Andrew Abbott gave the Reds exactly what they needed Wednesday night, and it still wasn’t enough.
Cincinnati took a 2-2 tie into the 10th inning at Truist Park, then came up empty with the free runner Matt McLain on second. Atlanta answered in the bottom half with a sacrifice bunt, a hit-by-pitch and an infield single that never made it to the mound, and the Braves walked off with a 3-2 win.
The loss dropped the Reds to 73-85, while the Braves improved to 93-65.
Abbott was sharp from the start against one of the National League’s most dangerous lineups. The left-hander worked seven innings, allowed two earned runs on six hits and one walk, and struck out six. He threw 100 pitches, with 62 of them going for strikes.
It was Abbott’s first time getting past four innings in a start since August 23rd at the Arizona Diamondbacks. It also marked his only seven-inning start of the season. The 100-pitch outing was his sixth time reaching the century mark this year.
The problem for Cincinnati was the other side of the matchup. Chris Sale was every bit as tough as expected.
The veteran lefty struck out 10 Reds hitters, held them to four hits, and did not issue a walk while allowing one earned run. He needed 97 pitches, and 67 were strikes.
That was the story again for the Reds: a lineup that just couldn’t match up with elite pitching. They looked overmatched at the plate, and it fit the pattern that has followed them all season. It also echoed Barry Larkin’s point on the TV broadcast Sunday about how far behind teams like the Braves the Reds are, especially in the way they’ve performed offensively.
Wednesday night brought that gap into focus. Against a top-tier left-handed starter on a Braves team viewed as one of the National League favorites to win the pennant, Cincinnati simply couldn’t keep pace at the plate. On Opening Day, the Reds also failed to score against Red Sox left-hander Garrett Crochet, and nights like this have been a recurring theme.
The series wraps up Thursday night in Atlanta, and it will be the Reds’ final game in the United States this season before they close the year in Toronto against the Blue Jays.
Right-hander Brady Singer, who is 6-15 with a 5.67 ERA, will start for Cincinnati against right-hander Tyler Mahle, a former Red now 7-10 with a 3.81 ERA.
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For a club already mapping out its next steps, the news is a reminder of how quickly roster plans can get complicated at this time of year. Steer and Santillan are both now focused on recovery after injury setbacks during the season, and the Reds will have a clearer sense of their near-term depth only once those procedures are behind them and the long rehab process begins. [Read more 🡒]
Elly De La Cruz Is Closing In On Rare Reds History
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The numbers have placed De La Cruz near the top of the conversation in WAR and batting production, but Terry Francona has kept the focus on the broader picture rather than the milestone chase. For the Reds, that balance matters: De La Cruz is putting himself on the verge of special history, yet the emphasis inside the room remains on playing the game the right way and letting the rest sort itself out. [Read more 🡒]