Hunter Greene (0-0, 9.00) made his 2026 debut for the Reds after a spring elbow procedure, and he earned the ball back with a dominant rehab stretch across three Triple-A appearances. Across the way, Brandon Young (6-2, 3.46) has quietly been one of the more reliable arms in Baltimore's beat-up rotation, coming off a 5-inning, 8-strikeout no-decision against Washington his last time out.
Both clubs are shorthanded on the mound beyond their starters tonight. The Orioles are without Ryan Helsley, Keegan Akin and Chris Bassitt, leaning harder on a bullpen that's already been stretched thin. The Reds, meanwhile, are still missing Graham Ashcraft and Tony Santillan, plus a pair of outfielders in Dane Myers and Blake Dunn — injuries that put extra weight on whoever Cincinnati trots out in relief behind Greene's pitch count.
Samuel Basallo made sure Greene's return had an early gut-punch, going deep for Baltimore in the first inning. Cincinnati clawed right back with a 3-run second, and for a few innings this had the makings of the feel-good comeback story the Reds needed. It didn't hold.
A 5-run fourth inning from the Orioles turned a tight game into a laugher, and Baltimore closed it out 8-5 despite Cincinnati out-hitting them 11-10 on the night. It's the kind of inning that erases a good start and buries a comeback attempt — exactly what happened to the Reds here.
Neither team is anywhere near contention — Baltimore sits at 41-48, Cincinnati at 40-47 — but this one had juice anyway thanks to Greene taking the ball for the first time all year. The Orioles have now won the first two games of this set, both with their lineup doing just enough damage against a Reds pitching staff still finding its footing.
- 15-Day-ILRyan Helsley RP — Orioles manager Craig Albernaz said Wednesday that Helsley is dealing with right elbow discomfort and will undergo further testing, Matt Weyrich of The Baltimore Sun reports.
- 15-Day-ILKeegan Akin RP — The Orioles are awaiting MRI results on Akin's left elbow, Rich Dubroff of BaltimoreBaseball.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILChris Bassitt SP — Bassitt (back) underwent a minor procedure to have bone spurs removed from his back, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILYaramil Hiraldo RP — Hiraldo (shoulder) will begin a rehab assignment Tuesday at High-A Frederick, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILFelix Bautista RP — Orioles president of baseball operations Mike Elias said Saturday that Bautista (shoulder) has been "throwing really, really well" in his bullpen sessions, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILColin Selby RP — Selby plans to receive a second opinion on his right shoulder before continuing his rehab program, Jake Rill of MLB.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILRyan Mountcastle 1B — Mountcastle (foot) did some running Saturday, Roch Kubatko of MASNSports.com reports.
- 60-Day-ILJordan Westburg 3B — Westburg (elbow) underwent Tommy John surgery Wednesday, Andrew Golden of TheBanner.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILKe'Bryan Hayes 3B — Hayes (back) will stick with High-A Dayton this weekend and then have his rehab moved to Triple-A Louisville next week, MLB.com reports.
- 10-Day-ILDane Myers CF — The Reds placed Myers on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a left shoulder contusion, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
- 10-Day-ILBlake Dunn CF — Dunn (elbow) underwent an MRI on Saturday and is likely to return to Cincinnati for more testing, Mark Sheldon of MLB.com reports.
- 15-Day-ILTony Santillan RP — Reds manager Terry Francona said Friday that an MRI on Santillan's left oblique showed a significant strain, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
- 60-Day-ILGraham Ashcraft RP — Ashcraft is expected to resume throwing soon after receiving good news Tuesday regarding the imaging on his injured right elbow UCL, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
- 60-Day-ILBrandon Williamson SP — Williamson (shoulder) injured his finger while working out, and his rehab program has been pushed back by about 10 days as a result, Charlie Goldsmith of Fox 19 Now Cincinnati reports.
Cincinnati will need more from Greene his next time out if he's going to be the difference-maker they hoped for when they slotted him back into the rotation. For Baltimore, this is a series they can salvage a losing homestand with — and Young's next start only adds to a rotation that's been the rare bright spot in an otherwise rough season.