bunted him to second. But Dunn and Elly De La Cruz both struck out.
Until the ninth, only two Giants reached second and none found third. Mike Yastrzemski doubled with two outs in the second, but Wilmer Flores lined out to right.
Tyler Fitzgerald singled with one out in the third and stole second, but Greene struck out both LaMonte Wade Jr., and Willy Adames. There were no more threats.
About Greene’s night, Francona said, “He pounded the strike zone with different pitches. He was commanding the strike zone with all his pitches and that makes it tough. And their guy (Webb) was tough. It was pitch-for-pitch...two aces going at it.”
And about Dunn’s two-run double, Francona said, “It was tough for him early in the game (three strikeouts) and he did a great job. He also got a bunt down and sometimes when you do little things, big things will follow.”
The biggest thing of all was Hunter Greene standing on the mound.
