The Cincinnati Reds had a pretty good Opening Day.
Yes, it’s difficult for some to see that amid the typical overreaction to the Reds’ 3-0 loss to the Boston Red Sox at sun-soaked and sold-out Great American Ball Park on March 26.
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But ace 2.0 Andrew Abbott looked back to normal, going six scoreless innings and allowing seven singles, four of which didn’t leave the infield.
If the Reds are going to get back to the playoffs, it all starts with pitching. And pitching starts with starting pitching. And, well, Abbott’s outing was the first good news for the Reds’ starting rotation in about a week.
The storyline leading up to the season was the Reds’ pitching depth already being stretched by two blistered fingers and Hunter Greene’s injured elbow. There were also questions about Abbott, who had a rough spring training statistically. He spent most of spring training frustrated, but said, “I never doubt myself.”
Things started to turn after what Abbott called “the mentality talk.” Manager Terry Francona and pitching coach Derek Johnson decided it was time to have a heart-to-heart talk with Abbott following his outing on March 16, when the left-hander allowed eight runs in two innings against the Diamondbacks.
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Abbott said Johnson told him: “Hey, remember what you were doing when you were good? You weren’t thinking at all. Keep it simple.”
Said Abbott: “After hearing that, it allowed me to say, ‘Oh yeah, OK, this is what I was doing when I was being successful. So let’s get back to it ‘ “
Cincinnati Reds pitcher Andrew Abbott (41) throws a four-seam fastball for the first pitch of the season in the first inning of the MLB Opening Day game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Boston Red Sox at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Thursday, March 26, 2026. The game was tied at 0 after four innings.
Abbott certainly was back to looking like the All-Star he was last season, when he built a reputation as being reliable and essentially wrested the title of ace from the oft-injured Greene. In his first Opening Day start, Abbott didn’t allow a hit past the infield after Roman Anthony’s leadoff single to left in the third inning.
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Abbott got stronger during his outing. He struck out Trevor Story and Jarren Duran to end the Red Sox’s fifth inning, after the previous two batters reached on infield hits.
Abbott retired the side in order in his final inning on 12 pitches. He struck out Duran on three pitches to end Boston’s sixth. That left Abbott at 83 pitches, seemingly with more in the tank. But Francona met Abbott at the top steps of the dugout, Tito’s way of letting his pitcher know his day is done.
“He did a really good job,” Francona said.
No need for Abbott to push on there. This was a confidence-building outing, and the Reds don’t want to wear him down with two starters out. Lefty Nick Lodolo is out with a blister. Greene is out until at least July after having surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow. Brady Singer also had a blister issue, but he is scheduled to start Saturday’s game against the Red Sox.
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The Reds need Abbott to remain steady. They need Singer to eat innings. And then let’s see what rookie Rhett Lowder, Chase Burns and Brandon Williamson have. Baseball is a day-to-day deal. Momentum doesn’t carry over from pitcher to pitcher.
But Game 1 is certainly an encouraging sign.
Contact columnist Jason Williams at jwilliams@enquirer.com
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: See past Reds’ Opening Day loss. Ace Andrew Abbott back on track