Cincinnati Reds lose pitcher's duel to Baltimore Orioles 3-0 after Hunter Greene departs

When a Baltimore Orioles team this young and talented shows up in Cincinnati to play a Reds team with Elly De La Cruz, Hunter Greene and its own playoff aspirations, the flashbacks to 1970 flood the senses.

Right?

“No idea what you’re talking about,” Reds left fielder Spencer Steer said.

You know, 1970 — Brooks Robinson, Johnny Bench, Jim Palmer, Pete Rose. The World Series.

“Oh, OK. Cool,” Steer said.

“Did we win?”

That’s the thing about young and exciting teams. The young part.

No, the Reds didn’t win that series. And no way Steer or any of the Reds’ many other 20-somethings should know anything about that.

But as the latest version of the Johnny Bench Revenge Tour plays out this weekend at Great American Ball Park at least one small similarity is apparent to anyone old enough to remember.

That very young Reds team in 1970 ushered in the Big Red Machine era with its first postseason appearance in nearly a decade — and only its second in 30 years.

Five months of baseball remain to be played before we know a lot about this team this year, never mind what kind of competitive window might be dawning for this recently assembled young core.

But Hunter Greene opened the series on the mound for the Reds. Nick Lodolo closes it Sunday, with Andrew Abbott in between.

Opening Day starter Frankie Montas, after another rousing throwing session Monday, expects to return from the bruised forearm and rejoin the rotation for Tuesday’s series opener against defending NL-champ Arizona.

Is that the kind of rotation — including Graham Ashcraft — that can win series in October?

Again, long season. And a lot to prove for a lot of youth. If they get there.

If more guys in the lineup find a way to do more against good pitching than they have in the early going this year.

But following a rain delay of more than 2 1/2 hours Friday night, Greene fought through lots of traffic early to get through 5 2/3 scoreless innings.

Last year’s Opening Day starter now has back-to-back scoreless starts and a career-high 15 2/3 scoreless streak dating to his seven-inning effort against the Phillies April 22 (eclipsing his 14 1/3-inning streak as a rookie in 2022).

Maybe that kind of start Friday and that kind of streak in different conditions against three World Series-caliber lineups represents the kind of career turning point Greene and the Reds have been waiting for.

Manager David Bell said it might be a sign of that.

“He’s gaining confidence. He’s getting better,” said Bell, who pointed at the in-game adjustments in recent starts, like Friday’s. “You prepare, but it’s not a script. You go out there and compete. I’ve seen that a lot with Hunter.”

It went for naught in a 3-0 loss Friday when Emilio Pagán gave up four hits, including a two-run homer to Ryan O’Hearn, during a three-run seventh — with Orioles lefty Cole Irvin doing his best Mike Cuellar impersonation (look it up) during an efficient, shutdown start that got the third shutout of the Reds in 11 games into the seventh inning.

Irvin didn’t walk anyone and allowed only De La Cruz’s single in the first and double in the seventh before exiting after throwing just 72 pitches.

“It think that would be a pretty good matchup for us,” Montas, the Reds rotation veteran, said of a possible October rematch against a stacked Baltimore team that had the second-best record in the majors last year with 101 wins.

“We’ve been playing good baseball so far,” he said. “We’ve battled a lot of stuff since spring training, as a team. We’re not even playing our best baseball yet.”

Their best pitcher so far, Lodolo, opened on the IL before making his debut April 13.

Their best player last year, Matt McLain, is on the 60-day IL because of a shoulder injury, and their lineup catalyst, TJ Friedl, is still a week or so away as he finishes a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A Louisville.

And promising rookie Noelvi Marte, who was expected to play a big role as the third baseman this year, is out half the season because of a steroid suspension.

“Just imagine when everybody comes together and everybody starts doing their part,” Montas said.

The Reds won the season series against the Philadelphia Phillies, one of the National League favorites this year.

But it hasn’t helped produce bottom-line results during the first four series of a six-week gauntlet of star-studded playoff contenders — the Reds on Friday falling to 4-7 against the Phillies, Rangers, Padres and Orioles to open that stretch.

“I think we’re competing well given the fact that we don’t even have our guys, and our guys that are playing aren’t even having their best games and we’re still in it,” said Greene, who was the Reds starter in two of those three recent games they were shut out.

“The road series were tough,” Greene said of a Rangers series they lost after a pair of low-scoring, one-run losses and the series loss in San Diego. “Obviously those are two series where we should have won. We’ve got to be able to take care of those series, especially if we want to go into the playoffs, and we understand that.”

It’s a long season, he said.

None of it might seem as long as this next month by the time they’re done with the likes of the Dodgers, Diamondbacks, the Giants and another series against the Padres.

But even on that recent 2-4 road trip, “We played good freaking baseball,” Montas said.

“We definitely want to face anybody,” he said, “and I feel like we all have the same mentality and the same confidence that we can beat any team.”

The starting pitching has made sure of that much, along with some key bullpen performances.

“The reality is we still don’t have some of our top (hitters),” said Greene, adding that the top guys they do have are still working to get right, in some cases after recent illnesses.

“I think when everybody syncs up, it’s going to be really scary for the league.”

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Why Cincinnati Reds evoke one reminder of 1970 vs. Baltimore Orioles