“Offensively, that’s one of the better pitchers in the league (in Crochet),” Reds catcher Tyler Stephenson said. “We had some good opportunities. Some didn’t go our way. We put some good swings on it. It’s Day 1. We don’t need to overreact or anything. Good pitching day.”
While Reds Opening Day starter Andrew Abbott matched Crochet with six shutout innings, the Reds’ offense wasn’t able to break through late. Reds reliever Pierce Johnson allowed a run in the seventh inning, and reliever Connor Phillips allowed two more in the ninth inning.
The Reds’ best scoring chance, with the bases loaded, ended with a strikeout from Eugenio Suárez.
“We’ve got a really good group,” Suárez said. “We’ve got to keep playing … It’s just the first game. We’ve got to put pressure on them and try to win games.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
The Reds only finished the game with four hits. Three of them came from Sal Stewart, who became the first rookie in franchise history to have three-plus hits on Opening Day.
“I see how good he is,” Suárez said. “He has that talent. Hitting behind him is going to help him and help me, too. I told him you don’t have to put pressure on yourself. Be you.”
Stewart had a scare early in the game after he took a line drive off of his left wrist. He was able to stay in the game when he learned it wasn’t broken, and he kept on hitting.
“He’s Sal being Sal,” Stephenson said. “Just hitting.”
The new automated-ball-strike challenge system played a huge role in the game. One of Suárez’s strikeouts ended with a successful challenge by Boston. Then in the ninth inning, Phillips thought that he had just ended the inning with a strikeout. A successful challenge by the Red Sox kept the inning alive, and two runs scored for Boston after that.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
“It can definitely sway the turn of a game,” Reds reliever Graham Ashcraft said. “There can be calls that get overturned that go from a guy getting put on base getting the heart of the lineup up to a guy gets called on ball four and all of a sudden the inning is over and you’ve killed the momentum.”
Abbott put a frustrating spring training behind him and looked like his All-Star self. His pitches had plenty of life, he filled up the strike zone and he was very efficient. Abbott allowed seven hits, but he stayed poised in every jam and went toe-for-toe with Crochet.
The Reds’ offense just couldn’t break through late as the team lost its second consecutive season opener.
“We didn’t have a lot of chances, but we had a few,” Francona said. “We didn’t cash in today. We’ll work on doing that a little better on Saturday.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP