CINCINNATI -- Andrew Abbott had to put in extra effort with traffic on the bases throughout his Saturday afternoon start against the Padres. Although the Reds lefty found ways to escape trouble, Cincinnati's bullpen wasn't anywhere near as fortunate.
San Diego scored five runs over the sixth and seventh innings to hand the Reds a 6-4 loss at Great American Ball Park.
“They had some really good AB’s, they had some timely hitting on their side," Abbott said. "I didn’t execute as I wanted to. We were able to get through it and give the team a chance to win and that’s really all you can do.”
Abbott certainly didn't hurt his bid to make the All-Star Game for the first time but he also didn't have his best performance during a season with several great ones. He pitched five innings and gave up one earned run and seven hits with two walks and four strikeouts.
The outing kept his All-Star-worthy record and ERA right where it was before the day began at 7-1 and 1.79 in 14 starts for the season.
Over his last four starts -- with three Reds wins -- Abbott has a 1.01 ERA with just three earned runs allowed over his last 26 2/3 innings. Overall on the season, he has allowed one earned run or less in 12 of his 14 starts.
“He gave up one. That’s pretty impressive," manager Terry Francona said. "It’s a good lineup. He threw a lot of pitches. It’s hot, but he doesn’t give in [and] holds his stuff.”
In the second inning after a Gavin Sheets one-out double, Abbott left two men stranded by striking out Martin Maldonado with a 94 mph fastball.
Cincinnati was leading, 3-0, in the top of the fourth when Xander Bogaerts hit a one-out single to left field before Sheets hit a liner to right field. Rece Hinds made a poor read off the bat and took a step in before the ball zipped over his head for a double.
"The line drive to right was hit really well," Francona said. "Rece, once he took that jab step, all he could do was jump. I don’t know if he goes back if he has a chance or not. So there were some things that didn’t help.”
Abbott walked Jose Iglesias to load the bases but got out of the jam with a fly out and groundout with no runs crossing but it was a 28-pitch inning.
A 24-pitch top of the fifth inning followed. Luis Arraez finally got San Diego on the scoreboard with a leadoff homer to right field on a 2-1 fastball from Abbott.
“Abbott, I thought, threw the ball well, but he looked up, he’s in the fifth grinding on 95 pitches," Padres manager Mike Shildt said. "Good at-bats. [Our] lefties, Sheets against the lefty, Luis against the lefty. Jackson [Merrill], great at bats, which, little bit of attrition. Just kept going, going, going.”
A pair of one-out hits again put Abbott in danger, but he escaped by striking out Bogaerts and he got a groundout to first base from Sheets on his 102nd and final pitch.
“It keeps you from going to deep in the game, obviously," Abbott said. "You want to stay around 15 pitches [per inning]. It’s going to happen but you’ve just got to keep your foot down and keep grinding for the team. I knew our bullpen was in a pretty good spot from being rested from Nick Martinez [and his eight innings] and the off day [on Thursday]. I felt good about where we left them and unfortunately, we didn’t do it today but we’ll come and be ready to do it tomorrow.”
The Reds added a run in the bottom of the fifth for a 4-1 lead before the game came apart. Scott Barlow gave up two hits to open the sixth, including Jake Cronenworth's two-run homer to right field on a 1-0 pitch.
“Barlow just pitched behind in the count, kind of paid for it," Francona said.
In the seventh, Reds reliever Lyon Richardson gave up Merrill's leadoff double and a one-out walk. That set up Sheets for his third hit and the biggest of the day as he drove a 3-1 pitch to right field for a three-run homer that put the Padres ahead.
Lost was an opportunity to win another series and move to a season-high five games over .500. The Reds (43-40) still can take the rubber game on Sunday.