Cincinnati Reds Rumors After Opening Day Loss To The Red Sox, Eugenio Suarez Struggles, Sal Stewart

The Cincinnati Reds opened their 2026 season with a frustrating 3–0 loss to the Boston Red Sox, a game defined almost entirely by dominant pitching and missed offensive opportunities. While the scoreline suggests a comfortable Boston win, the reality was a tightly contested duel that remained scoreless deep into the game before slipping away late.

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Reds starter Andrew Abbott delivered an encouraging Opening Day performance, matching Boston ace Garrett Crochet inning for inning. Abbott threw six shutout innings, allowing scattered hits while keeping the Red Sox off the board and giving Cincinnati every chance to win. However, Crochet was even more overpowering. The left-hander struck out eight and allowed just three hits across six scoreless innings, repeatedly shutting down Reds hitters in key situations.

Cincinnati’s best chance came in the sixth inning, when they loaded the bases with one out. Crochet escaped by striking out Eugenio Suárez and Spencer Steer, a pivotal moment that preserved the scoreless tie and shifted momentum. From there, the Reds’ offense never recovered.

The breakthrough finally came in the seventh inning when Boston capitalized on a pitching change. A leadoff double eventually led to Ceddanne Rafaela’s RBI single, giving the Red Sox a 1–0 lead. Cincinnati’s bullpen held briefly, but the game slipped out of reach in the ninth inning as Boston added two insurance runs on RBI singles from Trevor Story and Jarren Duran.

Offensively, the Reds struggled to generate consistent pressure, finishing with just four hits and failing to score despite limited opportunities. One bright spot was rookie Sal Stewart, who recorded three hits in an impressive major league debut.

Ultimately, the loss highlighted a familiar issue for Cincinnati: solid pitching wasted by a quiet offense. While there were positives—especially Abbott’s outing and Stewart’s emergence—the shutout defeat underscored the need for more timely hitting as the season begins.

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5 comments

  1. HEY, BUD: DON'T Make Excuses for LOSING! This Team is NOT Worth Spending HUNDREDS of Dollars for ZERO RUNS ON FOUR BASE HITS!!!

    SORRY I Predicted a Reds Win and expected McLain to actually collect hits, and others to do well. Stewart and Abbott did not disappoint, and had Great Games but everyone else largely sucked!

    ELLY – 1-for-4, and 0-for-3 MCLAIN w/K had a great Spring, which means WHOOPTEYDOO.

    A Catcher who looks more like a .200 hitter is getting past OLD. Try getting some HITS, TYLER???

    The Relief Pitchers are meant to give Relief to CINCINNATI, Not BOSTON. The Cincy Relievers Stunk up GABP – SMH.

    Hey, Hunter Greene: Can you do ANYTHING Other than the DL??? You sit on your can and draw $$$ well. You Win the MOOSE Award. 😎

    Way to STINK, DEADS! Want reds in CAPS? EARN THE "W!" 👎

  3. Pal, love Stewart! You need to learn to be Marty Brennaman, and not be a Homer when this team stinks. Not saying it for the first game, but alot of folks won't tune in to hear Mr. Rogers.

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