Brandon Finnegan pitched no-hit ball for almost seven innings last night in the Cincinnati Reds‘ bid to spoil the home opener for the Chicago Cubs.
Finnegan confounded Cubs’ hitters all night with a mix of change-ups, 90-94 mph fastballs and an 84-86 mph slider before David Ross collected the Cubs’ first hit with two outs in the seventh inning.
Finnegan allowed the last two batters he faced to reach base before giving way to a Reds’ bullpen that blew a 3-0 lead.
The compact left-hander stymied Cubs’ hitters without much threat to his no-hitter bid. He did benefit from one spectacular diving catch by left fielder Adam Duvall and another sliding catch by center fielder Billy Hamilton. The only downside to his performance was five walks.
Finnegan pitched into trouble in the third inning. He threw 27 pitches and allowed runners to reach second and third before recording the final out of the inning.
The stellar outing by Finnegan all but sows up his spot in the rotation going forward. Even if he has some bad outings, his performance Monday night showcased the potential that Finnegan has as a starter for the organization for the next few years.
Finnegan will turn 23 years old on Thursday. He has World Series experience as a reliever with the Kansas City Royals, yet he is a couple months younger than Reds’ top pitching prospect Robert Stephenson.
The franchise acquired Finnegan last year in the Johnny Cueto trade deadline deal. The team also received starting left-handed pitchers Cody Reed and John Lamb in the deal.
Finnegan has posted a 2.84 ERA in his first two starts this year. He’s allowed just four hits and struck out 14 in 12.2 innings.
Last year, Finnegan was not as impressive in his four starts with the Reds. He had a 4.71 ERA in 21 innings. Overall as a starter for the Reds, Finnegan has a 4.01 ERA in his six starts and 33.2 innings.
Robb Hoff writes about the Cincinnati Reds for OutsidePitch MLB. You can follow him on Twitter and Facebook.
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