Hunter Greene, Reds continue wild-card chase vs. Angels

All things considered, Terry Francona probably couldn't have asked for a better start to his team's key nine-game road trip.

His Cincinnati Reds opened a three-game series with the Los Angeles Angels on Monday with a 4-1 victory behind another strong start from Brady Singer. He recorded his career-high 11th win of the season after allowing just one run on six hits over six innings.

The Reds will look to win the series on Tuesday when they face the Angels in Anaheim, Calif.

Because of Singer's strong outing, Francona also was able to rest his top three relievers, who had been taxed during an emotional weekend series with Milwaukee. Veteran Scott Barlow finished things off with a four-out save and struck out four of the five batters he faced.

Cincinnati closed to within one game of the idle New York Mets for the final wild-card spot in the National League. The Reds ripped three triples and received a tone-setting two-run homer from Gavin Lux in the first inning.

"That last homestand was pretty draining," Lux said. "A lot of important games and meaningful games, like they all are. It's good to get the first one (on the road trip)."

It was Cincinnati's ninth consecutive win over the Angels dating back to 2019.

Hunter Greene (5-3, 2.47 ERA) will try to make it 10 in a row on Tuesday night when he opposes fellow right-hander Kyle Hendricks (6-8, 4.88).

Greene, who starred at Notre Dame High School in Sherman Oaks about 45 miles north of Angel Stadium, will be facing the Angels for the first time in his career.

It will be his second start after missing a little over two months with a right groin injury. He threw six shutout innings last Wednesday in an 8-0 win over the Philadelphia Phillies, giving up three hits and no walks while striking out six.

"He really pitched. That was fun to watch," Francona said. "That's what you hope for. It doesn't always work out that way, but it gave us a big lift."

A healthy and effective Greene figures to be key component for the Reds in their quest for a postseason berth.

"We'll see. I have a lot of confidence in myself and what I'm able to do at this level," Greene said. "I'm taking it one day at a time and I'm being as present as possible. It's a lot of fun. It's a lot of excitement."

Hendricks will be making his 29th career appearance and 27th start against the Reds, compiling a 9-6 record and 4.09 ERA. The Angels, who are 7 1/2 games out of an American League wild-card spot, lost for the third time in four games in Monday's series opener.

"(Singer) threw a good game," interim manager Ray Montgomery said. "We hit some balls hard, we just hit them in spots that helped them get through innings. ... Just one of those nights. Couple of balls got hit right at people, and we didn't come through."

Trailing 3-1 on Monday, the Angels nearly took the lead in the seventh inning after reigning AL Player of the Week Zach Neto lined out near the fence in center field with two runners on.

"I've seen him hit them so much that I thought it was going to be really close," Montgomery said. "I thought he got it good enough."