The Pirates’ 1-0 win over the Reds today will go down perhaps the most unusual game of the 2022 season, as Pittsburgh won without a single hit. Reds starter Hunter Greene tossed 7 1/3 innings of hitless ball, but was pulled after 118 pitches and after issuing consecutive walks during the eighth inning. Reliever Art Warren entered the game and issued another walk, then Ke’Bryan Hayes drove in the game’s only run via a fielder’s choice. The Reds lineup, meanwhile, was held to only four hits, with Bucs starter Jose Quintana doing much of the work in shutting Cincinnati out over seven innings.
Since the Bucs didn’t need to bat in the bottom of the ninth, the official threshold of nine hitless innings wasn’t met, so Greene and Warren won’t be credited with a no-hitter. This oddity marks just the sixth time since 1901 that a team has won despite going hitless, and ironically, the Reds were on the other side of the equation in the first such instance. Back on April 23, 1964, the Reds collected a 1-0 win over the Houston Colt .45s even though Houston’s Ken Johnson held Cincinnati hitless over nine full innings of work — a pair of ninth-inning errors led to the Reds’ only run.
More from around the NL Central…
- Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson cleared concussion protocol after being hit in the mask with a foul ball during Saturday’s game. Stephenson didn’t play today but isn’t expected to miss much time, even though the team will be cautious given that Stephenson already missed two weeks with a concussion earlier this season. Manager David Bell told reporters (including The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Charlie Goldsmith) that the Reds are working with Stephenson on finding new types of masks and padded helmets, and the club is committed to keeping Stephenson behind the plate. Joey Votto already has first base spoken for anyway, plus Stephenson’s bat is more valuable from the catcher position than at first base. However, with three concussions already in his career, Stephenson and the Reds can only hope that a position switch doesn’t eventually become a necessity for health reasons.
- The Pirates hope Kevin Newman can start a minor league rehab assignment this week, Pirates GM Ben Cherington said during his weekly radio show (hat tip to Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Newman hit the 10-day injured list with a left groin strain on April 27, so the timing of a rehab assignment coincides with the rough 3-5 week timeline initially given for Newman’s recovery. The veteran shortstop was off to a decent start before hitting the IL, batting .250/.308/.375 (96 wRC+, 98 OPS+) over his first 52 plate appearances. Rookie Diego Castillo has seen most of the shortstop duties while Newman has been sidelined, but Pittsburgh fans continue to wait for star shortstop prospect Oneil Cruz to get an extended call-up to the majors.
- In some Cubs-related injury news, Alec Mills will toss a live batting practice session on Tuesday. (Meghan Montemurro of The Chicago Tribune was among those to report the news.) Mills has yet to pitch this season due to a lower back strain, and he made one minor league rehab outing before being set back by quad tightness. David Bote (shoulder surgery) and Clint Frazier (appendectomy) are both expected to start their own rehab assignments within a few days. Frazier told Montemurro that he believes he’ll need five games to ramp up, which would put him on target to rejoin the Cubs when they begin a series with the Reds on May 23.
And Frazier will probably end up hurt in one of those 5 games.
Frazier will get his five games and then be reassigned to AAA.
I cant be the only one but a combination no-no does absolutely nothing for me.
Agreed
It’s only notable because the Reds still found a way to lose
Not that it matters, but I don’t recognize combo no-hitters. It has to be one pitcher at the start, same pitcher at the end of a nine-inning game.
I recognize the fact the offense obviously sucked so bad that day they can’t hit ANY pitcher that stepped foot on the mound.
It’s sort of an enhanced shutout. Although, maybe a shutout by a single pitcher today is more impressive than a combo no hitter?! I was rooting for Cortes to have a shot at a shut out today.
No kidding, man – on both accounts. Nestor is the real deal. An awesome throwback to Maddux-style pitchers. Hopefully, just like they’re realizing with contact hitters v TTO, GMs will start to recall the value of these true pitchers instead of velo-only guys that throw straight to the backstop.
Man, Chapman makes me nervous, bro. Nasty splitter, but it seems his control is getting worse & worse. He’s launching FBs all over the place.
History says he’ll work his way through this. The difference is he’s in his final year with the Yankees so they’re under no obligation to give him save opps until he figures things out. They have multiple closing options.
I don’t know about that. Albert Pujols seems to be the exact pitcher they need to be on the mound to score a couple of runs. Then again his ability to to change speeds from 60mph down to 46mph might prove to be more than they can handle.
Good for you. ⚾️
Stephenson is too good to be stuck behind the plate. Find a dirt dog to take the punishment and buy that man a 1B mitt. Votto is a FA after next season.
I think he loses too much value if they switch him. I think his bat would play at 1st, but as a catcher, I think he’s a beast. That said, he’s had a lot of concussions.
He is injury prone and now concussion prone. He won’t last long behind the plate IMO.
When Mauer moved to 1st after too many concussions he forgot how to hit. He still would have been a decent hitting catcher but as a 1st baseman he was awful. Switching cost him a decent shot at Cooperstown. Stephenson will probably have to switch but hopefully not until Votto hits FA. Then lets hope he follows in Napoli’s footsteps and not Mauers. Napoli seemed to hit better after the switch. He was probably able to concentrate on studying video on pitchers instead of the entire lineup pre-game.
Tyler Stephenson needs to get out of Cin. Trade Albies for him and move India or Albies to SS
Braves are getting a ton of value out of Albies cheap contract. Next.
Thank Goodness it is a cheap contract because Albies is a terrible hitter.
Yes, because the Reds front office is thinking “Man, we need to get Stephenson out of Cincinnati.”
Honestly, with the way the offseason went, would you be surprised if they ARE thinking that?
but Pittsburgh fans continue to wait for star shortstop prospect Oneil Cruz to get an extended call-up to the majors.
==================================
Is there a point where Cruz is no longer called a “star shortstop prospect”? He’s on pace for 189 Ks/600 ABs, in AAA, where 23 years old is pushing the age limit He has 2 HRs in 114 ABs. He has 7 errors in 197 innings.
He’s tracking a bit like Jarren Duran, where the improvements aren’t covering up the holes, and where they aren’t quite a kid any more.
Cruz isn’t ready for a call up. Fans are always quick to scream “service time manipulation” when generally it’s development time that’s required.
Certainly if Cruz doesn’t progress his prospect rankings can drop, but it will take more than 30 games. Duran is 25, repeating AAA and has nearly 500 PAs between AAA and the majors. Cruz is 22 and effectively is in his first full season of AAA. Any reevaluation wouldn’t happen this season.
It’s not even just fans. The writers on this site use that lazy trope all the time.
Cruz isn’t 22, he’s 23 yrs 7 mns.
A big indicator he’s not a SS at all is when he grew to 6’7”…. They’re only doing him a disservice by continuing to put that square peg in that round hole. Put him at a corner (IF or OF, wherever he can catch the ball better), & let him rake at the plate.
Yeah Cruz ‘can’ play SS but hes going to end up in a corner OF spot or maybe 1b with his reach. His speed will have him covering PNC’s larger left field very well but probably RF at least the start of his OF MLB career.
Regardless he needs all the ABs you can give him, what position he plays isn’t a deal breaker.
Clint Frazier is the all-time, accumulating Major League service time on the injured list Champion!!!
It’s good work if you can get it.
*Rick Ankiel has entered the chat*
He’ll easily enter the Hall 5 years after retiring as the most talked about trade chip in the history of the game who was only ever traded once PRIOR to becoming the most talked about trade chip.
Never met a Clint that I didn’t like.
I know we’re not good, but I’ve had a lot of fun this year with the Pirates. I really can’t wait until Cruz is in the majors. I think this slow start is just a blip. When he gets here, he’ll do fine. He’s done better as of recently.
#FreeOneilCruz
he was also rather poor last year at AAA but did get on base a lot.
I have every confidence he will straighten out his offense but needs more work in the OF to learn the position even if he does play SS to start his MLB career. I don’t think it will be too long.
He gets a stretch of games of . doing well in AAA he’ll probably be brought up.
The Reds are a very special kind of horrible.
I had their manager getting canned before June but now I believe they’ll keep him the whole season and retain him for next.
David Bell is not getting fired. The owner is close friends with him and his father. Besides what difference would it make this year? Also, he just received an extension. Bell will be the manager through this season. Maybe he will be fired during the off-season
looking at the link provided, the giants are the last 2 times a team lost a 1 hitter.
not only happened twice in 2010 (a world series winning year, no less), but the second time, it ended up being clayton kershaw’s 1st mlb complete game and shutout.
was surprised matt cain wasn’t the loser in either game, considering how for many years, the giants offense stunk with him on the mound.
I think Pirates are waiting for more than Cruz to come up. It’s sounds like you believe 1 player is going to change the Pirates fortunes. *rolls eyes*
My heart goes out to the Reds and their fans. It wasn’t too long ago that the Mets were experiencing those kinds of negative oddities and plain old bad luck. Nothing’s worse than getting kicked in the ribs a few times when you’re already down. Hopefully, they can work out their issues one day at a time and wind up with a respectable season record.
Whatever this team accomplishes – no matter how small – will be despite the ungodly mess that’s been created by the FO.
The difference is the Mets have an owner who will spend. Never gonna happen in Cincy with that tight wad.
Thanks it’s not easy being a Red’s fan right now.
i really started paying attention to the Pirate game yesterday after the 6th inning of a no hitter on one side and a shut out on the other. Was fun to watch.
got to feel for the Reds pitching staff, but still it was the reds who did it to themselves.
I was at the game, most exciting rbi groundout I’ve ever seen. Especially since Hayes had to beat out the throw to first cuz a double play would’ve ended the inning. Seemed like the Reds really wanted Hunter Greene to get the no hitter himself but the two walks in the 8th did him in. They let him throw 118 pitches which is insane in today’s game.
I really hate the whole “doesn’t count as a not hitter” if it doesn’t reach the 9 inning threshold. Especially with the 7 inning double headers. But if a team holds another team hitless, call it a no hitter. Put an asterisk if you have to. Put a double asterisk if you have to. *held opposition hitless though games natural completion in under 9 innings **held team hitless, game was called due to weather. Not that hard lol
David Bote is still a Cub…who knew.