CINCINNATI — Six major league starts is all Reds rookie Andrew Abbott has on his resume. For most pitchers, it doesn’t usually look that dominant this early.
“He pitches like he’s been here a long time,” said Reds catcher Luke Maile.
Already the top starter in Cincinnati’s rotation, Abbott is his go-to for a tight division race that looms. The left-hander sensationally batted for 7 2/3 innings without making a decision. The Reds, buoyed by Tyler Stephenson’s narrow two-run home run at the bottom of the eighth field, secured a 4-3 win over the Padres at Great American Ball Park on Sunday.
“Everything definitely worked for him today. He has already shown who he is. Today was probably the best start he’s ever had,” said Reds manager David Bell. “Getting so deep into the game is an incredible start to his career.”
The win gave the Reds a win in two of their three games against San Diego and their seventh straight win in their last eight games. They also remain level on points with the Brewers in the NL Central race for first place with a 45-39 record.
Here’s more of what Abbott has accomplished:
Does Abbott surprise any of this?
“NO. “I think it’s because of the hard work that we all put in,” Abbott replied confidently. “We all made it.” I kept telling myself, “Coming here is the dream, but close here staying is the lifestyle you desire.” You want to go in every day and do your hard work and just put your head down and leave.”
In, out, up, down. Altering the pace, Abbott used his four-seam fastball, sweeper, curveball, and changeup effectively in all four quadrants of the plate with his 101 pitches (66 strikes).
“Obviously he’s really good, but it’s the power to have four shots in the zone if you want to. That’s probably what impressed me,” Maile said.
Early on, Abbott beat the Padres’ key hitters, Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts, in the first inning and Fernando Tatis Jr. in the third inning with high and outside fastballs. He later used off-speed pitches in the zone for other strikeouts.
“When I have four [pitches] “They were all in the strike zone, so that gives them a 25 percent chance if they’re guessing right,” Abbott said. “The only one who got it right was Kim, and he put a good swing on it, and that was it.”
The Padres scored back-to-back one-out singles against Abbott early in the first inning before the left-hander eliminated the next 15 straight batters.
Abbott suffered a shutout in the eighth inning.
“The way he pitched made it pretty easy,” Bell said of the decision to send Abbott out for the eighth time after 92 pitches.
After Abbott battered the first two batters of the eighth game, Kim Ha-Seong fastballed the first pitch into left field for a home run.
Abbott received a standing ovation from the 37,714 fans in the stadium. However, substitute Lucas Sims took the lead and Tatis leveled the game with his own home run to left field and a chorus of boos.
Stephenson was a blast for Joey Votto, coming through at the end of the eighth with his home run off the first pitch and two runs into right field.
“What he did today was amazing,” Stephenson said of Abbott. “It’s been super fun to see what he’s doing and yes, he’s feeling fine right now.”