Things got off to a saucy start for the Cincinnati Reds in Thursday’s series finale against the Colorado Rockies in Great American Ball Park. If you, like me, are still trying to figure out exactly what that means, let’s just say that Andrew Abbott began the game by serving up a meatball that Tyler Freeman turned into a 2-run homer, a product of Abbott having again issued an ugly walk to put a runner on-base early.
That sequence has been the theme of the early going for Abbott, who in 2025 seemed
to find ways to both limit those scenarios and pitch out of them when they did arise. 2026, though, has been very much the opposite, and the groans from those watching probably were audible in Colorado itself after it repeated itself again.
The best possible thing happened from then on, however – Abbott actually settled in.
Cincinnati’s All-Star lefty ground his way through 6.0 IP in total and yielded no more runs on the day, scattering 5 hits and a pair of walks against 5 K to earn his first win of the season. That win came thanks to the bats of Nate Lowe and TJ Friedl, each of whom homered off former Red Michael Lorenzen as Cincinnati rallied back to win the game 6-4.
Things got saucier in the Top of the 9th when Reds closer Emilio Pagan came on in a non-save situation and immediately began operating the singles dispenser. Pagan had only pitched once since April 19th (on April 25th) and needed work, and he clearly had some rust on his right arm on the day, but the Reds made enough plays defensively to seal the win – and yet another series victory.
Other Notes
- The Reds move to 20-11 on the season.
- Lowe went 2 for 3 with a walk, double, and a pair of runs scored, and earns today’s Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game. There’s no way you keep him out of the lineup even when Eugenio Suarez returns.
- Spencer Steer began the season looking awful, going 1 for his first 17 across four games played. Entering play today, though, he’d hit .260/.337/.519 across his most recent 23 games (86 PA), which is the kind of bat that can make this lineup shimmy. He went 2 for 3 with a walk and a huge 2-run double that provided the insurance runs Pagan ended up needing, and he’s making a wonderful case that he should be hitting in the top third of the order once again.
- JJ Bleday walked twice before being replaced by Dane Myers late. It would be super cool if the good version of Bleday is what the Reds signed out of the bargain bin.
- Cincinnati heads out next on a crucial road trip through the NL Central, first to Pittsburgh and then to the north side of Chicago to face the Cubs. They do so as the current 1st place club in the NL Central, and it’s a pleasure to be able to finally write these kinds of sentences.
