Andrew Abbott already saved the Reds season once. Can he rescue it again today?

Andrew Abbott entered the 2023 season as a guy with 91.0 career IP above A-ball, a 2nd round lefty who’d yet to really crack into any Top 100 prospect lists anywhere. He had found minor league successes along the way, to be sure, but with just enough bumps in the road from a guy who many had overlooked to have very, very few big league expectations heaped upon him for the upcoming year.

Then, the Cincinnati Reds rotation was gutted by injuries. Nick Lodolo and Hunter Greene are the headliners for that cause, obviously, but the litany of others who fell along the way moved Abbott quickly up the ladder - as did, fortunately, his excellent form with AA Chattanooga and AAA Louisville. And since he’s cracked the big leagues with the Reds, he’s been nothing short of the team’s ace.

Since his debut exactly two months ago on June 5th, Abbott ranks behind only Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove on the ERA leaderboard among 71 qualified starters league-wide, the 65.0 IP in that span ranking 10th. He bailed out the Reds from the first moment he touched the mound, and on Saturday, he’ll be tasked with kicking the Reds out of their 4-game losing streak and post-deadline funk against the Washington Nationals.

The Nats, for all their foibles, do actually hit pretty well against LHP, it should be noted. Their .333 wOBA against southpaws is identical to that of the Reds, which has them tied for 8th best among all MLB clubs.

Washington will send young righty Joan Adon to thwart the Reds bats, a lineup that will unfortunately be devoid of Jake Fraley today (and for awhile) as he battles back from a busted toe.

First pitch is set for 4:10 PM ET. Go Andrew (again), and Go Reds.

Reds Lineup

Nationals Lineup