Reds C Tyler Stephenson HR vs Padres video
Cincinnati Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson was robbed of home run in the fourth but hit an upper deck shot in the 9th to lift the Reds over the Padres
The Cincinnati Reds defeated the San Diego Padres 2-1, winning the series.Pitcher Andrew Abbott delivered a strong performance, pitching eight innings and allowing only one run.This win places the Reds two games behind the New York Mets for the final National League playoff spot.
SAN DIEGO – It took eight innings of vintage Andrew Abbott and another big moment against the best bullpen in baseball.
But the Cincinnati Reds pulled a must-win series out of the fire with a comeback 2-1 victory over the Padres in San Diego that boosted them to just two games behind the New York Mets for the National League’s final playoff spot with 16 to play.
Just like that, the Reds have won back-to-back series against playoff-positioned opponents following a miserable two-week stretch that all but buried their postseason chances.
“It’s incredible,” said TJ Friedl, who scored the winning run in the eighth. “We’re all just kind of rallying around each other.”
The Reds are tied with the San Francisco Giants (74-72) as the schedule appears soften up for the next week, with series against a pair of trade deadline sellers following Thursday’s off day: the Athletics in Sacramento and Cardinals in St. Louis.
Abbott (9-6), who had labored with short starts in his previous two outings, was in command for eight efficient innings in this one, scattering five hits and striking out six in the 102-pitch start.
After allowing his only run on Fernando Tatis Jr’s one-out home run in the fifth, the Reds’ All-Star pitcher faced the minimum over his final three-plus innings of work (a one-out single in the seventh erased with an inning-ending double play).
Despite Abbott’s gem, the Reds were in danger of losing an MLB-high fifth 1-0 game until the eighth inning.
But TJ Friedl beat out his MLB-leading 11th bunt single with one out, took second on Noelvi Marte’s groundout and scored the tying run on Elly De La Cruz’s single to right off left-hander Adrian Morejon — Friedl just sliding his left hand across the plate ahead of Tatis’ throw to the plate.
“It was hit hard. I knew it was going to be close,” Friedl said. “That back corner was all I had. So just kind of came around at an angle, stuck my hand in there and hoped for the best.”
After De La Cruz stole second, Austin Hays was intentionally walked, and pinch-hitter Miguel Andujar delivered the two-out, go-ahead single to left.
What did manager Tito Francona think about the rally?
“The thing that sticks out more than anything is Abbott getting us there,” Francona said. “We gave up the 3-2 fastball to Tatis. Other than that, he looked like Abbott.
“Because of the way he pitched, we scratched, we clawed, we dunked a couple in there. …Big win for us.”
Until the eighth, it looked like Padres left fielder Ramon Laureano had snatched the Reds’ best chance to score from the first row with a leaping catch to rob Ke’Bryan Hayes of a would-be, tying home run and end the seventh inning.
The Reds won the season series against the Padres 4 games to 2 – winning three of those games by scoring against the Padres formidable bullpen.
“I wish we didn’t have to, because that’s their strength,” Francona said. “But I’ll give our guys credit, man. We didn’t knock the cover off the ball tonight. But they kept playing. There was nobody feeling sorry for themselves. We just kept playing. That’s a good feeling.”