Fortunes change fast in baseball. The Cincinnati Reds saw that truth in action over the first 10 days of May.
Around 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 9, the Reds were still mired in an eight-game losing streak and at risk of seeing the streak extended as they trailed Houston Astros in the fifth inning. By about 4:10 p.m. on Sunday, May 10, Cincinnati had won the series against the Astros.
After a comeback win on May 9, the Reds closed out the Astros series with a 5-0 victory Sunday at Great American Ball Park.
Andrew Abbott continued a strong run of performances with his start of six innings and no runs allowed on just three hits. Abbott hasn’t allowed a run in his last two starts, which spanned 11 2/3 innings. He last allowed a run April 30 against the Colorado Rockies.
Three of Abbott’s five strikeouts came against Houston slugger Yordan Alvarez, who struck out four times in the game.
Francona on Andrew Abbott | ‘Just thought he looked ‘Abbott-ish”
Abbott was Cincinnati’s Opening Day starter and while Abbott dismissed the notion of him being the staff ace, the Reds still need the kind of season from him that you’d hope for from an Opening Day starter.
After mixed results in April, Abbott’s last two starts have been more in line with what was expected of the 2025 MLB All-Star. He improved to a 2-2 record with the Astros win, and his ERA dropped to 4.47.
“I just thought he looked ‘Abbott-ish,'” Reds manager Terry Francona said. “He spun it really good. Threw his changeup. Located way more fastballs than he didn’t. He got away with a couple pitches. That isn’t always the case, and sometimes you need that, too. But he got comfortable, and we got him a couple runs and he made it stand.
“We need him, and like hitters − you’ve heard me say it − they find their level. He’s kind of finding that now. We’ll enjoy that. I don’t think anyone ever questioned his work. He just had a tough spring and it kind of bled into the season a little bit. You’re not dealing just with numbers. You’re dealing with people. But he has really been getting after it with (pitching coach Derek Johnson) and the guys, and it’s showing.”
Abbott indicated he thought he still had room for improvement. He also said his May 10 performance was one of his first this season where he felt like a pitcher with multiple weapons because he was locating his off-speed pitches.
Two of Alvarez’s strikeouts versus Abbott came on curveballs. The third came on a sweeper.
“I feel like I’m getting there. I still have a few things to iron out,” Abbott said. “You never get complacent in the game but, you know, today was definitely a good step against a veteran-heavy team… I feel like I’m getting close to getting back in there.”
Cincinnati’s bats rallied in the third inning against Houston starter Kai-Wei Teng, whose appearance was his 15th of the year but just his second start. In consecutive at-bats, Elly De La Cruz, Sal Stewart, JJ Bleday and Tyler Stephenson hit a single, double, triple and a single, respectively. Those hits stacked up to a 3-0 lead.
Bleday tripled to make it 2-0, and Stephenson dropped a single in to add another run. In the fifth inning, Matt McLain’s bases-loaded walk drove in a run for 4-0. McLain had three RBIs in the series, including the eventual game-winning two-run single on May 9.
De La Cruz went 3-for-4 in the game with three singles and two runs scored. His batting average climbed to .288 (.875 OPS).
Spencer Steer added a solo home run in the sixth for a 5-0 lead. It was Steer’s seventh homer of 2026, and it came an inning after his bid for a grand-slam home run fell a few feet short when Brice Matthews ran the ball down and held on as he crashed into the wall in straightaway center field.
In the space of a day, the Reds not only ended their losing streak but further distanced themselves from it via the series win, bringing their record to a 22-19.
The return to winning ways isn’t to suggest the Reds aren’t without their troubles. Another member of the team’s Opening Day starting rotation − Rhett Lowder − was set to be added to the injured list. The Reds confirmed May 10 Lowder’s move to the IL due to shoulder fatigue wasn’t official yet but would occur.
Lowder joined Brandon Williamson (60-day IL) and Hunter Greene on the IL. Greene’s return isn’t expected for months.
Nick Lodolo’s IL stint (finger blister) came to end during the Astros series, and that was a welcome development. His 2026 debut for the Reds on May 8 plugged a hole in the rotation while the team waited to make a decision about Lowder, whose shoulder forced him out of a May 7 game against the Chicago Cubs. That opened another vacancy in the rotation.
Last week, the Reds covered their needs by turning to 23-year-old Chase Petty, and he came up from Triple-A Louisville to deliver 5 2/3 innings, falling one out short of a quality start. In the upcoming series against the Washington Nationals, Cincinnati should be aided by off day May 11 in order to get by.
Reds homestand continues vs. Washington Nationals
After an off day May 11, Cincinnati will host the Washington Nationals for three games May 12-14. The Reds have Brady Singer, Nick Lodolo and Chase Burns lined up following the May 11 off day.
Cincinnati is scheduled to face Miles Mikolas (1-3, 7.44 ERA) in the May 12 series opener. Jake Irvin (1-4, 5.22 ERA) is scheduled for the middle game and Foster Griffin (4-1, 2.12 ERA) is set for the series finale matinee (12:40 p.m. EDT).
The Nationals will arrive in Cincinnati having lost two of three games to the Miami Marlins. The “Nats” are part of a multi-team tie for second place in the National League East division via their 19-22 record.
Washington is 13-9 in road games so far in 2026. Cincinnati is 12-9 at Great American Ball Park.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Reds blank Astros behind Andrew Abbott to claim a series win
Reporting by Pat Brennan, Cincinnati Enquirer / Cincinnati Enquirer
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
