Renken holds River Bandits hitless

Daniel Renken has put his name in the Midwest League record book a couple of times already this season. On Friday, he just missed another chance.

The Reds prospect struck out seven over six hitless innings for Class A Dayton, but the Dragons squandered a four-run lead in a 6-4 loss to the Quad Cities River bandits.

A 25th-round pick last year, Renken walked three before reaching his pitch count. He faced two batters over the minimum and retired six straight at one point.

"I was just jumping ahead of guys with the fastball and able to thrown a changeup and slider in any count to keep them on their toes," he said.

The right-hander, who turned 22 on July 5, said he understood the decision to lift him and was confident the bullpen would close out the game.

"I always want to go more innings. I'm one of those guys who likes to go nine every time," Renken said. "Disappointed yes, but I was happy to come out after that. Our bullpen has been fantastic."

Luca Panerati came on to start the seventh and allowed a leadoff single to Oscar Taveras. Three batters later, Michael Swinson spoiled the shutout with an RBI double.

Still trailing, 4-1, the River Bandits scored five times in the eighth. Victor Sanchez delivered the key blow with a go-ahead three-run homer off Drew Hayes (1-2).

"I think this is one of the first times our bullpen has struggled," Renken said. "I was out there watching and I just kind of felt for the guys in the game."

Renken was the winning pitcher on July 9, when the Dragons set a professional sports record with their 815th consecutive sellout at Fifth Third Field. On June 29 against Lansing, he tied a Midwest League record with 10 consecutive strikeouts, finishing with a team record-trying 14.

"It's a great feeling to be part of something like that," Renken said. "The strikeouts weren't something I was looking for, but the sellout was cool. It was great for the fans. I love the big games and I hope that I keep getting more pressure situations put on me."

After going 1-4 with a 5.34 ERA in June, the Cal State-Fullerton product has turned things around. He's 1-0 with a 1.53 ERA in three starts this month while holding opponents to a .169 average.

"I'm just being a little more consistent with my mechanics," Renken said. "I've really refined my slider from last year, it has been huge for me. I can give hitters a different look."

Overall, Renken is 4-8 with a 3.53 ERA and a league-leading 127 strikeouts in 18 starts.

His goals for the remainder of the season are pretty straightforward.

"Right now, just keep doing what I'm doing, get some wins for the team and hopefully, we can get to the playoffs," he said.

Renken left Cal State-Fullerton with his name sprinkled liberally through the perennial powerhouse's record book. He is tied for 10th in school history with 28 wins and ninth with 274 strikeouts. In his final season, he ranked fifth in the nation with 12 wins and was named a Baseball America third team All-American.

Still, he was around when the Reds were drafting in the 25th round.

"I think everyone thinks they'll go higher, except the guy who goes No. 1," he said. "It was a tough pill to swallow, but it gives you that bulldog mentality to try and prove how good you really are."