RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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PHOENIX – Hunter Greene, the Cincinnati Reds ' All-Star pitcher who underwent a second Tommy John surgery less than two weeks ago, gets the stitches out of his elbow Monday (Aug. 24).
It's the first very small step in a very long process for the Reds' two-time Opening Day starter, who is expected to miss all of next year. Which also makes it a reminder of how important the state of pitchers such as Chase Burns and Andrew Abbott are to the Reds plans to bounce back and compete for a playoff berth next season.
Burns, the 2026 All-Star who has pitched his way into the Cy Young conversation entering the final weeks of his first full season in the majors, starts the opener of this week's series in San Francisco the same day Greene gets the stitches out.
Abbott, the 2025 All-Star, was the hard-luck loser against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the weekend series finale in Phoenix after rolling through six innings with a lead before a couple of soft singles and a walk leading off the seventh doomed his start.
Abbott exited at that point, then watched all three runs score on reliever Luis Mey's watch in a 5-3 loss that sent the Reds to their fourth series loss in their last five.
That competitive trend in a last-place season that has MLB's toughest remaining schedule left to play by the Reds makes individual progress and signals especially important down the stretch toward the Reds' plans for 2027.
Abbott struck out six and gave up just one walk and five hits to take a 3-1 lead into the seventh. He worked on a shutout until a one-out triple by Corbin Carroll and sacrifice fly by Gabriel Moreno in the sixth.
After a rough first start of the season, Abbott has performed closer to his career arc starting with his April 30 start against the Rockies. In 20 starts from that point until Sunday, he had a 3.42 ERA and 10 quality starts.
Among the pitchers expected back in the rotation mix next season in the absence of Greene are veteran Brady Singer – who was retained at the trade deadline with the intent of giving him a qualifying offer to try to keep him into 2027 – and young lefty Brandon Williamson, who has lost much of 2024-26 to injuries but could be back when rosters expand Sept. 1.
Williamson, who returned this year from Tommy John surgery before experiencing shoulder fatigue, threw 75 pitches in Saturday's minor-league rehab start and likely has one more with Triple-A Louisville before being re-evaluated for possible activation.
As for the lineup the Reds might field next year, well, that's a much more difficult task in progress.
The Reds, who were shut out for the 12th time this season in the series opener in Arizona, scored in only one inning Sunday, including Sal Stewart driving in Elly De La Cruz for a 98th RBI this season.
A Dane Myers double and strikeout later, Eugenio Suárez drove in two more in that third inning with a single.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati Reds blow lead in 7th, lose series in Arizona to open trip
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