Reds ace Hunter Greene to undergo MRI after feeling groin discomfort in win over Brewers

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CINCINNATI (AP) — Reds ace Hunter Greene will undergo an MRI on his right groin Wednesday morning after being pulled after five innings during Tuesday night's game against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Cincinnati manager Terry Francona said after the 4-2 win that Greene felt discomfort on his last couple of pitches in the fifth.

Greene has made three starts since a 15-day stint on the injured list last month due to a groin strain he sustained May 7 during a start in Atlanta. He was warming up for the fourth inning when he summoned a trainer.

“It's not as bad (as what he felt in Atlanta) but it still grabbed,” Greene said. “It’s not concerning, it’s frustrating. I want to be out there and compete. I feel like as a pitcher, you do your best when you’re in a groove and you’re going out there every fifth or sixth day. It just makes it a little bit more difficult when you’re trying to overcome some stuff.”

Greene — who made his first All-Star appearance last season — is 4-3 with a 2.72 ERA in 11 starts this year.

The 25-year-old right-hander allowed two runs and five hits with three walks and seven strikeouts in five innings.

Greene faced 23 Milwaukee batters and threw first-pitch strikes to all of them. According to Sportradar, Greene is the second pitcher to have a 100% first-strike rate when facing 23 or more batters since tracking began in 2000. Detroit’s Michael Fulmer went 23 of 23 against Minnesota in 2017.

Only seven pitchers have had a first-pitch strike rate of at least 95%. Cincinnati's Nick Martinez was 23 of 24 during a start against Atlanta last season.

“I wish I could have finished some guys a little bit more. I’ve faced these guys so many times,” said Greene, who made his seventh start against the Brewers. “I still made some really good pitches, and then they hit it. It’s probably because they’ve seen it a million times, but that’s the competitive part of the game and you've got to embrace that.”

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