Abbott’s numbers are better than them all, by far — 5-0 with a 1.51 earned run average after Friday afternoon’s 6-2 victory over the Chicago Cubs in Wrigley Field.
For the second time in a week, Abbott put a muzzle on the high-scoring Cubs, this time shutting out the division-leaders on one hit over seven innings.
He gave up a leadoff single in the third to Justin Turner and only one other runner, a walk, and retired the last 15 batters.
“The seven innings we got (from Abbott), I mean, the wind is blowing out, so he used his changeup, he used his cutter, elevated his fast ball and really kept them off the barrel really well,” said Reds manager Tito Francona, talking about Abbott.
“He has been so good, the more comfortable he gets,” he added. “When you get a lefty that starts commanding, adding, subtracting and cutting, for our side it is good and they can be tough to beat.”
And for the second straight time, the Reds took apart Cubs starter Colin Rea, crushing three home runs and 10 hits in 5⅔ innings.
Abbott left after 93 pitches and the Cubs probably figured they had the Reds right where they wanted them — down six runs but facing the Reds bullpen.
And it did become precarious.
Last weekend, the Reds bullpen blew two four-run leads and a six-run lead to lose two of three games to the Cubs.
Tony Santillan replaced Abbott to start the eighth. Last weekend, Santillan faced four Cubs and didn’t retire any.
This time, Santillan retired the first batter, then gave up a double to Nico Hoerner, a run-scoring triple to pinch-hitter Michael Busch, a run-scoring single to Matt Shaw. When Santillan walked Ian Happ, his day was done — five batters faced, four reached base.
Suddenly it was 6-2 with two on. Graham Ashcraft replaced Santillan and coaxed a 3-6-1 inning-ending double play on which Ashcraft had to beat the fleet Kyle Tucker to first base to take the relay throw.
Ashcraft was given the opportunity to finish the game and started the ninth. But he gave up a leadoff double to Seiya Suzuki and a one-out bloop double to Pete Crow-Armstrong, whom Abbott had struck out three straight times. That forced Francona to go to closer Emilio Pagan and he struck out Dansby Swanson and ended it on a ground ball from Nico Hoerner.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
It was Pagan’s 14th save in 16 opportunities and his sixth straight, but he aimed credit to Ashcraft for stopping the eighth-inning rally with the double play.
“Unbelieve pitch to one of the better hitters (Tucker) in our entire league,” said Pagan. “To execute that breaking ball, then get over to cover first is not easy, because Tucker can run a little bit. What a job he did.”
TJ Friedl gave an early hint of what was going to happen for the Reds offensively by pulling Rea’s third pitch of the game into the right field seats. Friedl singled in the third inning, his seventh straight multi-hit game and eighth in 10 games. And with two walks he was on base four times.
The Reds are now 24-6 when they score first and they’ve scored 50 runs in the first inning, most in MLB.
“That’s my role, get on base for the guys behind me and let them do what they do,” said Friedl. “I was a little jumpy early on in the season, trying to go get pitches instead of trusting the quickness of my hands.
“So recently it has been trusting myself, letting my eyes see the pitch, making the decision and trusting that I am quick enough to get there,” he added.
Tyler Stephenson launched another long distance home run in the fourth, a 435-foot two-run rip to dead center, his third homer in four games.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Jake Fraley, playing his first game off the injured list, cracked a two-run homer in the sixth.
Will Benson, 2 for 23 when the game began, singled ahead of Stephenson’s home run and singled ahead of Fraley’s home run.
The Abbott-Rea match-up was a replay of last Saturday’s 6-4 Reds win and it was if the Cubs were fearful of sending Rea out there again.
It wasn’t announced that he was starting until a couple of hours before game time.
And it was more of the same. The Reds raked him last week for six runs and seven hits in five innings. It was worse this time — six runs and 10 hits in 5⅔ innings.
In 46 innings against the Reds, Rea has given up 11 home runs.
Abbott held the Cubs to one run and six hits last week. It was better this time.
“I had a lot better location, a lot better off-speed in the zone early,” said Abbott, comparing this start to his previous outing against the Cubs. “I put more pitches frequently where I wanted to than I did last time.
“The difference was landing breaking balls and change-ups, keeping them more off-balance and not being predictable with the fast ball,” he added, talking as if he lost last Saturday instead of holding them to one run and six hits.
And about the bullpen bending a bit but not snapping this time, Pagan said, “We’re super confident in our ability in the bullpen to execute pitches. We take it literally day-by-day. We didn’t talk about the last series at all.”
As they always say about relief pitchers, they need to have, and better have, short memories.
NEXT GAME
Who: Cincinnati at Chicago Cubs
When: 2:20 p.m.
TV: FanDuel Sports
Radio: 1410-AM, 700-AM
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
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