Ace pitcher Hunter Greene made a scorching return, completing a scoreless start to help the Reds win the series.

From the Reds' perspective, Hunter Greene's comeback today against the Phillies couldn't have gone better.

After missing over two months due to a right groin strain, Greene excelled in his six scoreless innings of pitching. The Reds ultimately won 8-0, taking two out of three games in this series at Great American Ball Park.

The Reds (64-58) have won four of their last five games and are 1.5 games behind the Mets (64-55), currently holding the third National League wild card spot while awaiting the result of the Mets' rain-delayed game against the Braves.

Greene threw 85 pitches (58 for strikes), allowing three hits, issuing no walks, and recording six strikeouts. He only faced four three-ball counts, all occurring with full counts. Greene's fastball reached or exceeded 100 mph 11 times, with the first pitch to Bryce Harper in the fourth inning clocked at 101.2 mph, resulting in a groundout.

After Trea Turner hit a weak two-out single to first base in the third inning, Greene struck out Kyle Schwarber with a 100.7 mph fastball. This marked the beginning of his consecutive retirement of nine batters. When Schwarber came up again in the sixth inning, the Reds led 1-0, and he hit a two-out double to left-center field. He then advanced to third on a wild pitch, with the potential tying run just 90 feet away from home plate.

Schwarber was ultimately left stranded at third as Greene struck out Harper with a 90 mph slider, successfully escaping the jam. After throwing his final pitch of the night, he excitedly walked toward the dugout.

Greene has made 12 starts this season, pitching 65.2 innings with a record of 5-3 and an ERA of 2.47. He was placed on the injured list from May 8 to 23 due to a groin injury and suffered a setback in his last start on June 3, leading to another stint on the injured list.

The Reds have performed excellently for the second consecutive game against a tough left-handed starter. In the fourth inning against Cristopher Sánchez, Austin Hays walked with two outs. Noelvi Marte then hit a run-scoring double but was thrown out trying to advance to third base.

In the bottom of the sixth, Elly De La Cruz hit a one-out single to left field, and after Hays' two-out double to left field, he scored from first base. Marte then hit a run-scoring single to left field. As Hays scored, left fielder Brandon Marsh's throw went over the home plate.

Sánchez returned to cover home plate after Marte attempted to advance to third base again. Sánchez's throw sailed into left field, marking the second error of the game, allowing Marte to score on a "little league home run," extending the lead to four runs.

In the bottom of the seventh, Miguel Andujar hit a grand slam against reliever Jordan Romano, sealing the victory. All of the Reds' runs in this game came after two outs.