Andrew Abbott was dominant, throwing eight shutout innings with six strikeouts on the afternoon. Cincinnati’s offense got the job done, too, scoring five runs on the day as the Reds defeated the San Francisco Giants 5-1. The victory helped Cincinnati split the series after losing the first two games.
| Final | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco Giants (54-43) |
1 | 2 | 0 |
| Cincinnati Reds (52-46) | 5 | 12 | 0 |
| W: Abbott (5-2) L: Cobb (6-3) | |||
| Statcast | Box Score | Game Thread | |||
Neither team’s offense could get much going early on in the game besides a few walks. In the bottom of the 3rd inning Will Benson led off with one of those walks. Two pitches later he was trotting home after Luke Maile hit a 423-foot home run to put the Reds on top 2-0.
San Francisco wasn’t going to just roll over. Wilmer Flores led off with a walk of his own in the top of the 4th. After two outs he was still standing at first base, but Luis Matos came through with a double to the wall in left-center. Flores, seemingly hobbled a bit, was sent to the plate and Will Benson fired the ball to Elly De La Cruz, who then fired the ball to the plate and Luke Maile easily tagged Flores out to end the inning.
Cincinnati decided to play add on in their half of the 4th inning. Jonathan India doubled to lead off the inning and moved to third base on a ground out. Christian Encarnacion-Strand then singled into left and India scored. Will Benson followed up with an RBI double and the Reds had doubled their lead, making it 4-0.
The offense wasn’t finished for the day. In the next inning Jake Fraley lined a 1-out double into right field and came around to score when Jonathan India singled into left. After a walk to Joey Votto, the Giants made a pitching change. Jakob Junis was able to stop the Reds rally and keep it a 5-0 game.
Andrew Abbott just kept on rolling. He would toss a perfect 6th inning and then follow it up with a perfect 7th inning on just seven pitches. With 96 pitches, the lefty returned for the 8th inning and he once again made quick work of San Francisco’s offense – throwing 10 pitches in a 1-2-3 frame.
He wouldn’t get a chance to complete the game, finishing an 8-inning, 1-hit shutout performance with six strikeouts and 106 pitches thrown. Derek Law would take over on the mound for Cincinnati in the 9th. He would give up a 2-out solo home run to Wilmer Flores, but seal the win and give the Reds a 2-game winning streak.
Key Moment of the Game
Luke Maile’s 2-run home run in the 3rd inning that put Cincinnati on top for good.
Notes Worth Noting
Andrew Abbott is the first Reds pitcher to throw at least eight shutout innings since Wade Miley’s no-hitter in May of 2021. His ERA dropped to 2.10 on the season. Over his nine starts he’s thrown 55.2 innings and now has 57 strikeouts and just 18 walks.
Will Benson just keeps on crushing the ball. Since being recalled on May 26th, Benson is hitting .345/.450/.636 in 41 games played. And he’s stolen nine bases in 10 attempts.
Up Next for the Cincinnati Reds
Arizona Diamondbacks vs Cincinnati Reds
Friday July 21st, 7:10pm ET
Tommy Henry (5-2, 3.89 ERA) vs Ben Lively (4-5, 3.72 ERA)
