Possible trade candidates Stephenson, Lowe, Greene help Reds to win

DENVER -- When it comes to this time of a season with the Trade Deadline approaching, the Reds have looked more and more like sellers based on where they are in the standings. With that in mind Sunday morning, manager Terry Francona couldn't find the right words to describe how he feels about his club's situation.

“There’s a good word, and I want to use it because it’s how I feel," Francona said. "It’s not uneasiness, but the unknown a little bit. It’s like you want it to be over, like now. And that’s not the way it is. Because you’re with these guys every day, and it means something.

"I’m realistic enough to know things happen. That’s the way the game is. When you’ve played to our record, there’s going to be conversations. That’s just the reality of it.”

Taking a 9-6 win over the Rockies on Sunday and winning two of three games in the series against a fellow last-place club probably didn't move the needle all that much for Cincinnati (45-53). But it certainly didn't hurt either.

Scouts descended upon Coors Field all weekend to look at players from both clubs, and the Reds have several players who will be free agents at seasons' end that would be rental material for a contender.

One of them, catcher and longest-tenured Red Tyler Stephenson, slugged a pair of home runs. Stephenson's two-run homer to left-center field in the first inning gave the Reds a 5-0 lead, and it came shortly after another potential trade target, lefty power hitter Nathaniel Lowe, clobbered a three-run homer to right field.

“I’ve got no control," Stephenson said of the approaching Deadline. "I guess it’s as real as it’s ever been in my career. So whatever happens, happens. I’m enjoying it. I love these guys and I’ve been very grateful to be here with this organization, and whatever happens is going to take care of itself.”

Then there was the strong performance of starting pitcher Hunter Greene, who is signed through 2028 with a club option for 2029 but is perhaps Cincinnati's biggest trade chip.

Greene provided a quality start of six innings and allowed three runs and four hits without a walk while striking out seven. Two of the hits and all three runs came via a pair of homers by Hunter Goodman.

In his past two starts, Greene has one walk and 19 strikeouts in performances that could only raise his trade value -- especially if the Reds are willing to listen to club inquiries.

“I’m not focused on any of that," Greene said. "All that stuff is out of my control. Obviously that’s for you guys to create your stories and do your thing. I’m so out of that mindset. I’m just trying to control what I can control.”

Goodman, Colorado's catcher, took Greene deep to center field with two outs in the first inning. After Greene had a stretch of retiring nine in a row, he gave up a hit and a one-out homer to Goodman in the sixth.

The majority of swings-and-misses Greene got were from his slider and splitter, the pitch he considered his key to success on Sunday.

“It’s always a gauntlet pitching here," he said. "Pitches don’t move the same. Obviously, the ball flies. Dinkers can be doubles, triples. You just have to keep your foot on the neck here. Even when you get big leads, not that you’re ever taking your foot off the gas, but especially here, you can’t do it.”

Fortunately for Greene, he was given plenty of cushion. Sal Stewart hit a three-run homer to center field in the second inning, and Stephenson added a solo drive to left-center field in the fifth to make it a 9-1 game.

Stephenson, who debuted for Cincinnati in 2020 and mastered his ABS challenge skills this season, also hit a seventh-inning double to right-center field and just missed another homer with a third-inning flyout to center field. He got off to a slow start to his season but is batting .353 with four homers in 26 games since June 5.

"I feel like just something clicked," Stephenson said. "In this game, all it takes really is one swing to feel kind of your body, and your movements and your contact point. It was the one home run at Yankee Stadium [June 21] that kind of felt repeatable."

After not debuting this season until July 4 upon recovering from arthroscopic elbow surgery to remove bone chips, Greene had a poor first start before locking in. He likely has two starts to make before the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline, although it's far from guaranteed the Reds would move him.

“I’m not thinking about it at all," Greene said.