CINCINNATI -- From Reds starting pitcher Hunter Greene's right arm, the strikes were being pumped out one after another on Friday against the Cubs.
Greene struck out 12 batters over seven scoreless innings as the Reds took a 4-0 victory over Chicago in the series opener at Great American Ball Park. Elly De La Cruz and JJ Bleday each provided a home run to support his effort.
In a reversal from his disappointing season debut last Saturday in a loss to the Orioles, Greene gave up three hits and one walk against the Cubs. With 68 of his 93 pitches (73%) being strikes, he threw a first-pitch strike to 19 of his 25 batters, including 11 of 12 on first-pitch fastballs.
In the second inning after Seiya Suzuki hit a leadoff double, Greene recovered and struck out the next three batters he faced. Through the fifth inning, 15 of 17 batters saw a first-pitch strike.
It was the seventh inning where Greene had some traffic. Suzuki hit a one-out single to center field before Ian Happ followed with a walk. Greene got a Nico Hoerner flyout to center field before striking out Michael Conforto on a splitter in the dirt.
In his last two starts vs. the Cubs, Greene has 16 scoreless innings. On Sept. 18, 2025, he pitched a one-hit, complete-game shutout for a 1-0 win.
Greene missed most of the first half after he had March 11 arthroscopic surgery to remove bone chips from his right elbow. He returned on July 4, but allowed eight runs over 3 1/3 innings during an 8-5 loss.
De La Cruz was responsible for the game's first two runs. Against Shota Imanaga leading off the fifth inning, he broke up the scoreless tie by hitting a 0-1 fastball to left-center field for his 15th homer of the season. In the seventh against reliever Jake Woodford, De La Cruz zinged a one-out triple down the right-field line and came home on Sal Stewart's sacrifice fly.
Spencer Steer kept the inning going by reaching on an infield hit to the hole at shortstop before Bleday made it a four-run game, hitting a 1-0 Woodford pitch to right-center field for a two-run homer -- also his 15th of the season.
The Reds (43-50), who had dropped eight of 11 games coming into Friday, are now 6-20 vs. their National League Central division rivals this season.