Andrew Abbott delivered six scoreless innings, Elly De La Cruz notched a three-hit performance, and the Cincinnati Reds secured a 5-0 victory over the visiting Houston Astros on Sunday, winning the rubber match of their three-game interleague series.
Abbott (2-2) impressed in his second career outing against the Astros, his first since making his third career start versus Houston on June 16, 2023. He threw six shutout frames in a 2-1 win that day and nearly matched that line while keeping the Astros in check for the series finale.
The left-hander allowed just three hits (all singles) and one walk, racking up five strikeouts. He did not permit a baserunner to reach scoring position, retiring nine consecutive batters between a one-out single by Cesar Salazar in the third inning and a one-out Jose Altuve single in the sixth.
Isaac Paredes singled with two outs in the first but was left stranded when Reds first baseman Spencer Steer made a spectacular catch of a Christian Walker pop fly in foul territory. Cam Smith walked to open the second, but Tyler Stephenson threw him out attempting to steal second. Abbott struck out Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez three times.
Astros reliever Kai-Wei Teng (1-3) made his second start as an opener this season. He breezed through three innings but unraveled in the fourth when De La Cruz led off with a single, followed by a Sal Stewart double to right-center. JJ Bleday then ripped a two-run triple to right, breaking the scoreless deadlock. Stephenson chased Teng with an RBI single.
The Reds added solo runs in the fifth and sixth innings. Matt McLain worked a bases-loaded walk against Astros reliever Cody Bolton in the fifth, plating De La Cruz. Steer cranked his seventh homer of the season with one out in the sixth, driving a 1-1 sinker from Bolton 355 feet to left field.
Reds relievers Tejay Antone, Sam Moll, and Graham Ashcraft combined for three perfect innings of relief, marking the second straight game the Cincinnati bullpen covered the final three frames without allowing a baserunner.
