Reds build new win streak on Andrew Abbott’s left arm, Matt McLain’s bat

Matt McLain homered and doubled in another run, Andrew Abbott shredded the Baltimore Orioles through 6 masterful innings, and the Cincinnati Reds waited out all that Mother Nature could throw their way to pick up a 3-1 win in Camden Yards on Tuesday evening.

A one-hour and 43 minute rain delay after the completion of the 7th inning threw a wrench in everyone’s plans, but TJ Friedl socked a solo homer when play resumed and the Reds bullpen eventually put the hammer down on a win that snapped their brief 3-game skid.

Abbott, who’ll share tonight’s Joe Nuxhall Memorial Honorary Star of the Game award with McLain, settled in nicely after some early hiccups, allowing just a lone earned run on 2 hits and 3 walks through 6.0 IP. He fanned 8 - the last coming on a timely pitch-clock violation by Aaron Hicks, and had Baltimore’s potent offense off-keel all evening.

McLain, meanwhile, just kept on bashing. He smoked a double off the wall in CF before homering over it later, and the dude has completely played his way into warranting an All Star nod.

Props are due to each of Lucas Sims, Buck Farmer, and Alexis Diaz for locking down the 7th, 8th, and 9th innings, respectively, something they could probably do with aplomb on the regular if they (and the rest of the bullpen) weren’t so often thrust into fireman mode earlier in games.

It all sets the stage for a chance to win a road series against a playoff-bound club tomorrow with [/checks notes] Luke Weaver on the mound. So, they’re going to need the bats to show up in spades to get that done, I suppose, and the odds of the Sims/Farmer/Diaz seamless finish already look shaky in my own mind.

Good win tonight, however. Red 3, Orioles 1.

Tony Graphanino

[Link to interactive WPA chart and box score, via FanGraphs]

Other Notes

• Luke Weaver has allowed 23 ER over his last 22.1 IP across his last 5 GS. This aggression simply will not stand, man.
• This win paired with the Milwaukee Brewers losing to the New York Mets means that, yes, the Cincinnati Reds are again in first place in the National League Central.
• The Reds will face off against Kyle Gibson tomorrow, a guy who I wished the Reds would have signed over the winter with the money that ultimately a) never got spent on the starting rotation and b) later went to the now-DFA’d Wil Myers. So, I’ll either be eating crow tomorrow, laughing my ass off, or saying ‘it’s just OK.’
• Tunes.